Now here's something..........

[Peter Laidler]

Now here's a totally off-thread and topic poser for you over the holidays........ My old but much loved VW Polo alloy wheels are looking a bit sad. Where the hard paint has been scuffed and chipped off in places, the alloy has been exposed to the weather and had started to corrode slightly. Any ideas as to what suitable acid I can use to eat/eliminate the corrosion prior to priming and painting the area.

I know that the real answer is to remove the tyres, bead blast, repaint and relaquer etc etc but that's a long and expensive way to go. Anyone any ideas

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[CINDERS]

There was a product the guys were using on their trucks aluminium roo bars called Ali Red I had it removed from site as it contains Hydrofluoric Acid and besides was banned from site just a chance discovery anyway it is very good on aluminium but do follow the instructions to the letter use correct PPE like nitrile gloves not just leather ones.
The concentration in this was .98% I mean less that 1 % but the real strong stuff a 2% burn or absorption will kill you pays to read the instructions and have the MSDS sheet for the product.

This acid does not burn you but penetrates your skin and attacks your bone marrow you need a calcium pack to reverse the effects, the stuff we had in the lab was so strong it was eating the glass containers.

[Peter Laidler]

I wasn't thinking of something on an industrial or chemistry lab scale, more something used to clean a dirty oven. And don't forget, I was born before the days of health and safety. Think boiling carbon trichlorethylene vapour degreasing tanks that whole Centurion tank gearboxes could be immersed in. And battery shops where you worked in cotton boilersuits stripping batteries and rebuilding them and working with radium laced hospital equipment, gauges and gun sights................. And even worse than that, flying in one of those RAF twin rotor Belvedere helicopters. With the petrol for the return flight - over uncharted jungle - strapped inside, in 40 gallon drums! No wonder nobody else ever purchased them!

[gsimmons]

You mean the box of radium watch dials I have isn't safe?

[catman]

I have Alum. rims on my (1982) custom motorcycle and I used Mean Green cleaner, full strength and let it sit on it for about 20 minutes, then washed it very gently with an old, worn out, scotch bright pad and it cleaned them like new. Then, I polished them with Alum polish, cleaned the residue back off, then sprayed on a new coat of clear coat, same type I spray on the paint jobs. They looked almost like new again.
However just because it worked good on mine-doesn't mean its gonna do great on yours.
Merry Christmas,
Chuck

[Youngblood]

the stuff we had in the lab was so strong it was eating the glass containers.

One of the things for which Hydrofluoric Acid is well known (I thought) is its ability to dissolve glass. Fun stuff for etching patterns into mirror fronts and glass panels ... so long as you treat the substance with great respect.

[CINDERS]

Yeah guess I am in the same boat Peter having worked on the land spraying 2-4-D and 2-4-5 T to control prickly pears and decanting neat formaldehyde into a 10 litre bucket as a foot wash for the dairy cattle all in a T-Shirt and stubby shorts and boots and what protection? We have all played with good stuff in our various endeavours.

[Peter Laidler]

The anti-fur protesters used to throw hydroflouric acid at the huge plate glass shop windows selling fur products. Now they just cover them in sheets of sacrificial plastic sheets to defeat the protesters. Just think..... if I was into fur protesting I'd be quids in now AND have clean alloys!

What custom bike you got Catman? I'll look for some hiogh strength British equivalent of the stuff you mention. I have tried brake dust cleaner and oven cleaner with no joy. If the car was newer or a bit of a classic I'd have them bead blasted, stripped, polished and repainted. But every time I think that the powerful little beast won't get through another year, it does! It's really like a faithful old beagle. Whatever I chuck at it, it just takes it on the chin and comes back for more.

I think I mentioned the radium infilled sights on an old SOE Sten gun Gary. Nobody knew they were radium filled but when the radiac survey dozymeter entered the room, it started clicking like a crazed locust! The luminous paint was still potent under layers of paint and 70 years! Never bothered me none!

[CINDERS]

You sure you do not glow in the dark Peter!

[Peter Laidler]

After we decided that the Sten gun sights needed a trefoil warning, the dozymeter STILL clicked away like a demon! That was caused by my old Omega wristwatch which also had a radium dial! They really didn't know what to do after that! Anyway, I made a pot of tea just to sppread a bit more radium laden sunshine around the place.............