Aluminum cleaner

[julieanncharters]

Anyone got experience of using a spray on or brush on Aluminum oxide remover prior to welding.
fed up of flap discs or scotch brite there has to be a better way.
see some stuff caller weldO in the US do we have owt similar over here.
elfyn

 

[hotrodder]

I've never used any of them as they typically contain some properly nasty acids or alkalis making them more of a faff than mechanical cleaning personally speaking. Harris Weld-O for example contains upto 6% hydroflouric and a dash of nitric acid
http://www.elmerwallace.co.uk do several aluminium cleaners, no MSDS sheets on their site unless i missed them but for their milder cleaners like alibrite they specifically state it's citric & phosphoric based with no HF while aluminium 101 which will etch/remove the oxide layer has no such comment, just described as mildy acidic. Hydrofluoric is kinda mild in terms of weak vs strong acids but very, very nasty stuff

 

[mark williams]

I have looked into this my self. In work all aircraft parts have to be acid pickled before weld and it makes life so much easier getting the component through X ray. But for your average job g would just wire brush. Then degrease or if possible rasp file the edges to be welded. I find grinding discs can contaminate the weld pool some times

 

[julieanncharters]

cheers for that ,i've got some largish plain 5mm thick 5083 sheets that have some oxide marking damage due to water getting betwen em when stacked.
i think a chemical de- oxide treatment would be quicker to get em back to one finish all over.
will have a look at yer link hotrodder and decide which one to go with.

 

[langy]

I've started using some blue wheels in my grinder, not sure of the name as got it off chevy2 as a freebie but they are bloody good !!! almost leaves a polished surface,

 

[SBK]

I've started using some blue wheels in my grinder, not sure of the name as got it off chevy2 as a freebie but they are bloody good !!! almost leaves a polished surface,

I find freebies always seem to work better

 

[julieanncharters]

are they the scotchbrite flap discs by any chance as they give a very good finish but a bit expensive and don't last long.

 

[langy]

are they the scotchbrite flap discs by any chance as they give a very good finish but a bit expensive and don't last long.

No just a plain blue disc about 19mm thick, he got them from BOC

 

[chevy2]

No just a plain blue disc about 19mm thick, he got them from BOC

Steve, they're made by Norton,
pretty sure they're called "ultra finish" i'll try to find a link.

 

[hotrodder]

Norton rapid finish?

aka vortex rapid blend http://www.nortonindustrial.com/Non-woven-VortexRapidBlendDC.aspx they look like an angle grinder version of convolute deburring wheels, i've been using them a lot recently (specifically 3M EXL 7sfin silicon carbide, these are the Norton equivilants http://www.nortonindustrial.com/Bear-Tex-NonWovenConvoluteWheel.aspx) to deburr/finish laser cut stainless parts. Fantastic things, kinda like 'clean & strip' discs but eleventy million times better... faster, tougher, longer lasting and leave a finish similar to a 'fine' Dronco or Abracs polishing flap disc. Didn't realise they existed as depressed centre discs for angle grinders

 

[chevy2]

Norton rapid finish?

aka vortex rapid blend http://www.nortonindustrial.com/Non-woven-VortexRapidBlendDC.aspx they look like an angle grinder version of convolute deburring wheels, i've been using them a lot recently (specifically 3M EXL 7sfin silicon carbide, these are the Norton equivilants http://www.nortonindustrial.com/Bear-Tex-NonWovenConvoluteWheel.aspx) to deburr/finish laser cut stainless parts. Fantastic things, kinda like 'clean & strip' discs but eleventy million times better... faster, tougher, longer lasting and leave a finish similar to a 'fine' Dronco or Abracs polishing flap disc. Didn't realise they existed as depressed centre discs for angle grinders

Cheers Hotrodder, thats the ones i use, you can use them on ali all day with zero clogging.

 

[langy]

Norton rapid finish?

aka vortex rapid blend http://www.nortonindustrial.com/Non-woven-VortexRapidBlendDC.aspx they look like an angle grinder version of convolute deburring wheels, i've been using them a lot recently (specifically 3M EXL 7sfin silicon carbide, these are the Norton equivilants http://www.nortonindustrial.com/Bear-Tex-NonWovenConvoluteWheel.aspx) to deburr/finish laser cut stainless parts. Fantastic things, kinda like 'clean & strip' discs but eleventy million times better... faster, tougher, longer lasting and leave a finish similar to a 'fine' Dronco or Abracs polishing flap disc. Didn't realise they existed as depressed centre discs for angle grinders

Yeah that's them Pete, they are excellent for smoothing aluminium and welds

 

[hotrodder]

Cheers guys, i'm gonna keep an eye on them as it looks like Norton have a bunch of similar things that are designed around 'regular' angle grinders while regular SCM abrasives tend to smear and/or wear out quickly unless used on a low rpm or variable speed grinder