Is there any easier way to clean the surface of aluminum handlebars?
05-14-20, 03:01 AM
#1
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Is there any easier way to clean the surface of aluminum handlebars?
I was using wd40 and it only removes some gunk, but not tape residues and oxidation and other stuff. Would nailpolish work? Or do I need a degreaser? Should I avoid chemical reactions altogether?
There was a recommendation for goof off sold in homedepot, but man, I have to spend 10 dollars to clean a handlebar? I would have trouble sleeping if I have to do that...
There was a recommendation for goof off sold in homedepot, but man, I have to spend 10 dollars to clean a handlebar? I would have trouble sleeping if I have to do that...
05-14-20, 03:08 AM
#2
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Check dollar stores for Goo Gone. The local Dollar Tree sells small bottles for a buck. More than enough for a handlebar.
Lemon Pledge and some other furniture polishes may work too. They sure get sticky stuff off dining tables.
Acetone and old style nail polish should work. Most nail polish now isn't acetone and while it works on nail polish it wasn't much good on sticky handlebar tape residue.
Lemon Pledge and some other furniture polishes may work too. They sure get sticky stuff off dining tables.
Acetone and old style nail polish should work. Most nail polish now isn't acetone and while it works on nail polish it wasn't much good on sticky handlebar tape residue.
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05-14-20, 04:58 AM
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Check dollar stores for Goo Gone. The local Dollar Tree sells small bottles for a buck. More than enough for a handlebar.
Lemon Pledge and some other furniture polishes may work too. They sure get sticky stuff off dining tables.
Acetone and old style nail polish should work. Most nail polish now isn't acetone and while it works on nail polish it wasn't much good on sticky handlebar tape residue.
Lemon Pledge and some other furniture polishes may work too. They sure get sticky stuff off dining tables.
Acetone and old style nail polish should work. Most nail polish now isn't acetone and while it works on nail polish it wasn't much good on sticky handlebar tape residue.
My first try would be odorless mineral spirits, the petroleum distillate kind, not the milky white water-based substitute.
Last edited by dsbrantjr; 05-14-20 at 05:01 AM.
05-14-20, 05:54 AM
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Any solvent should remove the tape residue. You are probably stuck with the discoloration and scratches unless you want to strip and polish. Original EZ Off oven cleaner has oxalic acid which will strip the coating (anodizing?) Then polish with Nevr Dull or whatever. Edit- no oxalic acid in EZ off.
Last edited by shelbyfv; 05-15-20 at 06:31 AM. Reason: I was wrong....
05-14-20, 07:01 AM
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AFAIK, EZ-Off's active ingredient is sodium hydroxide (lye), not oxalic acid. It will badly corrode aluminum very rapidly and I would avoid it completely.
05-14-20, 07:24 AM
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05-14-20, 07:32 AM
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Anyway, I used it once to strip the black off a Shimano RD and it seemed to work OK. I didn't leave it to soak, just monitored it and scrubbed with a toothbrush then rinsed. It left a black film that polished off easily. I may have just been lucky....
05-14-20, 10:19 AM
#9
Constant tinkerer
How good to you want it to look? The nice thing about aluminum is that you can sand and polish it to look as good or better than new. But I never worry that much about the parts that will get covered with bar tape...
05-14-20, 06:34 PM
#10
Sr Member on Sr bikes
Go to the auto supply store and get some “Mothers Mag and Aluminum Polish.” Doesn’t get the tape residue off but works very well on the oxidation. Brings out a nice shine.
https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/...1&gclsrc=aw.ds
Dan
https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/...1&gclsrc=aw.ds
Dan
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05-14-20, 08:58 PM
#12
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Tried acetone nail polish remover, rubbing alcohol, wd40 and car wash soap while scrubbing with a tile scrubber, and nothing budged at all.
