If you are restoring your motorbike, you may have seen or heard about anodised bolts but have been wondering what all the fuss is about. Maybe you would like to know what colour you can get anodised fasteners in, or what type of metal they are available in. Hopefully this article will clarify some of your questions regarding anodised nuts and bolts.
The main decision to make is what metal the bolts and nuts should be purchased in. If you are looking for anodised fasteners your choices are limited to titanium and aluminium. This is due to the fact that not all fasteners can be anodised.
If the bolts and nuts is to be used in high stress applications such as brakes or suspension mounts, Titanium should be used as it has a better tensile strength. If you are fastening chain guards or the petrol cap for example, aluminium nuts can be used.
The second important consideration when picking the type of anodised bolts is the colours that are possible in the different metals. Normally aluminium bolts will have a wider selection of colours than the Titanium alternatives. This should however not interfere with your safety considerations, if the required colour is not available in Titanium for a high high stress application, rather opt for a silver or alternative available colour in Titanium or stainless steel.
A few people may wish to avoid bolts that are anodised a colour and opt for the ordinary silver fasteners. This is especially true when doing original restorations or similar motorcycles. Even in this case, the plain silver anodised fasteners will have an edge over normal steel bolts, and that is they do not rust or tarnish.
Rust is not an issue using fasteners that are anodised because of the specialised chemical process they are put through. With out explaining the technicalities of anodising, the parts are placed into a solution with current flowing through the solution and parts. This process also hardens and seals the metal, which is why it will not show signs of rust or tarnishing.
The main decision to make is what metal the bolts and nuts should be purchased in. If you are looking for anodised fasteners your choices are limited to titanium and aluminium. This is due to the fact that not all fasteners can be anodised.
If the bolts and nuts is to be used in high stress applications such as brakes or suspension mounts, Titanium should be used as it has a better tensile strength. If you are fastening chain guards or the petrol cap for example, aluminium nuts can be used.
The second important consideration when picking the type of anodised bolts is the colours that are possible in the different metals. Normally aluminium bolts will have a wider selection of colours than the Titanium alternatives. This should however not interfere with your safety considerations, if the required colour is not available in Titanium for a high high stress application, rather opt for a silver or alternative available colour in Titanium or stainless steel.
A few people may wish to avoid bolts that are anodised a colour and opt for the ordinary silver fasteners. This is especially true when doing original restorations or similar motorcycles. Even in this case, the plain silver anodised fasteners will have an edge over normal steel bolts, and that is they do not rust or tarnish.
Rust is not an issue using fasteners that are anodised because of the specialised chemical process they are put through. With out explaining the technicalities of anodising, the parts are placed into a solution with current flowing through the solution and parts. This process also hardens and seals the metal, which is why it will not show signs of rust or tarnishing.
