Literature on alkaline cleaning and etching of alloys

ASM has an excellent book on the subject. It is part of a set, but you can buy individual books. Note, they are not cheap.
Remember that when you are doing aerospace work that you must follow the respective OEM's standard practice book.
I found it a bit tough to find a common approved chemical source that was approved for 4 different major companies. I found one company that I could live with for all.

Alkaline solutions clean only grease and contamination on these metals.

Depending on the size of the parts, you can use either cleaning gel, or Brite-Dip tank, or electropolishing.


We have developed all these methods for all types of stainless steel, carbon steel, nickel, titanium.

The Universal Electrolyte can electropolish stainless of all types, nickel, copper, aluminum. other metals.

There are gels for cleaning stainless steel, carbon steel. The surface is not only cleaned from oxides, but also mildly polished.

We have also developed passivating gel when it is not possible to submerge the parts into the tank.

There are three titanium electrolytes - for pure titanium, for titanium alloy, for superpolishing. Usually we evaluate the parts and select what method to use.

For big titanium parts we use Titanium Brite-Dip tank or titanium cleaning gel for large surfaces.

See some pictures of titanium parts partially cleaned by gel, bright-dip cleaned titanium, stainless 460 steel electropolished, electropolished titanium.

titanium gel half-cleaned

4 stainless grinding-electropolishing

titanium chemical polishing

super polishing