Thread: Block cleaning
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Old 04-13-2017, 04:33 PM   #6
Dollar Bill
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Location: Keystone Heights, FL
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Default Re: Block cleaning

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Not to pile on but comment for posterity. The problem is that although HCI will remove the rust you see (actually what you see is NOT rust, it is the already oxidized byproduct of the rusting process which you can not see) it will set in motion a process that will lead to more damage even though it appears as clean bare metal right now. Once the acid contaminates the iron (ESPECIALLY cast iron which tend to be somewhat porous) the chemical reaction that starts will be nearly impossible to stop. Some will say you simply need to neutralize the acid, much easier said than done, and while steps to do this will slow the damage it hardly ever stops it completely. The rust converter solutions both dissolve the oxide on the surface and form a phosphate that tends to stop the rusting process, the Hydrochloric (Muriatic) acid on the other hand will dissolve the oxides but as far as stopping the rusting process it will be like throwing gasoline on a fire! Once the metal is contaminated with HCI, it can really make a mess. It is not as simple as removing the iron oxides that you can see you must take into account the chemical process that you have started. In the future, use Phosphoric acid because it will remove the oxides and start the right chemical reaction that will leave a phosphate coating that will inhibit rust instead of accelerating it. The Phosphoric acid may take a little longer but it is definitely the better way to go.
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