For cleaning up alloy, and indeed all metals, CITRIC ACID is the best as it does not react with the metals.   get a big bucket or similar and make up a solution of citric.  I used to get it at the chemist's shop but now they won't sell it any more , "in case you use it to make drugs with, Sir",  so I went on EBay and found it at a tenth of the price.   use it with an abrasive sponge block to clean alloy, or just with a cloth or brush.    After soldering/brazing, dunk the whole lot in the bucket.     I used it to clean engine parts and the carb - no need to dismantle. After cleaning, wash with water or spirit , as it leaves a slightly sticky residue.   For really dirty parts and casings etc, leave it for a day or so.

Just read about (and ordered) Plast-aid Plastic Repair Kit, which I read about in Motorcycle Consumer News. Unlike most glues, this one actually forms a molecular bond with the plastics it repairs, as well as creating an epoxy-like mechanical bond. Appears to be able to repair almost anything made of rigid plastic made in the last 40 years, including the plastic parts on our bikes.

http://www.amazon.com/Plast-aid-Repair-Plastic-1-5oz-80100/dp/B004DFHLUA/ref=...

- David

Oookay,, a fella on the Guzzi forum clued me in,, theres a product at Doillar TRee called "Awesome", clearish bottle, kinda yellowish product, I was too busy talking to a young fella about school to pay attention to what it cost, but Im pretty sure it cost less per ounce than the Berrymans stuff. I ran a Side by Side test on a broiler pan, 1/2 B33 & 1/2 Awesome,, I hafta declare a tie, couldnt see a clear winner, BUT, squirting B33 Inside the oven??? Naaah,, thats gonna be hard to rinse out well enough to not stink,, and, it kinda choked me up, so, inside that box, scrubbing would be a bad idea,, Ima hafta call the Awesome the overall winner for practical purposes, outside, if tghe B33 is close & handy, Ill use it, inside, Awesome is what Ill go with,,
The guy who told me about it posted pics, another product was "Greased Lightning", but I didnt see it. If I run across some Ill give it a shot & see how it measures up.
Anybody else got any "Secret Weapons" for making quick work of de-greasing stuff in the kitchen?
I think Ill do a search & see what kinda nifty ideas are out there on the Ol' Innerwebs..

Removing rust from inside of a gas tank. “The Frugal Way”

Haven’t done this yet with a MC tank,
(but several times with,  ’small engine’, steel tanks)

Clean out the, gas in the tank. Take off the outgoing, ingoing things. (Gas cap, Petcock)

Go to a Pet Store, mart mart, buy a bag of, ‘Lizard/Snake’ bedding.
(It is crushed walnut hulls). Of course, you could go to a gun store, and buy the same thing for Lots more money.

Do NOT, buy, crushed, ‘Corn Cob’ media, Despite what the DFI at the mart-mart may say. It is  NOT the same ! AND, Do NOT waste money on, rouge, or polishing compound.

Take your tank, tape off the outgoing hole/s  (petcock),
Put in about, 1/2 to 1/3  the volume of your tank, of the crushed walnut hulls.  DRY.
Tape off the ingoing hole. (gas cap)

Wrap up your tank, in something, then insert it in to a cement mixer.
Wrapping the tank securely, into the blades of the cement mixer.
(So the Tank, does not move, Only the Media Inside it)
Turn it on, then in 24 hours, turn it off, and turn it about 90 degrees, then turn it on again.
Elect works better than gas, as it is cheeper to run.

You do NOT, need any, ’special’ Rouge, or Polishing compound.
The crushed walnut hulls, are very hard and sharp.
Much harder then the oxidation, (rust), but Not as hard as the, steel.
So you can NOT, overdo it!

When you take it out, the, ‘rust’, will be gone.
It may be dark in places, (depending on how long you left it tumble, and how much rust their was), but the filter in a Petcock, will take care of Anything!, (cause their is nothing big their), and if you are a belt & Suspenders person, the, ‘in line’ filter is double insurance, so nothing, that is big enough, will ever will go through your carb.

Now, after you have ’tumbled’,  it.  and you are going to use, “GOOD”,  gas,
which has, NO WATER IN IT, your good to go. (After thourly cleaning, of course).
If you are in to the, ethanol gas, then, pick a product and, ‘coat’, the inside.

Have not done this with a MC tank, but it has worked Very Well, on little 1/2 gal to 1-1/2 gal, tanks.
So I don’t see any reason it would not work, they are all, ’steel’.

Now their are ‘ceramic’, and ’Stainless Steel’ little tiny rods, which work best in a water, soap mix. And if you are a gun nut who reloads and cleans brass a lot, maybe you have such. But if you don’t have it, do NOT go out and buy it.

This method, may work for you, if you are resurrecting, a old tank for a project.

Need a washer? Not gonna get a big load on it? Need one for a small bolt or screw? Drill a penny.. it's cheaper ... post 82 are not copper. I try to hang onto the older copper ones.

Gas tank cleaner:

Soak it in a 10:1 mix of water and molasses. Takes a few days but works very well and it is not caustic. When you are done, dump it in the yard. The grass loves it!

Muriatic acid or vinegar works the same way excpt muriatic acid takes minutes. Remember to wash thoroughly with baking soda and water afterwards. Fill your tank up quickly afterwards to avoid flash rusting.

I'll keep that in mind next time I have a real dirty tank to clean
my favorite method though runs like this
1 put a bunch of nuts and / or bolts in the tank
2 wrap well in a blanket or quilt (an OLD one)
3 Tumble in the dryer on NO HEAT for 30 minutes to an hour (DO NOT LET YOUR WIFE CATCH YOU DOING THIS)  
4 Fish out nuts / bolts with a magnet / dump out loosened rust
5 Coat with Caswell sealer (caswell actually works better if there's some surface rust extant)
6 re install tamk when Caswell is cured
7 Ride for the life of the bike with no more rust issues

Dave:
Phosphoric acid is the number 1 ingredient in Naval Jelly. It works pretty well. I've used it on some pretty rusty bolts and they came pretty clean.

The bad thing about muriatic acid is that it turns the metal black afterwards. Not a bad thing...occasionally. You DO have to rinse with baking soda and water later to neutralize the acid.