Cleaning bare aluminum

What can I use to clean up the aluminum on my boat that won't be painted? Is there a homemade mix that will work and after cleaning do I need to put something on it to help prevent oxidation? Thanks again Ivan

Acid etch it. Some folks have had good results with various homebrew mixes, but my experience is only with the commercially available stuff - Zep-a-lume and Alumabrite.

It will leave a uniform bare aluminum color, and as long as there isn't anything amiss (stray electrical current, trapped salt or fresh water, etc.), the only oxidation that will occur will be the normal protective layer of aluminum oxide, not the white powdery substance that is indicative of a problem.

i used Eagle One mag wheel cleaner on my tin before i powder coated it, worked wonderful and you can get it at any auto store or walmart. has phosphoric acid in it and is quite strong. spray on and leave or a couple mins and rinse off.

I've not found anything that works better than AlumaPrep or MetalPrep availabe from SkyGeek.com