Best way to clean an aluminum pot?

[Dannmann801]

So do any of you guys who served in the military and maybe did KP duty at one point remember this kind of pot?

It's solid aluminum, about 1/4 inch thick, and I need to get the inside clean clean clean clean so I can boil maple sap in it to make syrup. The wife is trying to clean this up with a copper scrub pad but it's slow going. Other than brillo pads and elbow grease, anybody got any ideas how to get one of these things clean?

 

[Fletch]

Brillo pad and Comet cleanser... If that don't work fine Emery cloth....

 

[Quantum673]

I am not a lot of help as I never had KP duty.

Have you tried Coca Cola? Just spitballing. I know it works well cleaning aluminum wheels that have oxidized so would think it would work.

 

[tracker 6]

Steel wool ?

 

[Dannmann801]

Brillo pad and Comet cleanser... If that don't work fine Emery cloth....

This seems to be the internet's solution, along with boiling some soap concoction to help. I even read that ketchup was a good cleaner because of the acid. I was thinking about a steel brush on a .250" arbor with a drill. My thought is you can't really hurt aluminium, right?

 

[jagermeister]

I would guess something acidic. Vinegar. Or maybe even Monster energy drink. (youtube that shit... it's crazy)

 

[bowhunter1023]

I'll second the Comet and steel wool or brillo pad solution. Coke is actually a good suggestion too. A good soaking in it before Comet and elbow grease may be worth a few 2 liters.

 

[Jamie]

Bar Keepers Friend and Scotch-brite pad.

this is a product like Comet with very fine abrasive, but also contains Oxalic acid. wear proper gloves for prolonged use as it will irritate your skin.

 

[giles]

I used a power washer and steel wool. I’d get them in that condition all the time and clean them up for resale. I never liked the idea of chemicals so I never tried them.

 

[CJD3]

Sand blast with walnut shells or corn cobb ?

 

[Dannmann801]

yeah, I'll be heading to Menards at lunch for some of that Bar Keepers Friend. Thanks for the heads up on the gloves.

I saw that pan at the Lucasville trade days last year and pounced on it.

 

["J"]

Sand blast with walnut shells or corn cobb ?

That’s what I was thinking as well. There’s a media blaster that uses plastic pellets that’d make short work of that. If you have a sandblasting shop close by and they have the plastic media I wouldn’t think it’d be that expensive to do.

 

[Cogz]

Salt and rubbing alcohol? Works on glass...

 

[Buckmaster]

Just have the wife clean it. Don’t let her exit the kitchen until it’s spotless. Meanwhile take your nap.

 

[Geezer II]

Take it to a car wash and steam blast it

 

[Isaacorps]

I’d say let it soak in vinegar for a day or so and then hit it with steel wool. I did this to some old gun parts recently and it stripped them clean

 

[Dannmann801]

So the scotchbrite and Barkeepers works OK - LOTS of elbow grease needed.
SOS pads work ok but don't last long - again, lots of elbow grease needed.
Copper scrubpads - not so much.

Got about half thru last nite - this shit is repugnant. Ugh. I'm an old man, this shit if for young guys and mexicans.
Calling a couple of rim shops today to see about the sandblasting angle.

I looked at Youtube reviews of a Harbor Freight sandblasting kit - if I had a bigass compressor I'd probably buy one, looked pretty interesting

 

[OhioWhiteTails]

Not sure how quick you need this cleaned up, but we have a sandblaster at work I could run it through.

 

[Dannmann801]

Not sure how quick you need this cleaned up, but we have a sandblaster at work I could run it through.

Aww man thanks but I'll git'r'done - guy at work knows a metal cleaning guy, I called him - he can't get me in soon but his suggestion was the glass bead cleaning. I'm going to try the carwash at lunch, and if that don't work I'll hook up my pressure washer at home, and if that don't work - fuggin SOS.

 

[giles]

Car wash pressure washer probably won’t have enough ass.