another vinegar 'miracle'

First thing...sorry no pics, I didn't think it was going to work! We bought a '63 Impala to re-do and some genius had dropped both front seat side protector trim pieces (my crappy description) in concrete! I took a shot and soaked them in vinegar for 4 days and, viola, wiped them clean with a shop towel!

 

so you saying that vinegar removed concrete from the aluminum seat trim?

 

Vinegar eats aluminum, and will eat steel eventually, but it doesn't touch plastic.

 

Yeah, it wiped off as if it was just dropped in.

I think these pieces are anodized, it didn't harm them at all. I kept a close eye on the process, not knowing for sure how the vinegar would react with them.

I had a friend tell me to use muratic acid!!! Now THAT would have made a meal out of them!

 

These were caked in rust. I couldn't even see the washers. I soaked them for several days (my vinegar is about a year old with lots of parts done) and they came right apart. You can see the line were the vinegar stops.







Muratic Acid will do the same thing, quicker, and it's toxic.

 

Vinegar is acetic acid. Used in the ceramic tile and concrete trade to remove concrete reidue from walls ect. Known as giving items a douche also. In Nixa Mo. there is a vinegar plant,and Im trying to find out if I can get some that is undiluted. Most kitchen is 5% acid. We'll see.

 

Vinegar is just a vey mild acid. If you want, just use muriatic acid and delute it. Usually 1 part acid to 10 parts water.

ALWAYS ADD ACID TO WATER, NOT OTHER WAY AROUND CUZ IT WILL BOIL, AND CAUSE SERIOUS BURNS

 

FYI, muriatic is diluted hydrochloric acid. Muriatic is also known by the common name of swimming pool acid if you want to buy some.

 

Keep that well away from aluminum, too.

 

Or...just use vinegar.

 

don't forget to throw a couple of hard boiled eggs in. They have great pickled eggs at Joes Jost.

 

I was introduced to both White and Red vinegar at out ranch in the early WWII '40's. That was all we could get. I used it to soak and clean carburetor parts (Red) and also degrease (White). We even used it as a final finish cleaner on parts to be primed. Affordable, accessible and no real problems with disposal either. I cleaned the Spark Plugs with Ketone too.
Normbc9

 

Keep a bottle of baking soda/water mix near if you are playing with muriatic acid. It will eat its way through your garage floor real quickly if you spill some.

 

Muriatic will clean a slab!