I've got some old SU carbs that are pretty rough looking, finish wise, that I'd like to improve the looks of. I'm looking for a bright dip that I can throw together in my shop to pass the parts through, then wash to remove all the old discoloration and stains from years of use without leaving a rough finish. Muriatic leaves a nasty discoloration behind, straight phosphoric kinda works but it is slow and not readily availiable locally. I don't know the alloy that was used in SU and other carbs. I tried a commercial aluminium brightener that was made for screen doors and the like but it had no effect at all.Do the great minds of the BBS have any suggestions? Are glassbeads my only hope?
Brightening alloy
Aug 20, 2004
6 Replies
Elbow grease is the best product for shining up old SU's.
Glass beads will not leave them smooth and shiny. It etches the surface, probably not what you want to do. Can you not polish them with Mother's or something similar?
Phosphoric acid is pretty easy to come by. It's just dairy cleaner. Surely there must be some sort of agricultural supply store in the area? TSC, Fleet Farm...
I don't know about other options.
JW
A vibratory polisher with a soft medium like Dri-Shine (treated walnut shells) would polish it up nicely. Make sure you blow all the air passages clean before installing though.
George
Have you tried phosphoric acid with a little help from a battery charger? Connect the part to the + pole and a piece of most anything to the -. Will speed up the action of the H3PO4 quite a bit. Works particularly well on steel.
bob g.
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