- Joined
- Jul 23, 2011
- Messages
- 51,904
looking for the best consumer (or commercially) available aluminum corrosion cleaner and brightener available today.
not talking big flaky white rust with pits, however the fuzzy haze that develops on aluminum boats, pontoons, aluminum block castings, transmission castings, aluminum wheels, etc. I do not want to bead blast the transmission or suspension or engine block.
I used to have a guy (industrial chemist brother of a co-worker that made HVAC cleaners) that mixed up a specific aluminum cleaner that made parts look like fresh castings. the stuff would dissolve skin and stained concrete/fiberglass/the apartment bathtub if you were not careful. however that was 25 years and 1500 miles ago. it was a spray it on, have hose ready, when the surface just starts turning black, rinse and scrub deal. if you let the surface turn completely black the part was FUBAR.
I used to use "pink stuff" AC coil cleaner, however post 2004, the stuff just doesn't appear to work the same.
tried some of the wheel cleaners from the local FLAPS, however same issue, doesn't really work.
Oxalic Acid works to remove the heavy white rust, but dulls the surface significantly. so not using it on these parts. Vinegar dulls the surface as well.
the NAPA aluminum brightener requires a mechanical polishing after. looking to find something that works without the mechanical polishing. Primarily because polishing a boat, diamond plate tool box, or a wheel is easy. polishing a transmission, engine block, and suspension is not going to happen.
So reaching out to the tin-boat and pontoon crowd along with the hotrodding collective to see what works good that you can still get your hands on to remove the light white haze and return it back to that bright as-cast look.
not talking big flaky white rust with pits, however the fuzzy haze that develops on aluminum boats, pontoons, aluminum block castings, transmission castings, aluminum wheels, etc. I do not want to bead blast the transmission or suspension or engine block.
I used to have a guy (industrial chemist brother of a co-worker that made HVAC cleaners) that mixed up a specific aluminum cleaner that made parts look like fresh castings. the stuff would dissolve skin and stained concrete/fiberglass/the apartment bathtub if you were not careful. however that was 25 years and 1500 miles ago. it was a spray it on, have hose ready, when the surface just starts turning black, rinse and scrub deal. if you let the surface turn completely black the part was FUBAR.
I used to use "pink stuff" AC coil cleaner, however post 2004, the stuff just doesn't appear to work the same.
tried some of the wheel cleaners from the local FLAPS, however same issue, doesn't really work.
Oxalic Acid works to remove the heavy white rust, but dulls the surface significantly. so not using it on these parts. Vinegar dulls the surface as well.
the NAPA aluminum brightener requires a mechanical polishing after. looking to find something that works without the mechanical polishing. Primarily because polishing a boat, diamond plate tool box, or a wheel is easy. polishing a transmission, engine block, and suspension is not going to happen.
So reaching out to the tin-boat and pontoon crowd along with the hotrodding collective to see what works good that you can still get your hands on to remove the light white haze and return it back to that bright as-cast look.
