What cleaning chemicals for alu?

[stirlinggaz]

Hi all,
Cleaning cylinder & head (exterior obviously)

Any recommendations for suitable chemicals that would make this task a bit easier?
This winters project has a few "little" jobs that will just take time & effort.
before I re-assemble the engine & bolt it back into the frame i really want to clean it up a bit as I think the current grubby grey look spoils the whole look of the bike, seeing as the frame will be freshly powdercoated & everything else will be new or freshly painted.

Please don't tell me not to bother & usually I wouldn't but I want this bike to be something I can be proud of. (I've put a helluva lot of time, effort & money into this already so no point in taking short cuts now)
Obviously there's a few chemicals I should avoid as it will damage the aluminium so any advice is welcome.
After spending a small fortune on pistons gaskets etc for the inside, I should at least try & make the outside more presentable & I'd like to keep it original so painting black isn't an option.
It's not to add value or anything as I'm keeping it.

TL/DR what sprays/chemicals should I order off interweb?


cheers,
GAZ

[stinkwheel]

So the head's off the bike? Dismantled (no steel bits in)?

Stick it through the dishwasher.

For the barrel, paraffin and a stiff brush then hot soapy water, then hot water, then WD40 to stop it flash rusting..

Or send both away to be soda/bead blasted. Powder-coaters can probably do this for you.
____________________
“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.

[Islander]

+1 for blasting. The results are astounding - our local bike mechanic got a vapour blasting setup a few years ago and showed me the thing in action. Highly recommended.

[WD Forte]

If its a garage queen you can make it as pretty as you like
but if its a working bike, polished alloy will oxidise pretty quickly
so paint or laquer will be needed.
I have used satin silver radiator paint on the engine which lasted pretty well for years
until it started to get a bit tired looking and
currently have wheel silver on the lump and that's been holding up well too.
I used to polish the clutch and rocker covers which look nice initially
but as I cba to keep polishing it, that's been painted too.
Chrome don't get you home and all that.
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bikers smell of wee

[MCN]

[JackButler]

Vapour / aqua / wet blasting is the way to go to restore cast aluminium to how it left the casting mould.

Vapour blasting should not be confused with any of the traditional 'dry' blasting methods, whatever blasting medium is used.

You then need to decide how to keep that pristine finish & your options should revolve around whether you want a concours / factory true finish or you just want a finish that pleases just you . . . And also how much maintenance it requires to keep that finish.
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I clean my guns with the tears of the snivelling, left wing scum.

[stirlinggaz]

Hi all,
Thanks for the replies, gives me plenty to think about.

It's not gonna be a bike that I use daily so I guess it is a "garage queen" 😁
Don't have a dishwasher so that options out.
As for polishing, f*ck that, too much like hard work & besides they were dull grey when new iirc.
I did think about blasting of various types but nowhere local to me does it (apart from standard sand blasting) & it wouldn't really be an essential journey or whatever they are calling it this week, so going to another city is also out...but I suppose I could send it off to someone who's actually open ( but who I to send to?)

So, here's what I'm thinking now : scrub/degrease with hard brush (brass or steel?) & whatever cleaning chemical is easiest to get.
Dry , then wipe down with panel wipe or pre paint wipes (which I already have)
Then etch primer (which I also have) & finish with grey/silver paint.

I'm presuming it should be VHT paint, which I thought wasn't to be used with a primer?
And depending on finished result &/or which paint I use it might need sealed/finished off with petrol proof clearcoat (I have some matt lacquer which I could use)

Anyone see nything wrong with that plan?


cheers,
GAZ

[Easy-X]

On my ol' DT the barrel is air cooled, vapor blasting is about the only practical option, water cooled would be a lot easier to do by hand. (Whether you hi-temp paint it after that is a separate decision.)

For the bottom-end I just took the side covers off and scrubbed with a brush and some petrol for the centre part (but paraffin would probably be more sensible.) It's the "least seen" area of the engine so no biggie.

The side covers I cleaned by hand: wet & dry on some gouges then a succession of scotch brite grades with a dab of autosol. BTW, don't use any sort of wire-wool on aluminium! At this point I had the nice dull but even finish I was looking for. You could lacquer and call it done, apply paint or go nuts with metal polish and a buffing wheel for a mirror finish.
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Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter

[stinkwheel]

I've had a lot of success with plastikote BBQ paint if you want it satin black. I've used this on heads, barrels and crankcase covers on both aircooled and liquid cooled bikes.

