cleaning cast aluminum

What is best way to clean cast aluminum (remove oxidation/stains)?

 

Vettson, I usually use some kind of media blasting, sand, glass beads,etc. I don't care to use chemicals. Just personal preference. Normal Norman

 

i use the mag wheel cleaner that's made for rough cast wheels, then run it through my dishwasher set on the pots/pan cycle.

 

I usually scrub it with Dawn dish soap and water, and if that doesn't clean it, I hit it with a light acid solution for cleaning aluminum. That usually does it.

 

Heavy oxidation might require scotchbrite or sandpaper.

 

Use the search function. This topic has been covered ad nauseam.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/search.php?searchid=6846166

 

I took my aluminum intake to my local machine shop; where they glass bead blasted it.
The thing came back looking brand new and it was a mess when I sent it in.

Dan.

 

For just light dirt and grease, Eagle 1 has a good product

Pat

 

I have a large tub that I use to clean my pool filters twice every year. I put a 4:1 tap water to muriatic acid bath in it and let them soak.

I was about to dump the solution earlier this year but decided to put a couple of old intakes in it first to see what it would do. It took a while but it cleaned them pretty well. I noticed that any steel bolts were really giving off gas; I assume they were hydrogen bubbles. I will make sure only aluminum parts go in next time. I'll document my results better at the end of the summer when I clean the filters again.

 

Eagle 1 aluminum wheel cleaner.

 

I just cleaned up a pretty crusty tunnel ram intake. Spent hours with various polishes, and cleaners and some made things even worse! I finally used mag wheel cleaner, and a bristle brush, then just hosed it off with the garden hose. It worked fantastic!

 

Look up a product called Aluminum Jelly. Brush it on and then after a bit hose it off and the aluminum looks like new.

Best stuff I have used. It would even clean off the red stain we used to get on our manifolds back in the days of red dyed leaded premium gas.

 

before





after bead blasting



after powder coating

 

I did the same it only coust me $30 too