cleanilng aluminum casting

[fogdot]

any home brew concoctions for cleaning an aluminum housing. Specifically, a transmission top that has been on a shelf for a long time.
there must be something that I can soak it in for a few days that won't eat it away.

 

[Brosky]

I thought that some here said to use Easy Off Oven Cleaner?? Let it soak and scrub the junk away.

 

[LarryK]

I use Castrol Super Cleaner then go to the car wash with brush and blast it off. Let cleaner soak for a few hours and brush then respray and then blast, comes pretty clean, rinse thoroughly as it will pit the aluminum if left to dry.

 

[Popeye]

I have used mineral spirits and a brush/scraper, with decent success. Oven cleaner works too - but if I recall it is not too friendly with auminum??

(I cleaned my vespa motor this way - aluminum casting)

 

[tr8todd]

I heard that blasting with baking soda leaves a nice finish once you get it clean.

 

[angelfj1]

I can't remember where I found this information, but I took a chance on this advice and this product, and have found it fantastic. I'll have used this primarily on small parts, like master cylinders, aluminum manifolds, carbs, etc, but there is no reason not to use this on a transmission.

Use a wire brush (hand & drill mounted) for cleaning followed by a 50/50 mix of MetalPrep 79 & water. Bathe part for 3 minutes. Mix Alodine 50/50 with water. Bathe again for 3 minutes. The Alodine converts the aluminum surface chemically & prevents the aluminum from being corroded. Can be purchased in pints at well stocked paint stores. Use high temp clear spray paint to finish after the chemical treatment. <u>NOTE: (I prefer the natural look of cleaned and polished aluminum, so I do not paint, but have used clear powder coat)</u> Can also be found at https://www.aircraftspruce.com There are two types of Alodine. The 1001 product leaves a natural silver finish while the 1201 product leaves a goldish hue. Aircraft Spruce has quite an array of products of interest to LBC owners. The products above are well described on their web site.

 

[TR3driver]

I thought that some here said to use Easy Off Oven Cleaner??

Easy-Off is mostly lye (sodium hydroxide), which will also attack and discolor the aluminum to some extent. Not a problem if you monitor the progress (and don't particularly care about the appearance of the result), but I wouldn't leave it overnight.

Sorry, I don't have a good solution to offer (tho the MetalPrep & Alodine sounds interesting). Last time I cleaned up a gearbox, I sprayed it with full strength Simple Green, let soak, scrubbed with a brush, then blasted with a pressure washer. After about 3 repetitions, I gave up and put it back in kind of dirty /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/frown.gif Bead blasting works well on smaller components but my blast cabinet won't do a TR gearbox housing.

 

[amcboy]

This stuff is great:

https://www.berrymanproducts.com/Default.aspx?tabid=146

I use the gallon and basket for carbs and get refills to use in stainless trays for larger stuff.

Really puts the shine to aluminium, and doesn't give the pickled appearance theese dips sometimes give.


If your carb bases are a gunky mess this will fix it in 15 minutes. (plus the time to properly disassemble your carburetor, your mileage will vary...)

 

[2wrench]

I used Marine Clean, water-based product from
POR-15 vendor. 50/50 mix with water in quality
spray bottle; spray; wait fifteen minutes;
spray clean with 2600 PSI spray washer or go to
self-spray car wash bay. See my results:

https://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u222/2wrench/P1010019-3.jpg

 

[2wrench]

Opps, sorry. That was a poor photo taken before
it was totally cleaned. Try this finish:

 

[Guest]

AlumaBrite (oxalic acid) works but will leave a dull finish.
Available at marine or most large hardware stores. Used properly, it cleans well.

 

[2wrench]

I used Marine Clean, water-based product from
POR-15 vendor. 50/50 mix with water in quality
spray bottle; spray; wait fifteen minutes;
spray clean with 2600 PSI spray washer or go to
self-spray car wash bay. See my results:

https://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u222/2wrench/P1010019-3.jpg

Forgot to mention important part: Sprayed first
Gunk engine degreaser to get the heavy crud broke
loose, then the Marine Clean. Dang

Woke up outta sleep to type this.

 

[Guest]

When do you sleep, 2wrench?

 

[2wrench]

Bill, I'm a Court Reporter. Work by day...work by
night. That's how it is. If one were not night
owl before entering this profession one becomes one
outta necessity. The quiet of the night is when
we do our best work, I think. Comes through on
the Forum as well. And with that, I think I'll
go to sleep. Good night, Bill.

Oh, and by the way: I principally report for dental
defense firms for real....no tongue in cheek here....

Man I go out on a limb for a pun....

And the best we can wish for is a bunch of
lower third molar extractions while leaving the
trigeminal nerve undisturbed, right?

But then again, if you're an orthodontist, don't
think you'll care.

I think I get more weird waking up. Good night, Bill.

 

[DrEntropy]

/bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/lol.gif

 

[TheSearcherMan]

When I was younger, I used to wonder why people like, John Dilllinger, Boonie and Clyde, etc., were bank robbers. Now, since I have grown up, I think I have figured it out. They were all trying to get the funds to restore their Triumphs.