cleaning aluminum

[jaudio]

I need to clean some aluminum and need some suggestion the easier the better


Thanks

 

[poobah]

Can you elaborate? a bit?

 

[bulgin]

Cleaning Aluminium

Hi

Depending what it is you want to clean, you can give it a 'chemical polish' by dipping whatever it is in phosphoric acid at 100degrees centigrade.

Disclaimer: Entirely at your own risk! This stuff is dangerous in many ways and corrodes amost anything. Wear protective clothing and breathing apparatus + rubber gloves. Ensure good ventilation.

This method is used prior to anodising.

If you're crazy enough to try this, be very careful and heed the disclaimer.

bulgin

 

[SY]

This is goggles and heavy rubber gloves stuff, lots of ventilation. It should NOT be done by anyone without experience handling corrosives!

 

[infinia]

Yikes you guys are hcore around here. Must be another way to "do it".

 

[poobah]

Good ole' Coca Cola is a milder way of getting at some phosphoric acid. It WORKS on aluminum.

Old college trick: never pour half-finished Coke down the drain; put it in the toilet and let it sit. Cuts down on maintenance!

 

[infinia]

Castrol "Super Clean" followed with MAAS metal polish and a little elbow grease.

 

[cpemma]

Stewing rhubarb in an aluminium pan leaves it very clean. I've used it to clean up the pressure cooker, though it may be wise to discard the cooked fruit.

http://www.alzscot.org/pages/info/aluminium.htm
Rhubarb cooked in an uncoated aluminium pan or pressure cooker can, for example, pick up 4mg of aluminium per 100g serving.

 

[gmphadte]

bulgin wrote

Depending what it is you want to clean, you can give it a 'chemical polish' by dipping whatever it is in phosphoric acid at 100degrees centigrade.

How do u clean the aluminium that suffers from corrosion due to this acid.
I can't wash some of the parts as they are parts of a sample handler in a mass spectrometer.
Any chemical that will stop/revert the reaction.

Thanks in advance

Gajanan Phadte

 

[inteificio]

Any acid will attack the oxide layer changing the shape of the metal. as soon as the clean metal comes into contact with air it will start to oxidise this will takes ~2s.

So jumping back, What do you want to clean and why?
What do wish to clean off it?

How did it get dirty in the first place.

 

[Variac]

If it is mildly oxidised , then Semichrome Polish will make it shine!

 

[gmphadte]

This is aluminium arm of the carbonate sample handler called Gilson and the heat bath. Above this bath, is a needle that disposes the phosphoric acid into the vial. The acid drop falls sometimes on these surroundings. The CaCO3 samples from the sea, mainly foramanifera, are reacted with this acid which releases CO2, which is then analysed.
This reacted Al surfaces look stained and would like to bring their look back.
This is an oceanographic research laboratory.

Any trick with some chemicals...
Thanks

Gajanan Phadte

 

[inteificio]

If it gives you consistent results I wouldn't touch it.
If you want to sell it then polish it (but keep quiet about that)

 

[DragonMaster]

I also want to clean aluminum, but it's the front plate and switches of a Yamaha CA-2010 amplifier. It's full of finger traces. I didn't try anything as I don't want to get off the lettering.

 

[poobah]

Try a mixture of Dawn dish soap on a soft towel and go easy.

I cleaned the front plate of ReVox CDP in hot soapy water and all the lettering fell off! You would think ReVox would do a little better.



Good ole' Windex works good on that, but again be carefull around the lettering.

 

[soongsc]

Looks like the person that asked the question just ran off?

 

[jaudio]

Nope, I’m still here. I have to divide between five projects.

I would like to stay away from anything that can burn or blind. I don’t minded using elbow grease. The problem I have is, I used the aluminum case (modem enclosure) to cut a piece of Plexiglas. I heat the case to melt the plexi but I didn’t clean all the residue off the case before heating. Now, I have brown spots.

Maybe aluminum pot cleaner?

 

[I_Forgot]

I heat the case to melt the plexi but I didn’t clean all the residue off the case before heating. Now, I have brown spots.

Sandpaper?

I_F

 

[guitvinny]

Just my 10 cents...

But I had a raw unpoliched piece for my tube amplifier top, I tried to polish it with sand paper... I dont have a buffer by the way... it take 3 days to convince me to abandon this idea. It`s a pain in the ... So I decied to use good old spray paint for car with clear coth... real good result.

 

[jaudio]

Thanks All

guitvinny

I think I will go with the spray paint too.