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.

If I can't find lye, will the muriatic acid be ok? is there another
chemical that attacks aluminum but is safe for steel?

Trisodium phosphate, used for cleaning should work, I believe it is
available at HD. Some dishwasher detergents used to be TSP, check on the
label. Use boiling hot water to speed the process and frequently check that
the crankshaft is not being chewed up. Are you sure the engine didn't use
Babbitt bearings
(http://www.americanbabbittinc.com/hi...t_bearings.htm) which
looks similar to aluminum?


wrote in message
ups.com...
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.

If I can't find lye, will the muriatic acid be ok? is there another
chemical that attacks aluminum but is safe for steel?

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.

If I can't find lye, will the muriatic acid be ok? is there another
chemical that attacks aluminum but is safe for steel?

Mm.... would a torch work?

Sodium Hydroxide to be specific but unless there is just a thin film of
Aluminum, nothing is going to etch Al at any rate that is useful (at room
temp). If there are large chunks, it should not have alloyed with the steel
and should just chip right off. Smaller spatters might be removed with a
scotch brite cleaning pad.

Seriously, the poster that suggested a torch is probably right on, the
melting point of aluminum is far lower than steel. Heat it just short of
cherry red and bang it on the ground or scrape with wire brush.


"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message
...
Lye is the active ingredient in some drain cleaners. Look for the word
"hydroxide" in the ingredients.

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
.

wrote in message
ups.com...
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.

If I can't find lye, will the muriatic acid be ok? is there another
chemical that attacks aluminum but is safe for steel?

Jeff wrote:
Trisodium phosphate, used for cleaning should work, I believe it is
available at HD.

I many areas it has been banned for environmental reasons.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

In article . com, wrote:

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.

Try a hardware store -- think Ace or TruValue -- or a grocery store. Ask
specifically for Red Devil Lye.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

On 14 Feb 2006 12:28:49 -0800, 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.

Yes, I think they do. I would just love to take some drugs made with
lye..

Maybe you can find some druggies who use Lye and buy some from them.
Don't involve the police, or do this when the police might know.

As I pointed out several months ago, there are now products called TSP
that don't use Tri-sodium phosphate. I don't know if that makes a
diference to the suggested method, nor do I know if the suggested
method is a good one.


If I can't find lye, will the muriatic acid be ok? is there another
chemical that attacks aluminum but is safe for steel?


Remove NOPSAM to email me. Please let
me know if you have posted also.

Propane torch...or try some oven cleaner.....oven cleaner will destroy
aluminum foil...but I dont know what effect it will have on thicker
aluminum.....also if it was the bearings its most likely not
aluminum...so torch...or chisel it off...might just knock right off and
clean up with sanding cloth.

mm wrote:
On 14 Feb 2006 12:28:49 -0800, 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.


Yes, I think they do. I would just love to take some drugs made with
lye..

Humbug. He can't find lye because he doesn't know
that it is called Sodium Hydroxide. Of course
Oven Off is just lye in a pressure can. You find
lye in grocery stores and at hardware stores. I
think the can I have came from Lowes a bout a year
ago.

As for drugs with lye, how about food made with
lye. Eat those black olives? Well they make them
by soaking them in lye. Course they wash it out
afterwards.

There is nothing illegal about lye.


Maybe you can find some druggies who use Lye and buy some from them.
Don't involve the police, or do this when the police might know.

As I pointed out several months ago, there are now products called TSP
that don't use Tri-sodium phosphate. I don't know if that makes a
diference to the suggested method, nor do I know if the suggested
method is a good one.



If I can't find lye, will the muriatic acid be ok? is there another
chemical that attacks aluminum but is safe for steel?



Remove NOPSAM to email me. Please let
me know if you have posted also.

According to PipeDown :
Sodium Hydroxide to be specific but unless there is just a thin film of
Aluminum, nothing is going to etch Al at any rate that is useful (at room
temp). If there are large chunks, it should not have alloyed with the steel
and should just chip right off. Smaller spatters might be removed with a
scotch brite cleaning pad.

It wouldn't have alloyed. Just stuck on. Rather like the way aluminum
fouls up abrasives (like grinding wheels). The way to get it off is
to chip/abrade it.

Seriously, the poster that suggested a torch is probably right on, the
melting point of aluminum is far lower than steel. Heat it just short of
cherry red and bang it on the ground or scrape with wire brush.

A torch is likely to deharden the shaft. You don't want to deharden
it any more than the sticking on of the aluminum already did.

I'd try various things like emory paper, a wire brush or a metal
scraper. Or even a fine file lightly wielded.

The shaft may be scored.

In some cases, you may need to take it to a machine shop (eg: some
automotive engine repair places) to have it touched up on a lathe.
--
Chris Lewis, Una confibula non set est
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.

According to Jeff :
Are you sure the engine didn't use
Babbitt bearings
(http://www.americanbabbittinc.com/hi...t_bearings.htm) which
looks similar to aluminum?

It's exceedingly unlikely to see babbitt metal in any small equipment like
this. Small engines either have ball bearing or bearing bronze sleeves.

Their normal operating temperatures are too close to babbitt's melting point,
and it'd wear too fast at the high RPMs these motors generate.

