67Dart273
Well-Known Member
.........But they are aluminum.........
Made a DIY Hot Tank and failed miserably
- Thread starter HankRearden
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67Dart273
Well-Known Member
How much of a fabricator are you? 55 gal drum with part of the side sliced off? Or even stood on end? If you are careful, with a bit of extra metal, you can cut it open and with some border metal added to the cutoff piece, use it for a lid.
Bathtub sounds great if you can find a non-plastic one. But connecting something reliable to seal the drain might be interesting.
Bathtub sounds great if you can find a non-plastic one. But connecting something reliable to seal the drain might be interesting.
I worked as a materials and process engineer for Douglas Aircraft Company and Boeing. My degree is in Chemistry.
There is a process to etch/remove selected areas of aluminum materials called Chemical Milling. @HankRearden replicated this process by accident. The purple power began to slowly dissolve any aluminum present (freezer liner and pistons). The chemical dissolution of the aluminum produced hydrogen gas (H2) and heat. The heating element raised the temperature of the solution which sped up the reaction of the purple power with the aluminum. The heat from the chemical reaction kept being added to the heat produced by the heating element and in turn sped up the reaction even more which produced more heat. Meanwhile, the sped up reaction continued to produce hydrogen gas which had no where to escape since the freezer lid was either locked or was heavy enough to allow an increasing H2 pressure above the liquid until the pressure caused the walls of the freezer to bulge until the lid blew open. The chemical reaction and the increasing heat used up all of the water in the purple power. The whitish-gray sludge or powder remaining behind was a combination of different oxides of aluminum (aluminum hydroxide and sodium aluminate).
It is fortunate that there was no short in the heating element as any electrical spark would have ignited the hydrogen gas and the entire freezer would have exploded like a bomb. If the lid was not latched then any spark would have caused the exploding gas to push the lid open and thus venting the burning gas to the outdoor air.
Our chemical milling and plating tanks were made out of 316 CRES (Corrosion REsistent Steel) Steel or 304 Stainless Steel because those materials are not susceptible to chemical attack. Aluminum is very susceptible to chemical attack by acids and bases (caustic) which can be found in many cleaning agents such as purple power (probably caustic).
Our heating elements were connected to rheostats to allow for temperature control which was monitored by thermometers. We also monitored the water content of the solutions and added water to maintain the proper chemical balance.
Cast iron is also susceptible to chemical attack by strong acids and strong bases. Test the cleaning agent on a section of the cast iron to determine if any chemical attack will occur.
Most, if not all, 55 gallon drums are lined with a thin layer of a polymer that is chemically resistant to what the drum will contain. Test the cleaning agent on the inside of the drum to determine its compatibility. Some cleaning agents may remove the liner and then allow chemical attack or rust formation.
I hope this helps everyone who is contemplating making a home built cleaning tank.
There is a process to etch/remove selected areas of aluminum materials called Chemical Milling. @HankRearden replicated this process by accident. The purple power began to slowly dissolve any aluminum present (freezer liner and pistons). The chemical dissolution of the aluminum produced hydrogen gas (H2) and heat. The heating element raised the temperature of the solution which sped up the reaction of the purple power with the aluminum. The heat from the chemical reaction kept being added to the heat produced by the heating element and in turn sped up the reaction even more which produced more heat. Meanwhile, the sped up reaction continued to produce hydrogen gas which had no where to escape since the freezer lid was either locked or was heavy enough to allow an increasing H2 pressure above the liquid until the pressure caused the walls of the freezer to bulge until the lid blew open. The chemical reaction and the increasing heat used up all of the water in the purple power. The whitish-gray sludge or powder remaining behind was a combination of different oxides of aluminum (aluminum hydroxide and sodium aluminate).
It is fortunate that there was no short in the heating element as any electrical spark would have ignited the hydrogen gas and the entire freezer would have exploded like a bomb. If the lid was not latched then any spark would have caused the exploding gas to push the lid open and thus venting the burning gas to the outdoor air.
Our chemical milling and plating tanks were made out of 316 CRES (Corrosion REsistent Steel) Steel or 304 Stainless Steel because those materials are not susceptible to chemical attack. Aluminum is very susceptible to chemical attack by acids and bases (caustic) which can be found in many cleaning agents such as purple power (probably caustic).
