In article ,
Michael Horowitz wrote:

I've taken my aileron apart and notice corrosion on the thin aluminum
parts, so I'm reading around about cleaning prior to alodining. I've
taken a stainless steel brush to the surface and removed most of the
corrosion, but it's really a PITA.

Someone suggested using lye as a cleaner. Anyone have any experience
using supermarket lye in that role? - Mike

Yes -- lye is used as an etch prior to alodyning. I would, however, use
a mild phosphoric acid solution first to remove the corrosion.

The aluminum should be left in the lye solution (NOT Drano, as it
contains potassium hydroxide, in addition to the sodium hydroxide) for
no more than 5 minutes -- just enough to etch the aluminum.

The handbooks recommend a sodium hydroxide solution heated to 120 F for
best results.