Is this metal in the filter???

[stevensun]

Just opened my oil filter from O360-A1D yesterday. And saw reflections. Like a lot of reflections.. Kind of freaked me out ( thought my engine need an overhaul...). I have a microscope so I took out the shinny parts with tweezer and have them on a clean piece of tissue. And even its shinny and reflecting light, once under microscope, it looks gray and kind of thick, and it looks like dirt.. I poked it little bit and it looks real soft and broke into small pieces. I couldn't find anything on the medium (filter paper)..
As how I cut open the filter, I 3d printed a cutter, got a 8mm bolt($0.5) and a huskey wheel cutter from homedepot ($3) and it worked great!. See IMG 4031

 

[PaulS]

How did you cut the filter open? Looks like metal to me, but tough to tell from pics. Try a magnet on the pieces.


Edit: Second pic 4033

 

[stevensun]

How did you cut the filter open? Looks like metal to me, but tough to tell from pics. Try a magnet on the pieces.


Edit: Second pic 4033

It does look like metal ha. Let me have a video show what I am talking about.
Youtube link attached

 

[Dan Thomas]

That gray stuff looks like powdered iron, and is quite normal as long as the quantities are small. It comes from ring and cylinder wear.

That's a slick filter cutter you made. Looks like it works as well as the expensive cutters.

 

[stevensun]

That gray stuff looks like powdered iron, and is quite normal as long as the quantities are small. It comes from ring and cylinder wear.

That's a slick filter cutter you made. Looks like it works as well as the expensive cutters.

Yeah, I was doubting if 3d printed parts is able to withhold the force cutting into metal, apparently it does. Only time will tell how long it will last, but I don't see any problem after first use. It's pretty much same as the expensive ones ($ 70-80+). Tighten the bolt, spin couple times, repeat, only takes like a minute to cut it open.

 

[Domenick]

As PaulS said, a magnet will identify metallic iron.

Metals Identification of aircraft oil filters using field methods

Aluminum
Sodium hydroxide dissolves aluminum. Fizzes! Sodium hydroxide doesn't react with steel, bronze, or tin. A good source for sodium hydroxide is Drano or Red Devil drain cleaner (the powder kind). I prefer Red Devil since it is 100% sodium hydroxide. If you mix some Drano in water and then place a drop on aluminum the drop will sit there awhile while it works its way through the oil film on the aluminum. As soon as it contacts aluminum it will start to fizz. Since sodium hydroxide doesn't react with steel, bronze, chrome or tin it is an excellent check for aluminum.

Bronze or copper
Nitric acid. Reacts to form green liquid.

Chrome
Chrome is hard, brittle, and a plated material. Pieces of chrome are small, flat with broken edges. Chrome is usually seen as many small shiny particles. Hydrochloric acid reacts with chrome usually making the liquid green. Nitric acid has no effect on chrome other than passivating the surface.

Hard Carbon
Breaks apart when squashed. Can be squashed between finger nails.

Lead
Dissolves in nitric acid. These are often from leaded fuel and condense into small glass-like gobbles in the exhaust system. Lead crystals will squish between your finger nails.

Lead crystals from leaded fuel
Glass like (may be mistaken for glass bead). Dissolves in water. Usually found in exhaust port of cylinder on engines operating on leaded fuel.

Magnesium
25% Hydrochloric acid in water. Fizzes immediately on contact and forms a black deposit. Zinc reacts in same manner. Aluminum also reacts with concentrated hydrochloric acid by fizzing slightly and leaving a dark surface. 25% Nitric acid turns magnesium black.

Silica (sand)
Place between glass slides and rub together. Silica scratches the glass.

Steel
Copper sulfate dissolved in dilute sulfuric acid. Turns steel copper color. Nitric acid in various concentrations etches steel. The higher the concentration of nitric acid the darker the reaction etch. Nitrided steel surfaces react very slowly.

 

[Tom-D]

I if it doesn't have part numbers on it, change filters and run it.

 

[Paul Tyler]

As PaulS said, a magnet with identify metallic iron.

Metals Identification of aircraft oil filters using field methods

Aluminum
Sodium hydroxide dissolves aluminum. Fizzes! Sodium hydroxide doesn't react with steel, bronze, or tin. A good source for sodium hydroxide is Drano or Red Devil drain cleaner (the powder kind). I prefer Red Devil since it is 100% sodium hydroxide. If you mix some Drano in water and then place a drop on aluminum the drop will sit there awhile while it works its way through the oil film on the aluminum. As soon as it contacts aluminum it will start to fizz. Since sodium hydroxide doesn't react with steel, bronze, chrome or tin it is an excellent check for aluminum.

Bronze or copper
Nitric acid. Reacts to form green liquid.

Chrome
Chrome is hard, brittle, and a plated material. Pieces of chrome are small, flat with broken edges. Chrome is usually seen as many small shiny particles. Hydrochloric acid reacts with chrome usually making the liquid green. Nitric acid has no effect on chrome other than passivating the surface.

Hard Carbon
Breaks apart when squashed. Can be squashed between finger nails.

Lead
Dissolves in nitric acid. These are often from leaded fuel and condense into small glass-like gobbles in the exhaust system. Lead crystals will squish between your finger nails.

Lead crystals from leaded fuel
Glass like (may be mistaken for glass bead). Dissolves in water. Usually found in exhaust port of cylinder on engines operating on leaded fuel.

Magnesium
25% Hydrochloric acid in water. Fizzes immediately on contact and forms a black deposit. Zinc reacts in same manner. Aluminum also reacts with concentrated hydrochloric acid by fizzing slightly and leaving a dark surface. 25% Nitric acid turns magnesium black.

Silica (sand)
Place between glass slides and rub together. Silica scratches the glass.

Steel
Copper sulfate dissolved in dilute sulfuric acid. Turns steel copper color. Nitric acid in various concentrations etches steel. The higher the concentration of nitric acid the darker the reaction etch. Nitrided steel surfaces react very slowly.

Thanks this is helpful for my issue at the moment with a Comanche

 

[nauga]

Can you share your printer files for the cutter or tell us where you got them?

Nauga,
the gadget geek

 

[Dana]

Sodium hydroxide (lye) and sulfuric acid (battery acid) ar easy, but how many A&Ps have access to concentrated nitric and hydrochloric acids?

 

[GaryM]

Sodium hydroxide (lye) and sulfuric acid (battery acid) ar easy, but how many A&Ps have access to concentrated nitric and hydrochloric acids?

Pool supply stores usually have concentrated hydrochloric acid, often labeled muriatic acid.