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Franz
11-13-2001 23:08:56
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Re: tomross@sydcom.net in reply to Tom, 11-13-2001 19:58:05
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Well, I knew this one was coming.
1, Phosphoric acid can be nasty, so follow these rules. DO NOT use phosphoric acid on anything aluminum, it will eat aluminum. Spraying phosphoric acid is nasty, you do NOT want to inhale it, unless you like the feeling of your lung tissue being eaten away. Having said that, you can spray it, we use a plastic chapin sprayer, and always do our best to stay upwind.
One of the best methods I've found is using a piece of old carpet to wipe the acid on with, sort of like washing a car with a piece of rug instead of a sponge. You can also brush it on, but the viscoscity is the same as water, so the acid runs off. You also need to be a bit hesitant to get phosphoric on galvanized cause it will eat the zink plating. I should also mention you want to wear rubber gloves cause if you get phosphoric acid in an open cut it burns like he11. As far as the bailer goes, if you can hit it with a chipping hammer, or needle scaler to knock off the crusty rust, or pressure wash, then do the acid process you should be in good shape. You may need to repeat the acid wash a couple times to get full penetration. I've found that doing the acid washdown in the evening, when dew is just starting to form, and then covering the machine with plastic, gives better results, because tha dew contributes to the process by maintaining a humid environment. If you can't take advantage of dew, spray the machine down with a garden hose first, and then apply the acid. Keep the percentage of acid in the water down, and do a little testing. Various steels work differently with different acid percentages. Start out with 2% acid, and increase as you need to. Anything over 10% acid is not productive.
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