More Chemical Cleaning Questions

[Dan Schultz]

I use sulfamic acid for chem-cleaning. It's the same stuff that stonemasons and concrete finishes use for cleaning up morter and doing exposed agregate. It does a very good job of removing mineral deposits from brass without damaging the brass. It's fairly safe to handle inasmuch as there are no fumes and it will only go into solution 10% by weight. It's cheap... about $40 for a fifty-pound bag at most any commercial chemical place. Now that I've gotten you all worked up and ready to chem-clean your own horns on the cheap.... READ ON....

This is still an acid and will damage you, your horn, and your home/garage/basement/backyard if you don't use it correctly. You need a plastic tank large enough to hold a tuba. You need eye protection. You need rubber gloves.....

Oh... never mind. Spend a few bucks and take your horn to a good repairman who has experience at this.

[Chuck(G)]

Come on Chuck, get adventurous...

You want adventure? How about prussic acid?

[Art Hovey]

Here's a little story about vinegar. A couple of years ago I was making a replacement valve stem, and decided to try starting with a Stainless Steel bolt. I managed to drill a hole into it (for the valve cap to screw into) and was cutting threads into the hole with a tap. which broke off in the hole. I couldn't get the broken piece out. So I put the valve stem into a small jar of vinegar and let it sit with a cover on it for a couple of weeks. The steel tap completely dissolved away, leaving no trace. The stainless steel was untouched by the acid, and I was able to finish tapping the hole with a new tap. Vinegar is not as fast-acting as some acids, but it gets the job done if you give it time. On brass I would suggest testing it on small parts to find the ideal reaction time. But I would also want to see how rapidly it eats away the solder joints. I suspect that it will work faster on solder than it will on brass. (Comments about that from real chemists would be welcome here.)

[Chuck(G)]

The sodium salt of prussic acid will work for ya if you're siver plating... nut yeah, I've dealt with it on occasion, and if you're careful there's nothing to fear. I think I'm more scared of HF - hydrogen fluoride - eats through glass, and will kill you with very minor exposure...

But the fluoride salt of tin goes into your toothpaste. And NaF isn't regulated nearly as much as NaCN.

Truth be told, organic compounds scare me a lot more than the inorganics. I mean, if you accidently dump the sodium fluoride into the acid tank, you can still run for the exit. But spill a few drops of dimethyl mercury on yourself...

[Teubonium]

When dealing with acids, please be careful, and "allways add acid", if you have strong stuff, it can get really hot really fast.

Or, as we were taught, "Do as you oughter... add acid to water.â€

[Chuck(G)]

Here we go again . . .

O shed a tear for little Willy,
A boy we'll see no more.
For what he thought was H2O
Was H2SO4.

(Too bad I can't figure out the super- and sub-script stuff right now. Sorry.)

Doesn't matter anyway, pHpBBS doesn't allow it:

H₂SO₄

E = mc²

<strike>It doesn't allow this either</strike>

[SplatterTone]

Just curious: Has anyone tried automotive radiator flush? I know the old style is oxalic acid and came with neutralizer as part of the kit. I don't know what is in some of the newer stuff like Prestone.

And for the record (one more time): If you clean the water out of the horn, and spray the cheap, $5 for 16 fl. oz. valve oil into the slides and lead pipe, the horn with stay clean and oxidation free. The felts on piston valves might not like all the oil, but rotary valves got no problem with it. My Allora 186 gets played almost every day (or got played ... prior to the new acquisition). After about two years, the inside still looks new. I would not expect a horn to require more the two bottles per year for $10 which is cheap.

[Chuck(G)]

1¹2²3³

Joe, while that might work for E=MC², it's not going to help with the formula for sufuric acid, is it?

[tubaguy9]

1¹2²3³

Joe, while that might work for E=MC², it's not going to help with the formula for sufuric acid, is it?

So, who would like to inform us all on how to do superscripts?

[Dan Schultz]

1¹2²3³

Joe, while that might work for E=MC², it's not going to help with the formula for sufuric acid, is it?

So, who would like to inform us all on how to do superscripts?

Right click and take a look at the source code. Cure... but lots of work!

[Dan Schultz]

Joe, while that might work for E=MC², it's not going to help with the formula for sufuric acid, is it?

So, who would like to inform us all on how to do superscripts?

Right click and take a look at the source code. Cure... but lots of work!

Darn!.... I meant CUTE.... but lots of work! Edit gone.... grumble, grumble. grumble

[Dean E]

Don't forget to degrease before you pickle that tuba. I like simple green.

-McRobs

Please avoid Simple Green. It can discolor brass in a short time, and residue left in the cracks and crannies of your horn can cause corrosion.
I believe that Simple Green is banned from aluminum aircraft because of the aftereffects.

[Chuck(G)]

The cheapest dishwashing (not dishwasher!) detergent that you can find should be just fine.

Or you could use Granny's lye soap. Gives your skin the texture of fine leather...

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