Thanks for the kind words.
-Funny-
A guy recently pointed to this build didn't have good things to say.
He indicated that he wasn't interested in 'Cheap Junk';
wanted his new bus motor built right.
So he got some brand-new AA P&L, some new Silverline Bearings, new QSC flywheel, etc.
Just gotta smile
No sense in busting that guy's bubble, just smile and nod...
My local FLAPS has two different tanks.
Neither of these is a traditional "Hot Tank".
A traditional Hot Tank is used on big Diesel trucks, and American V8 motors and such.
These are for iron and steel; NO aluminum or pot-metal or other non-ferrous materials are allowed.
Like Pile said, these tanks would literally dissolve an air-cooled VW case.
If I were in a different country, my first place to look would be where they service trucks.
You could get your crank/rods/etc. done, and they would likely also know where to get aluminum cleaned.
Anyways, back to my favorite place..
The first tank they use is referred to as the "soak tank".
It uses some type of traditional petroleum-based solvent, albeit one that is friendly to the EPA here in California.
As such, it is pretty mild, and parts are left in typically for a number of days.
The last super-grungy (baked on from an engine fire) type 4 case soaked for over a week.
You have to be careful with this thing nonetheless, as non-ferrous parts left in there can be damaged.
The smooth fresh/crisp machined surfaces can be 'etched', or slightly eroded away.
A set of window regulators I accidentally left in too long once were almost ruined.
They had a super-soft mag-type center that eroded away badly in just a few days.
There really is some skill and vigilance involved in the tanking process, to get things clean before they start to degrade.
This tank has to be operated under permit here, the solvent is recycled, and the tank does not use any heat.
The second tank they have here is really just a big home-made dishwasher-like thing.
Like an industrial washer they have in a restaurant kitchen..
It uses hot (hot hot!) water and a citrus-based orange-smelling detergent.
It has a spray-bar that spins at the bottom, and parts come out steaming hot and smelling nice.
They get a blast from a hose/nozzle spray of hot water for rinse as they get taken out,
Then some compressed air, and finally some sunshine to dry outside.
Because we live close to the ocean, they will need to dry quickly to prevent flash rust.
If I had to, I'd get an old dishwasher and give it a try.
They say it works.
Depending upon how bad things are before they get tanked, there can be a lot of cleaning before the tanking process.
Because the guy who runs the tank is a friend of mine, I really, really, try and get things clean first.
Scraping with stick/spoon/screwdriver/chisel/pick etc. is done with the parts in the trash can.
Using wire brush/wire wheel/toothbrush and canned de-greaser like Gunk is done in the back yard,
Or,
In my next-door-neighbor-that-I-hate's yard when he's not around..
Even after tanking, there can be little tits and spots of hard baked oil that remains.
Especially on complex castings, say, cases and heads..
They pop off very easily, but can leave stains.
If I really want to build pretty, I'll have a case vapor-blasted,
or, if nobody does this on your area, glass beads are OK.
You have to have the galley plugs pulled before going this on cases,
and anything touching oil will need cleaned afterwards.
(I went over all of this before, so repeating myself...)
Either way,
Clean all of your parts before you take them in to be tanked,
and,
Have your parts tanked before you get anything blasted.
Hope this helps!