Muratic Acid to Clean Aluminum Parts

Am I asking for trouble? The Focus has a lot of very salty and oily aluminum brackets and parts that Simple Green/Purple Power/Mean Green and elbow grease won't touch. Read online that muratic acid can have solid results. Basically dilute and soak in a PLASTIC tub for no more than an hour and rinse with clean water. Will this work? Or will it pit/destroy the aluminum?

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Klean-Strip-1-gal-Green-Safer-Muriatic-Acid-GKGM75006/202690263

I would try mineral oil and very fine steel wool, or possibly marvel mystery oil.
I would be worried that the muratic acid might make the aluminum brittle.

Muratic acid will eat into the aluminum. Don't use it unless you want to ruin the surface finish. Use something that is listed as aluminum cleaner. Navel Jelly or the active ingredient which is phosphoric acid is a good aluminum cleaner. Used full strength it will dull the finish of bright aluminum if left on to long but if you dilute the pure acid 4-5 to one with water it will clean without harming the surface. It will also work as a rust stain remover and if you soak a rusty steel item in it remove the rust if you leave it in for 4-24 hours, depending on how rusty the item is.

Zep-A-Lume is mainly Sulfuric Acid. There are also products that are Phosphoric acid and a little less nasty. Either one will work well.

I've tried both on aluminum and was frightened to leave either on long enough to have any real effect. You especially want to be careful of using acid on any stressed brackets.

Do you have an air compressor? A small spot blaster and soda will do the trick just fine.

If you don't own a compressor, you ought to pick one up, too many everyday uses to mention, you'll be glad that you have one.

I have a small 6 gallon compressor. I'm not sure it would be strong enough.

ScreaminE wrote: I have a small 6 gallon compressor. I'm not sure it would be strong enough.

That combined with a GRM Soda Blaster should do the trick. With that small a compressor it will probably take some time (waiting for the compressor to catch up)but it should work.

I remember discovering how lye ("Draino") could be used to etch aluminum for a real nice sheen. So I cut out my aluminum to size, drilled all the holes, and dropped it in a tub of Draino. It started bubbling and got pretty hot, and I though that was really cool, until the bubbling and boiling suddenly stopped...

Hey, where'd my part go? Gone, completely gone.

As a rule I won't use Muriatic acid on aluminum, maybe diluted. Never dip into full strength acid tho. Blasting sounds the better solution here.

100% Muriatic acid does wonders on steel tho. Cleans rusty metal down to the pores. Excellent weld prep especially w/ TIG. If I could ever explain a "clean smelling" and cleanest TIG weld it was because of the acid prep dip. Strips zinc, galvanized and cadmium plating from hardware down to bare metal.

I'm a real fan of acid for cleaning steel but a lotta people hate using acid because of the nasty fumes during dipping. Gotta respect it though and take every precaution! It's cheap and very thorough for cleaning deep into the pores of the metal that grinding may never touch... or by the time it's ground deep enough the metal is thinned too much. Better to dip it outside/ well ventilated area than to breathe fumes from left over zinc, galv and cad during welding.

Whatever you do, don't use oven cleaner on it.

And, of course...don't get it on your hootus.

Don't be like this guy:

You really should try an ultrasonic cleaner with 50/50 simple green and water, its magic.