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Aluminium corrodes (?), any "cleaning" solution ?

L

leez

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 19, 2008
173
6
UK
Hi.

My Air is now over 3 years old and has some corroded aluminium (?) on its body (see photo attached). Do you know any cleaning solution to make it look less bad :) ? I know I can't revert it, but...any ideas how to make it at least aluminium color ? Thanks in advance.
 

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I would try the Mr Clean Magic Eraser. Another option I have used for scratches is Nuvis plastic scratch remover.
 
simsaladimbamba said:
Might we know, which part of the MBA this is? I have trouble locating it in my mind with a a three year old MBA.
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It's next to the touchpad. Attached new photo.

BTW. It's happening just below the touchpad as well (not so bad tho, should be visible in this photo). I'm using iKlear to clean my Mac from time to time.
 

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Variant said:
Is it that wet in the UK, that even laptops corrode? :D
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Untreated aluminum isn't very corrosion resistant. Ever see what happens to single-pane aluminum frame windows on a house in a few decades? They look like swiss cheese. :p

If you're up to the challenge, I would use the Magic Eraser mentioned above (micro abrasive), and if that doesn't work, try a SMALL amount of metal polish that says it's safe to use on aluminum on the label on a paper towel, some 0000 steel wool with a tiny amount of mineral oil, or a super fine grit nail-buffing block. Not a nail file; the foam multi-colored blocks you see girls doing their nails with that barely feel abrasive to the touch.

Polish the area gently until you see the corrosion coming off, and make sure you're happy with the results before you continue.

...By the way, folks, the UMBP and MBA's are bead-blast raw aluminum, not painted. They should at least be clear coated or hard anodized, but Apple has chosen to leave them raw, hence the quick wear and very low scratch resistance.
 
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Rampant.A.I. said:
...By the way, folks, the UMBP and MBA's are bead-blast raw aluminum, not painted. They should at least be clear coated or hard anodized, but Apple has chosen to leave them raw, hence the quick wear and very low scratch resistance.
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Incorrect. They are powder-coated. The powder coat is what is chipping off; there is no corrosion evident on the aluminum itself.
 
Rampant.A.I. said:
...By the way, folks, the UMBP and MBA's are bead-blast raw aluminum, not painted. They should at least be clear coated or hard anodized, but Apple has chosen to leave them raw, hence the quick wear and very low scratch resistance.
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They most certainly are not raw aluminium, if they were they'd be oxidising in front of your very eyes (not corroding or rusting by the way). They don't even look or feel like raw aluminium anyway, how can you get that mixed up?

As rightly mentioned above, they have a form of powder coating or actually anodising to be more correct.

If they were not coated even the oils in your skin can have a high enough ph to start dissolving raw aluminium.
 
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Doesn't bother me so much, was just wondering as I'm preparing myself for the new Pro :). Don't know yet if I'm going to sell it tho, as this little sucker has 62GB SSD in it now (old 80GB HDD died 2 months ago), coolbook on Snow Leopard and is doing quite well...

Does this "scratch" counts as a factory related imperfection/damage/error ? It's after the warranty period.

And have to add, that I've had the hinge crack problem. Twice. They replaced the whole top (with screen) twice, after the warranty.
 
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leez said:
Doesn't bother me so much, was just wondering as I'm preparing myself for the new Pro :). Don't know yet if I'm going to sell it tho, as this little sucker has 62GB SSD in it now (old 80GB HDD died 2 months ago), coolbook on Snow Leopard and is doing quite well...

Does this "scratch" counts as a factory related imperfection/damage/error ? It's after the warranty period.

And have to add, that I've had the hinge crack problem. Twice. They replaced the whole top (with screen) twice, after the warranty.
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Only Apple can answer that, but I'd guess they would call that normal wear and tear. Take it in and see what they say...
 
TheRealDamager said:
Only Apple can answer that, but I'd guess they would call that normal wear and tear. Take it in and see what they say...
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...or someone here, who already went there with the same problem. If not, I'll go sometime and come back "to report" :).
 
Beanoir said:
They most certainly are not raw aluminium, if they were they'd be oxidising in front of your very eyes (not corroding or rusting by the way). They don't even look or feel like raw aluminium anyway, how can you get that mixed up?

As rightly mentioned above, they have a form of powder coating or actually anodising to be more correct.

If they were not coated even the oils in your skin can have a high enough ph to start dissolving raw aluminium.
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Thanks for the clarification... I did wonder about that, didn't know uncoated aluminum corrodes so dramatically.

In that case, apparently it's a very thin coating, and not very durable, as it wears thin and lets the PH of your hands cause stains or in the OP's case, start corroding the metal.

I have a lot of Type III hard-anodized aluminum gear that is amazingly wear-resistant. The treatment Apple is using seems to scratch if you breathe on it too hard.
 
Rampant.A.I. said:
Thanks for the clarification... I did wonder about that, didn't know uncoated aluminum corrodes so dramatically.

In that case, apparently it's a very thin coating, and not very durable, as it wears thin and lets the PH of your hands cause stains or in the OP's case, start corroding the metal.

I have a lot of Type III hard-anodized aluminum gear that is amazingly wear-resistant. The treatment Apple is using seems to scratch if you breathe on it too hard.
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Yes, but how much of that gear has your hands literally sitting on it 6 hours a day, every working day? I also think this is specific to the sweat and PH of each individual - obviously its not a common enough issue to sway Apple's design choices.
 
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