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I carelessly placed a container of masonary cleaner (muriatic and other organic acids) in a stainless steel sink. Now there are stains on the sink from these acids. Can the stains be removed? If they can, by what procedure?
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I use the product called CLR for the normal stains in stainless but I have no idea if it would help in your situation...Did you try it yet?
Near the stream,
J
*Jack, the word is masonry! Drop the A!I'm just kidding about the typo, but you wouldn't believe how many masons spell their own trade wrong!For some reason, I'm fascinated when I discover another improperly spelled masonry sign on the side of a truck!hope y'all catch the bug!Blue
*Hey blue, apparently you don't booger it all, you seem to be part of the spelling/grammer police that reside here.We build structures here, not structure sentences.I always have the spell checker open when writing here, and hear about it when I don't use it. I think there are some 6th grade English teachers that have infiltrated this group. Actually, truth be known, it helps me to be more conscious of my typing and language, which helps when writing contracts.Keep up the good work.
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Improper use of the language certainly makes an impression on some clients, and it is not the impression you want to make!
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Jack, your "stain" is actually corrosion. Acids will attack metals, even "stainless" steel, and accelerate the corrosion process. Some metals and metal alloys are just less susceptible to the attack and corrode at a slower rate. The molecular structure has been altered on the surface of your sink, and the only way to restore it is to remove the minutely thin layer of corrosion products. I don't pretend to know the best PROCESS to remove the layer, but either chemical or mechanical means will be necessary. Unfortunately, the corrosion layer cannot be "turned back" into stainless steel.
*AT LAST, a subject I know something about(other than roofing and pissing customers off over the phone).In my previous life as an electro-plater we used muriatic acid to strip chrome plating from plastic injection molds,etc.Your problem is that stainless steel has a very high chrome content within the steel, and the muriatic has been eating it out.First thing you want to do is neutralize the muriatic with a caustic soda,A dose of really nasty drain cleaner might work.Now that the acid is neutral you can consider damage.Muriatic is really hydrochloric acid with an inhibiter in it.The amount of damage to the sink will depend on how inhibited the acid was. If you are lucky emery paper and scotch brite will polish the stain out.I suspect that the sink may be pemanently stained though,depending on how long the acid worked on it.(which is why I suggested neutralizing it,even after you rinsed the acid down the sink some of it was still working within the steel.Any how ,I am surprized I remembered all of this. The end result will be that you have a pretty difficult problem,or hopefully not much of a problem at all.wish you the best of luck, Stephen
*Ordinarily you're not supposed to scour stainless sinks, but it your fix it will likely work -- did the acid actually pit the surface, or does it just look bad (i.e., superficial). Get several grades and with the finer stuff you can polish it. SOS pads will do the initial work...Um, Stephen, couldn't he just use baking soda to neutralize?
*Andrew, I really don't know. I went with the materials I was familiar with. I doubt baking soda would work ,but who knows? Maybe sodium bicarbonate works the same as sodium hydroxide but I wouldn't want to swallow sodium hydroxide for an upset stomach. Not a chemist or a pharmacist, Stephen
*I'm placing bets on CLR and maybe some sanding and polishing.Jack, tell Jack your results when done with this project.J
*Remember the old trick of mixing vinegar and baking soda? the mild (acetic?) acid of the vinegar reacts with the bicarb (which acts as a buffer) to release copious CO2. Lots of fun.Just thought enough nasty chemicals had gone down the drain. I imagine the acid's spent or washed away by now.
*My 16# sledge will finish the sink off!Blue
*Look on the bright side,with all the polishing,scrubbing,and acid baths this guys' sink is gonna be really clean.Lucky,but with a much dirtier sink,Stephen
*You know, you can buy a brand new sink a lot faster than it takes to read all these posts?HCl is inorganic, right?
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Thanks for the CLR suggestion. I'll try this before pollishing with abrasives. I have the feeling that replacement via the 16# sledge will be the final solution.
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16# is for cast iron sinks and bath tubs. 8# is the proper tool for stainless steel sinks.
*I still remember seeing 3 cars parked side by side.Printed on the cars:SHERIFFSHERRIFFSHERRIFAll from the same department.
*I've been eyeballing a new 20# sledge. Let me know if the 16#'er is too light!Blue
*8#!!!!!! I cut mine down to use as a hand sledge. Now it's a good tool for sinking my horseshoe stakes.Blue
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Yes, you may use baking soda to neutralize the acid, much safer than the drain cleaner too. For removing the rust on stainless steel, try "Bar Keepers Friend" (Servaas Laboratories), a powdered cleaner I usually pick up at the local K-Mart. Works great!
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My 8# is a hand sledge, too. I have a 6# dead blow hammer that is the most expensive hammer I have ever had. It cost $60 over 15 years ago. In today's dollars that's more than the titanium bugger. But it sure smacks stuff good.
*They should call them stainfull steel sinks - I can't stand 'em! Therefore, I vote for the sledge job.Andrew, you could do my job - dyeing fabric. I have to make sure the mordant is either a high ph or a low ph, then apply accordingly (usually it's soda ash, then a rinse with vinegar). BTW, did you know that vinegar stops the chemical reaction of chlorine bleach in it's tracks? Good to know if you've ever added Clorox to that colored load in the washer ;)Patty
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I carelessly placed a container of masonary cleaner (muriatic and other organic acids) in a stainless steel sink. Now there are stains on the sink from these acids. Can the stains be removed? If they can, by what procedure?