Clearing Out Aluminum Clogged Carbide Burrs

[90GTVert]

I clogged up a few carbide burrs rushing to remove material from a CVT cover. Proper bit speed and lubrication should be utilized to avoid such bad clogging, but I'm sure I'm not the only one guilty of pushing too hard at times.



Sometimes the aluminum can be pushed out with a screwdriver, but it wasn't working for me this time. I read about a solution that I wanted to try and it worked well enough that I had to share.

I used drain cleaner for the job. The stuff I used is called Drain Out : Crystal. I would imagine most brands with Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH / Caustic Soda) will work. Make sure you're in a well ventilated area and don't get any of this on yourself.




I poured a little of the drain cleaner into a plastic cup and put the burr in with it.



Then I added a little water and it started to fizz a bit.



After maybe 15 minutes the solution was grey and I could see that the burr looked much better so I took it out.



After rinsing the burr and wiping it off, here's how it looked.



I don't think I'll be fiddling around trying to move aluminum around with screwdrivers anymore.

[stepthrutuner]

That gas in those bubbles is called hydrogen.