Restoring Aluminum parts (1 Viewer)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Henry James the 47th

Henry James the 47th

Joined
Dec 8, 2006
Threads
158
Messages
2,974
Location
Greenfield, MA
Website
thecarpentryway.blogspot.com
Any suggestions as to how to restore aluminum parts, like the rocker cover, thermostat housing etc, to like new condition? It's easy enough to polish them to a shine, but I'm wanting close to the factory original look. I was wondering if wire wheeling them, or tumbling them was the solution? I have some Solvosol polishing compound, but I don't want the 'chromed out' look.
 
Hey, I dont know about restoring them to factory original look, but I wouldn't tumble any of them, especially not the thermostat housing, you're lible to brake the "ears" off the damn thing, as for a wire wheel, iono, it might just be to harsh, I work in a aviation shop 99% of what we do is aluminium, and we use a wheel its nylon based..... dont know the name of the product though, will try to find out at work tomarrow, but the things work like a hot damn.

Just my .02 cents on the subject
 
The orignal look was cast and you can use sand on the housings, but I powder coated my cover cast and it looks sweet!

I had a cover polished and then sold it on ebay........
 
Bead blasting with glass bead will retain the look of cast. It's very gentle compared to aluminum oxide or silica sand blasting. I blasted my intake recently with worn out aluminum oxide media (almost like talcum powder) it turned out great.

Here are pics of my intake and an old thermostat housing I had just started blasting so you can see what they look like. To prevent them from stainling again you could powder coat them with a low gloss clear. I powder coated mine a pewter color.
BlastedIntake.jpg
ThermoHousing.jpg
 
mrmouse88 said:
Hey, I dont know about restoring them to factory original look, but I wouldn't tumble any of them, especially not the thermostat housing, you're lible to brake the "ears" off the damn thing, as for a wire wheel, iono, it might just be to harsh, I work in a aviation shop 99% of what we do is aluminium, and we use a wheel its nylon based..... dont know the name of the product though, will try to find out at work tomarrow, but the things work like a hot damn.

Just my .02 cents on the subject
Click to expand...


I worked it a aluminum die-cast shop in my MUCH younger days.And all small parts, such a thermostats went into the tumble'r. It was a walnut shell blast.Much more fine, than metal shot.
They put around 2000 of these in at one time, with little too no damges.

just my 0.2 worth.
 
mrmouse88 said:
Hey, I dont know about restoring them to factory original look, but I wouldn't tumble any of them, especially not the thermostat housing, you're lible to brake the "ears" off the damn thing, as for a wire wheel, iono, it might just be to harsh, I work in a aviation shop 99% of what we do is aluminium, and we use a wheel its nylon based..... dont know the name of the product though, will try to find out at work tomarrow, but the things work like a hot damn.

Just my .02 cents on the subject
Click to expand...

Nylock discs:beer:
 
Cheap-O way with elbow grease. Steel wool, brass wheels, emory cloth, flitz polish. It take a long time, but it works.
 
I'd probably just go with the 3M pads and good old fashioned eldow grease, thats what we use on airplane wings when we have to blend a toolmark out.

Kevin
 
Its a good idea to paint cleaned bare cast aluminum parts or they will just oxidize and corrode fairly quickly...
 
don't use steel wool or a wire wheel. It will just corrode due to dissimmilar metals. Glass bead or glass grit then clear coat with a low luster will make it look stock.
Daryl
 
banger hard said:
I worked it a aluminum die-cast shop in my MUCH younger days.And all small parts, such a thermostats went into the tumble'r. It was a walnut shell blast.Much more fine, than metal shot.
They put around 2000 of these in at one time, with little too no damges.

just my 0.2 worth.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the correction on that, have only seen the bigger parts tumblers, I would still think it would be best on the thermostat housing to blast it or clean manualy though if its been already in use, had the "ears" on one of those damn things break off on me hardly even touched it, (PO must have over tightend the bolts:mad:)

My .02 cents on that one

And thanks 3DAMAN! thats the discs I was thinking of.
 
One recommendation would be spraying with acid etching, then neutralizing the parts. It's common in the fabrication field, especially in the prepping for painting aluminum.

Good Luck.........:cheers:
 
Walton said:
One recommendation would be spraying with acid etching, then neutralizing the parts. It's common in the fabrication field, especially in the prepping for painting aluminum.

Good Luck.........:cheers:
Click to expand...

Could you elaborate on that a bit more? :confused:
 
After trying several medias including walnut shell and aluminum oxide, I glass bead blast aluminum parts then clear coat them with clear hi-temp engine paint. Glass beading alone makes the parts look a little "off". The clear coat darkens and glosses the part some to make it look much more like a new Japanese casting. The clear coat also protects the part from corrosion. On the thermostat housings like the one pictured above, I coat the hose areas with JB Weld to fill in the pitting and to protect it from eroding further. Once the hoses are installed, you can't see it.

EDIT: wear rubber gloves when handling fresh glass beaded aluminum parts and wash them with acetone before clear coating or the oil from your hands will leave finger prints.
 
This valve cover was bead blasted, wiped with 3M Metal Prep and Cleared with urethane. Metal Prep does darken it a little. May be too glossy for some.

Ed
Thermohousing 002.jpg
 
Degnol said:
This valve cover was bead blasted, wiped with 3M Metal Prep and Cleared with urethane. Metal Prep does darken it a little. May be too glossy for some.

Ed
Click to expand...


I like... wish I would have dont that on mine.... too late now...
 
Henry James the 47th said:
What's this acid etching stuff, and does it clean the aluminum? What does the aluminum look like when all is said and done?
Click to expand...


Glass beading does produce some wonderfull examples of the finished product

DSCF0018.jpg


DSCF0002x.jpg



want some beading done ship it to me i will do it for a modest fee and ship it back to you

Best Regards

Gord
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom