Removing anodized color from iPhone 12, 13, 14 for an iPhone 4 look

[@jameswoll]

Ballsy move, and it looks like it paid off! I dig the look! I'm surprised this video doesn't have more views. I can't be the only one, besides you, who wants that old iPhone 4 style back!

[@zachcollier]

Hey, thanks! Sorry I missed your comment earlier. Yeah, this was a ton of fun and it turned out great. I like it so much that I’m still using it today, even with the iPhone 15 coming out in just a couple of months. I love this little iPhone, and I’ll use it as long as possible.

[@muaythai193]

And I completely agree with the aesthetic point. Just a few days ago I criticized that Apple never combined a mirror polished stainless steel frame with the glossy glass back and mirror polished Apple logo. Imo this combo would look great with iPhone 14’s colors (it had awesome versions of red, blue, etc).

[@edput01]

Thank you! Been thinking about doing this since I got my red 13 mini 2 years ago, and your video motivated me to do it! Used a different kind of oven cleaner with around 15% sodium hydroxide but it worked and the result is great! For anyone else trying this my advise would be not to hold the aluminium in the cleaner for more than 15min because the cleaner may react unevenly, next use abrasive, then use cleaner again for some 5min, then abrasive again.

[@zachcollier]

This is great advice!!!

[@jethrovisitacion2117]

Polish with metal polish. And apply protective film

[@bepyyy]

Can i do the same thing with a paint remover, because i cant find the oven cleaner you showed in your video in my country, or if i buy a different oven cleaner what do i have to look for. And thank you for the video it was just what i was looking for, your instructions were clear and helpful.

[@zachcollier]

I don't think that paint remover will work the same way. But it really just depends on the ingredients. Here's a page that describes the ingredients in the cleaner that I used. Perhaps you can find something with the same ingredients. www.rbnainfo.com/product.php?productLineId=282

[@saaryadav2528]

I have done this to my iPhone 12 too but I didn't knew this method so I pretty much fine sanded the whole thing including camera ring

[@lear60man]

I just picked up an S24 Ultra. Some colors came with a black edge on the titanium. I sanded off a little bit as a proff of concept, but this method is a winner.

[@zachcollier]

Very cool! I’d love to see some photos!

[@mroverdose14]

Thank you, repairing used iphones and will use this to give damaged edges a new look to them. Better that re-painted them.

[@zachcollier]

You’re welcome! The results really do look awesome on my phone! I hope you’re able to get some similar results.

[@JasonWD]

well done, I just picked up a 13 mini and also love the 4 aesthetic!

[@JasonWD]

also.. how did it hold up after some time?

[@zachcollier]

@@JasonWD It has continued to hold up really well over time. In fact, it might be getting a little MORE shiny because it's getting polished every time it goes in and out of a pocket.

[@JasonWD]

@@zachcollier great! I think it’s time I found a white one and got to work on it!

[@soaremicheledavid6020]

Did the same thing on my IP 14 Pro Max, need to buy a fine sand paper for a better finish.

[@zachcollier]

I found that sandpaper did a really nice job on the aluminum of the iPhone 12 non-Pro, but I suspect it would also work on the stainless steel of the Pro models. Good luck!

[@muaythai193]

Do you know if the white iphone 14 has the same finish as the red or yellow iphone 14? Or is it the natural aluminium color with less paint or without any paint?

[@zachcollier]

I’m not sure about the white iPhone 14. I think they made one in “Starlight” that was a little bit off-white, and that one certainly has an anodized color coating on it. Even if the white one has no added color you would still be able to polish it to a very nice shiny finish, and that would look awesome!

[@muaythai193]

@@zachcollier I meant only the silver aluminium edges. I'm wondering if those are just the alu's natural color, or if they also got the same color (silver) and coating treatment the red or yellow colored ones have.

[@zachcollier]

@ Yes, I understood what you meant. Perfect description before! And to expound, my guess is that it is actually just the natural aluminum color on the white iPhone 14, but it’s still textured and anodized. You would be removing the anodized coating with my process, and then presumably sanding it until it’s smooth and reflective like a mirror. Totally possible regardless of the color!

