Aluminum air cleaner base coating material question.

[69427]

I picked up an aluminum aftermarket air cleaner base dirt cheap at the Daytona swap meet yesterday. It's a pound lighter than the stock steel filter base, and what the heck, that's reduced weight up front and way up high. I need to add (weld) a vent tube in it that supplies the fresh air to the rightside valve cover. This base has a yellow/gold color to it, and before I do any TIG work on it I want to know what the material is. I hope it's an anodizing coat, and not something like cadmium plating. If it's anodizing, I would guess/expect that it would flake off when the TIG arc polarity cycled back and forth. If it's something else, I would expect some smoke and unhealthy fumes. So, anybody have an idea what this coating might be?

thanks,
Mike

 

[BBShark]

It's probably anodize. Oven cleaner will remove it. Spray some on a spot and see if it comes off.

Also, anodize is not electrically conductive. You could check it that way.

 

[Twin_Turbo]

could be that it's alodine

 

[69427]

could be that it's alodine

Shit, now I have to go log out and google alodine. :crap:

 

[Steve M.]

No matter what it is, it needs to be CLEAN. Can't have any contaminates trying to Tig weld Aluminum.