Brick and Paving stone cleaner

[Doctorpayday]

Hi All.

Experimented with some of the above and grubby old engine parts.

After 5 minutes and a good sluicing, good results.

Another 5 minutes even better.

After 15 minutes and it started to smoke and went black.

Sorry no pics just my observations, worth considering though.

Then tried it on my garden wall and absolute rubbish results.

Doc

[robh1f]

Yep good old hydrochloric acid !! Excellent for derusting insides of gas tanks etc etc

[Neil the Don]

Most of them are about a 20% solution. Fairly easy to just wash off.

I've got some here which is at 35%. WHOOO!!!! You can' t leave it alone for 5 mins. It smokes on application.

At that level it's best to try and neutralise it with an alkaline solution . Balance the ph innat. Innit .

[Vin]

I have used Phosphoric acid on rust - to make the Metal (Iron) to a phosphate salt - which can be scrubbed off quite easily.

The Hydrochloric acid is quite vigorous (fizzes) even at 20% - I too had some 35 % which you need to be very careful with!

[Neil the Don]

I have used Phosphoric acid on rust - to make the Metal (Iron) to a phosphate salt - which can be scrubbed off quite easily.

The Hydrochloric acid is quite vigorous (fizzes) even a t 20% - I too had some 35 % which you need to be very careful with!

Yes you do !!

We use it mainly for derusting internals of petrol tanks. So phosporic is not much use, as you cannot scrub it off. any residue means a fine silt to clog up primary jets later on.
35% hydrochloride is ideal. but you need to flush thoroughly, and then. Dry and oil up as quickly to avoid a flash rusting again !!

[MalcP]

I have used Phosphoric acid on rust - to make the Metal (Iron) to a phosphate salt - which can be scrubbed off quite easily.

The Hydrochloric acid is quite vigorous (fizzes) even a t 20% - I too had some 35 % which you need to be very careful with!

Too true it's dodgy stuff. You can add the concentrated acid to water to lower it's strength but you MUST remember the following:-

Here lies Gillian, still and placid;
Who added water to the acid.
Clever Jane did as she oughter;
Added acid to the water.

Gillian's method produced so much heat the water boiled and splashed the stuff all over her!!
MalcP

[Windy]

That reminds me of another saying drummed into us at school

Little willy is dead and gone,
he wont be seen no more
What he thought was h20 was h2so4

[kas750]

Dry and oil up as quickly to avoid a flash rusting again !!

You can use methanol for drying.

[Ogri211]

That will be the same as the stuff I used when I was lining my tank I got Spirit of salts out the hardware shop it's drain cleaner which is Muiric acid which I belive is diluted hydrochloric acid I swooshed it about the tank for about 15 minutes then washed it ou with a solution of bicarbonate of soda then de watered it with acetone leaves it like brand new. It's also good for dissolving alluminium it was good for cleaning the bits of piston off of my liner when I seized it last year.

[ZeeRexxer]

Used to work with 82% Sulphuric acid, great at de-rusting everything!