The Old One - Broken Tap Removal?

It Worked!

I had the work-piece - a small collet - hanging in an Alum solution in a glass jar in the oven, but in the event did not use the oven very much over the few days it was in there.

When I examined it this evening, the broken tap fragment had corroded sufficiently to drop out of the tapped hole, and a tickle with a thin rod soon winkled it out of the collet completely.

So heating the solution will speed the reaction but may not be necessary if time is not important.

Pleased it worked OK; I'm just hoping I never need to try the suggestion.
I'm still hanging on to my old slow cooker though

Bill

It is a well known fact that a five degree rise in temperature generally doubles the rate of a chemical reaction.

Probably even more for enzymic processes (enzymes are more like catalysts) - but for those there is an optimum temperature, above which the reactions slow and the enzyme supply is diminished - or even denatured - like anaerobic breakdown of sugar, by yeasts, to produce alcohol.🙂

Thank you Michael - I'll try that if a further attempt by key fails.

NDIY -

Ah yes, I knew heat can speed a reaction though I had forgotten the numbers. Still, if room temperature suffices and time is not important, not heating it saves money!

The corrosion had not reduced the fragment much, probably only a few thou', but enough to loosen it further. It also removed a tiny " whisker " of steel that had prevented wiggling it out previously.

The stainless-steel was untouched save for a slight matting and change in colour, unimportant for its purpose.

Incidentally I once sectioned a worn-out injector from a miniature locomotive, and discovered that pickling it in mild acid neatly illustrated the cones and body as separate by their different grades of brass turning slightly different colours.