Removing aluminum transfer without using acid

[leecopland]

Hi Guys just about to replace a piston on my MS170 and I need to remove a small amount of transfer from the exhaust side of the cylinder. I started with scotchbrite and was wondering if sandpaper or emery cloth would be suitable if used wisely.

Thanks for any input. great to have the site back from the hijackers!

Lee

 

[firefighterwolf]

I did this with just 220 wet sandpaper. Slow, but doable.

Before


After

 

[redfin]

Was that all just transfer you sanded off or did you get into the plating?

 

[HuskStihl]

Doesn't look like he got thru the plating. What's wrong with using acid?

 

[mdavlee]

You won't sand through the plating by hand in a short period of time. I use 320 in a dremel for the big spots.

 

[redfin]

The reason i ask, I have a saw that has some tranfer but there is ever so slight ridges on the walls. The saw is definately not worth buying a cylinder for it, but if i could get away with smoothing it i would be happy.

My wife gave me this saw so i want to try to fix it.

 

[firefighterwolf]

Was that all just transfer you sanded off or did you get into the plating?

Just transfer. No plating.

 

[firefighterwolf]

What's wrong with using acid?

I prefer to use Muriatic Acid. Makes things go a lot faster. It's just that I did this one at night sitting in front of the TV. War department wouldn't appreciate it if I was using acid in the house. I already got a funny look thrown my way when I sat down with the cylinder.

 

[shootingarts]

I prefer to use Muriatic Acid. Makes things go a lot faster. It's just that I did this one at night sitting in front of the TV. War department wouldn't appreciate it if I was using acid in the house. I already got a funny look thrown my way when I sat down with the cylinder.

I always thought of muriatic acid as pretty mild stuff, after all they put it in your eyes. I bought a gallon of it to etch an aluminum breadbox I had to paint, one of the trucks. Over 90% pure acid, I don't remember exactly. When I opened the jug I was a little careless and spilled some on the concrete. As I watched it eat into the concrete I gained a whole new respect for muriatic acid!

Hu

 

[fearofpavement]

Well, a more common name for it is hydrochloric acid. Certainly wouldn't want any in MY eyes. It has a nice property in that it is very aggressive in reacting with aluminum but not as much with ferrous metals. That is why it is used for removing transfer. ie, it will dissolve the aluminum that is smeared onto the cylinder's surface without removing the cylinder's metal. Obviously you wouldn't want to use it on an aluminum cylinder that gets a chrome piston run in it, etc.

 

[firefighterwolf]

I always thought of muriatic acid as pretty mild stuff, after all they put it in your eyes. I bought a gallon of it to etch an aluminum breadbox I had to paint, one of the trucks. Over 90% pure acid, I don't remember exactly. When I opened the jug I was a little careless and spilled some on the concrete. As I watched it eat into the concrete I gained a whole new respect for muriatic acid!

Hu

We used it at our fire station to clean and etch the concrete floor prior to painting it with epoxy.

 

[shootingarts]

Well, a more common name for it is hydrochloric acid. Certainly wouldn't want any in MY eyes. It has a nice property in that it is very aggressive in reacting with aluminum but not as much with ferrous metals. That is why it is used for removing transfer. ie, it will dissolve the aluminum that is smeared onto the cylinder's surface without removing the cylinder's metal. Obviously you wouldn't want to use it on an aluminum cylinder that gets a chrome piston run in it, etc.

Bad news, you have hydrochloric acid in your eyes, it occurs naturally. Pretty much any eye drops other than plain saline have some in them too. Tiny amounts of course, both natural and in the drops.

Hu

 

[gilfish]

Also one of the main constituents of gastric juices in the stomach, no wonder heartburn hearts

 

[tbone75]

Lately I have been using emery cloth . I take a wood dowel rod , tape the end of the emery cloth to it,then chuck it in my drill.Wind it up and clean that jug right up in just a few mins. Scotchbright works well this way too. That coating is very hard to sand off !

 

[leecopland]

So in the end I got some Muriatic acid and went at it. Well it looks like the scores were deeper than I thought or the acid eat through. I now have a couple of tiny though visible chips or breaks in the cylinder coating. Question, slam the sucker back together and run it like I stole it, or find myself another jug and do it properly. There are some Huztl stihl parts on Fleebay, out of Hong Kong which seem very afordable. An OEM solution is not viable unless I want to own a $300.00 - $100 saw. I await the on-slot of opinions!!

Regards,

Lee

 

[old-cat]

Sit and wait if you have the time. Something will show up on CL or ebuy

 

[shootingarts]

Prolly as well off to run it like it was stolen. A very few times I have been focusing on putting junk back into service as cheaply as possible, kinda like the homemade wrecker behemoth I used only in the roughest area in the back of my salvage yard. The previous people that had the yard had built it and it was cobbled up as one thing could be. Like everything I have cobbled together that didn't matter it ran for years, never did kill it.

Make sure the area doesn't have anything sticking out and doesn't show any sign of wanting to peel plating, then stick it together and rock'n'roll. Probably run forever.

Hu

 

[firefighterwolf]

So in the end I got some Muriatic acid and went at it. Well it looks like the scores were deeper than I thought or the acid eat through. I now have a couple of tiny though visible chips or breaks in the cylinder coating. Question, slam the sucker back together and run it like I stole it, or find myself another jug and do it properly. There are some Huztl stihl parts on Fleebay, out of Hong Kong which seem very afordable. An OEM solution is not viable unless I want to own a $300.00 - $100 saw. I await the on-slot of opinions!!

Regards,

Lee

If it were mine, I would go with the inexpensive aftermarket parts and run it hard. Probably the cylinder & piston kit that is less than $40.

 

[tbone75]

So in the end I got some Muriatic acid and went at it. Well it looks like the scores were deeper than I thought or the acid eat through. I now have a couple of tiny though visible chips or breaks in the cylinder coating. Question, slam the sucker back together and run it like I stole it, or find myself another jug and do it properly. There are some Huztl stihl parts on Fleebay, out of Hong Kong which seem very afordable. An OEM solution is not viable unless I want to own a $300.00 - $100 saw. I await the on-slot of opinions!!

Regards,

Lee

I have a few of them kits from china running. Can't beat them for getting one going cheap. One has been run very hard by my Nephew for over a year now , no problems at all !
He is very hard on anything he touches ! LOL He runs everything like he stole it and never cleans anything ! So they can't be all that bad !

 

[Mastermind]

I never use acid any more. If a jug has a nick or scratch in the plating the acid will ruin it in short order. By just sanding the aluminum off I have been able to save jugs that acid would have destroyed.