Cleaning Alu parts?

I'm in the process of fixing up our Scooter that broke down years ago. The whole thing is corroded and really uuugly.

Does anyone know of a good way of cleaning, mainly, aluminium parts such as the engine blocks etc. Ideally I want them squeakly clean without the need for much elbow grease.
Got the usual stuff such as Gunk etc, but I was wondering if there's a better way. Maybe I'll stick the bit sin the dish-washer..?!

Ultrasonic cleaning apparently works very well at restoring aluminium, you'd have to do a google search for places that do it with decent sized tanks for engine parts.

Thanks, I've heard good things about ultrasonic cleaning, but I'm more looking for some home-remedy for the parts. It's an old Scooter, it's going to be fixed up and then sold. I'm going to do it properly, but it's not worth paying money to get parts cleaned up.

Do you have a spindle polisher by any chance?


You can get scotchbite mops for these which will bring up aluminium to a nice brushed appearance.
Failing that you should be able to get these mops as drill attachments...

http://uk.rs-online.com/web/search/sear ... 4982&Nty=1

Me, polisher...?! thought you knew me better.

I know of those abrasives, thing is I don't really want to hurt the surface, just want it chemically clean.

If I show you these pictures, maybe you'll get a better idea what I'm up against!





No flap disk is going to get into all of those places...

That'll be a bitch to clean...waft it over with this and just cover the dirt!