Sodium aluminate forms through the chemical reaction of aluminum oxide with sodium hydroxide and water, as follows: The residues sink gradually to the bottom of the tank and are later removed. In the ...

The wiring itself isn’t the problem, because aluminum does conduct electricity safely. The trouble comes at the connections.

Aluminum doesn’t solder well, and that’s because of the oxide layer that rapidly forms on the surface. [Ted]’s solution is to scour the aluminum with some mineral oil. The goal is to scrape ...