Aluminum cleaning

[tho60]

Hello,

I have just bought an LTM Jupiter-9. Optics seem to be good, but lens barrel is heavily damaged by corrosion. How to clean the aluminum barrel without harming the engraved (and then painted) insriptions?

There are special aluminum cleaners, but I cannot afford them- for a single cleaning operation why to buy a complete can? Some people recommend Trisodium phosphate. Has anyone tried it?

Tho60

[btgc]

You are just thinking it will be single lens, single cleaning
Sorry, can't help with your actual issue....

[Steve M.]

Never tried that. Found this though

http://www.knowledgegalaxy.net/how_t..._aluminum.html

My experience w/ aluminum is to use a very fine sandpaper to remove stuff, then use a wore out Brillo pad, then polish w/ polishing compound. It will look shiny like chrome after that. It's all tedious work, especially if you have the lens assembled.

[MartinP]

A good quality metal-polish would be ok. The FSU lenses were lacquered with something-or-other, but it sounds as though that has long disappeared on your lens so polishing the grey from the aluminium is what you want to do? Smoothing out any cavities and deep corrosion would be a bigger sort of problem that would need more than metal-polish.

I have used a small tube of Autosol which works fine, but there are lots of different brands available depending largely on where you live. If you have a Dremel or similar, then a small buffing wheel might be handy too.

[BobYIL]

Buy a small can Nevr Dull for about 5 dollars, polish everything alu, brass, bronze, chrome, etc. without needing to worry about whether something will leak into your lens or camera. Using it since decades on cameras, motorcycles and almost all metal articles.

[buzzardkid]

In the past I cleaned the yellow off my Jupiter-9 using alcohol. The yellow actually is a sort of laquer that the factory applied to the aluminium to keep it from going grey but in time it turns yellow. A soft cloth, alcohol and a lot of rubbing cleaned it off.

Anything else in the corrision department is not remedied with this though.

[fanshaw]

If it is just tarnished then rubbing with a microfibre cloth will remove it leaving a bright finish and no residue.

[tho60]

Originally Posted by BobYIL

Buy a small can Nevr Dull for about 5 dollars, polish everything alu, brass, bronze, chrome, etc. without needing to worry about whether something will leak into your lens or camera. Using it since decades on cameras, motorcycles and almost all metal articles.

Thank you for your advice. Does not Nevr Dull remove the inscriptions? They are engraved, and then filled with black paint.

[tho60]

Originally Posted by Steve M.

Never tried that. Found this though

http://www.knowledgegalaxy.net/how_t..._aluminum.html

My experience w/ aluminum is to use a very fine sandpaper to remove stuff, then use a wore out Brillo pad, then polish w/ polishing compound. It will look shiny like chrome after that. It's all tedious work, especially if you have the lens assembled.

Yes, I could do it, but IMHO the sandpaper will damage the inscriptions.

[BobYIL]

Originally Posted by tho60

Thank you for your advice. Does not Nevr Dull remove the inscriptions? They are engraved, and then filled with black paint.

No.. it's soft like cotton, smelling kerosene. Since the inscriptions are imprinted or milled below the surface it won't affect. While rubbing a piece of Nevr Dull you'll notice how it works only "over" the surface.

(For renewing any missing inscriptions use acrylic type paints sold in tiny bottles for DIY modeling..)

[wolves3012]

Originally Posted by tho60

Hello,

I have just bought an LTM Jupiter-9. Optics seem to be good, but lens barrel is heavily damaged by corrosion. How to clean the aluminum barrel without harming the engraved (and then painted) insriptions?

There are special aluminum cleaners, but I cannot afford them- for a single cleaning operation why to buy a complete can? Some people recommend Trisodium phosphate. Has anyone tried it?

Tho60

Trisodium phosphate is very alkaline and aluminium will dissolve in alkalis (and acids) so I'd suggest that would be a bad course of action. Use an aluminium (metal) polish, there are many to choose from. Yes, it may remove some of the markings if you're unlucky but you can get paint pencils to re-fill them.

