7 Jan
2007
7 Jan
'07
2:20 p.m.
On 7 Jan 2007 at 10:12, Lyle Bickley wrote:
1. I've only been able to buy gallon sized
containers of the 30% HCL (Muriatic
Acid). That is very unwieldily to handle. A polyethelene containter with a
small "spout" (available at drugstores) is an easy solution. Just be careful
when transferring the acid from the gallon container to the poly container -
use a poly funnel - HCL is "nasty" stuff.
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.
Cheers,
Chuck