Does anybody have any experience painting aluminum, milled and or clear anodized? Is there special paint or preparations to worry about?

Or is it as simple is picking up a can of spray paint at lowes marked suitable for "metal".

I thinkits just as easy as picking up a can of spray paint for metal and spraying away. If you are painting metal that is around the light in a hot area you might want to use high temp BBQ paint, anywhere else you will want to use a flat paint with no gloss to cut down on reflection.

I used a bit of aluminum in my lightgate and simply cleaned it with some solvent then sprayed on the hi-temp paint. Results seem fine. I don't believe there are any major issues with painting aluminum. Just make sure there's no oil or dirt on it.

For a mild duty coating , just cleaning should be fine. For coatings that will stand a bit of abuse, you will want to do a primer coat of etching primer. It forms a better bond to the metal and allows the new paint to adhere better. If you dont have the time to do a primer coat, then clean the surface, buff lightly with a fine abrasive grit and then paint immediately afterwards.

SJ

They make a few types of paints that are specially made for aluminum surfaces. You can find most of these in the paint section or ductwork specialty stores.