Chemical cleaning of Aluminium tread plate

[Ropata]

Has anyone ever tried cleaning aluminium tread plate with a chemical successfully? Wire brush on the grinder is too aggressive and dangerous for my liking with a rough finish.

 

[seasicksteve]

Id try some aluminum wheel cleaner

 

[Firestopper]

Zep make a aluminum cleaner thats popular among tractor trailer detailing shops. Expensive but works very well.

 

[FOMOGO]

Try this stuff

Or if really bad get out the compound and buffer. Mike

 

[Robert LaLonde]

Remember that with any abrasive method including buffing compound you are stripping off the protective oxide layer. I think the key is to maintain a consistent and uniform oxide layer so it looks decent. Years ago when the wife and I were active in the motorcycle community we kept the custom aluminum wheels we had made for her Fatboy uniform by coating them with a thin coat of wax and soft cloth buffing it. Well atleast before a show anyway.

 

[4ssss]

Try this stuff

Or if really bad get out the compound and buffer. Mike

I've used this stuff to clean the diamond plate on my boat. It's easy to use and does an amazing job without a buffer. Just use an old piece of carpet that you can get from a carpet store's sample selection. The brightener and polish that you can buy at truck stops doesn't come close to what this stuff can do.

 

[RandyM]

Well, we really don't know how bad the part is at this point and to what degree it needs to be finished. There is a large degree of problems and solutions to this question.

 

[4ssss]

Well, we really don't know how bad the part is at this point and to what degree it needs to be finished. There is a large degree of problems and solutions to this question.

It doesn't make any difference with the Purple, the 1st step is to wipe on a clear brightener that removes the crud chemically, and the Purple itself is a polish. I wish I took before and after pics of my boat. It had 8 years of water damage to the bow diamond plates and they came out shining better than they were when I had the boat built. If there are 2 cleaning chemicals that I would recommend to anyone, this would be 1 of them, the other being Krud Kutter for just about anything around the house or shop.

 

[Ropata]

Try this stuff

Or if really bad get out the compound and buffer. Mike

It's the wiping and buffing I'm trying to avoid. I came across some cheap sheets of really heavy relief patterned stuff that is near impossible to get into every nook without polishing each diamond individually. I will hoping to spray something on and just hose off ha ha. Oh well, elbow grease is free.

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[turnitupper]

You could use hydrofluoric acid,but the safety gear and disposal of wastes would probably cost more than the plate did.
If you you do NOT use the proper precautions, your friends will probably start calling you Stumpy.
John.