need help with cleaning gasket

[Greenley]

Almost ready to reassemble my IO-540 but need help with a gasket problem. The oil sump (magnesium), has a thin layer (a few thousands) of remains of the old gasket, very hard, and I need to clean this off. I have tried to sharpen the edge of some hard plastic, but it doesn't touch it. I would be tempted to forget it, but there are spots where it did come off, so it is not smooth. Is there any kind of solvent that will soften this, or any other suggestions?

[LifeofReiley]

Polish it off with a 3M fine scotchbrite disk on a 90 degree air tool and you will be just fine.

[Tbone]

I have removed baked on gaskets with.....OVEN CLEANER. Spray some in a paper cup and take a small paint brush and.......well you know the rest. Works great on baked on stuff. DUH!

[krw5927]

Originally Posted by Tbone

I have removed baked on gaskets with.....OVEN CLEANER. Spray some in a paper cup and take a small paint brush and.......well you know the rest. Works great on baked on stuff. DUH!

Be careful. The primary ingredient in most oven cleaners is sodium hydroxide (lye), a strong base. Both aluminum and magnesium react with sodium hydroxide producing copious amounts of hydrogen and corroding the metal. Not something I would want to put on my airplane parts.

[lr172]

I have an old rigid scraper that I use for gasket removal. I use a flat block and sandpaper to sharpen it like a chisel (sharpen one side only). Works very well. I also use a sharp razor blade for the stubborn little bits. Just keep a low angle to avoid gouging the flange material.

Larry