DIYbanter - View Single Post

wrote:
I am trying to clean up a crankshaft from a briggs & stratton engine.
It has aluminum melted on to it from a low oil condition and thrown
rod.

I learned that Lye can be used to safely dissolve the aluminum and not
hurt the steel. I also kind of understand that muriaic acid can do the
same thing, but if left too long it can damage the journal.

Here's the problem, I can't find Lye anywhere (home depot, walmart,
lowes, CVS) and I think its cause druggies use it for meth or something
like that.

Lye is the main ingredient in Oven Cleaner. Whether it's in the
concentration you need, I don't know, but I do remember experiments
back in HS where you spray oven cleaner on a bunch of aluminum foil,
and Hydrogen gas is given off as a byproduct as the aluminum
"dissolves".