[@muaythai193]

@ thanks

[@Trapasak89]

good job. looks amazing.

[@geraldrpessy4214]

Wow i did this on a samsung galaxy a5 2017. N now im doing it on a A8 2018.. luv the look pure shiny aluminium frame

[@zachcollier]

Awesome! I’m sure it looks amazing!

[@geraldrpessy4214]

@@zachcollier thats true it remind me on my iphone 4 black with silver aluminum back in the days.

[@shadee7158]

Hello, I want to do the same thing with an aluminium frame of Mi 9T Pro because it has a lot of dents. So I was wondering if you think just using sandpaper starting from 400/600 grit going up to 2000 grit and then polishing with cerium oxide would do the job. I don't want to use the oven cleaner because I can't find the same one and my phone isn't as waterproof. With sandpaper I'm only scared of damaging the antenna strips, but it seems they weren't damaged in your case, so it should be fine?

[@zachcollier]

I believe you are thinking about this correctly. Sandpaper will absolutely do the job, and your plan is good: start with 400 or 600 grit paper to take the color off more quickly, then move to 800, 1000, 1500, then 2000 to get a nice shine. You should not need to go higher than 2000 for a nice mirror finish. Regarding the antenna strips, you will definitely be removing some material from them. I don’t know how thick that plastic is, so watch carefully to see if you start to sand *through* the strips.

[@TestingAccount-z9s]

Can I use this ony my apple watch aluminium? The black aluminium body has so many paint chips due to prolonge case used.

[@zachcollier]

I haven’t tried this on an Apple Watch but I suspect it would work very much the same.

[@tabbstrenth7376]

Does any heavy duty oven cleaner work

[@zachcollier]

I don’t know as I only tried this one. But I would assume that the same caustic chemicals are in most heavy duty oven cleaners.

[@sammyt3514]

I have the same color iPhone 12 mini and it's bugging the heck out of me that color is fading on its rails at the contact points with my fingers, so I'm seriously considering doing this which does look awesome, better than the all blue look imo. One question though, since the bottom of the phone got the same result as the rest of the phone without using the oven cleaner, any reason why you didn't do the whole phone that way (i.e. using only the 600 grit sandpaper and the steel wool)? If it's the matter of just more elbow grease, I'm willing to do that rather than mess with the oven cleaner.

[@zachcollier]

I’m sorry I missed your question earlier! I think you could definitely do most of this with only sandpaper and steel wool. It would take a LOT of work to get all of the color off, but it seems possible. When I started this project I didn’t know that I would end up using sandpaper or steel wool to finish the job. Buy it was such a big help to be able to switch between different methods as needed. If you try this, please share your results! Good luck!

[@sammyt3514]

@@zachcollier Thanks for your feedback; will definitely share the results if I summon the courage to do it :)

[@adityasingh5011]

Hello! I was just wondering if the red colour inside the mute switch is intact. Kinda worried about that coming off too xD Planning to do this on my iPhone 12

[@zachcollier]

@@adityasingh5011 no, actually the red color inside the mute switch did not survive. The functionality is perfect, and I still get the vibration feedback when switching to silent mode, but I can’t see the color anymore.

[@adityasingh5011]

@@zachcollierThanks for the reply! I guess I’ll tape the mute switch too and sand it like the charging port side to retain that red

[@ogditelton4751]

Hi. My iPhone 14 plus aluminum has minor dent ( kinda paint off type ) I was wondering if i could use something to make it like painted/ Filled

[@zachcollier]

Well, one of the things I was fixing with this modification was a small dent. Since the small dent was allowing the plain silver aluminum to show through, removing the color left the entire edge silver, and the dent was less noticeable. Then I used sandpaper and steel wool to further reduce the dent, sanding down the edges of the dent itself. Then it was effectively a much less deep dent relative to the surrounding surface, and effectively invisible. This could work for you if you wanted to have plain silver sides. I personally think that the silver, especially when polished to a nice shine, looks better than any of the colors. You can fill and paint the dent, but you will have a difficult time matching the color exactly, and the paint will be less durable than the anodized coating so the color will wear off over time.

