Cleaning aluminium wind vane

[Gunfleet]

I bought a very nice Aries from a site user here and want to fit it to my boat. But it looks a bit lived in - the mostly aluminium surfaces are grubby, a bit tarnished and have some white oxide type material on them in places (can't you tell I'm not an engineer?). It's not going to be easy to disassemble because a lot of the parts look like a press fit. Does anyone know the right way to clean it up? I seem to remember having an ally motorcycle casing blasted with walnut shells many years ago and getting a fantastic polished finish. But it's all so long ago I really can't remember. Or is there some modern non-abrasive flap wheel I can put in a drill? If blasting is the way to go a recommendation for someone who offers a service in Essex/Suffolk would be great!

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[snowleopard]

there are businesses which specialise in cleaning alloy car wheels, one of them may be able to help.

there is a liquid called ally clean or some such, obtainable from motor factors.

the shell blasting would probably be best. whatever you do, don't use steel wool or wire brush, the microscopic fragments left embedded in the surface will set up galvanic cells.

sounds as though the surface wasn't anodised so you'll want to paint it afterwards. there is a zinc chromate primer for aluminium which is available in spray form from outboard dealers.

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[Gunfleet]

Thanks, snowleopard. I'd forgotten that stuff. I used to do the wheels of my bike with it. Sounds just right, and if I remember is biodegradable.

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[Stingo]

Phone Peter Mattheson from Aries +45 7445 0760 (Denmark). He's always very helpful and freindly.

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[tr7v8]

Wheel cleaners (that work) such as wonder wheels are based on Nitric acid and aren't pleasant. I'd have a go with something like wet & dry and then scotchbrite. Don't use steel wool as it leaves bits of steel embedded in the ali and they go rusty.
Finish off with very fine wet & dry and wd40 or paraffin. A clean down with some thinners and then a spray of lacquer so you don't need to do it again!

Jim
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Draco 2500

 

[charles_reed]

Go to a decent sized commercial tool merchant and buy a 3M finishing pad.
It's used by all the metalfinishers to put a smooth finish on ss before buffing with a sheepskin pad and jewellers' paste.

All the suggestions you've had so far are excessively aggressive and will cost you.
This way you'll get some much-needed exercise ;-) and save lots of money.

I use it every other year to get my ss bright and polished - it's not hard work and one pad lasts for years. It's like an oversize nylon scourer.

Unfortunately the polished finished won't last, unless you have the unit hard-anodised, which is the really correct way to go about it

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[Gunfleet]

Thanks Charles. THere is one between here and Hythe Quay - not far for us mudlarks.

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[AndrewB]

Dismantling an Aries.

They are designed to be totally overhauled and it is desirable to do so periodically. With steel fittings into aluminium, there is a tendancy for certain parts to seize if the gear is not in regular use and kept well oiled: moreover there are a number of bearings that should be renewed. You can get an overhaul kit from Helen Franklin (see YM or PBO small-ads for details) for about £75 which contains all the required bits. Make sure you get a diagram as with nothing symettrical its a real puzzle to put back together.

The unanodised frame oxidises and roughens, and cannot easily be restored to perfection. Wire brushing gets rid of all the white oxide easily enough and gives a pleasant finish, but the oxide will return before too long. Though it is unpleasant, it does tend to protect the aluminium underneath. Alternatively you could paint the whole thing.

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