GL: A Cure For Rusting Stainless

[fred]

West Marine sells a nice bottom cleaner to get your barnacles off ...
"Marykate On-Off Hull/Bottom Cleaner" and it advertizes that it removes
rust stains ... which it sure does.

It does that by containing nitric acid, as I recall.

Perhaps this stuff would be a safe way to "passivate SS" as described in
Wayne's email shown below?

Just for your amusement, back in my speedboat days, I used to use this
stuff every fall, and one year I didn't use gloves and got it on my hands
... it didn't harm my skin in any way, but it completely removed all the
callouses from my hands left over from my younger days as an electrician
turning a screwdriver 8-10 hours a day.  It left me with baby-smooth hands,
but I sure don't recommend it for this use!

Be sure to wash your stainless and your decks with freshwater after you're
done.

Fred W.
Tug 44

http://www.tug44.org/



At 01:16 PM 2/3/2007 -0600, you wrote:
>'Lo All,
>
>I hesitate to repeat the following, as there are great dangers 
>involved even if appropriate precautions are taken.
>
>Passivating SS is a simple process. Wipe Nitric Acid on the metal 
>with a small, clean rag, then wipe it off. It removes all free iron 
>so that there is nothing left to rust. A poor grade of SS will never 
>become fully passivated. Nitric acid is available on the internet and 
>elsewhere. Again, ALL safety precautions must be taken. Know what you 
>are doing BEFORE you try it!!!!!!!! Google "passivating SS" and you 
>can learn more than you ever wanted to know. There are other 
>commercially made concoctions, too, but most contain nitric acid as 
>the active ingredient. Some concoctions are made of paste, and other 
>things to simplify application.
>
>Also, if you get it, use it, and save the remainder; be sure the 
>container is always properly marked and its location is safe from 
>children or other accidental exposure, such as by dropping or 
>knocking it off of a shelf when looking for something else.
>
>I used Nitric acid on all of the SS stanchions and weldments on my 
>old sailboat. Most had a minor surface coat of rust. After 
>passivating, there was never any more rust stains, except where an 
>errant screw driver or something scratched the SS surface, exposing 
>free iron. After wiping with the nitric acid, I immediately flushed 
>the area with baking soda and water.
>
>YMMV!      Use ALL safety precautions such as not breathing the 
>fumes, not letting it touch your skin in any manner, wearing a safety 
>face shield, etc., etc., etc. Nitric acid is extremely dangerous, so 
>if you ever use it, handle it with extreme care.
>
>
>Take care and be safe.
>
>Wayne
>M/V Celestial
>Albin43 Sundeck 
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