Muriatic acid

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chev1171

chev1171

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There was some discussions on a previous thread re: rust removal using muriatic acid. The comments were that it was very successful but no mention of a need for any rinsing to stop the chemical reaction or neutralize the acid..

Any suggestions if needed. Thanks , Dennis
 
You can use phosphoric acid on freshly prepared bare steel, let it dry and immed' paint or ?. At least that's what we did on steel hulled boats.
 
Chev, I've used that stuff before and it DOES clean well, but I found that trace amounts still remained in the parts to cause discoloration etc.
I was told after the fact that sticking them in baking soda dissolved in water would cease the cleaning. But my cleaning was already done so I can't vouch for it either way.
 
While any strong acid will etch steel, rust removal is typically done with phosphoric acid. Main ingredient in Naval Jelly and similar preparations. Converts Iron Oxide into Iron Phosphate. Muriatic (hydrochloric) acid is typically used to clean masonry. If you have a lot of hard water or lime scale on your car it would be just the ticket.
 
More boat compare stuff. We used the phosphoric on prepared steel as an inhibitor just prior to priming or epoxy. The muriatic was used to neutralize and dry out the green scum on bottoms so it wouldn't clog the sanding medium. What do you need to clean ?
 
Gawd, a body guy just told me that ospho still curing 10 years later, peel the paint. dunno, so many opinions.
 
Dartncharger said:
Chev, I've used that stuff before and it DOES clean well, but I found that trace amounts still remained in the parts to cause discoloration etc.
I was told after the fact that sticking them in baking soda dissolved in water would cease the cleaning. But my cleaning was already done so I can't vouch for it either way.
Click to expand...

Yes, baking soda (sodium bicarbonate or NaHCO3) in water will neutralize the reaction with the phosphoric acid (H3PO4) and the metal....I LOVE CHEMISTRY!!...and apparently, I'm a dork too.8)
 
flyfish said:
Yes, baking soda (sodium bicarbonate or NaHCO3) in water will neutralize the reaction with the phosphoric acid (H3PO4) and the metal....I LOVE CHEMISTRY!!...and apparently, I'm a dork too.8)
Click to expand...

Why have I been paying so much for nuetralizer? All I needed was baking soda.
 
I think muriatic acid is used for etching /cleaning concrete and brick and correcting PH in swimming pools. Very nasty stuff to use!!!
 
Any of the Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) based cleaners will neutralize acid as well. "Super Clean" "Purple Stuff" "Easy-Off" and the like.
 
I used Muriatic Acid to remove the rust from headers. It worked much quicker than Phosporic Acid. It could be because of the concentrations available at the harware store. In any case I just hosed them off after letting the stuff sit until it turned orange. I later painted the headers with POR 20 and it held up great for several years.

If you use muriatic acid do it outside, wear rubber gloves and a face shield. You will get some nasty fumes.
 
Be careful using acid. Need long rubber gloves and face shield.

If you search this forum you'll see there was a discussion on using laundry powder, plastic tub and battery charger to clean rusty parts. This worked absolutely super for me. (Using a bead blaster after the process helped too).

Then, if you want to give your parts rust protection and a 'like new' look, check out "Parkerizing". Your junk yard parts will look like they just rolled out of a Mopar box.
 
Muriatic acid is what they say to use to remove the clear coat off stainless trim in order to polish it...
 
If the parts are not too big you can use citric acid powder or oxalic acid (wood Bleach) to remove the rust. Dilution ratio is 1 cup to 1 gallon of water, let soak for 12 hours, scrub, repeat as needed. Should not harm paint or decals, or you. Not nearly as scary as using muriatic acid.
 
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