Phosphoric acid ok pickle for copper and brass?

Hi,

I was using phosphoric acid as a pickle for silver soldered steel parts and also to get the mill scale off laser and water jet cut parts. It works really well.

So I have been using it to clean up the inlet and exhaust plumbing for my loco during construction and it seems to clean them up well but I am wondering if anyone knows whether it will harm these metals?

I could get another plastic garbage bin and fill it with citric acid but if I can just use one thing it's easier.

Regards, David.

Hi David,

Phosphoric acid is used in socalled "rust removers" on steel so if you find it works as a pickle, why not use it. I use citric acid for pickling and then dip the work in a sodium hydrogen carbonate solution to neutralize the acid before rinsing in water.

Thor

Tesco lime scale remover is brilliant, just rinse it off in warm water.

It's quite cheap on ebay, I got a gallon for rust removal & find it as good as jelonite & a lot cheaper, I had some sheets of copper stored in the workshop & where they were on the damp floor it turned green so far up the sheets so I tried phosphoric acid with a scotchbright & it came up a treat,[didn't seem to harm the copper] so I use it for cleaning brass as well. No doubt someone with more knowledge will let us know if it has any undesireable effects..

Am I right in thinking that phosphoric acid will eat through glass ? Or am I thinking of some other ?

Roy

Your thinking of hydrofluoric acid roy, we used it in the embossing dept to decorate glass for old fashioned pub windows along with brilliant cutting & sand blasting,some beautifull designs were made with it.

Artfull-codger Thanks, blame ano domini I know it was something nasty

Roy

Edited By roy entwistle on 22/02/2017 14:03:09