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Author Topic: Cleaning aluminum reels Robert Throop Master Film Handler Posts: 412 From: Vernon, NY USA Registered: Jun 99 posted 04-11-2003 12:12 PM                     I have some reels that had been stored in a damp cellar. They've become corroded. Is there an easy way to clean these?  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 04-11-2003 12:15 PM                        Maybe the same cleaners used for aluminum cookwear? Might try using a dishwasher with dishwasher detergent (no other metals in there at the same time!).  |  IP: Logged Michael Schaffer "Where is the Boardwalk Hotel?" Posts: 4143 From: Boston, MA Registered: Apr 2002 posted 04-11-2003 12:30 PM                        quote: the same cleaners used for aluminum cookwear? Wouldn`t that be rather uncomfortable to wear while cooking?  |  IP: Logged Daryl C. W. O'Shea Film God Posts: 3977 From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from) Registered: Jun 2002 posted 04-11-2003 12:51 PM                        We use acetone to clean (and prep) aluminum on aircraft. It works very well. If there is a lot of corrosion you may want to chip the bulk of it off with a paint scraper first.  |  IP: Logged Frank Angel Film God Posts: 5305 From: Brooklyn NY USA Registered: Dec 1999 posted 04-11-2003 04:38 PM                        Ok, now we've got them clean how do we UNbend them? Anyone have a clever way to straighten out bent reels? Frank  |  IP: Logged Matthew Bailey Master Film Handler Posts: 461 From: Port Arthur,TX Registered: Sep 2000 posted 04-11-2003 07:20 PM                     I guess a wood blodk & rubber mallet would do or somehow step on one of the inside flanges & careflully bend them by hand. As for removing corrosion,sand them by hand & wipe them off with a towel or rag or use steel wool or a scouring pad.  |  IP: Logged Sam Hunter Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 779 From: West Monroe, LA, USA Registered: Jan 2002 posted 04-11-2003 07:42 PM                     I bought an aluminum reel off Ebay that was very badly corroded. My son works for a chemical sales supplier and got me a gallon of ALUMINUM CLEANER. This stuff is very caustic and you wouldn’t want to get it on you but anyway I sprayed some of that stuff on the reel, waited about 10 minutes and rinsed. Then polished it with Steel wool and washed and dried it off good and was amazed at the results. That reel looked just like a new one. As far as straightening the reels out be careful if they are 2K reels. They will break if not handled carefully. Don’t try to bend it a whole lot at one time and you should be ok.  |  IP: Logged Ken Layton Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1452 From: Olympia, Wash. USA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 04-11-2003 09:10 PM                     I've used Simple Green "Lime Scale" remover (it's in a spray bottle).  |  IP: Logged Michael West Film Handler Posts: 67 From: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada Registered: Apr 2000 posted 04-11-2003 10:55 PM                        i have a few of them, a couple were too badly bent so i cut them in half and made a clock - it is so cool! i used an sos pad to clean them.  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 04-14-2003 09:28 AM                        Acid-containing cleaners are often used for removing rust or corrosion. But extreme care is needed when using them! http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/resdocs/scisafe/moescisaf.pdf  |  IP: Logged Sam Hunter Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 779 From: West Monroe, LA, USA Registered: Jan 2002 posted 04-14-2003 12:45 PM                     quote: Acid-containing cleaners are often used for removing rust or corrosion. But extreme care is needed when using them! You are very right about that John, that shit I used you dont wont to breath in. But my reels were corroded pretty bad so I decided to bring out the big guns.  |  IP: Logged Barry Floyd Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1079 From: Lebanon, Tennessee, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 04-15-2003 11:14 AM                        I've used a fine-wire steel brush attachment in combination with a Dewalt cordless drill on all of my old Goldberg reels and old Drive-In speakers. The result was remarkable. They looked like Chrome by the time I was done. You have to use a very fine wire or it will start to shave off small bits of the metal. I even used it to strip the paint off one of my Brenkerts.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 04-15-2003 12:19 PM                        There is a company called Duragloss that makes several aluminum cleaning products meant for cars. We've used their #870 product...it comes in a can and is a fibrous felt-type material soaked with cleaner...you tear off a small piece of the felt and clean away. It works well, and you can put the felt back in the can, keep it and re-use it until it's black with crud!  |  IP: Logged

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