Cleaning aluminium cranks to the pores

Where else than on a female riders forum would this q'n be most at it's place :)

My 'problem' is this.

Over the years my alu parts have kept nicely clean on the polished side, but on the back there is no smooth polished surface and one can see that the pores are full of stuff that isn't nice to look at.

Now there are probably several options to tackle this, but one of them is allways chemicals and such and i don't want to go that route.

Now isn't there a household liquid or such that does the trick.

So far is used just the average soapy stuff to do the dishes with and to a certain level it works, but i just want to go all the way and get it like it was when bought new.

Fill me in as i read it with much interest.

Hey there. I use that bike cleaner, Finish Line Citrus Degreaser. Depending on how bad, may take a few passes and an old toothbrush.

Good luck.

You can start with the least offensive chemicals and work your way up if you need to. Rubbing alcohol is the place to start if you need a solvent. If that doesn't do the trick, I like to use WD-40 (spray on a rag and wipe).

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Originally Posted by g19

So far is used just the average soapy stuff to do the dishes with and to a certain level it works, but i just want to go all the way and get it like it was when bought new.

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About 10 years ago we had a guy walk into the shop with his Campagnolo brakes and deraileurs. He had tossed them in the dishwasher to clean them. NO FINISH LEFT. They looked like lead. He was crushed.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Seajay

About 10 years ago we had a guy walk into the shop with his Campagnolo brakes and deraileurs. He had tossed them in the dishwasher to clean them. NO FINISH LEFT. They looked like lead. He was crushed.

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I wonder what the dishwasher looked like!! I bet the misses wasn't too pleased either :eek:

Actually, about the worst thing for your dishes is to wash them BEFORE putting them in the dishwasher. The detergent is actually pretty abrasive and if it doesn't have anything to work against, it will start to etch your dishes.

I've put alumn baking sheets into the dishwasher before and they look awful coming out, but a little Barkeepers Friend and they are nearly as good as they were going in. I believe the process removed a little layer of a metal, which for a drivetrain is bad, cookie sheets... the cookies still taste good, so no loss.

Anyone ever use one of those Ultrasonic cleaners on bike parts??

Shannon