Is there a chemical

[Tng21]

Hi guys, hope you all had a good christmas day.

Just a question to see if anyone knows of the following.

Is there some kind of chemical, be it acid or whatever, that you can put a workpiece in, and basically it will bubble away and clean off all the oily **** thats on it?

I regulaly have to do bmw e30 rocker covers and most of thge time when i buy them they come like this



I know you can get degreasers and the like but just want to see if theres anything you can just put the hole cover in, and it comes out spangly clean ready for sanding.

Even that will save me the time of having to brush the things down with degreaser and work it all in etc etc and even then it never comes up proper clean.

I have a fair few bits to do over time, ( doesnt matter how long it takes as i buy these in first then offer them out on a exchange basis ) but would save me so much hassel if you could basically dunk em in something, leave them there for a bit and they come out nice and clean and new looking

Here's some bits ive gathered

[CarWiz]

There used to be chemical dips that worked very well but thanks to the eviron-mentals, they are no longer available. The hot-dip and/or wash tanks work pretty good but tend to be pricey for a small company or individual. Any of the amino soaps are about as good as you're going to get now days. The trick is to get the tank (and parts) HOT and use air agitation.

On the high-end, there's also ultrasonic cleaning tanks.

[Tng21]

whats the ultrasonic cleaning things then?

what about acids? is there any kind of acid you can get that will do the same sort of thing?

[jrow]

Tng21,

Try downloading this company's 250 page catalog. I'm sure you will find some cleaner that you can use!
http://www.aircraftspruce.com/main.php

John

[Tng21]

not really sure what ill be looking for on there though Jrow mate.

Not sure what kind of stuff is the best for strippin stuff down and getting is back to abosutely clean stage

any acids or chemicals or anything you can suggest that i can just put things in and it will dissolve all the gunk so i dont have to mess about with it at all

[jrow]

Tng21,

I have an old copy of their printed catalog that has a multitude of information in it about the different types of aluminum and aluminum products. Well worth having, just for the information that is included in the catalog. Also some of their products have automotive uses.
I use their ALUMIPREP #33. Cleaning & Conditioning Chemical for Aluminum. Deep Cleans, Brightens, and Conditions...Removes Oxidation Corrosion...Chemically Etches Aluminum Surface...Prepares Aluminum for Painting...Prepares Aluminum for Welding.
You dilute one part ALUMIPREP with two to three parts water. I have a Quart bottle .946 liters.

John

[Tng21]

hmmm, that sounds ok actually.

IS it gonna be available for me in the uk though?

[jrow]

Tng21,

"IS it gonna be available for me in the uk though? "

Go on their web site and send them an email and ask!

John

[byte]

Hi guys, hope you all had a good christmas day.

Just a question to see if anyone knows of the following.

Is there some kind of chemical, be it acid or whatever, that you can put a workpiece in, and basically it will bubble away and clean off all the oily **** thats on it?

I am not sure if you can buy 5 gallon pails of carb. cleaner anymore, but that stuff will take off everything... skin, hair, oil, paint, etc.

[baz]

why not go around in your area and talk to people who rebuild truck parts ,engine rebuilders , truck repair shop , anybody that works with aluminium parts that need degreasing , if they are in your area they probably get the stuff locally , just make sure you get a chemical that is suitable for aluminium.
also i don t think a single solution will do all this , a good degreaser could take away most of the soils but you might need a rinse tank and then an acid that could etch and prep your part