BIRCHWOOD CASEYAluminium Black Touch-Up, 32-Ounce, Multi, One Size (BC-15132)

Good to touch up scratches on my hand gun.Tried it on a model airplane engine and ate into the aluminum.The model engine had magnesium in the aluminum, so be careful where use it on.When applied onto the model engine the model engine started to smoke while I was applying it.

You could buy a 3 ounce bottle of this stuff for twenty bucks, or for 2.5X the cost you can have 32 ounces of the stuff. Just remember to be mindful of contamination: pour out what you will use into a smaller container and dip from that. This stuff works great on aluminum if you freshly scuff it to remove prior oxidization, and works great on most steel. That made this a two-for-one deal for me. I would absolutely buy it again if I ever needed more. Though with the size this bottle is, there's a good chance I won't need more in my lifetime.

This is an aluminum acid etch compound. This is ideal for quick touch up work. If you're going to be using this for larger surface areas, you're going to go through a lot of this. I use q-tip applicators, and will go through 30-40 applicators for the large areas I need to cover. It's a less expensive alternate to starting up an anodizing operation. It works very well for acid etching protected areas.

It's been a 50/50 shot whether or not I get right. Dont know if it's the grade of aluminum or if I didn't clean it right or used the product right.

If you want to turn aluminum black, this stuff really works in just a few minutes. So far, I haven't used the objects I've blackened enough to know how long it might take for the treatment to wear away, if in fact, it does wear away, but the chemical reaction it induces works very well.