OSPHO warning

[pgerhardt]

OSPHO is a very strong acidic solution that converts rust (iron oxide) into iron phosphate which is black and inert. It is also very good at treating newly sand blasted or stripped metal to prevent flash rusting and etch it before priming. I used it back in the seventies and it was very effective.

But is is very strong stuff. I went to get some from a 1/4 full gallon bottle I had stored in my basement but it was gone! It had eaten through the bottom of its plastic bottle and turned a section of my concrete floor into dust! OK, I had that bottle since the seventies, but still, eating its way out of its own bottle!

I was sure it was the kind of thing the government would ban, but I was wrong and got a 32 oz bottle on Amazon. Knowing how it had the ability to escape, I checked the bottom of the new bottle. It looked a little funny. It had turned opaque white while the rest of the bottle was still translucent. I immediately ordered a 32 oz glass bottle from Amazon. My OSPHO is now safely stored in a glass container.

So if you have some OSPHO especially an old bottle check it for leaks, and you might want to transfer it to a glass container.

[JTW]

I have had one on a shelf in a dark corner for 20 years, guess it is time to check it, thanks for the warning.

[super flat]

Thanks for the tip! Gary

[ursus]

I would extend this good advice to the use of any plastic container for the storage of strong acids and alkalis or solvents. However thick the plastic may be, it may not have been designed for storage of the material you are putting into it. Even if designed for storage of the material during its normal pattern of use, it may not have been intended for long term storage. That is why otherwise stable chemicals may have an expiration date on the container.

I have seen serious damage done to an old car stored in an enclosed shed along with other stuff, including a gallon jug of muriatic acid (hydrochloric acid). The jug became leaky and the acid fumes ate away the paint and chrome finish on the car Inside, the fabric upolstery was so weaked by the acid fumes that you could poke a hole in it with light finger pressure.

[Tacoma Bob]

Consider Nalgene containers. They are built for corrosive liquids.

[C26Pinelake]

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Bib. What are Nalgene containers and where are they available from !
Thanks, Wayne

[burner31]

Danger, Will Robinson

[Doug in NJ]

Yes! Muriatic acid eats chrome! Store it far away from your car (or anything else made of metal).

We once had a bathroom remodeled, and shortly afterwards I saw that the nice new chrome-plated faucets had gotten all corroded. It turned out that somebody had accidentally used toilet bowl cleaner to clean the sink, and that stuff contained hydrochloric acid. I was astounded that anybody would (or could) sell a household cleaner with hydrochloric acid in it...

Doug

Originally Posted by ursus

I have seen serious damage done to an old car stored in an enclosed shed along with other stuff, including a gallon jug of muriatic acid (hydrochloric acid). The jug became leaky and the acid fumes ate away the paint and chrome finish on the car Inside, the fabric upolstery was so weaked by the acid fumes that you could poke a hole in it with light finger pressure.

[ian Simpson]

Back in the sixties when working for a large international computer company, I had to resuscitate a million dollar computer that had been attacked by acid leaking out of emergency lighting unit mounted on the ceiling above it. What a mess.

Never place anything containing acid or alkali above or even close to something you value regardless of the container material.

Ian

[Paul]

what type of lid is on that glass container?