muriatic acid

R

Rey

Well-Known Member
After heat treat quench knife has a black cooked like carbon, then it needs to be cleaned using a med. scotch belt to remove. Would it be easier to remove all by quenching it in muriatic acid, then take out and rinse with water so, acid won't eat the metal? Just, needing to know if anyone has done this to positive results instead of grinding the blade to clean it up before tempering?
 
Acid will remove scale, but it will also etch/darken the blade to an extent as well.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
A safer method that is commonly used is to soak the blade in white vinegar overnight and then scrub it down with a wire brush or steel wool.

Doug
 
Thanks Gentlemen for your input, seems I may go with the white vinegar instead of having a darkened blade with the acid. Many thanks again, God Bless. Rey
 
Don't mess with muriatic acid! It fumes a lot (toxic) and the fumes will rust everything in your shop.

It also eats at the steel.

By far, the best way too pickle blades is with white vinegar, just be sure and degrease them first. Most people use it cold, which is very slow. It needs to be heated on a hot plate or in a crock pot first. Then it works fast, but the fumes are "smelly" and this should be done outside.

I've also tried sodium bisulfate (relatively safe, also sold as jeweler's pickling compound and as dry acid for swimming pools), but it eats at the steel way more than the vinegar.
 
Last edited:
Vinegar is another great example of a common, non toxic grocery store bought item, that works way better than the toxic industrial stuff... just like canola oil for quenching. :)

It might cost a bit more in the long run, but you'll get what you pay for.
 
Last edited:
One said:
Don't mess with muriatic acid! It fumes a lot (toxic) and the fumes will rust everything in your shop.

It also eats at the steel.

By far, the best way too pickle blades is with white vinegar, just be sure and degrease them first. Most people use it cold, which is very slow. It needs to be heated on a hot plate or in a crock pot first. Then it works fast, but the fumes are "smelly" and this should be done outside.

I've also tried sodium bisulfate (relatively safe, also sold as jeweler's pickling compound and as dry acid for swimming pools), but it eats at the steel way more than the vinegar.
Click to expand...


Rey,
I concur with Tai and the others,
I had a friend knife maker that passed on a few years ago leave a bottle of Muriatic acid open in his shop while he went on a vacation for a few days to come back to find all of his steel, $$$$$ Carbon, stainless and some Damascus and many tools mostly ruined and unusable!

I just use hot Apple Vineagar for itching Damascus or clean up like you are asking about. When you're done, Just pour it on the ground somewhere near some rose bushes and you are fine.

Laurence

www.rhinoknives.com
 
Ferric chloride works too. Once a batch starts getting 'dirty' from etching damascus, I use it for scale removal. Depending on the strength, 10-30 minutes is enough to loosen the scale.
 
Most white vinegar has a 5% acidity. I picked up a gallon of Heniz "Cleaning" white vinegar, and noticed it had been reduced to 6% acidity. I may be hallucinating, but it sure seemed to work a bit faster than the 5%.

Robert
 
Robert Dark said:
Most white vinegar has a 5% acidity. I picked up a gallon of Heniz "Cleaning" white vinegar, and noticed it had been reduced to 6% acidity. I may be hallucinating, but it sure seemed to work a bit faster than the 5%.

Robert
Click to expand...

Robert,
according to my terrible math, going from 5% to 6% is about a 18% improvement. It will work about 18% better.
I will look for some. I was just buying the quart size bottles of apple vinegar at the .99 cent store.
It works.

Laurence

www.rhinoknives.com
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top