Electrolytic ali cleaning

I will call it other options.

Sure that's not ultrasonic cleaning?

Thought that electrolytic cleaning would be removal of material and that's not what you want. You can't plate over dirt to clean. That's positive and negative for ya!

Castings, would you then also consider glass bead blasting?

What sort of castings and what surface finish do they require??

I've only ever run across electrolytic de-rusting of iron and steel parts although electrolytic polishing processes do exist for other metals.

Some electrolytic de-rusting links

OK what sort of objects?? and how big?

Well, I was told electrolytic, but would consider ultrasonic - anything further known? I don't want to plate over, just clean and polish.

Hadn't thought of blasting. There's a firm locally I've used before who blast with everything from lead shot to acorn shells - I'll have a word with them. Thanks for jogging my memory.

Geoff MacK

Ah off the Jag :) then blasting isn't suitable what I have done is the old fashion cotton mop on the bench grinder using a stick of suitable grit you can get fine medium and course. And thats how a mate has been doing it for years as well, on Jags, he restores. By now he would have found some other method if suitable. It actually doesn't take all that long to get the polish on the items. Don't use any wet & dry as it scratches the surface and it takes longer to get the marks out.

I think each of the other methods will etch the surface. Like even after chrome plating it takes a fair bit of polishing to get a mirror surface.

Two long cam covers, should be mirror finish. One inlet manifold, part mirror, part rough casting. Three 2" SU carbs. Probably various odds and sods.

Geoff MacK

shot to acorn shells

Oh. *With*. I was struggling to think why you'd want to clean up an acorn shell...

Well, if you were an oak tree presumably you'd want your offspring to look nice and shiny in front of the other parents on the school run....

Geoff MacK (time for medication, I think)

shot to acorn shells

Well the cooling fan passes air through it on this one so it needs a good clean every now and again...

lead shot to acorn shells

=A0 London SW

Would this work?

That UJ is in excellent shape compared to one I once replaced in the propshaft of a Mk 1 Triumph 2000. The bearing journals on *that* UJ had not only long since ground the needles to powder, they had also ground themselves into a conical shape. There *was* a bit of a clunk in the drivetrain, as I recall. It's truly amazing how bad those joints can get, yet still perform their basic function.

Loved the final frame "Now how am I going to do the chassis".

If only...

Jim

My understanding is that (salt or other) corroded aluminium casings can be cleaned by rubbing with a warm/hot mixture of 50/50 (old pickling) vinegar and water. The addition of a drop or two of washing up liquid in the mix might improve wetting and cleaning effectiveness.

J.

I can't answer your question, but I suggest you look in Yellow Pages for an engine reconditioner, and give them a ring. One local to me had an chemical tank for cleaning old engine parts. Immersed in the tank for a few hours, then hosed with a steam cleaner, resulted in parts that were spotless. Dunno what the chemical was, but it was one made specifically for the job. Mike.

Strong alkaline chemical.

One item that has come into play recently is glass bead blasting of parts like aluminum heads etc. we have found that the beads get forced into porosity and cleaning sometimes does not remove all the beads, some have taken up to three years to work themselves out into the engine - with bad results.

Far better to use an acid cleaner on aluminum. Alkali eats alloy and gasket faces will be etched.