surface on old carbs

I cleaned my Rochester 4 G carb with ultrasonic.
It worked very well, but the surface looks now ugly.
How can I become a nice surface - I saw some old carbs in a perfect look.
How did they do it?
Is putting the carb parts in brakefluid a solution?

 

I used Evaporust for aluminium with an ultrasonic cleaner, comes out pretty clean.

 

If this is the look that you are going for, you make up a 10% solution of Alodine and water. Dip it for 20 seconds and rinse.





before...



after...

 

Thanks Tommy, note taken
Googled it and it is not expensive and available.

 

{Alodine } is it something i can buy local or do i have to order in cyber land?

 

Read the MSDS on it too, before you use it, and observe the precautions.
Toxic stuff, albeit mostly in the long run.

Gear up!

 

Tommy, in your before/after pics, I'm assuming the carbs we cleaned with something else, prior to the Alodine bath, correct?

 

I use an ultrasonic also for the initial clean. With aluminum castings, I often follow up with a bead blast using low pressure and recycled beads (the ones that have been in the cabinet for awhile). They are less abrasive, but do a good job of exposing the metal making the alodine treatment take a little better.

Some Rochesters have a pretty high aluminum alloy content and do well with Alodine. Alodine takes some practice to get an even appearance and seems to like to be heat treated to be durable. But be careful with the heat treat if the casting is prone to warping (Rochester Model B, for instance).

Those with predominate zinc do better with either Yellow or Olive Zinc Chromate sold through Caswell. Neither of the chromates will react with aluminum. Rochester Model B's (one barrels) have to be plated with zinc befoe they will chromate. WCFB float bowls will nicely chromate after cleaning. You will have to experiment a bit to get it right...so be patient.

 

I just bought an Alodine kit on-line, and it came with it's own cleaner. I followed the directions on how to use it, and wasn't impressed. I am going to experiment with it (different solution % and soaking time), to see if I can get some better results. (This was with Holley/Ford 94's by the way.)

 

Cyberland around these parts (northern colorado). I think that I have used Aircraft Spruce previously. They seemed to have the best price with shipping.

 

Yes after normal cleaning in parts cleaner I glass bead them in my cabinet. My glass beads are so old that it's more like a powder now.

I just Googled it and bought bought it on line. I didn't look locally. I spend 30 bucks in gas trying to save 5 bucks in shipping.

If it's a kit they probably have a set percentage for the solution. The 94s and Stromberg's are usually a much lighter color than the Rochester's that I did.



This was my first try and I used it straight. It didn't look right until someone on the HAMB told me to dilute it. The color you got may be the correct color for 94s.

 

Thanks, I'll be doing some carbs sometime this winter, so this helps alot. After the initial cleaning, my plan was to soda blast some outer surfaces. On a test piece, it appeared the gold tint may go away. The Alodine bath may be a solution.

 

sometimes the inside needs blasting too.

 

True!