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Chemistry question on aluminum

Hi,
I am not sure if I am getting paranoia about this...

Nowadays, there are many equipment (amps, speakers, etc) that are made from aluminum; from a slab, ingot, extruded and other processes. And I am a sucker for the raw industrial silvery color Aluminum looks. I just dig them. (Think YG acoustics, Audiomachina, Modwright, Jeff Rowland, Acoustic Signature TT, et al)

But I live in the hot and humid tropics. A friend, knowing that I failed Chemistry in school, put a scary thought in me that white powdery substance will form and corrode them in the long run.

Anyone care to give me a Chemistry 101 lesson on this with respect to Audio equipment?

Thanks.
hamburger

Showing 2 responses by csontos

csontos
1,311 posts
 
First response is the one that makes practical sense. Would any of you have sympathy for or buy anything from a neglectful lazy pig who after spending good money on gear lets it rot, never paying attention to it's appearance? My goodness! Wipe it off with a damp cloth once in a while, dust it off, don't use it as a coffee table and spill beer on it. Take the same care as anyone anywhere and it'll still look great 20 years later.

Caveat: don't forget to take the lid off and blow it out with compressed air too.
csontos
1,311 posts
 
I've seen aluminum body work on cars corrode away exactly like rusty steel. The probable reason you don't see it to that extent on wheels is because they are made with alloys of aluminum, not pure. Same goes for audio component cases, I would think for the sake of durability. Although certain types of racing wheels are typically pure aluminum/magnesium.
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