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Is this some kind of corrosion?

SabreFlyr

Well Known Member
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When I bought my kit from the previous owner, he had not removed any of the blue plastic film from any of the parts he had not worked on...except the roll bar frames (unless they came without it). Starting to do the prep work on these parts and I'm wondering about their condition. I've tried isopropyl alcohol and MEK and neither will touch it. When they're primed, I prep with alumiprep (actually, Bonderite C-IC 33 Aero). Will that be adequate prep for these parts or do they need something else?
 

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When I bought my kit from the previous owner, he had not removed any of the blue plastic film from any of the parts he had not worked on...except the roll bar frames (unless they came without it). Starting to do the prep work on these parts and I'm wondering about their condition. I've tried isopropyl alcohol and MEK and neither will touch it. When they're primed, I prep with alumiprep (actually, Bonderite C-IC 33 Aero). Will that be adequate prep for these parts or do they need something else?

Have you tried to spot sand an area to see if it comes off? Very fine grit paper, be sure it's fresh with no steel embedded. Wet sanding is the least abrasive. You could also try a buffing compound instead too.
 
Scotchbrite

Scrub with scotchbrite and a cleanser. If it doesn't come clean, move to more aggressive means.
 
It looks like surface oxidisation in the photo. I wouldn't wet sand because the abrasive material in wet/dry paper is normally silicon carbide and the grit can cause corrosion on aluminum (carbon and aluminum are not compatible).
Scotch brite pad should be effective at removing it before further prep.
 
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It looks like surface oxidisation in the photo. I wouldn't wet sand because the abrasive material in wet/dry paper is normally silicon carbide and the grit can cause corrosion on aluminum (carbon and aluminum are not compatible).
Scotch brite pad should be effective at removing it before further prep.

You can use aluminum oxide sand paper.
 
As far as sandpaper is concerned, I never use anything but aluminum oxide with aluminum parts.

I was just using Goo-Gone to help remove the residue from the old part number labels. This, of course, begs the question: Is Goo-Gone safe on aluminum parts? The label only states that it contains petroleum distillates. However, I made an interesting discovery. It very quickly & effectively removes this corrosion!

At this time, I plan to clean the parts with Goo-Gone a day or two before priming followed by an MEK wipe down. That is, provided that someone can assure me that Goo-Gone is safe for aluminum.

UPDATE: Unfortunately, it's only an illusion. After the areas wiped with the Goo-Gone were fully dried, the corrosion was visible again. I had wiped them pretty thoroughly but a film remained for some time. However, the question about Goo-Gone's safety remains.
 
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It is very possible that what is seen on the surface is adhesive residue from the vinyl. I have seen this in the past after removing vinyl that had been in place for a long time.
That could be why Goo-gone seems to remove some of it.

It does look like in this case that at least some of what is visible in the photo is very light surface corrosion.
 
It is very possible that what is seen on the surface is adhesive residue from the vinyl. I have seen this in the past after removing vinyl that had been in place for a long time.
That could be why Goo-gone seems to remove some of it.

It does look like in this case that at least some of what is visible in the photo is very light surface corrosion.

Thanks, Scott. It's possible that some of it is residue from the film but I think most of it is corrosion. The plan now is a light Scotch-brite scrub followed by a cleaning with MEK a couple of days prior to priming. Then Alumiprep immediately prior.
 
Bon Ami cleanser applied with least aggressive Scotch Brite pad, followed by through rinsing, is what I would do...
 
Yes, use the scotchbrite with water and Bon-Ami. Less chemical contact to you. MEK is nasty stuff, best left in the can for the most intense needs. When the water sheets without beading you are clean. Then Alumiprep and alodine if you want (I did).
 
Did you check with Vans about this specific part? I had part of the roll bar assembly for the 12 that looks like this and they said it was normal and due to the specific treatment they do to those parts. You might want to check with them.
 
Did you check with Vans about this specific part? I had part of the roll bar assembly for the 12 that looks like this and they said it was normal and due to the specific treatment they do to those parts. You might want to check with them.

Scott from the mothership saw the picture and commented earlier in the thread and didn't mention anything to that effect.
 
When building our Aircam I would buy the scotch bright balls in the hundreds that would plug into drills for the larger balls and for the small ones I used a Dremel. They work great on stuff like this and its a huge time saver.
 
When building our Aircam I would buy the scotch bright balls in the hundreds that would plug into drills for the larger balls and for the small ones I used a Dremel. They work great on stuff like this and its a huge time saver.

I'll be trying the Scotch Brite pads with the Bon Ami (that just arrived today) sometime this week. If I need something that works a little faster, where did you get the Scotch Brite balls?
 
I'm a Bon Ami believer!

Very pleasantly surprised at my results! Anticipated that it would take a great deal of elbow grease to get rid of the corrosion. But, just reasonable effort, no sore arms. Probably 30 minutes work between rubbing, rinsing and wiping to check progress.
 

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Yup, there ya go, glad it worked out for ya.
When I first heard about Bon Ami, I was convinced it was a snake oil sales pitch
 
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