Cleaning Aluminum Bottles

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reverendj1

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A few months back someone gave me a bunch of these aluminum bottles,
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and I held on to them in case I got a bench capper. Well, I got a bench capper today, and I have a lawnmower beer that I plan on bringing camping, to the beach, etc. where it would be great to have it in the aluminum bottles.

Now, I know this is possible, and I've tried reading all the threads about doing it, but I have not seen any information on cleaning them, or de-labelling them. A few people seemed to sandblast them or use sandpaper, etc. to clean them. Some people mentioned using double-strength Star-San, but no one said if it had worked or if they actually tried it.

Also, since they are aluminum, and have a protective plastic coating inside them, can I clean them as normal (hour hot Oxyclean soak)? I obviously wouldn't use a bottle brush on them, but are you people who have used them cleaning them any differently than glass?
 
I just thought I'd update this. I tried a 2.5x strength StarSan soak for several days. It didn't do anything. I also tried soaking them for several days in paint stripper (mineral spirits), and they show no sign of coming off. I successfully tried sandpapering them with a little handheld power sander, but it took 5 minutes for one bottle, and I wasn't completely done. Anyone else have any ideas?
 
Just a crappy idea, but can you rough them up with some sandpaper and then rattle can them?
 
What do you mean by rattle canning them?

I just like all my bottles to be free of labels, except the ones I put on. For me it's just another way to enjoy the hobby.
 
I think he is saying you could spray paint the bottles. That way you could have them all one color, and put your labels on over that if you wanted to.

Ahhhh. I was thinking he meant something like a rock tumbler. Painting them is a good idea. I wonder how well the paint will hold.
 
Is there really plastic inside? I have seen aluminum kegs and there is no liner. I wonder why it's used in bottles. 5 star recommends ACID # 6 for cleaning aluminum.
 
Is there really plastic inside? I have seen aluminum kegs and there is no liner. I wonder why it's used in bottles. 5 star recommends ACID # 6 for cleaning aluminum.

Yes, or at least there should be. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beverage_can#section_1 It's possible it is in kegs and you just don't notice it? I don't know, I'm no expert in aluminum containers. :)

I decided to paint them. When I sanded them after the paint thinner soak, it did seem to sand easier. It would still be a pain to sand them all the way, but it makes me think they are coated on the outside with some clear coat. Regardless, I had already made up my mind to paint them, since I didn't want to have to soak all of them. I found some silver Rustoleum spray paint and it looks really good. I'll finish the rest and fill them in the next few days and update. I'll update again after I've washed them too, when I feel the paint will stay or not. Thanks for the help and guidance everyone!
 
wire wheel on a bench grinder.

I thought about that, but I don't have one, and would have to go to a friend's to do it.

Now that I have my bottles painted, I need to figure out how to label them. I did a trial yesterday with gelatin (my new preferred method of labeling), and the label fell right off after it was dry. I know some people use glue sticks, I'll try that.
 
Naturallight16oz said:
wire wheel on a bench grinder.

I tried it a month ago on a Bud light 6% blue bottle. It works but very slow, and the wires cut into the bottle deeper then I liked. I'm very surprised it didn't work better.
 
You have too much time on your hands if you are worried about "de labeling" those...you should probably spend more time brewing.

Thanks for the thread though, Ive got some activities that I would like to have those AL bottles of homebrew, such as rafting, coming up.
 
You have too much time on your hands if you are worried about "de labeling" those...you should probably spend more time brewing.

Thanks for the thread though, Ive got some activities that I would like to have those AL bottles of homebrew, such as rafting, coming up.

Haha. I have 7 batches fermenting now, 4 in bottles and two in kegs. I brew as much as time/space allows. :) I just enjoy making a presentation of my brew as well. I know not everyone else does, but it is just another enjoyable part of the hobby for me.
 
Quick idea. The aluminum would make a great base for any chalkboard spray. Why not use the rough-&-paint idea and use a chalkboard paint. This way you can write whatever it is you're bottling and have a nice, clean, uniform look to them all.
 
I just thought I'd update this. I finally got around to labeling these. I used a glue stick. It was Elmer's X-Treme, which was a little pricey, but I didn't want to go back and try something else if it didn't work. It does seem to hold well, or at least as well as milk. It failed at the cooler test though. I let it cure for 24 hours, then put it in a sink with cold water. The label fell off immediately. The paint doesn't seem the best. If you want, you can kind of scrape it off a little with with your fingernail. I think with normal use it should be fine though.

bottle photo.jpg
 
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I used 100 grit sandpaper, then 400 grit, followed by 0000 steel wool. It took around 1/2 hour to do one bottle. It does look good, I'm thinking its worth MY time.



image-1811847111.jpg
 
I used 100 grit sandpaper, then 400 grit, followed by 0000 steel wool. It took around 1/2 hour to do one bottle. It does look good, I'm thinking its worth MY time.



View attachment 121095

That looks great! Puts mine to shame. I wouldn't be able to spend that much time doing them though. Have you used them for a while? I'm trying to figure out how long they are good for.
 
No, I just came across these 6. I didn't even try capping them yet.
If the same clear coat was used on the inside as the outside I cannot see there being a problem.
 
If you want them to stay shiny like that, you may want to clear coat them as you effectively removed most, if not all, of what was there before and they may start to turn an ugly shade of gray and eventually they'll look dirty.
 
mendesm said:
If you want them to stay shiny like that, you may want to clear coat them as you effectively removed most, if not all, of what was there before and they may start to turn an ugly shade of gray and eventually they'll look dirty.

Good call. I have lacquer on hand, but I'm thinking a automotive clear coat might be better.
 
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