Best Way To Clean Aluminum?

Well, it depends upon how shiny you want to get it. I would say clean looking and not looking like chrome would be your route. There is a kit they sell at harbor freight a buff kit has various assorted buffs to use with a drill and three bars one black, one brown and one green. You would use the black to clean it up and remove some of the lighter scratches and then switch buffs to use the brown until it gets shinier and then to the green stuff with another buff. This takes some time. The kit sells for 14 dollars and change. It won't make the aluminum shine like chrome but if you take a few hours you can make it look as good as all of these you see in the pics. Or if you are a maniac you can take all the parts and sand them until there are no scratches and then polish them. Or you can just go the sorta shiny look and use mothers until the cows come home and you will notice a big difference if the metal looks gray.
I took a few weeks to do my spokes on the mags. I got wet dry sand paper and went from 500 grit to 2000 grit. Wore off my fingerprints and had a few blisters after that I hit it up with my dremel and went rouge to the white compound they sell at home depot. That was the trick they came out looking shinier than chrome if that's possible.
The whole trick to getting it to shine is to remove all of the fine scratches so that the sun reflects more of the light coming at it. You know it is really a LOT of work to get it to look perfect but not so much if you just wanna clean it up.
To remove the cruddy clear stuff you could use steel wool/scotch brite and wd40. On the non shiny aluminum use the wd40 with a scotch brite pad to clean the fins and block. Use it with a rag on the frame and rims and other stuff that has grime on it. That stuff is like marvelous to get the bike frame to look clean and new. Amazing what a little fish oil can do on a bike. Originally invented to displace water in the military? I read something like that and look at all the uses. Farmers use it to spray the cows to keep the flies off of them too. I read 101 uses for wd40 you would be amazed.

Mothers, steel wool, and whatever you can get your hands on. Turns out good.

Jack wrote:

Patience and elbow grease, along with liberal doses of Mother's Aluminum polish. If the S100 product got your 650 motor that clean without a fair bit of rubbing/wiping effort I'm getting a case...
Wow! The case on the bike looks fantastic! I bet it is a daily ritual to keep it clean and stay shiny like that. The clutch cover could use a bit more shine but everything else looks great!

I've been told that you should never use STEEL wool on Aluminum due to dissimilar metals, only use Scotch Bright, and polishing compounds. - this is what I've been told, by people I trust who know a hell of a lot more than me about metal polishing.

(joek) That's cool. If the people you trust, and know so much more about metal polishing than you do think my engine doesn't look good, you just let me know. Lmao. Time to pick a new group of friends that are the authority on polishing. kzrider.com/index.php?option=com_ponygal...&func=detail&id=1882

austin3119 wrote:

(joek) That's cool. If the people you trust, and know so much more about metal polishing than you do think my engine doesn't look good, you just let me know. Lmao. Time to pick a new group of friends that are the authority on polishing.

Do whatever you want! this thread is called "Best Way To Clean Aluminum?" I just told you what I've been told, and what I've read. Look it up yourself:

Google "dissimilar steel wool on aluminum"

Here, I've done it for you:
www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&new...Search&aq=f&oq=&aqi=

My apologies Joe, I was being rude.

saxjonz wrote:

Jack wrote:
[quote)
Wow! The case on the bike looks fantastic! I bet it is a daily ritual to keep it clean and stay shiny like that. The clutch cover could use a bit more shine but everything else looks great!

No, actually when it's done it will stay relatively clean and is not a lot of work to keep it that way,I have a real job.

The clutch cover is as shiny as the rest,it's the low res camera and the side on angle that make it look different.

Well that might be because steel wool rusts? But if you clean it for sure it would be just fine. I used it to get the laquer off of my forks and if you noticed I also wrote use scotch brite pads. I have done it sooooo many times and you know I have never had any problems with it but I suppose if you don't clean it it might look a bit rusty.
JoeK wrote:

I've been told that you should never use STEEL wool on Aluminum due to dissimilar metals, only use Scotch Bright, and polishing compounds. - this is what I've been told, by people I trust who know a hell of a lot more than me about metal polishing.

Here are one of the posts on the use of steel wool that you had listed as a source of why you don't want to use steel wool.
lists.contesting.com/_towertalk/2002-11/msg00792.html
I guess they were getting at not cleaning after. All I mentioned was the use of steel wool to remove the laquer finish on the shocks because that stuff takes forever to buff off and I used it on my forks and I will tell you what if you can find any rust spots due to the wool interacting with the metal I will give you my bike that I have around 6 grand in to not including the cost of purchase. I am quite sure a little 250 starter bike is not going to be the pride and joy and wonderment of all in the cycling community and it won't matter one way or the other. Maybe we should put a service learning announcement on the bags of steel wool. Warning! Do not use this product on dissimilar metals. lol really.

austin3119 wrote:

My apologies Joe, I was being rude.

Thank you, I didn't intend to come off as a know-it-all, your bike looks awesome, I was just trying to help.

As for the use of steel wool, they say it's on a microscopic level. Steel can be left embedded in the aluminum causing future problems. The Aviation industry warns against the use of steel wool on aluminum parts.

I think it's good to have these discussions, my bike doesn't look nearly as nice as yours, I would like my aluminum to shine! Then I can start on my '73 Honda...

Well Jack, your bike looks the business. I can't wait to get mine back today. Just had a 1075 kit with JE pistons 10.25 to 1 comp and .410 cam with slotted sprockets installed. She sounds downright evil. I so can't wait to get my other bike going with an 1197 kit. I was thinking of powdercoating the head and cases black but I dunno know now that I see how fab your bike looks.:woohoo:
I do know that I have spend a great deal of time polishing my forks and covers and wheels after sanding the machine marks off they look fabulous. I think the whole polish thing I am starting to get the hang of and when you see the surface of the spokes on my mags you would swear I had them chromed too. LOTS of sanding and polishing that project was but worth it for sure. That dremel and polish kit I bought was the best investment I have made yet.