carrickleagh
Guest
Experience gained from my laboratory and methyl ester (biodiesel)business has taught me how to clean up metal parts which would otherwise require hours of elbow grease.
Be warned, always try this on a wee bit first, disclaimers and and all that.
WELDERS PICKLING PASTE is an acid jelly like stuff I have used to prepare steel parts prior to welding. This can sometimes be effective to lift the brown rust like staining from exhaust pipes. Advantage over liquid cleaners is it will not run to unwanted areas and is very easy to wash off with water. NOT FOR ALUMINIUM CASINGS unless they are well and truely oxidised beyond normal washing.
BRASS BRISTLE wheel for drill will shine up nuts n bolts and will not leave scratches as it is softer than steel. Most retailers will try and sell you a brass coated brush but this IS NO GOOD, and a shiny end to bristles will indicate this is a steel brush coated. Make certain ends of bristles are same colour as brass. Shoe shops also have suede cleaning brushes which are true brass, though this takes you back to elbow grease again.
BATHROOM MOUSSE CLEANER is a much cheaper alternative to foaming cleaners, though I wouldn't recommend it for plastic painted parts unless you test a bit first. It is usually alkaline, so should not be left on aluminium too long.
BIODIESEL can be used as an alternative degreaser and at £1/ litre is much cheaper. You will still have to wash the diesel off with hot soapy water but is environmentally much friendlier than other cleaners. If you have a local manufacturer you could also ask him for a few litres of his glycerol byproduct as an effective soap. Beware though, he may have methanol in it and this is very corrosive.
SODIUM HYPOCHLORITE is readily available at most chemical suppliers and a 25 litre drum is a couple of pounds. This is basically 5 times more concentrated than household bleach. Brushed on to driveways and washed away without the laborious tedium of a power washer it will lift all that green staining, and is no more hostile to water treatment works once diluted than the stuff you put down the tiolet. Patio cleaners are caustic sodium hydroxide based and these are much harsher.
PHOSPHORIC ACID is what shop branded alloy cleaners are based on. Again chemical suppliers will do 25 l drums, just dilute and use away.
DANGER it goes without saying handling industrial strength chemicals requires a careful approach, gloves, glasses etc and NEVER EVER MIX CHEMICALS UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING. ALLOY CLEANING PHOSPHORIC ACID AND SODIUM HYPOCHLORITE (bleach) FOR EXAMPLE WHEN MIXED TOGETHER WILL PRODUCE POISONOUS CHLORINE GAS.
hope this may be of use to some
Be warned, always try this on a wee bit first, disclaimers and and all that.
WELDERS PICKLING PASTE is an acid jelly like stuff I have used to prepare steel parts prior to welding. This can sometimes be effective to lift the brown rust like staining from exhaust pipes. Advantage over liquid cleaners is it will not run to unwanted areas and is very easy to wash off with water. NOT FOR ALUMINIUM CASINGS unless they are well and truely oxidised beyond normal washing.
BRASS BRISTLE wheel for drill will shine up nuts n bolts and will not leave scratches as it is softer than steel. Most retailers will try and sell you a brass coated brush but this IS NO GOOD, and a shiny end to bristles will indicate this is a steel brush coated. Make certain ends of bristles are same colour as brass. Shoe shops also have suede cleaning brushes which are true brass, though this takes you back to elbow grease again.
BATHROOM MOUSSE CLEANER is a much cheaper alternative to foaming cleaners, though I wouldn't recommend it for plastic painted parts unless you test a bit first. It is usually alkaline, so should not be left on aluminium too long.
BIODIESEL can be used as an alternative degreaser and at £1/ litre is much cheaper. You will still have to wash the diesel off with hot soapy water but is environmentally much friendlier than other cleaners. If you have a local manufacturer you could also ask him for a few litres of his glycerol byproduct as an effective soap. Beware though, he may have methanol in it and this is very corrosive.
SODIUM HYPOCHLORITE is readily available at most chemical suppliers and a 25 litre drum is a couple of pounds. This is basically 5 times more concentrated than household bleach. Brushed on to driveways and washed away without the laborious tedium of a power washer it will lift all that green staining, and is no more hostile to water treatment works once diluted than the stuff you put down the tiolet. Patio cleaners are caustic sodium hydroxide based and these are much harsher.
PHOSPHORIC ACID is what shop branded alloy cleaners are based on. Again chemical suppliers will do 25 l drums, just dilute and use away.
DANGER it goes without saying handling industrial strength chemicals requires a careful approach, gloves, glasses etc and NEVER EVER MIX CHEMICALS UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING. ALLOY CLEANING PHOSPHORIC ACID AND SODIUM HYPOCHLORITE (bleach) FOR EXAMPLE WHEN MIXED TOGETHER WILL PRODUCE POISONOUS CHLORINE GAS.
hope this may be of use to some
. Much the same as bo deisel i guess. Certainly cheaper than purpose bought chain cleaners ...