05-14-20, 09:29 PM
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For final cleanup
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05-14-20, 09:43 PM
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Captain Planet,
I had about ten sets of vintage bars that needed cleaning after being in a fire. I found that the stripper for paint worked the best, but would not clean up pitting in the bars. That is one thing I am going to live with. Smiles, MH
I had about ten sets of vintage bars that needed cleaning after being in a fire. I found that the stripper for paint worked the best, but would not clean up pitting in the bars. That is one thing I am going to live with. Smiles, MH
05-14-20, 09:44 PM
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OK, here is my secret weapon for sticky adhesive residue. When you really want it gone, gone, gone...
Coleman Lantern Fluid a/k/a white gas.
WARNING!!! HIGHLY FLAMMABLE and DO NOT BREATHE. USE OUTDOORS AND AWAY FROM FLAME OR SPARKS.
It does not evaporate as quickly as acetone or lacquer thinner.
Then wash the surface with dish detergent or alcohol to give a perfectly clean surface for the bar tape.
It works very well, removes decades old Velox Tressostar bar tape residue and tubular cement, and does not erode the existing polish or anodizing,
Using a scotchbrite pad will scratch the aluminum or anodizing and quickly discolor the alloy with oxidation unless you keep it polished and waxed.
Coleman Lantern Fluid a/k/a white gas.
WARNING!!! HIGHLY FLAMMABLE and DO NOT BREATHE. USE OUTDOORS AND AWAY FROM FLAME OR SPARKS.
It does not evaporate as quickly as acetone or lacquer thinner.
Then wash the surface with dish detergent or alcohol to give a perfectly clean surface for the bar tape.
It works very well, removes decades old Velox Tressostar bar tape residue and tubular cement, and does not erode the existing polish or anodizing,
Using a scotchbrite pad will scratch the aluminum or anodizing and quickly discolor the alloy with oxidation unless you keep it polished and waxed.
05-14-20, 10:10 PM
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It might work but go very easy with it. Aluminum is a reactive metal. It reacts with sodium hydroxide particularly well and can even split the water to form hydrogen (not much, however). It is very good at making aluminum hydroxide which doesn’t make for very good handlebars.
There are a number of aluminum polishes around. Start with a coarse on and work down to the fine ones. On the other hand, most bars are going to be covered in tape so it hardly matters. New tape over the adhesive residue won’t even cause any problems.
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05-14-20, 11:35 PM
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...+1. But if you really must have it gone for reasons of personal preference, you can buy acetone in the paint department of Home Depot or most hardware and paint stores that will remove it...it's nail polish remover in larger quantity and maybe a little cheaper. You can use one of those 3M green scrubby pads to accelerate the process. Mostly, I don't bother any more. But sometimes I do if I'm using double sided tape under the bar tape to keep it from moving around.
05-15-20, 08:25 AM
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...+1. But if you really must have it gone for reasons of personal preference, you can buy acetone in the paint department of Home Depot or most hardware and paint stores that will remove it...it's nail polish remover in larger quantity and maybe a little cheaper. You can use one of those 3M green scrubby pads to accelerate the process. Mostly, I don't bother any more. But sometimes I do if I'm using double sided tape under the bar tape to keep it from moving around.
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05-15-20, 10:01 AM
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Acetone doesn’t work on adhesives. It makes the problem worse in most cases because the adhesive becomes gummy and doesn’t come off. I have an older bottle of Goof Off smells like it is mostly ethyl acetate although the current MSDS says acetone, xylene, ethylbenzene, and methanol. They may have changed the formulation since I bought mine. I do know from personal experience that the acetone is ineffective. The part of the mixture that does the heavy lifting is the xylene and ethylbenzene. Mineral spirits works fairly well but requires more elbow grease than Goof Off does.
05-15-20, 01:20 PM
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Do what you think you need to do.
Why not just use water then. It’s about as effective, less expensive, and less flammable. Mineral spirits or Goof Off will remove it with less effort. All that’s needed is a rag.
But go ahead and make it harder.
But go ahead and make it harder.
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05-15-20, 09:42 PM
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05-15-20, 10:46 PM
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I had deep scratches on aluminum bars after a stem change. Wadded aluminum foil and Turtlewax Chrome polish did wonders. Shiny and good as new. The part under where the new tape goes isn't worth cleaning. Concentrate on the exposed shiny parts where there will be no tape.