Vinegar and aluminum

[Coxyzxr]

Anyone know if Vinegar will eat into aluminum at all?
Want to clean some engine components and worried it will actually eat into my aluminum block.
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**WAS FITTED "WRONG WAY ROUND" !** CANT ACCOUNT FOR THE STUPID !

[Finglonga]

Can be used to clean BUT don't leave it on there for long periods as it is acidic after all.
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Andy Sez....
F.Y.Y.F.F.

[Coxyzxr]

[stinkwheel]

Why don't you use an engine cleaner like Gunk instead?
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Ichy]

Vinegar, aka acetic acid, doesn't hurt aluminium, in fact they use aluminium tanks to ship the stuff around. Its alkalines, sulphuric acid, or nitric acid that eats aluminium.
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https://www.metacafe.com/watch/1972097/how_to_behave_on_a_forum/

[Coxyzxr]

[stinkwheel]

Not strictly true, aluminium is very reactive and dissolves in acids readily.

However, aluminium is SO reactive that a thin layer of aluminium oxide forms over its surface almost as soon as the bare metal is exposed. Aluminium oxide is not very reactive and so protects the underlying metal from further damage.

Aluminium acetate (the compound that forms when aluminium metal reacts with vinegar) is soluable so if you were to be scrubbing the surface of the aluminium while in contact with vinegar, it would slowly be eaten away. This process would however take quite some time.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[buddy]

aluminum oxide is chemically identical to platinum and so is one of the most unreatcive things about

just my 2 cents
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When this baby hits 88 miles per hour... you're gonna see some serious shit.

[stinkwheel]

[Finglonga]

[ZRX61]

If you REALLY want clean aluminium parts:
Use paint stripper, it doesn't harm the metal but will remove ALL traces of carbon etc.
In the US there is an aerosol product for cleaning old pots & pans called "carbon-off".. It's basically aerosol paint stripper..

See here:
https://www.nextag.com/carbon-off/compare-html

I use it to clean up aircraft firewalls & exhaust stacks.

[buddy]

ok well i wasnt far off, it says its chemically similar to ruby and saphire

and yes, thay are pretty unreactive

i got 1 word wrong WOW
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When this baby hits 88 miles per hour... you're gonna see some serious shit.

[stinkwheel]

[Coxyzxr]

For what it's worth I found some concentrated Sodium hypochlorite in a shed that I initially thought was acid (label had fallen off) and thought "Hmm, yeah acid clean some stuff"

So I tried it out on an old brake caliper, it pretty much just ate the caliper, all of it.

Fumes were quite noxious too.
____________________
**WAS FITTED "WRONG WAY ROUND" !** CANT ACCOUNT FOR THE STUPID !

[Adrian]

Lol, i never knew we have so many scientists among us cool stuff...

[Omega]

[stinkwheel]