What is the proper procedure for cleaning base metals?
The base metal should be free of all contaminants, including dirt, paint, and oil. Wipe the base metal with a cloth or scrape it with a wire brush dedicated for use on a particular material. Before welding on aluminum, in particular, you need to remove oxides with a stainless steel brush manually; using a power brush is not recommended as it can re-embed contaminants into the metal. You can also use a caustic solution to clean aluminum. If you are considering using this method, your local welding distributor is the best resource to provide you with product options. You can also discuss several scraping methods with your distributor if you do not want to use chemicals.
