Acid Wash - Prop Clean

[Sailfree]

I notice many recommend using a brick cleaner which I understand can be 10% - 30% hydrochloric acid.

I have 5ltrs of Alloy Wheel Cleaner and wonder whether that will work just as well and be kinder? Wheel Cleaner is Hydrocloric Acis 1% -10%, Orthophosphoric Acid 10%-30% and Butoxypropan 0%-1%.

Just want to remove the crud causing a minimum of scratches so that I can then give it a high polish to minimise the ability of the critters to hang on!

Anyone with any experience of using wheel cleaner? and anyone who didn't sleep at the back at their chemistry lessons and can offer an opinion please?

 

[Plevier]

I asked FlexoFold, they thought brick acid was going a bit far, suggested dunking it in "what you use to decalc your coffee machine".

 

[Daydream believer]

I asked FlexoFold, they thought brick acid was going a bit far, suggested dunking it in "what you use to decalc your coffee machine".

I use a rather old batch ( 40 years) of rather strong commercial brick cleaner & that has done no harm to the prop at all. Cannot see why one would worry. It works & leaves a clean finish that can be polished if one felt so inclined

 

[jdc]

...
I have 5ltrs of Alloy Wheel Cleaner and wonder whether that will work just as well and be kinder? Wheel Cleaner is Hydrocloric Acis 1% -10%, Orthophosphoric Acid 10%-30% and Butoxypropan 0%-1%....

It should work fine to clean the prop of any scale. Hydrochloric acid you know about. (Ortho)Phosphoric acid is non-toxic and is widely used as a de-scaler and rust cleaner, and the butoxypropanol is a common ingredient of detergents where it acts as a simple solvent, apparently effective on soap residues.

None of these will harm the prop but the butoxypropanol is toxic and not so good for the marine environment but you'll probably release less than when washing up the dishes, so I'd not worry over-much.

 

[Sailfree]

It should work fine to clean the prop of any scale. Hydrochloric acid you know about. (Ortho)Phosphoric acid is non-toxic and is widely used as a de-scaler and rust cleaner, and the butoxypropanol is a common ingredient of detergents where it acts as a simple solvent, apparently effective on soap residues.

None of these will harm the prop but the butoxypropanol is toxic and not so good for the marine environment but you'll probably release less than when washing up the dishes, so I'd not worry over-much.

Thanks will try it in the garden tomorrow.

 

[westhinder]

As an alternative, plain white vinegar. Let the prop soak for an hour an you can wipe off any calcium deposits. That is what I have used for the last 15 years.

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

When I had a Mini, back in the sixties, a good way of cleaning the radiator was to fill it with Coca Cola and leave it in there for a couple of days. It worked and was cheap enough for us apprentices. I guess it would work just as well if you fill a bucket with the stuff and submerge the prop in it for a few days. Better than drinking it, IMHO.

 

[Daydream believer]

As an alternative, plain white vinegar. Let the prop soak for an hour an you can wipe off any calcium deposits. That is what I have used for the last 15 years.

Problem is with that is that one needs a lot of vinegar to submerse the prop whereas one needs less than a cupful of brick cleaner

 

[cmedsailor]

As an alternative, plain white vinegar. Let the prop soak for an hour an you can wipe off any calcium deposits. That is what I have used for the last 15 years.

+1. This is what I did, though because of a busy schedule I left it in vinegar for 2 weeks! It came out really clean and after polishing it with some cream (many around) it was like new.

 

[Skylark]

I used (very approx) 50:50 dilution of brick cleaner on my flex-o-fold. Done in a matter of minutes. Second bucket with warm, soapy water to wash it off.

 

[Sailfree]

I used (very approx) 50:50 dilution of brick cleaner on my flex-o-fold. Done in a matter of minutes. Second bucket with warm, soapy water to wash it off.

Thanks was wondering whether to start with diluted solutions first even using wheel cleaner.