Started a job for a customer with some supplied 6061 flat bar they bought from McMaster. I've always removed the material/mfg data that is roll marked down the length with acetone. To my surprise, this Kaiser material is printed with something that acetone won't even touch. I tried naphtha, alcohol, WD-40, Berryman B-12, brake fluid, and starter fluid as well with no success.
Anyone run across this before and find something that will remove this printing?
Jon
When those things fail, I reach for the MEK.
Could be laser marked.
Scotchbrite should do it. Can get it in belts for a belt sander, which is pretty fast, and gives a nice finish.
Ok, just to be sure we're talking about the same stuff, my Kaiser 6061 flat bar is printed with something blackish that might have a trace of red in it. (Or maybe that was the light.)
It didn't come off with Contractor's Solvent, turpentine or lighter fluid.
It *did* come off with GoJo orange hand cleaner with pumice, but I'm not sure whether it was the orange goop that took it off or the pumice. And I'm out of the hand cleaner without pumice, so I can't check.
HTH, Tove
No, it's printed.
Too much work. Customer is all about low cost on this, and it's one of those perception issues, if I make them look too nice, they're likely to complain about the price....
I'm curious about what the hell this is printed with, in 25 years I've never seen material markings on aluminum that didn't come right off with acetone.
Jon
Well I'll be damned. Thanks! I'd never have thought of that. Using the NAPA variant, but it works with a lot less effort than scotchbrite pads.
Jon
Hah! A few weeks ago I used that stuff just to clean grungy Al bars I had laying around.
Maybe the mystery ink is water-soluble? I didn't see water in the solvent list.
Dave
That stuff is good for a lot of things. I use it to remove grease spots from those times I would not take time to change from my office clothes before running the lathe. Just rub it into the spots right before running the clothes washer.
And believe it or not, it works pretty darned well as a mosquito repellent.
I kind of doubt material shipped and stored outdoors would be marked with water-soluble ink.
biodiesel dissolves most things that aren't metal, given time. Don't know about your printing though.
Chris
------------ I just gotta ask -- why remove the marking? Customer supplied it marked, then customer can remove the mark or pay extra for you to do it. Perhaps the customer would prefer to keep the mark to prove they used 6061.
Unka' George [George McDuffee]
------------------------------------------- He that will not apply new remedies, must expect new evils: for Time is the greatest innovator: and if Time, of course, alter things to the worse, and wisdom and counsel shall not alter them to the better, what shall be the end?
Francis Bacon (1561-1626), English philosopher, essayist, statesman. Essays, "Of Innovations" (1597-1625).
Don't think so, I also tried Windex and good old fashioned spit...
Jon
This was my #1 customer for several years, their work basically paid for my CNC lathe. I'd also become friends with one of the owners and his family. It's a small run of parts that I might make once every 18 months, so not a big deal.
A PITA customer, I might say tough, but not these folks.
Jon
snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com fired this volley in news:847b1a4e-898b-4721-a2a1- snipped-for-privacy@g3g2000pre.googlegroups.com:
Don't know about water, but an end-mill removes it just perfectly.
(why would you want parts with all those extrusion marks on them, anyway?)
LLoyd
Not sure about your aluminum, but if you want to remove magic marker, the paint they mark steel with, carpenters crayon etc., use welding anti-spatter.
You have to read the label and get the right stuff, but some anti-spatter/nozzle spray is aerosol methylene chloride. Works great on a lot of stuff that acetone and MEK won't touch.
So it is organic, or water based, rather than hydrocarbon.
ca
Well, I have the pumice version too. So not sure if it's some citrus based component or the pumice. But it does work.
I called Kaiser, got the number of someone that should be able to answer definitively, but got the answering machine. Be interesting to see if he calls me back tomorrow or Monday...
Jon
All the solvents you seem to have tried are covalent-organic compounds. Perhaps it will respond to an ionic solvent... like water! Its called the universal solvent for a reason!
Rarius
Just out of interest - what are the main groups of solvents and their useful properties.
Polar - water
Non polar ? Acetone, naphtha, alcohol, WD-40, Berryman B-12, brake fluid???
Others as per Barts "Hot melt glue removal (tip of the day)"
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