MEK For Cleaning Aluminum Question

[pirana]

Can anyone tell me if it's alright to clean aluminum with MEK before welding? Our saw at work leaks hydraulic fluid right on the **** blade & I need something to clean it off real good. thanks

[Masterofsteel]

Mek

Boy, MEK would probably clean it, but its so caustic and I try to avoid it.
There is some stuff called Gold Matrix that is pretty good and made for weld prepping.

[aametalmaster]

Here's some reading on MEK. I know we had it at work then they took it out...Bob
http://www.chemical.net/home/safety_mek.htm

[davinci2010]

Can't tell you it's correct or not correct as there are a difference of opinions here sometimes. I clean aluminum with acetone.

[Desertrider33]

MEK is so dangerous I wont have it in the shop or use it at all. I use acetone or denatured slx alchohol to clean stuff for welding. The acetone works great on aluminum and doesnt affect the tig welding. It's also cheap and readily available at any home center or paint store and doesn't leave any residue behind.

[pirana]

I've got acetone at home but I was asking because we use MEK at work for cleaning paint guns etc. & have plenty of it. We buy 55 gallon drums of the stuff. I'm gonna try out my new 211 on some 3" square tubing & want to make sure it's clean. I'll probably just try acetone because it's not as nasty as MEK.

[Bodybagger]

MEK as a solvent is very similar, physically, to acetone.

Chemically, it has some nasty behavior that makes it about as bad of a choice for a solvent as benzene - from a health standpoint.

[bretsk2500]

I don't care for the BOOM factor....

[Laiky]

100% isopropyl alcohol, rubbing alcohol minus the water! works great and pretty safe. Also great for wasp nests

[Bert]

100% isopropyl alcohol, rubbing alcohol minus the water! works great and pretty safe. Also great for wasp nests

I"m just wondering, how did you find out it's good for wasp nest??!!!
(or should I ask??????)

[albertG]

hello people

can anybody tell me if MEK is so strong that it can get the natural color out of the aluminum ?
at my work we tried to clean fat from aluminum before painting it with MEGUM for a pressing procces and the rag(with MEK) got the color that almost similar to the color of the aluminum ?

thanks/.

[engnerdan]

can anybody tell me if MEK is so strong that it can get the natural color out of the aluminum ?
at my work we tried to clean fat from aluminum before painting it with MEGUM for a pressing procces and the rag(with MEK) got the color that almost similar to the color of the aluminum ?

thanks/.

Most likely just rubbed some aluminum off. You can do that with almost anything if you run hard enough long enough. You can't remove color from aluminum.

-Dan

[jerryk]

MEK is so dangerous I wont have it in the shop or use it at all.

*** I was using quite a bit of MEK for a while for aircraft repair. Specifically, for repairing ABS interior parts. You take some old parts, chop them up into bits, dissolve them in MEK = instant ABS cement. And it produces a solvent weld to the broken part, makes it good as new. The technique is approved by the manufacturer.

I stopped using it when I got the Mother of All Migraines from it. Luckily, my window frames were all fixed. If I need to do any more, I'm gonna wear a charcoal mask.

- Jerry Kaidor