Cleaning Up Aluminium???

[dano80]

Howdy,

Looking to sell a trayback ute, and I wanted to tidy the tray a little.
I tried a wire wheel on my grinder.....and it looks like it has been sprayed with a zinc spray!

Looking for price effective suggestion. IE, not going to get it powdercoated!

Cheers, Dano.

[chimpboy]

allybrite from supercheap?

[PJ.zook]

Mate you need a buff wheel and some alloy polish. You can buy buff wheels that attatch to youre angle grinder i would think is easiest. You can buy all this from places like Supercheap, Repco, etc...
Prob cost you like $30 at a guess, but its worth it for first impressions on a buyers perspective.

[mhgill]

you shouldn't need to buff the tray, chemtech and other brands make real good alloy cleaner, it's bascially acid. pour it on, scrub, leave, rinse off = shiny.

[85lux]

scotcbrite....you probably have some under the kitchen sink
it will clean off any stains/minor scratches.
its dirt cheap
its what i use before and after tig welding ally and stainless.
the trick is to keep scrubing in a linear motion and in one direction only. that way the "scratches" all look the same.
no chemicals required.

[THICKNICK]

scotcbrite....you probably have some under the kitchen sink
it will clean off any stains/minor scratches.
its dirt cheap
its what i use before and after tig welding ally and stainless.
the trick is to keep scrubing in a linear motion and in one direction only. that way the "scratches" all look the same.
no chemicals required.

wouldnt use scotchbrite on mirror finish ally, as you will see the scratches and will be a pain to polish out. best of with as stated above a buff pad or mirror mop attached to grinder with polishing grease, dont be scared to use plenty of grease and then afterwards wipe it all down with thinners.

[fester2au]

Hang on what sort of tray and ally finish are we talking about here. All good suggestions for their intended uses but as yet we still don't what type of finish is on the tray and what type of end result we are after.

If the tray is the normal raw finish and it's looking real dirty and oxidised then scothcbrites will clean up and leave a fine scratch pattern like stainless kitchen appliances. Washing it down with that Chemtech Blitz will clean it up and leave it looking a bit matt/satin but reasonably even.

Buffing polishing will bring it up a lot if you are after a mirror polish but if it's very oxidised and scratched/dented it's probably not worth it - mutton dressed as lamb comes to mind. And electric buffign is still hard work. I would still clean it first with the chemtech before buffing.

If it's annodised you'll probably do more harm than good, maybe just the Chemtech wash.

Another approcah if it's raw ally and you just want a reasonably clean and neat look is to rub it down with those cheap soap impregnated steel wool pads from the supermarket. Under $2 a packet and you'd only need 2-3 packets at most. Keep it wet and toss them as soon as the soap disappears. They will clean as you go, remove light scratches, get the crap out of deeper scratches, don't leave much of a scratch/pattern behind and give a final finish like a semi polish or slightly satin finish. And they seem to leave a bit of a protective coating on as well whihc will help it stay looking better longer. The steel wool can also be used on ally that was originally polished and let go but you don't want to go to the effort of fully repolishing.

[dano80]

Hey Guys,

Thanks for the suggestions. All really good!

The tray is a raw aluminium finish. A few knocks and scratches, little bit of oxidisation.

Just looking to clean up to sell.......it's not a showcar after all.

The Chemtech sounds like a good option, especially as theres no elbow grease! And also will ensure a nice even finish no bodgy scratch marks, don't want it to look like it's been to dodged up

Would I get the chemtech from a paint shop or supacrap? Any ideas?

Any other suggestions?

Cheers, Dano.

[mhgill]

repco, bunnings etc should all stock an alloy cleaner.

[dano80]

Cheers MhGill, will grab some tomorrow......and get busy!

Cheers Again, Dano.

[Eddy]

You've probably already got the gear in the kitchen ... Vinegar

[rustbucket]

Another approcah if it's raw ally and you just want a reasonably clean and neat look is to rub it down with those cheap soap impregnated steel wool pads from the supermarket. Under $2 a packet and you'd only need 2-3 packets at most. Keep it wet and toss them as soon as the soap disappears. They will clean as you go, remove light scratches, get the crap out of deeper scratches, don't leave much of a scratch/pattern behind and give a final finish like a semi polish or slightly satin finish. And they seem to leave a bit of a protective coating on as well whihc will help it stay looking better longer. The steel wool can also be used on ally that was originally polished and let go but you don't want to go to the effort of fully repolishing.

that is what i used on ally body truck trailers on all raw finnishes and
chemtec style cleaner on the polished sides

[sierrajim]

Purple Polish.

[Tailspin]

Another approcah if it's raw ally and you just want a reasonably clean and neat look is to rub it down with those cheap soap impregnated steel wool pads from the supermarket. Under $2 a packet and you'd only need 2-3 packets at most. Keep it wet and toss them as soon as the soap disappears. They will clean as you go, remove light scratches, get the crap out of deeper scratches, don't leave much of a scratch/pattern behind and give a final finish like a semi polish or slightly satin finish. And they seem to leave a bit of a protective coating on as well whihc will help it stay looking better longer. The steel wool can also be used on ally that was originally polished and let go but you don't want to go to the effort of fully repolishing.

that is what i used on ally body truck trailers on all raw finnishes and
chemtec style cleaner on the polished sides

I have done the same with alloy rims and then polished them further with Grade 0000 steel wool with Autosol(paste), works real well with not much effort.