At 02:22 PM 3/25/2001 -0800, you wrote:
>Are there any recommendations for the best polishing compound for
>original LAT 70 wheels. Thank you
>
>Jane Sage
>
Jane,
If your wheels are really cruddy and need a lot of cleaning
before you polish, then I recommend using fresh sulfuric acid, AKA battery
acid. This will clean off the crud very nicely.
DO NOT, repeat, DO NOT, use hydrochloric acid, AKA, muriatic acid
or pool acid as the aluminum will be turned black and some of the aluminum
will be eaten.
Battery acid can be obtained from a good automotive parts store.
Recommend a plastic container big enough for the wheel, a strong
fan to blow the fumes, rubber gloves, eye protection, and a water hose
available to wash off the burning part of your skin. Also the water hose
to wash the sulfuric acid off the wheel. Use a typical nylon auto parts
brush to brush the acid on and the crud off. Un-neutralized acid, even that
hosed off, will kill your grass or etch your concrete driveway.
A box of Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda (sodium carbonate, AKA
soda ash)
will do nicely to neutralize the left over sulurfic acid when you get ready for
disposal. Arm and Hammer Baking Soda (sodium bicarbonate)also works
to neutralize the left over acid.
Hydrocloric acid can be used to clean rusty iron products.
It will take all the rust off quickly. Some people worry that you can get
hydrogen embrittlement using the acid. If you are worried about that then
use something else to clean the rust off. If you leave the iron product
in the acid for a long time, you will take the unrusted iron off.
The acid fumes also contain hydrogen, so no smoking during the cleaning.
Of course if you live in the land of fruits and nuts, then forget
the acid and use distilled water instead.
Let the flames begin!
James Barrett Tiger II 351C and others
|