[ARC5] Aluminum Chassis cleaning (and 'that' philosophical question on cleaning)

[aa9il at sbcglobal.net]

Hi AllI have a modified BC series ARC 5 transmitter (octal socket for power, 1/4 inch jack added for the key) - I cleaned the base chassis sides with Mothers aluminum cleaner/polish (from your standard auto parts stores) - it cleaned up the chassis to a nice shine.  I have not yet tackled the front panel as I am wary of taking off the paint for the controls.What I have done is mask labels and paint marks with painters tape and worked around that.
What I found though with the top cover, there was a good build up of oxidation - I applied the cleaner and it didnt clean to a nice polish - I can do a second clean/polish cycle - OR - I can go a different route and use white jewelers rouge and a cloth wheel on the dremel tool.
What have you used in the past for cleaning aluminum?
Ok, have to ask the philosophical question - I have several receivers that are not modified but the chassis and cover is dirty (ive asked about this before if this sounds familiar) - I can do a gentle clean with soapy water.  Im assuming that these radios are like telegraph keys, you can remove dust/dirt but polishing/cleaning reduces the historical/collector value.  Im sticking with a damp sponge wipe down for now.  Comments?
Thanks for all the great info from the list group.MikeAA9IL

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/arc5/attachments/20151229/038a7195/attachment.html>