Cleaning aluminum?

rsv1cox Mon Aug 14, 2023 10:04 am

And I thought this was going to be simple just wipe it down with 91% alcohol.

Not so simple, I looked up "cleaning aluminum" on the net and it seems that alcohol reacts with aluminum in a not so nice way. Best way is dish detergent and warm water which does an acceptable job of removing most of the spent castor but leaves stains. I have polishers but they leave that polished look and I want natural.

Paint brush gave way to a microfiber towel.

Any ideas?

cstatman Mon Aug 14, 2023 11:04 am

clean but not shiney is the difficult part there.

most aluminum cleaning products are all about getting the shine

I'm a huge fan of simple green and a soft plastic scrub brush with lots of water.

It will make too shiney, but?
Brasso
Mag Wheel Polish
Never-Dull magic wadding
SimiChrome polishing compound

Are all some in my 'toolbox' but most will get you a highly polished....
good luck

pman1111 Mon Aug 14, 2023 11:45 am

Berryman's? Maybe just a 3M abrasive pad, or coarse steel wool?

Levent Suberk Mon Aug 14, 2023 12:04 pm

I think that buffing wheel is best.

A clear acrylic coat will be good after polishing.

rsv1cox Mon Aug 14, 2023 12:23 pm

Thanks all......

Charles I haven't seen Never-Dull wadding since I was in the Navy. Good stuff for polishing airplanes.

Pman, I thought of Berrymans, might try a bit on the underside of the wing,

and Levent, I will probably have to coat with something.

I picked the worst spot under the wing to try some things. Went against the net and tried alcohol which worked best and did not seem to harm the aluminum. Then tried white vinegar a net suggestion which did nothing. Finally used the Cameo cleaner which helped. Did not use the Mothers which raises a "black" resdue.

None made me happy.

Before

After

akjgardner Mon Aug 14, 2023 12:34 pm

How about aluminum boat cleaner ?

duaneh Mon Aug 14, 2023 12:43 pm

Just an idea, but you might try the "Mr. Clean Magic Eraser". It is a very mild abrasive, so try first in a place that won't show.

Thanks for posting this picture! I wondered if the TD-1 had dihedral, and it shows that it does.

https://i.servimg.com/u/f43/19/15/28/33/p1015915.jpg

Can you measure the distance from the countertop to the raised tip? Thanks.

Levent Suberk Mon Aug 14, 2023 1:52 pm

akjgardner wrote:How about aluminum boat cleaner ?

Good idea.

https://jetsinc.com/polishing-and-finishing/specialty/3m-marine-aluminum-restorer-and-polish-09020-remove-oxidation-water-spot/

rsv1cox Mon Aug 14, 2023 2:50 pm

duaneh wrote:Just an idea, but you might try the "Mr. Clean Magic Eraser". It is a very mild abrasive, so try first in a place that won't show.

Thanks for posting this picture! I wondered if the TD-1 had dihedral, and it shows that it does.

Can you measure the distance from the countertop to the raised tip? Thanks.

Thanks, I have been wondering about that as well, prompted me to measure. Appears to be about 1 1/8" at the tip. Fully symmetrical wing, not cambered.

Thing of beauty. Leroy knew what he was doing, or employed people that did until the bean counters entered the picture. This model is so far ahead of the later plastic models that Cox produced. I will cover that in my other thread.

gkamysz Mon Aug 14, 2023 5:22 pm

Any polish or wadding will make the surface shiny.

Melamine sponge (magic eraser) might be worth a try. I have used it on engine components recently. There didn't seem to be any metal coming off onto the white sponge but castor varnish seemed to clean right up. Didn't bother a fresh clean machined surface at all.

pman1111 Mon Aug 14, 2023 6:04 pm

One thought that crossed my mind is, some of what you're seeing on the wing might be a coating sprayed on the aluminum to prevent it from oxidizing? If that's the case, it's any ones guess what chemical might remove it, and not attack the aluminum.

Don

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