Now here's something..........

Now here's a totally off-thread and topic poser for you over the holidays........ My old but much loved VW Polo alloy wheels are looking a bit sad. Where the hard paint has been scuffed and chipped off in places, the alloy has been exposed to the weather and had started to corrode slightly. Any ideas as to what suitable acid I can use to eat/eliminate the corrosion prior to priming and painting the area.

I know that the real answer is to remove the tyres, bead blast, repaint and relaquer etc etc but that's a long and expensive way to go. Anyone any ideas

There was a product the guys were using on their trucks aluminium roo bars called Ali Red I had it removed from site as it contains Hydrofluoric Acid and besides was banned from site just a chance discovery anyway it is very good on aluminium but do follow the instructions to the letter use correct PPE like nitrile gloves not just leather ones.
The concentration in this was .98% I mean less that 1 % but the real strong stuff a 2% burn or absorption will kill you pays to read the instructions and have the MSDS sheet for the product.

This acid does not burn you but penetrates your skin and attacks your bone marrow you need a calcium pack to reverse the effects, the stuff we had in the lab was so strong it was eating the glass containers. :yikes:

I wasn't thinking of something on an industrial or chemistry lab scale, more something used to clean a dirty oven. And don't forget, I was born before the days of health and safety. Think boiling carbon trichlorethylene vapour degreasing tanks that whole Centurion tank gearboxes could be immersed in. And battery shops where you worked in cotton boilersuits stripping batteries and rebuilding them and working with radium laced hospital equipment, gauges and gun sights................. And even worse than that, flying in one of those RAF twin rotor Belvedere helicopters. With the petrol for the return flight - over uncharted jungle - strapped inside, in 40 gallon drums! No wonder nobody else ever purchased them!

You mean the box of radium watch dials I have isn't safe?

I have Alum. rims on my (1982) custom motorcycle and I used Mean Green cleaner, full strength and let it sit on it for about 20 minutes, then washed it very gently with an old, worn out, scotch bright pad and it cleaned them like new. Then, I polished them with Alum polish, cleaned the residue back off, then sprayed on a new coat of clear coat, same type I spray on the paint jobs. They looked almost like new again.
However just because it worked good on mine-doesn't mean its gonna do great on yours.
Merry Christmas,
Chuck

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CINDERS

the stuff we had in the lab was so strong it was eating the glass containers.

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One of the things for which Hydrofluoric Acid is well known (I thought) is its ability to dissolve glass. Fun stuff for etching patterns into mirror fronts and glass panels ... so long as you treat the substance with great respect. ;)

Yeah guess I am in the same boat Peter having worked on the land spraying 2-4-D and 2-4-5 T to control prickly pears and decanting neat formaldehyde into a 10 litre bucket as a foot wash for the dairy cattle all in a T-Shirt and stubby shorts and boots and what protection? We have all played with good stuff in our various endeavours.

The anti-fur protesters used to throw hydroflouric acid at the huge plate glass shop windows selling fur products. Now they just cover them in sheets of sacrificial plastic sheets to defeat the protesters. Just think..... if I was into fur protesting I'd be quids in now AND have clean alloys!

What custom bike you got Catman? I'll look for some hiogh strength British equivalent of the stuff you mention. I have tried brake dust cleaner and oven cleaner with no joy. If the car was newer or a bit of a classic I'd have them bead blasted, stripped, polished and repainted. But every time I think that the powerful little beast won't get through another year, it does! It's really like a faithful old beagle. Whatever I chuck at it, it just takes it on the chin and comes back for more.

I think I mentioned the radium infilled sights on an old SOE Sten gun Gary. Nobody knew they were radium filled but when the radiac survey dozymeter entered the room, it started clicking like a crazed locust! The luminous paint was still potent under layers of paint and 70 years! Never bothered me none!

You sure you do not glow in the dark Peter!

After we decided that the Sten gun sights needed a trefoil warning, the dozymeter STILL clicked away like a demon! That was caused by my old Omega wristwatch which also had a radium dial! They really didn't know what to do after that! Anyway, I made a pot of tea just to sppread a bit more radium laden sunshine around the place.............

LMAO Peter nice one

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Originally Posted by Peter Laidler

Sten gun sights needed a trefoil warning

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Pretty funny...

Peter, this is off gun topic, but since you asked....... ( sorry)
My bike is/was, a 1982 Kawasaki, KZ 750, E-3. I bought it new off the show room floor.
About 6-7 years ago, I decided it needed a new valve cover gasket, and couldn't stop myself.
I tore the thing down to the frame and retro'd it to a custom, modern day, rice rocket, as we call them down here.
I stripped all the the engine casings off and gave the rest of the motor to a local drag bike performance engine shop to bore and port and replaced the spring loaded, auto cam tensioner with a manual tensioner.. I modified the clutch pack. I replaced the plug wires and caps with Taylor 8 mm green and yellow fluorescent wires and caps.
I had all the Alum. casings and all the other Alum parts, except the carbs, Anodized every color possible, about 35 parts in all.
Had the frame and swing arm, powder coated black and red. I removed all the rest of the factory parts and replaced them with custom made parts, all hand made, by me. Custom made, rear sets and controls/ pegs, clip on's, chain guard, kick stand, nuts, bolts, tie rod linkage and bearing housings, are all made from highly polished stainless steel. I made the License tag holder from Alum and had that chrome plated and replaced the lights with L.E.D.'s.
I took an old fiberglass European style, mono seat and re-glassed and contored it, to fit me and covered it with red and green upholstery with white bead trim and made brackets to mount it on. Then, I added a small bullet fairing on the front and made custom brackets for it from highly polished S.S. which also holds the head light on.
The remainder of the bike, mostly the gas tank and seat assy,, I painted (airbrushed) in multi colors, with metallic colors in a turtle shell pattern with a yellow boarder in between the colors/pattern and then sprayed multi colored metal flakes, in the clear coats. (Why settle for 1 color, when you can have them all). The other parts are painted in single colors, but none 2 the same.
I rebuilt the brake system's and replaced the master cylinders with new after markets and replaced the lines with new, blue and red colored lines.
Every other nut, bolt, bearing and cable, has been replaced too. I also replaced all the wiring and connections with new ones.
I replaced the exhaust system with a chrome, Vance and Hines, 4 into 1 header.
I'm looking at buying new carbs and currently designing a new dash board, that I will have made from Alum. on a CNC and then chrome plated.
I shaved off about 50 lbs from the original total weight and added about 15 HP.
Its not really a "show bike", but does look cool, if you like a circus.
After its all done, I might ride it again. Maybe......
Chuck