[Dez]

If you use a normal alloy polish such as you'd use for the cases of a motorcycle engine, something like Solvol Autosol, it will clean the aluminum, but you will be left with a too-shiny surface that doesn't look right, and makes the engravings hard to see.

I think I have just the stuff.

For significant corrosion, use something like very fine emery paper, maybe 2000 grit, but after you have done your thing with the sandpaper, rub the surface down with the type of cleaner used for ceramic stovetops- I use something called Ceramibryte. This is a very mild abrasive that will leave a slightly matte finish, and not leave you with the directional scratches that even the finest of sandpaper creates. But DO make sure you wipe it all off when you are done. It is an abrasive, and not something you want to get into moving parts.

The same stuff does wonders for satin chrome surfaces that have become a bit porous, abraded or mottled. I have used it to good effect on many an old Russian clunker.

Cheers,
Dez

[Bill58]

I used lacquer thinner to remove the coating on the body, then used this to polish: http://restorationproduct.com/preliminfo.html and finally this to preserve the polish http://restorationproduct.com/renwaxinfo.html.

[Monochrom]

Hi, many aluminium pbjects have a finishing called anodized...this is a very resistant coating made of aluminium crontrolled oxide.
A current is applyied under some circumstances and this layer of "al oxide" leaves the raw surface of aluminium with a thin coating that protects it and leaves also a semishining look.

the problem with this is that many times the process has not been done properly and it may corrode...or siply wores out, when this happens the layer goes away and you cannot restore it.
You may clean the dust, grease and other stuff left in the corroded surface, but if the anodized i gone, there´s not much you can do.

Bye!

[tho60]

Thanks for your advices. I am trying to attach a picture, albeit system noticed that my quota had exceeded.

You are very kind, but you recommend chemicals which are available easily in the U.S., although hard to find in Hungary. E.g. Nevr Dull costs 5 dollars in the U.S, in Hungary it costs 10 dollars or more. I paid some 50 dollars for the lens (incl. shipping), so buying a whole can is not worth the money.

I admit that 50 dollars were bargain price for that lens, yet I would not invest in expensive chemicals which after doing the job I will not able to use.

[Greyscale]

Have you tried a bit of toothpaste on a soft cloth?

[wolves3012]

Based on that picture - I'd just live with it.

[Dez]

Originally Posted by Greyscale

Have you tried a bit of toothpaste on a soft cloth?

I think this is a very good idea. You have to work at it a bit, but toothpaste is a very mild abrasive that could perobably do the job with a lot of rubbing.

Cheers,
Dez

[Alowisney]

If you can find it, MAAS metal polish works very well. I used to use it to clean up that kind of corrosion on straight razors, which are made of high carbon steel, but it should work fine on aluminum, too.

[tho60]

Originally Posted by Greyscale

Have you tried a bit of toothpaste on a soft cloth?

Thanks, I have not tried it, but I will do!

[tho60]

Originally Posted by Alowisney

If you can find it, MAAS metal polish works very well. I used to use it to clean up that kind of corrosion on straight razors, which are made of high carbon steel, but it should work fine on aluminum, too.

MAAS can do miracles certainly, it costs 12.95 dollars in the U.S. though. In Hungary I cannot get it, no one shop sells this product, which I find a bit expensive comparing to the lens' price..

[tho60]

Originally Posted by wolves3012

Based on that picture - I'd just live with it.

I am attaching an other picture which shows more corrosion. If I could clean the barrel, why I would not try to do it? I am keen on doing my best

[Greyscale]

Something else to try. Moisten a cloth with lemon juice and sprinkle some salt on it, and use that to clean the oxidation. This works on aluminum pots, so it should work on your lens.If you don't have lemon juice, any mild acid should work.

[muser53]

I'll second using just a dab of toothpaste...just remember a little goes a long way.