Electrolytic Cleaning of Aluminium: Simple Powerful Setup

Summary for electrolytic cleaning of aluminium Discussion

Electrolytic cleaning of aluminium is discussed as a simple shop process for motorcycle magneto bodies, with Goran Budija giving a specific bath formula: potassium carbonate 100 g plus water glass (sodium silicate) 8 g per liter of water, using the aluminium as the cathode, stainless steel as the anode, and 12 V at 1–5 A/dm² for 10–30 seconds. The original poster had heard that the aluminium was first blackened by oxidation and then the effect was reversed, but the thread’s practical answer focuses on the cleaning electrolyte and setup rather than that theory. In a later question, Daniel Oliveira asked what “water glass” meant, and it was clarified as sodium silicate. Paul Sperbeck then asked why potassium carbonate was preferred over calcium carbonate; Geoff Smith explained that potassium is generally much more soluble than sodium, which is much more soluble than calcium, implying solubility is the key reason.