Topic: Rust Removal Myths

[mick750F]

   Muriatic acid is probably the nastiest thing you can buy off the shelf. In these days of lawsuits I'm surprised you don't have to be licensed to buy and use the stuff. I would recommend that anyone who hasn't used it before to do a search and learn about it. Actually, for what we're talking about here phosphoric acid is plenty adequate and a lot safer.

Mike...I'm not a chemist nor do I play one in the movies 

[Gordon]

   Muriatic acid is probably the nastiest thing you can buy off the shelf. In these days of lawsuits I'm surprised you don't have to be licensed to buy and use the stuff.

I was thinking the same thing a couple of days ago when I was at the Home Depot.  I went through the self-checkout line where you scan your own items and pay without the need for a cashier, when I scanned the spray can of engine degreaser.  The whole thing froze up, and I needed a cashier's approval to buy the stuff.  Never had a problem before when buying muriatic acid.  Apparently they regulate the sale of anything you can inhale to get high, but have no problem selling something you can melt someone's face off with to any kid who has a couple of extra bucks. 

[Dennis]

Muriatic acid is probably the nastiest thing you can buy off the shelf. ...... Actually, for what we're talking about here phosphoric acid is plenty adequate and a lot safer.

However the problem at least for me is that I cannot locate a good source of phosphoric acid. HCl, muriatic acid, concrete cleaner or whatever you want to call it is readily available and cheap.
Anyone know where to buy it? Prefer local in central New Jersey or eastern PA.

[Raul CB750K1]

I recently bough phosphoric acid to de-rust my CB350 tank. The tank is almost junk so I will use it as a test. I was breaking my head wondering where could I find it. So I went to Leroy-Merlin (a big store like Lowe's or Home Depot) and went to the "cleaners" section, where the polishers and cleaners are. They were a bunch or rust removers. When I looked at the formula, all of them said: "contains phosphoric acid". In general they contain some other elements, I guess to reduce the strength, but all of them had phosphoric acid.


Raul

[Terry in Australia]

Phosphoric acid is the safest rust remover to use, Muriatic acid, if not completely removed will cause more rust than it will remove, and is dangerous to you, and the environment.

Phosphoric is used extensively by dairy farmers to wash out milk vats etc, and if ingested (in small diluted quantities, like in Cola or Tomatoe ketchup or juice ) won't boil your insides, melt your eyes, or cause your pecker to smoke!

The guys on "Myth-Busters" were surprised at how well Cola removed rust from an old truck bumper, it actually worked much better than a "Brand Name" rust remover product.

When I was an army recruit, we would soak the gas plugs of our combat rifles overnight in Coca-Cola, and the burned on carbon would just dissolve. Of course this was against army regulations, like most other common sense items, ha ha! Cheers, Terry.

[Bob Wessner]

Of course this was against army regulations, like most other common sense items, ha ha!

Your reference to 'army' and 'common sense' brought back memories (most bad). I reminded me of a little ritual they had in Vietnam in our, and I assume, other compounds. We had a status board just outside HQ. It had a series of wooden squares to be displayed depending on bad guy activity in the area. White meant nothing going on. Gray meant a sligthly elevated level of activity. Yellow meant a nearby compound was under attack. Red meant our compound was under attack. Now, who the he_l would need a sign to tell you that  and who was the poor sucker that had to go out and change it from whatever to Red.