Vintage BMW Motorcycle Owners

Hi all, today I was trying out a clean of the aluminium casings of the engine and rear hubs etc. with something I was told about a long time ago but never tried , now that I have I wish I had done so a long time ago its cheap and simple "Cream of Tatare" for cooking [ bought in nearly all stores that sell food items } ! All you do it mix some tartare powder with water to make a paste then rub the aluminium casings with a cloth and paste, you'll see how black the cloth gets ,then wipe off with a damp cloth and finally buff with a clean cloth , you will be amazed how good it looks afterwards . Just thought I'd share this with you , happy cleaning .

This is new to me
Will try it and see how well it works on my aluminum rims

https://www.allrecipes.com/article/cream-of-tartar/

Tommy

askiba@btinternet.com wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 23, 2021 5:15 pm

Hi all, today I was trying out a clean of the aluminium casings of the engine and rear hubs etc. with something I was told about a long time ago but never tried , now that I have I wish I had done so a long time ago its cheap and simple "Cream of Tatare" for cooking [ bought in nearly all stores that sell food items } ! All you do it mix some tartare powder with water to make a paste then rub the aluminium casings with a cloth and paste, you'll see how black the cloth gets ,then wipe off with a damp cloth and finally buff with a clean cloth , you will be amazed how good it looks afterwards . Just thought I'd share this with you , happy cleaning .

Can you please post pictures? I want to see how it looks. Thank you!!!

Hi , sorry for late reply [trouble with internet] I don't think it would show up , the difference is subtle but good , I suggest just try it , the powder [tartare] Is very cheap and harmless , it worked for me though.Thanks for the interest.

If you want it to be stronger instead of water use either vinegar or lemon juice!

I have a new to me 1988 R100GS which will need a good cleaning so I've been experimenting with various "polish." My experimental surface is a peanut valve cover (it's always good to check something new on an extra part first, just in case it totally screws up the surface). So by way of comparison here are my opinions on four solutions I've tried so far:

1) Pumice Hand Cleaner. Yep, someone recommended this on ADVRider...didn't seem to do anything for me.

2) Rub 'n Buff Wax Metallic Finish, Pewter. This stuff just rubs on, it's a wax with some coloring in it which matches the airhead pretty well. My take on it is that is completely covers over any of the black oxidation spots, and the color is very close to the stock airhead engine finish. Having said that, it is not my top choice. It looks great in the sunlight, but moving the valve cover to the shade you can notice a waxy finish (for lack of a better term) which I don't like. It's also seems to dull the finish ever so slightly.

3) WD-40, and Scotch-Brite stainless steel scrubbers. My old standby from back in the day -- it works well and the stainless steel scrubbers leave less micro scratching than the green Scotch-Brite pads most recommend in my opinion.

4) Cream of Tatar, mixed to a paste, with toothbrush or Stainless Steel Scroth-Brite scrubbers. Thanks to the OP for this tip. This is my new choice based on the peanut cover experiment so far. It seems to leave the brightest, but true aluminum finish. Black spots do remain in between the valve cover fins, but this works the best for me so far on the valve cover. I think I'll still hit the aluminum with some WD-40 afterwards as a protectorant since this stuff might be slightly acidic and invite more oxidation later.

Cheers...again, thanks to the OP for the tip...

During the winter rebuild I've been working on I experimented with several different techniques for finishing the aluminum. I decided my favorite is brass brush bits in a dremel. It's a slow process, but I love the way it looks. Really clean, but with a little more 'character' to the finish than sandblasting. It also adds just the tiniest trace of brass color to the aluminum. You can only see the brass color in certain lights but when you do it looks great. -Jon

Cream of tartar works great
I used to use diesel fuel and a wire brush to clean then rinse with brake/carb cleaner
Im not going to miss those smells anymore

Wallmart sells a 1.5 oz container for $2.89
Stop and Shop same 1.5 oz for $5.69
Amazon 16 oz for $12.99

A little goes a long way
Used only .5 oz to clean 1 wheel and hub as shown

Mixed distilled vinegar with tartar to make a slurry (loose paste) and stainless steel brush to apply then wiped off with a paper towel once dirty then another clean to finish

I also wish I new about this years ago
Thanks Andrew
Tommy

Get pics, Tommy, very helpful.
Best,
George

I’m going to try this mixture but I have a question first. Does the vinegar/tartar slurry attack the paint if dropped on the frame ? Thanks.