Alternative to Hydrochloric acid for removing barnacles and tube worm casings

I started using B&Q basic brick cleaner, but after 30 minutes of suffering the fumes and one face of one prop blade barely clean, I reverted to my trusty angle grinder with wire cup brush. The brick earner barely touched the barnacle bases.

Had both shafts and props glistening like new in just 45 minutes.
 
oGaryo said:
Has anyone used this stuff, seem a friendlier alternative to acid

http://www.diy.com/search/brick cleaner/Geocel-Ecochem-Brick-and-Mortar-Cleaner-6001751-1L-10487619
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See the material safety data sheet

Mostly citric acid 10 -30% according to the MSDS but with 1-10% aluminium chloride which ends to hydrolyse in water and release hydrochloric acid.

pH is only 0.3 so pretty acidic!

Take pretty much the same precautions as you would with HCl. Going to be slower than HCl
 
You could try lemon juice or white pickling vinegar. I have used it on equipment used in a reef tank before, not quite sure how you would apply it to a boat though.

Gareth
 
Barnacles Yes they are mostly calcium in the shell so need an acid to dissolve the calcium. Any sort of acid will do from Citric to Oxalic to hydrochloric acid. It is the actual amount of acid that matters as the acid in dissolving the shell is neutralised so strong acid doesn't need so much application a weak acid needs more. Weak of course is safer for you but be careful.
Of course a scraping will remove the body of the molusc and shell but you need acid to get the last of it off.

I seem to have some sort of calcium worm casing or similar growing on my keel at the moment. It is really hard white meandering lines perhaps 1.5 mm diameter. I scrape it off with a paint scraper. Yes the a/f has been worn away but they re appear after just 3 or4 days. Yes the water is warm and I do enjoy diving under neath so not really a problem but I havn't seen these before.
good luck olewill
 
i use an angle grinder with wire brush on the end as well, but make sure you use the brass coloured wire as to the silver type, as the later will score the bronze.
 
My log transducer got bunged up with tubeworms (I assume that's the right term, the squiggly lines of hollow shell). I left it in a glass of coke overnight, and all gone in the morning :)

Pete
 
thanks for the advice which has prompted me to go for the standard brick and patio cleaner from b n q. I've brushed some on the props and as said, the tube worm casts fizzed as expected but 10 mins later, they're still hard to remove. Am I doing something wrong?
 
oGaryo said:
thanks for the advice which has prompted me to go for the standard brick and patio cleaner from b n q. I've brushed some on the props and as said, the tube worm casts fizzed as expected but 10 mins later, they're still hard to remove. Am I doing something wrong?
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You have to keep applying it until all the calcareous deposits have been dissolved. Alternatively immerse the props in the stuff
 
VicS said:
You have to keep applying it until all the calcareous deposits have been dissolved. Alternatively immerse the props in the stuff
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thanks, I'll give the immersion appraoch a go for the props. There's loads of casts on the drives so will have to deal with that progressively with a brish and scraping
 
I went to Wickes this morning to get 5l of their brick cleaner. On the side of the can it states that it should not be used Stainless Steel. What could be the consequences of using it on my SS props? I'm curious because I know various forumites recommend it.
 
scadding said:
I went to Wickes this morning to get 5l of their brick cleaner. On the side of the can it states that it should not be used Stainless Steel. What could be the consequences of using it on my SS props? I'm curious because I know various forumites recommend it.
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When I was cleaning a brass doorknob in the sink.. I used brick cleaning acid to remove the worst of the verdigriz...
It did a supr job on the doorknob... however it seemed to attack the stainles steel of the sink and either left some copper on the stainless or it leached out the chrome.... After a few months and a lot of polishing the stainless shine came back..

It may be that acid is etching away the surface of the stainless... obviously for a cosmetic think like a sink it is very bad news, but for thick material I don't think it is muchntomworry about?

Fingers crossed
 
Hydrochloric acid - not to be used for stainless. And mostly this is in brick cleaners.

Citric acid is used for 'passivating' stainless, 300 series (giving it better surface resistance) and it also works for descaling and such - strong solution should do the job.
Acetic acid (vinegar) also works, higher concentrations are very effective at removing almost everything, but more than 20% is dangerous (for user, not steel ;) )
Phosphoric acid (rust remover) also works (but I haven't used it on stainless myself); it is used as stain remover in building (brick cleaner ?) as better than hydrochloric. And in Cola, naturally :)
 
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