Use of HCL to dissolve severe corrosion from NiCad or Alkaline Batteries or oxidation

On 7 Jan 2007 at 10:12, Lyle Bickley wrote: Another caution--DO NOT STORE THE CONTAINER IN YOUR WORKSHOP OR WHEREVER YOU KEEP YOUR EQUIPMENT! Muriatic acid is hydrogen chloride gas dissolved in water and tends to "fume". Which means that if the cap on the container is slightly loose or the container is cracked, you'll be in for an eventual surprise. I kept a gallon of muriatic stored in my workshop and thought the cap was screwed on tightly (it wasn't). After about 2 weeks, I noted that all of my cast-iron shop equpment was coated with a fine dappling of rust. My HCl is now stored in a weatherproof container out-of-doors. I can't imagine what such fumes might do to the innards of a disk drive. For a somewhat tamer substitute, one might try sulfamic acid--a powder dissolved in water and normally used for cleaning masonry (as is muriatic acid). You can often find it at stores that deal in ceramic tile supplies.