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From: Bill Sheehan [email protected]
Date: 06 Jan 2003
Time: 20:38:50
Remote Name: 203.29.131.4
Just to clear up a point - I didn't say a steel brush, I said a Stainless-steel brush. There's quite a difference, proved in practice, despite all the theories. The former leaves minute deposits of steel in the ali, the latter cleans and polishes it. I got this from a welder of aluminium and magnesium (both sheet and castings) of over 50 years experience, including the aircraft industry. Although he "retired" over 10 years ago, he still gets work from most states of Oz, so he keeps abreast of the latest & knows his onions. My own experience after building new and/or restoring about 200 Austin Seven bodies has found the major problem is not so much electrolyis, but over the years the vibration causes the old aluminium to crystallise, thus producing not only cracks but the ominous powder we dread to see. (Drilling a hole is only a temporary measure, as in time it too "stars" -there's no substitute for annealing, welding and, if necessary, shrinking etc). Admittedly we don't have the moisture problem so much here as they would in UK, from whence the original query came. Hope this helps. Cheers, Bill