Muratic Acid and Tomato Paste

Ray and I thought that we would try out some of the aluminum cleaners that I had bought for cleaning the window frames on the vintage HiLo.

The marine store where I buy the Zinc Chromate Primer for the aluminum said that they use Muratic Acid on aluminum, so I had picked some up on Saturday, being very careful to carry it in the tool box in the back of the truck, not inside with the kitties and me.

This morning the saga began with trying the Muratic Acid on the aluminum step ladder. We suited up in rubber aprons and gloves, applied it with an old paint brush diluted to 20-1 as directed, and it didn't do diddly-squat. So we made it 10-1, ...nothing, so brushed some on full strength, and it bubbled a little bit, but made the aluminum a funny looking color. As you can see it didn't even try to take off the old stain and paint on the ladder. I hate it that my ladders are so yucked up. So we rinsed that off with baking soda water and hung the ladder back up.

We tried Nevr-Dull, Mother's Mag & Aluminum Polish, Mother's Power Metal Polish, on a little inconspicuous corner on the trailer. Nothing. Then I tried vinegar, Brasso, Chrome Polish, Lime-Away, Drano, Murphy's Soap, Barkeeper's Friend, EasyOff Oven Cleaner, TSP, rinsing with baking soda each time. You can tell I was getting desperate ! No difference at all.

The ladder is all aluminum as I touched it with my magnet, and it didn't stick. The aluminum window frames on the trailer do have something else in them as the magnet did stick.

I had Zephyr Pro 40 recommended to me so I looked up the Zephyr site and talked to Rich there, and he said Pro40 should shine the window frames. But I have to drive to either Houston, or Cleveland, TX to get some, or get it shipped to me.

Blue Magic Metal Cleaner was also recommended, but they didn't have it at our WalMart.

Then I remembered that when you have an aluminum cooking pot that has got dull and discolored you cook tomatoes in it to make it shine again. So tomorrow, Hurricane Eduard permitting, if you see a vintage HiLo with tomato paste slathered on it, it is mine !! LOL

Now to get ready for Eduard, we cleaned the windows and front of the HiLo, and cleaned the dirt and algae off the front awning, and battened it down. We used to keep it up so we could have the front window open, but we have AC in the trailer now. Doesn't take long for things to get grubby in this humidity under these trees. Then we secured the rear window that is over the AC, and made it so that it can't flop around. We got all the masking tape and newspaper off the trailer so it can't blow around.

The yard is a mess from yesterday's storm, but with Eduard hovering near Galveston, there is no sense in cleaning it up yet.

It is hot, bright and sunny again, and I have power and water.

Such a different day from yesterday.