anyone have a good method to cleaning up tarnished aluminum?

[bikerdave79]

I know the aluminum foil trick for the chrome but does anyone have any tricks for cleaning up dull oxidized aluminum motor parts? I've been using metal polish and elbow grease but its tedious as hell and doesn't work all that great. Any tricks or products anyone has had good luck with??

[natemoen]

Grey Scotch-Brite pads helps get the first layer taken care of and then it is all in the elbow grease....

[ViperRon]

Scroll down threw Forums to Maintenace to Finish and Steve put out a how to that is as easy as it gets for a quality job. One thing that you should not do is use any steel wool to polish off corrosion as it embeds in the finish and rusts quick.

[bikerdave79]

I am using scotch bright pads and soft brass wire wheels on a dremel to get into tight spots. Working great to remove the oxidation but having trouble getting a bright finish. I'll check it out

[bikerdave79]

I'm pretty much doing everything he says. I think I just need to keep at it.

[donebysunday]

The prettier it looks the faster it gets ugly, unless you coat it or wax/never dull it often. You can get them to look like chrome if you want a show bike but if you want a rider the chrome like gloss goes away real fast.
I can tell you how I did it and why I won't do it anymore, if you interested ?

[bikerdave79]

Doesn't need to shine like chrome but the bike sat for 7 years. It was a family friends who got sick and can no longer ride. he basically gave it to me because I have the ability and good health to restore and ride it. His hopes were that could restore it to its former glory. It was his prized possession. I plan to ride it quite a bit, it doesn't need to be a show bike but I'd like to get it back to as close to original as possible to make an old man smile.

[natemoen]

I would say if you aren't looking for a lot of work and plan to ride it, then just use the scotch brite pads and maybe a little work with some buffing compoud and call it good.

Maybe clear coat it to make it last lo get to. Can't clear coat it if it is too shiny since you won't have anywhere for the clear to stick.

[donebysunday]

I know the aluminum foil trick for the chrome but does anyone have any tricks for cleaning up dull oxidized aluminum motor parts? I've been using metal polish and elbow grease but its tedious as hell and doesn't work all that great. Any tricks or products anyone has had good luck with??

In cleaning up the chrome foil picks up little bits of rust or what ever and ends up putting tiny scratches in the chrome. If the chrome is rough anyway this most likely won't matter and will make the chrome look better than it does with a rusty finish.
As far as aluminum my dad was a chef and he used brillo, soapy steel wool on his pans. No need for Teflon as I saw him slide and flip eggs in the pan that he polished with Brillo. Not a brite shine but surely a slippery one.
Try different types of abrasives, even stainless steel wool until you find the look you want.

[jetmechmarty]

Maybe clear coat it to make it last lo get to. Can't clear coat it if it is too shiny since you won't have anywhere for the clear to stick.

Au contraire! Glisten PC will stick to the shiniest aluminum. The metal prep will cut the shine down very slightly. I have a bike with this stuff on the fork legs. It is still crystal clear after 15 years. I recommend spray application. This stuff is once and for always!


Lower forks with 15 year old Glisten PC


Same bike, same coating years earlier.

[donebysunday]

Never heard of Glisten PC before. Does it come in pints/quarts/cans ? Did you do the side covers on the engine too ? BEAUTIFUL !!!!!

[jetmechmarty]

Done,
It comes in pints, quarts, or gallons. Click on the blue letters in my last post. It's expensive, but it does what they say it does. Mine is crystal clear after a lot of years. In the photos, only the lower fork tubes are done. The rest, I have to work at.

[CaptonZap]

As you may have found out by now, a lot of the surface of the engine is painted, and a real pain to get the paint off. The wheels, on the other hand have bare aluminum surfaces.
Air Conditioning service men use an acid product to clean the condensing coils on A/C units, and I use it to clean aluminum surfaces that are corroded. Brush on, let work, rinse well. It leaves a matte finish, but it is clean metal. Just don't let it dry on the metal. Another clear coat is Sharkhide, used by the AirStream trailer guys, and boatmen on the PNW coast. About the same price as the Glisten PC, but is a one part coating.
CZ

[jetmechmarty]

Sharkhide, I believe leaves a brighter surface than Glisten PC. The Sharkhide is temporary. Glisten PC is permanent.

[Dylano*]

Well, I'm not sure how it's going to work yet, but I just got a sand blasting canister. (I have a media cabinet, but this is different) it basically looks like a silver can, about a pint big, with a handle, trigger and nozzle. Fill with your favorite media, connect air compressor and blast! I'm going to use fine beach sand I think. I'll let you know how it goes. Scrubbing with engine degreaser only goes so far.