Dissolving broken taps

Gallery, Projects and General > How do I??

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AdeV:

--- Quote from: Ned Ludd on July 27, 2010, 07:49:29 PM ---Hi AdeV,
Do you have any gun shops near you? If so pop along and ask them for some "cartridge case cleaner". The main ingredient is Nitric acid, which will dissolve steel but leave Aluminium alone. It works a treat on broken taps, I completely dissolved a 2.5mm tap in a couple of hours, all that was left was a black sludge. A 6mm tap will take longer but you don't have to dissolve it completely, just enough so that the core can be pulled out.
My stock, bought years ago at an ME exhibition, came from Delway Technical Services. I don't know if they are still going, recessions being what they are, but their phone number was 051-639 3201 although the prefix needs updating.
Ned

--- End quote ---

Perfect that Ned, thanks! That's only a couple of miles away from me, all I need to do now is get someone to answer the phone...

AdeV:
I've obtained some concentrated nitric acid, but due to the late hour it arrived, I didn't have time to test it out. All will be revealed tomorrow (I'll be trying out a test piece first...)

Edit to add: I will be taking all proper precautions, I am suitably drilled in the nastiness of concentrated acids (and alkalies, for that matter). :zap:

raynerd:
If you don`t mind me asking, where did you get it from as Conc. Nitric Acid - I thought best you could get without some registration would be about 40%. Only place I could think of was artist supplies as they use it for etching copper but then again, this wasn`t conc.? No reason...just curious to know!

Nitric acid will be great for this, really quick and won`t touch the ally, or at least shouldn`t do! Let us know.

Chris

Tinkering_Guy:
Wikipedia sez:

--- Quote ---Nitric acid is miscible with water and distillation gives a maximum-boiling azeotrope with a concentration of 68% HNO3 and a boiling temperature of 120.5 °C at 1 atm, which is the ordinary concentrated nitric acid of commerce.

--- End quote ---

I think 40% HNO3 is plenty strong. I certainly wouldn't want to mess about with anything stronger without a complete lab setup (fume hood, granite bench, 3mil nitrile gloves, et cetera).

Stilldrillin:

--- Quote from: AdeV on July 28, 2010, 06:58:34 PM ---(I'll be trying out a test piece first...)

Edit to add: I will be taking all proper precautions, I am suitably drilled in the nastiness of concentrated acids (and alkalies, for that matter). :zap:

--- End quote ---

Good luck Ade! :thumbup:

Be careful.......

David D

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