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Posted: 2/25/2008 6:07:15 AM EDT
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Has anyone ever used dawn to wash a lower prior to painting? Just wondering if soap will harm the aluminum... I want to stay away from the spray chemical while cleaning because I don't have a well ventilated area to work in. |
thank you... finally an answer for a time i used dove soap because it is supposed to be ph neautral but who really knows... if the aluminum were to get messed up what would you actually see? |
Correct.. Stick with the plain jane DAWN....Or you will have a PURTY smelling  lower.
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lol, I want my AR to be asy on the skin actually, I had run out of Dawn and grabbed the GF's Dove Soap and went to town. I was just hoping that it won't ruin/weaken the aluminum in some way. |
Dove has oils which will tend to stick to the surface through the rinse. |
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simple green works better than dish soap as it is a better degreaser. I have done it many times specifically proior to coating projects. Especially on customer guns that have never been cleaned. However the use of water does make life interesting when you are trying to control rust. On bare metal pats, I use a chlorinated solvent.. It flashes of to bone dry in seconds and I can coat the exposed part immediately. One thing you can do is leave the parts in the summer sun after washing or in an overn set at 10045*F for faster drying. ARF also has a refinishing forum where you can get more questions directly answered. |
I ran a test once where I dunked several pieces of unfinished and anodized aluminum in a tub of simple green, and the result were clear. Over extended periods of time, it will affect the aluminum and anodizing severely. |
| Just about any dish soap would be fine. It's just soap. It's designed to rinse clean with no residue. If it were bad for aluminum, there'd be a lot of trashed aluminum pots and pans. Rinse with just hot water, and maybe use the purer 91% alcohol afterwards to make sure you've got nothing left behind. And don't touch it with your bare hands after because of the skin oils and any other contaminants that might be on your hands. |
There are other soap alternatives. Just don't use DISH soap! ASk me how I know NOT to do that! Well, maybe if you don't use a full dose of it.... 
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were you then one runing the webpage showing the sg starting to eat the al fittings? |
Ok, so what is the problem? It's a detergent that is made to leave no residue (something that might be bad on things you eat with/off of.), so I can't see any problem with it. What am I missing? It can take a while to rinse off if you use a lot, but that just means more time under running water. |
read "Metals exposed to the environment of an automatic dishwasher endure corrosive conditions such as high electroyte concentration, high humidity, high pH, high temperature, contact with bleach, shear stresses from foreign matter such as soils, different aeration and concentrations based on the shape of the dishware and relatively long and repeated periods of exposure to the discussed elements." |
Dish soap, the kind for the sink and not the dish washer will suds up to the point where it will fill the whole machine and leak out EVERYWHERE. You will walk into your kitchen and find a hell'ava mess! |
Al the machine does, itself, is provide water, and heat. Any harm is going to come from the chemical you use to do the cleaning. If the a gun is super grimy, it is best to do it another method as any gunk that gets cleaned out may stain the washer tub and you will likely sleep on the couch or be going to Home Depot for a new washer per wife's direction. For general dirt of grime a DW would not hurt as you control the temp, cycle time and rinse amount. Just be careful of the soap/cleaning agent. |
R.I.F. He needs to clean and degrease the surface before applying paint. Hot water, dawn and an old toothbrush will work very well. |
Where can you buy an ultrasonic cleaner big a enough (And Affordable) to put a lower in? Assuming you are not taking the stock off |
You need to find the other thread about ultrasonic cleaners. Putting aluminum in them is a no-no apparently. |
Ah, sorry. Screwed up in my post entirely. I just reread and realiased that. I wasn't even thinking about a dishwasher when I wrote that. I was meaning using a dish soap and handwashing. That's why I was questioning the advice to not use a dishsoap. |
The reason the Calphalon wouldn't like the dishwasher is it removes the Teflon, non-stick coating. Haven't run my lower in the dishwasher, probably never will. Just spray it down with brake cleaner, Q-Tip with CLP, and cover all parts with a thin layer and forget about it. Do it maybe 2x/year. Lower just doesn't seem to get dirty enough to stop working. |
Yep.
Link? |
Never saw it. Now I know the reason for my lower CMP scores. What I find odd looking for a degreaser, to paint, but cant have any fumes. Does this rifle paint everyone is using have no fumes? If yes do they make an oil based stain? I got a couple hundered board feet of molding to stain. |
Dove has oils which will tend to stick to the surface through the rinse.[/quote] Dawn is the universal cheap, home cleanser for small auto parts, and gun parts because it doesn't leave a residue behind. |
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