Our heating elements were connected to rheostats to allow for temperature control which was monitored by thermometers. We also monitored the water content of the solutions and added water to maintain the proper chemical balance.
Cast iron is also susceptible to chemical attack by strong acids and strong bases. Test the cleaning agent on a section of the cast iron to determine if any chemical attack will occur.
Most, if not all, 55 gallon drums are lined with a thin layer of a polymer that is chemically resistant to what the drum will contain. Test the cleaning agent on the inside of the drum to determine its compatibility. Some cleaning agents may remove the liner and then allow chemical attack or rust formation.
I hope this helps everyone who is contemplating making a home built cleaning tank.
Ironracer
Gearhead
Wow Man, Between You and Garrett, Y'all have a Given me some crazy ideas!
Very nice explanation, thanks. I plan on using a solution of dawn dishwashing detergent and water, heated with a flame under an iron bathtub from a propane tank. Should do a really good job of cleaning and be ecologically friendly and pretty safe.
Should be no problem. Cast iron tubs are porcelain lined which is inert.
At one time, machine shops used straight 50% sodium hydroxide solution in their hot tanks and kept it right on the edge of boiling. It would dissolve the cam bearings right out of a used block.
Slantsix64
Well-Known Member
For cleaning Pistons i get a bucket and couple cans of seafoam and let it soak over night and use a tooth brush to clean them.
For my engine cylinder head which was all rusted, i used a container and 50/50 with pool acid it came out pretty much brand new, then i soaked it in baking soda and water, then coated it in thin oil. Make sure you wear a mask, and get the right kind of container because that acid will eat alot of stuff.
For my engine cylinder head which was all rusted, i used a container and 50/50 with pool acid it came out pretty much brand new, then i soaked it in baking soda and water, then coated it in thin oil. Make sure you wear a mask, and get the right kind of container because that acid will eat alot of stuff.
MOPAROFFICIAL
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Well Hank did not come up with blue steel for rails first time out either! Super glad nobody got hurt and you did not have a serious explosion with fire.
I'm just going to connect a ball valve to the drain. Since I'll be using nothing but Dawn and water, I can just open the valve and drain it straight into the ground. Soap and water never hurt anything. Ain't but one way to find out if it'll work.
HankRearden
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the explanation. That makes sense. I had twenty pounds or better sitting on the lid so it had to build a lot of pressure before it burst.
hotrod swinger
Well-Known Member
This reminds me of the time that Jesse Pinkman tried to dissolve that body in a bathtub of hydroflouric acid. Should have listened to Mr. White…
I'm so old I remember when you cold buy a parts cleaner with motor for $100.
They still sell #1 kerosene here!
Anytime you use a phosphoric acid solution, always go back after the first treatment dries, set it good again and rinse with WATER!
I used the expensive crap years ago and swore it off. POR 15. If you are trying to spray it, thinned, I bet you need a nozzle with a BIG hole, like maybe 1.5?? dunno
They still sell #1 kerosene here!
Anytime you use a phosphoric acid solution, always go back after the first treatment dries, set it good again and rinse with WATER!
I used the expensive crap years ago and swore it off. POR 15. If you are trying to spray it, thinned, I bet you need a nozzle with a BIG hole, like maybe 1.5?? dunno
If your cleaning cast iron to degrease it in a heat soak, sodium based alkalis work best on mineral based oil and grease.
Started with a 1.4, the gun came with a 2.0 "primer nozzle" which I wound up switching to in order to get it to flow. After also thinning as per their instructions with their solvent
As I said I'll use POR 15 again, just not their engine paint. This stuff was like, transparent.
And after I did it I looked it up and found a post on the HAMB that someone else had same results with a different color of POR engine paint/ Buick green I think it was, in that guy's case.
I use a 1.5-8 for heavy primers, and topcoats 1.8-2.0 and clear maybe 2.2 Brand of gun will make some difference.
I have always used auto primers/topcoats for bodies, (auto urethane or enamel for engine), Rustoleum for floors and have no problems. I have never needed POR products but that is just me.
Next time I decide to try to paint an engine with a spray gun, I will go back to my tried and true Binks siphon feed gun that has been around longer than I have/ though I think the root problem in this case was the paint.due to reasons already said above.
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