Babbitt metal use is largely limited to _very_ large open bearings on
large and old equipment. Eg: very old and large scale machine tools like
industrial lathes of a few decades ago, large scale shafting (eg: ship
driveshafts), steam engines and the like.

You can usually tell a bearing is babbitt, because the housing is designed
so that you can pour molten babbitt into it, and sometimes even remelt the
babbitt. Babbitt bearings are cast in place and are usually quite large
beasties with oil cups etc. As the babbitt wears, you need to periodically
remelt it to reduce bearing slop.

It's cool stuff, but most people are unlikely to ever encounter it these
days, except in antique steam engines at museums and country fairs.
--
Chris Lewis, Una confibula non set est
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.

Sodium hyrdroxide, also known as lye, is contained in many drain
cleaners, Draino crystal version being one of them. As I recall, they
even had some small amounts of aluminum shavings in it to get the
reaction going and generate heat. Sodium hydroxide will definitely eat
away aluminum very effectively.

On Wed, 15 Feb 2006 14:30:32 -0000, (Chris
Lewis) wrote:

According to Jeff :
Are you sure the engine didn't use
Babbitt bearings
(http://www.americanbabbittinc.com/hi...t_bearings.htm) which
looks similar to aluminum?

It's exceedingly unlikely to see babbitt metal in any small equipment like
this. Small engines either have ball bearing or bearing bronze sleeves.

Their normal operating temperatures are too close to babbitt's melting point,
and it'd wear too fast at the high RPMs these motors generate.

Babbitt metal use is largely limited to _very_ large open bearings on
large and old equipment. Eg: very old and large scale machine tools like
industrial lathes of a few decades ago, large scale shafting (eg: ship
driveshafts), steam engines and the like.

Or small bearings like in Ford Model T and A's and many many older
automotive engines that did not have insert bearings.


You can usually tell a bearing is babbitt, because the housing is designed
so that you can pour molten babbitt into it, and sometimes even remelt the
babbitt. Babbitt bearings are cast in place and are usually quite large
beasties with oil cups etc. As the babbitt wears, you need to periodically
remelt it to reduce bearing slop.

In small engines, babbit bearings are not poured "to size". The
babbit is bored to size after it's been placed. Usually, after the
babbit is poured and before boring it to size a thick shim pack is
installed and as wear progresses, shims are removed.

http://users.michiana.org/rosss/modela.html


It's cool stuff, but most people are unlikely to ever encounter it these
days, except in antique steam engines at museums and country fairs.

Or in those other places I mentioned above.

On 14 Feb 2006 12:28:49 -0800, 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.

If I can't find lye, will the muriatic acid be ok? is there another
chemical that attacks aluminum but is safe for steel?

Lye might work, stay away from the acid. Red Devil lye is available
at Ace Hardware.

But, why don't you do the right thing and have the crankshaft reground
and buy an undersize rod?

Chris Lewis wrote:
According to PipeDown :
Sodium Hydroxide to be specific but unless there is just a thin film of
Aluminum, nothing is going to etch Al at any rate that is useful (at room
temp). If there are large chunks, it should not have alloyed with the steel
and should just chip right off. Smaller spatters might be removed with a
scotch brite cleaning pad.

It wouldn't have alloyed. Just stuck on. Rather like the way aluminum
fouls up abrasives (like grinding wheels). The way to get it off is
to chip/abrade it.

Seriously, the poster that suggested a torch is probably right on, the
melting point of aluminum is far lower than steel. Heat it just short of
cherry red and bang it on the ground or scrape with wire brush.

A torch is likely to deharden the shaft. You don't want to deharden
it any more than the sticking on of the aluminum already did.

I'd try various things like emory paper, a wire brush or a metal
scraper. Or even a fine file lightly wielded.

The shaft may be scored.

In some cases, you may need to take it to a machine shop (eg: some
automotive engine repair places) to have it touched up on a lathe.

Actually, that's what I was thinking. just on general principles, get a
competent machine shop to just true it up. Assuming that car crankshaft
machinery will work on this small stuff.
--
Chris Lewis, Una confibula non set est
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.

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".

Sodium Hydroxide to be specific but unless there is just a thin film of
Aluminum, nothing is going to etch Al at any rate that is useful (at room
temp). If there are large chunks, it should not have alloyed with the steel

Are you sure of that? I have a vague memory of watching HCl go
through aluminium foil like a sneeze through toilet paper.
OP should be warned though, that ferrous metals that have been exposed
to HCL, even the fumes, REALLY want to rust.


and should just chip right off. Smaller spatters might be removed with a
scotch brite cleaning pad.

George E. Cawthon wrote:

Humbug. He can't find lye because he doesn't know
that it is called Sodium Hydroxide. Of course
Oven Off is just lye in a pressure can. You find
lye in grocery stores and at hardware stores. I
think the can I have came from Lowes a bout a year
ago.

As for drugs with lye, how about food made with
lye. Eat those black olives? Well they make them
by soaking them in lye. Course they wash it out
afterwards.

Do da woid lutefisk ring a bell?

http://www.geocities.com/NapaValley/3227/recipes/luteing.htm

Larry Bud wrote:

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".

My brilliant idea, for a hydrogen powered car that you refuel by
swallowing aluminum foil and burping into the fuel tank!

replying to Jeff, alex wrote:
You can get lye at home harrdware. They might have to order the small
container from the warehouse

--
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