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Peter Laidler

I wasn't thinking of something on an industrial or chemistry lab scale, more something used to clean a dirty oven. And don't forget, I was born before the days of health and safety. Think boiling carbon trichlorethylene vapour degreasing tanks that whole Centurion tank gearboxes could be immersed in. And battery shops where you worked in cotton boilersuits stripping batteries and rebuilding them and working with radium laced hospital equipment, gauges and gun sights................. And even worse than that, flying in one of those RAF twin rotor Belvedere helicopters. With the petrol for the return flight - over uncharted jungle - strapped inside, in 40 gallon drums! No wonder nobody else ever purchased them!

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I'm surprised you are still alive! Don't let our OSHA find out about you, as I'm sure you would be quarenteened to to protect the rest of us! :lol:

Take them into a professional alloy wheel refurbishe is my advice................not worth all the hassle IMO.
But one things for sure Peter the wheels will look like new, especially if you have hit the kerbs a few times...............then you have to start on the car of course:thup::thup::lol:

One of the citrus based cleaner/solvents might work on aluminum.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by catman

Peter, this is off gun topic, but since you asked....... ( sorry)
My bike is/was, a 1982 Kawasaki, KZ 750, E-3. I bought it new off the show room floor.
About 6-7 years ago, I decided it needed a new valve cover gasket, and couldn't stop myself.
I tore the thing down to the frame and retro'd it to a custom, modern day, rice rocket, as we call them down here.
I stripped all the the engine casings off and gave the rest of the motor to a local drag bike performance engine shop to bore and port and replaced the spring loaded, auto cam tensioner with a manual tensioner.. I modified the clutch pack. I replaced the plug wires and caps with Taylor 8 mm green and yellow fluorescent wires and caps.
I had all the Alum. casings and all the other Alum parts, except the carbs, Anodized every color possible, about 35 parts in all.
Had the frame and swing arm, powder coated black and red. I removed all the rest of the factory parts and replaced them with custom made parts, all hand made, by me. Custom made, rear sets and controls/ pegs, clip on's, chain guard, kick stand, nuts, bolts, tie rod linkage and bearing housings, are all made from highly polished stainless steel. I made the License tag holder from Alum and had that chrome plated and replaced the lights with L.E.D.'s.
I took an old fiberglass European style, mono seat and re-glassed and contored it, to fit me and covered it with red and green upholstery with white bead trim and made brackets to mount it on. Then, I added a small bullet fairing on the front and made custom brackets for it from highly polished S.S. which also holds the head light on.
The remainder of the bike, mostly the gas tank and seat assy,, I painted (airbrushed) in multi colors, with metallic colors in a turtle shell pattern with a yellow boarder in between the colors/pattern and then sprayed multi colored metal flakes, in the clear coats. (Why settle for 1 color, when you can have them all). The other parts are painted in single colors, but none 2 the same.
I rebuilt the brake system's and replaced the master cylinders with new after markets and replaced the lines with new, blue and red colored lines.
Every other nut, bolt, bearing and cable, has been replaced too. I also replaced all the wiring and connections with new ones.
I replaced the exhaust system with a chrome, Vance and Hines, 4 into 1 header.
I'm looking at buying new carbs and currently designing a new dash board, that I will have made from Alum. on a CNC and then chrome plated.
I shaved off about 50 lbs from the original total weight and added about 15 HP.
Its not really a "show bike", but does look cool, if you like a circus.
After its all done, I might ride it again. Maybe......
Chuck

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So, where's the pictures?:beerchug:

Pic's ? well since I never completely finished it, I have never took any pic's. But I'll drag it out 1 day and take some for ya.
Chuck

Funny that .... headline news in the German papers today .... the national MOT agency TÜV has just announce a priority warning that alloy wheels have started to crack and disintegrate. Doesn´t trouble me as I´m a biker (with spoked wheels).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by villiers

Funny that .... headline news in the German papers today .... the national MOT agency TÜV has just announce a priority warning that alloy wheels have started to crack and disintegrate.

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They're just now figuring that out? The old magnesium wheels started doing that ages ago. Once the anodizing is off the cast aluminum wheels, they can do the same. Spun wheels are apt to be more corrosion resistant, as are some of the billet jobs, depending on the alloy used.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by catman

Pic's ? well since I never completely finished it, I have never took any pic's. But I'll drag it out 1 day and take some for ya.
Chuck

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Thanks - it's interesting to see a project under way!

I'll try some of that cillit-gang-bang oven cleaner stuff tomorrow