I've got a set of new raw cast aluminum wheels. Cast aluminum attracts stains of all kinds like a magnet and they can be difficult or impossible to clean off. There are several so-called sealers out there but I haven't seen any that works, especially something that doesn't drastically effect the look of the natural surface. Does anyone have any suggestions for a good way to seal raw cast aluminum. I would like to use a basic spray bottle sealer/protectant, something that would require reapplying occasionally.
I use a product called shine seal. Now this is on polished aluminum so do not know how it would work on plain cast.
While not really a sealer per se, Gibbs is a good penetrant and protector and easily redone. Might try that first.
As Ally is porus anything you put on it may react with a different product down the track.. just to keep in mind.
Shark Skin is what I use. Easy to deal with and can be re-applied when needed. It doesn't effect the look of the raw aluminum.
In the past aluminum foundries often soaked castings in a heated vat of sodium silicate often called water glass or liquid glass then dried the castings in low heat ovens. This has now been replaced by vacuum impregnating resins and plastics to eliminate porosity and micro porosity. Sodium Silicate comes in powders or liquids and is typically mixed with water and is clear. It’s available at a lot of sources including Amazon. I think you could get some degree of sealing especially raw cast surfaces by immersing in a bath of sodium silicate for a length of time then air drying or blow drying with compressed air. I would probably experiment on a small section before committing whole wheels. Your mileage may vary!
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