[@jhonmarkmanaog696]

did u remove the simcard slot before soaking it in the oven cleaner?

[@zachcollier]

No, I deliberately left the SIM card slot cover in place. That seals the hole and keeps the oven cleaner from getting inside the enclosure. These phones are mostly waterproof or water resistant already, so it’s best to let that feature do its thing.

[@harshithn2536]

How is the aluminium after a year of usage

[@zachcollier]

Perfectly smooth, maybe even MORE shiny, and completely beautiful.

[@alezxandraalianza948]

hello, may i ask if this method will also work on iphone x? thank you so much

[@zachcollier]

Yes, this should work the same on iPhone X! If you do it, let me know how it goes or if you need help.

[@samwise511]

Is the phone still fine as of this comment?

[@zachcollier]

Yes! Still working perfectly!

[@samwise511]

@zachcollier great to hear! will try this on my S23 Ultra Black color as the anodized sides are starting to flake off.

[@samwise511]

@zachcollier also since you mentioned that the oven cleaner did got on the screen even with the tape on, is it still a necessary step?

[@zachcollier]

@ I can’t be a sure that the tape was absolutely necessary. But one can assume that it at least lessened and/or slowed any effects that the oven cleaner might have had on the screen. And the phone is still working great years later. So doesn’t it seem worth that little bit of extra effort, just in case?

[@cookieintune]

U guys think this will work on an Apple Watch ?

[@zachcollier]

I have not tried it myself, but I do think it should work on an Apple Watch.

[@eyefoundmefilms630]

Can I do this on my graphite colored iPhone 12 Pro Max ?

[@zachcollier]

I’m not sure about the Pro models, because that’s a different material with different coating.

[@eyefoundmefilms630]

@@zachcollier the coating has been peeling off and is showing a bit of “chrome” so I figured it’s possible

[@Hiro-ws2kx]

How is the aluminium holding up?

[@zachcollier]

It looks even better than when I completed this project. Just from the action of going in and out of pockets, it stays perfectly polished. Very shiny, and no noticeable scuffs or other damage. Thanks for asking!

[@irvinglechuga2067]

Won't the paint go inside the phone for digging the phone inside the paint?

[@zachcollier]

@@irvinglechuga2067 Since the phone is mostly waterproof it doesn’t seem like anything got inside. The phone has been working perfectly for almost two years since performing this modification!

[@Kwarksnuiver]

And you think the parts that keep it waterproof are’nt affected by the over cleaner?

[@zachcollier]

Well, I suppose I don’t really know. But I can tell you that this phone has been working perfectly for more than two years after completing this project. I don’t think it’s been fully submerged in water, but it has definitely gotten wet, and been used in the rain more than a few times.

[@slob5041]

Beautiful thank you

[@zachcollier]

You are welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed the video!

[@user-jz6sv3cu4k]

I will do it for my mini

[@zachcollier]

Great! It will be fun!

[@user-eh7du9bs3n]

Could have just bought the white iphone and applied a black skin on back glass for iphone 4 look

[@zachcollier]

@@user-eh7du9bs3n cool

[@IbbiAhmed]

Lovely

[@zachcollier]

Thank you!!

[@TheGalvannyVEVO]

Im gonna do it with my 15 pro that scratched just by sliding through my pants to the floor 10 centimeters!!!! 🙃

[@zachcollier]

Great idea! This will definitely help make scratches less noticeable!

[@TheGalvannyVEVO]

@@zachcollier I did and I also tried to replicate the brushed titanium effect it looks good 👍🏻 thaanks

[@ryanturner9705]

@@TheGalvannyVEVOhow did it come out? I wanna do this to my 13 pro.

[@harsha2304]

How is the aluminium after 1 year 6 months?

[@zachcollier]

@@harsha2304 It’s in very good condition! No dents or scratches, and it stays shiny because it gets polished a little bit every time it goes in and out of my pocket. It’s a great modification!!