In fact, it's my go-to black paint for any metal bits that'll stand a spell in an oven.

The simonize VHT paint is very easy to get along with if you want it silver. I've used this on aircooled barrels and heads.

Both go onto bare metal and heat cure. Once cured they shouldn't be bothered by petrol. They are quite soft until heat cured. Ideally you'd paint them off the bike then cure the paint in an oven. This will stink the place out and can cause an undue degree of marital disharmony if you have a missus. I have a garage oven so I can do shit like that in the garden.

The alternative is to paint them and let the engine heat cure the paint, being careful not to mark it on assembly.
____________________
“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.

[stirlinggaz]

[quote="stinkwheel"]I've had a lot of success with plastikote BBQ paint if you want it satin black. I've used this on heads, barrels and crankcase covers on both aircooled and liquid cooled bikes.
/quote]
Hi,
Nah, got to be silver/grey as per original.
EDIT : Seems they do it in silver/aluminium according to Google 😁

I've already done the engine side covers (clutch & stator) which were a doddle (compared to cylinder & head)
Easy-X yes it's liquid cooled & done side covers with wet & dry, primer then silver on top, & I'm aware of how easy it is to scratch up the alu so no wire wool used.

The head doesn't have to be same shade, I just want it to look better than it does now

Cleaning the cylinder & head is a bloody nightmare!
2 hours with a wee wire brush & it doesn't look much better.

I'd definitely prefer to get it vapour blasted but like I mentioned earlier, nobody local does it.
I've got most of the grime off but going by past painting experience, it's got to be spotless before I even think about painting.

Is pressure washing a bad idea? After scrubbing it with some degreaser stuff which says it's safe on alu.

cheers ,
GAZ

[stinkwheel]

Pressure washing isn't going to damage it. Just the water aspect will tend to make any iron/steel parts rust (like the barrel) so they need to be dried and treated with a corrosion protectant straight away.

No need for fancy chemicals, as i said, paraffin works fine.

The Yanks use stuff called simplegreen a lot for washing engine parts. Seems very effective. They mix up a bucketfull and dunk the parts in vigorously. You can get it in the UK too.

Before (actually, in fairness, that's after a wipe-down with a workshop rag and scraping the loose shit off with a putty knife):
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ACtC-3dZ6qnFZ1P5fTG_ZqeXPoZDxHkmsdQgvBeaM4RozN_KuZPPLv4rh_0vTg5DTxgIhDC-r3lvvN2kqjMxnLa_B1KVVKmXmoIYLXp49ryxTXQ8x2t8NfA2iOcnA9ILYEV4b22PL6euVqa0AYIHqpi_kR3_=w1147-h861-no

After cleaning with brushed on paraffin and hot soapy water.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ACtC-3fEQRAvkgW_1K9AtQv-8Y5K2wjWRPr4gGglQXwHSEhZ9996vWZPYRXh_GR6pu2ArV3wHtSJ_cjEuZUbnWlsIGsFdBPGdvSNqIrK2_XOwBun-YOXJ-jXTTUrOqnD0VCF50X2iUtA9VVNGsIQXdd1V-TG=w1147-h861-no
____________________
“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.

[Easy-X]

[jeffyjeff]

[stirlinggaz]

[stirlinggaz]

[doggone]

Someone I know had used phosphoric acid on other parts so gave his engine bits a quick dunk, thought "that worked quite well, I'll give them another ten minutes"
Forgot them till next morning and the tub was full of black jelly and the acid had pitted the metal and probably taken about 2mm off everything.

[MCN]

And what ever chemical you use you'll be wearing gloves to keep the chemical from eating your skin. 🤣

Contact Dermatitis starts off by a solvent cleaner washing the oil out of your skin. The skin dries and cracks and bugs can get in.
But it usually causes some local inflammation 'dish washing hands'.

Wash with hand soap/cleaner and moisturise to restore oils in your skin.

Most Wimin hate when a calloused hand catches on their nylons and or underwear. Jist sayin'.
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Disclaimer: The comments above may be predicted text and not necessarily the opinion of MCN.

[stirlinggaz]