Cleaning aluminium

Hello all,

Does anyone have any preferred methods for cleaning oxide and grease/oil buildup from aluminium, other than sand blasting?

Thanks,

Matt

use a engine cleaning foam like gunk foamy engine brite to remove the oil and grease build up. let it soak for the recommended time and repeat as needed as for the rest try using light sand paper or a wire brush hand brush not the kind used in a drill or else you could scratch the aluminum since it is a soft metal hope this helps

[Robt.]

Soda blasting, plastic bead blasting, walnut shell blasting. Glass beads or sand will stipple the surface of course. OK if you're going to paint, not if you're going to polish. Soda is very good at removing dirt, paint and oxides. You can get a blasting attachment for many pressure washers that will siphon up sand, soda or whatever. Some 20lb bags of Arm & Hammer and that's it. The water keeps the dust down nicely, whatever media you are blasting with.

[Franz©]

If you don't favor labor, electrolosys works very nicely.

[Frank Gassett]

Use a degreaser to remove oil and grease. A chemical etching solution will remove surface corrosion and leave a corrosion resistant film there on. Etching solutions may be found at auto paint stores or body repair facilities. Another source would be the local airport---aluminum aircraft.