THE SPECIALIST
Heard the one about the guy who liked a company so much, he bought it? That’s the story behind this metal-cleaning company that serves classic bike restoration enthusiasts
We visit the workshop of a specialist metal cleaning company. It’s a blast...
When Peter Allan quit his high-flying job as a City commodity broker, he could easily have sat back in retirement and played with his collection of classic motorcycles. But when metal cleaning firm I Cleenz Macheenz came up for grabs, he stumped up the cash to buy it and set about regenerating the business.
“I Cleenz was involved at some point during all of my pre-unit Triumph restoration projects, so I knew the business quite well from a customer’s point of view. After 33 years of working in the City, I loved the old-school feel of the place, a business where computer technology doesn’t exist, apart from in the accounting processes. I’d quit the City and was looking to keep busy in retirement so when it came up for sale I decided to buy it.
“The initial aim was to build it up and at some point hand the reigns over to my son, but he decided to concentrate on his digital business. So now I’ve decided to hand it over to Kyane Hinds, who has worked here alongside George Smith, the previous owner, for seven years. It will be his business. We all work very well as a team; George has taught Kyane everything about the metal cleaning processes, so my role is to help him with the business side of things and spend a couple days a week mentoring him.”
I Cleenz Macheenz offers a comprehensive range of specialist metal cleaning processes which include: glass bead blasting , grit blasting, vapour blasting and ultrasonic cleaning for carburettors.
Peter says: “We grit blast parts to prepare them for paint, vapour blast aluminium and bead blast magnesium cases to restore them to the original factory finish. We do such a wide range of work; anything from stripping old office chairs to prepare for paint to blasting and preparing body panels for paint for an Italian supercar specialist. We work with a 1970s Porsche specialist – 911 and 912 engines are a speciality for us. We’ve done countless Ford Crossflow and Pinto blocks for a well-known historic Ford engineering company.
“We clean all sorts of motorcycle engine parts including bronze heads for Vincents. We work with engineering companies, degreasing engine components so they can work on clean parts. And as well as cleaning up classic motorcycle frames we also have several vintage BMX restorers who come to us to have frames stripped which they then repaint and finish with new graphics. I didn’t realise the vintage BMX market was so buoyant. “We work with a jeweller who asks us to create a different finish to the metal they work with and we blast clear acrylics to give them an opaque finish for artists. We work with wood, too.
“And if there are any metal repairs needed by a client, we get that done for us by Dick Smith at the Baron’s Speed Shop. We clean and blast around the area to be
repaired, then when it comes back to us repaired, we can use our various processes to match the repair to the surrounding metal as best as possible.”
Vapour blasting
This cleaning process uses smooth glass beads in a powerful jet of hot water to restore aluminium components back to factory condition without losing any of the factory casting marks or the metal surface texture of the original casting.
Parts are masked up to protect gasket faces, bearing surfaces and studs and are then gently cleaned with a dry blast of aluminium oxide first. The masking tape is then removed and the components are placed into the cabinet and vapour blasted.
The component is then thoroughly pressure steam cleaned to ensure there are no beads left that might contaminate the component, then dried with compressed air and air-dried with warm air. Before delivery back to the customer, the item is blown off again with compressed air and all blind holes are blown out using flexible tube attachments.
The process leaves a slightly burnished finish on iron, steel or high-tensile alloy castings. Softer alloys have a more satin appearance. Polishing is available if required. Protection after blasting is provided by ACF-50, which I Cleenz both uses and sells. This product is aircraft certified and the best around for corrosion protection.
Grit Blasting
Grit blasting uses compressed air to blast certain types of media or shot at an item to remove any paint, corrosion, scale or other surface contaminants and leave an even finish on steel and iron parts such a frames, tanks and panels. Grit blasting is normally followed by another process such as vapour blasting.
The process begins by ensuring the component is completely clean, using a degreaser, then it’s pressure washed to ensure it is free of loose dirt or grease prior to blasting. This can be a combination of a chemical dip and steam clean, or simply a steam clean. Particular attention is paid to oilways and hidden passages. Once chemically clean they are blown through with compressed air, then any areas of the part that need to be protected from the blast media – threaded screw holes, for example – are masked or plugged.
Depending on the size of what is being blasted, and how delicate it is, I Cleenz have the option of using either a blast cabinet or the blast room – and what blasting media to use. Steel grit is used in the blast room, aluminium oxide in the cabinet. Once it’s been blasted the part is blown off with a compressed air gun.
Ultra-sonic washing
I Cleenz has an 80-litre tank which is more effective in clearing gum and blockages in carburettors than smaller bench-top units. The process does not improve the carburettor’s external appearance, but I Cleenz can perform delicate glass bead blasting and vapour Blasting if required. Carbs need to be sent fully stripped of all components – with the exception of any butterfly valves which may be difficult to remove.
Carbs are first soaked in a chemical solvent to loosen the built-up gum or scale. If there are plastic parts in the carb body, then it’s all steam cleaned instead.
The chemical soak has the added benefit of letting the solvent run through all the innermost recesses of the carb for effective cleaning. Then comes the ultrasonic wash. I Cleenz only clean one or two carbs at a time to
maximise effectiveness, with smaller parts like jets washed inside special netting to allow effective cleaning.
The carb body, airways and passages are thoroughly washed with water, making sure all airways and passages are targeted. After a thorough rinse the carb is pressure washed then dried using compressed air.
Other services
I Cleenz is a one-stop shop for restoration businesses and enthusiasts alike. There’s a ‘pressure wash only’ option for customers who are just looking to have dirty engine cases and sumps cleaned of loose dirt, grease, oil, etc but don’t need the shot or vapour blasting service.
They can offer chemical paint stripping for clients wanting a more gentle finish to their parts, which includes pressure washing before applying an aggressive solvent to remove paint. The component is then pressure washed and cleaned of all paint stripper.
I Cleenz also offers a range of affiliate services including: engineering repairs and cylinder head renovation services through SRS Engineering; welding, sheet metal repairs via Baron’s Speed Shop; powder coating via Primus Quality Coatings; chrome plating by Douglas Metal Finishing; gold, zinc and other types of plating through Fox Plating; and polishing by Nick Morley (The Metal Polisher). icleenz.co.uk