Parts Cleaning Tips

[Kawafornication]

Does anybody on here have any ideas on how to clean up brake cylinders and callipers that have been shipped by a doughnut ebay seller that could not be bothered to drain the fluids or bung holes up??

Separate to that he could not be bothered to package properly so the calliper has been chipped to top it off  🙈

The cylinder looks a mottled grey (worse in person than photos) thinking it might be a case of either covering it completely in fluid and hoping it goes the same colour all over and going for the mid grey look or aqua blasting a part removed from a brand new bike plus having to hone and polish the surface on the calliper......... Some people  💩

Any ideas would be appreciated, thanks

[motorman455]

Besides complete disassembly and sand blasting, I use wheel cleaner. Spray it on, use a tooth brush to scrub it a bit then thoroughly rinse. There's a few different types of wheel cleaner including a type for raw aluminum

[Foxx4Beaver]

Send your parts over to Sandblaster and he'll aqua-blast em...they'll look like the just came off the shelf when he's done.

[Kawafornication]

Thanks I would if it was not for the Atlantic getting in the way for a a few thousand miles, I am going to give the brake cleaner a bash on the cylinder but will have to get the calliper filled down and then I will give the face a good polish myself, got to love your Mothers 😄

[Foxx4Beaver]

This might sound odd, I've never tried it myself, but have seen a few youtube vids on it and the results "appear" to be substantial...but toothpaste, plain old Colgate toothpaste and a brush.
Couldn't hurt to try...it's cheap enough, and no hazardous materials.

Other than that, I just use brake parts cleaner and hot soapy water.

[Kawafornication]

Ok I did not have brake cleaner but did have carb cleaner and that along with a tooth brush and a bit of elbow grease has brought the cylinder back to life, thanks motorman455.

I have tried all sorts for polishing, I have got a bench polisher and hand held polisher with various wheels but when doing a small job like the facia on the calliper I would stick with the Mothers gear so I do not stray on to the bumpy surfaces, I watched a video on youtube a while back and thought yeah alright, bought a pot and was shocked how good it is, the video was not a con 👍🏼

Here are some wheels I did with Mothers Alloy & Mag cleaner, mainly by done hand and the remainder with a hand held polisher..

[Kawafornication]

...

[motorman455]

Yeah I did a set of car wheels with the Mothers aluminum polish and the Mother's power Ball attachment for a drill and they ended up looking like a mirror finish. You're correct about staying away from the cast surfaces with the polish as it won't get down in the porous surface and you'll end up with an inconsistent finish