On Sun, 02 Nov 2003 22:29:58 +0800, Old Nick
wrote:

On Sat, 1 Nov 2003 18:17:53 -0800, "Harold & Susan Vordos"
wrote something
......and in reply I say!:

I keep hearing that same response, but how much salt would be in question?
One would have rinsed the parts in clear water, then in a solution of sodium
hydroxide. When the items in question are introduced to the lye solution
the amount of HCL remaining on the parts should be down to next to nothing,
and would most likely already have been neutralized by the iron itself.

But if you have removed the HCl to the point where the salt will not
matter, what is the point of "neutralising" it with the lye?

Smart-sounding question, but genuine. I have always used simple
rinsing and then oil (WD40 or whatever) if needed rather than NaCl,
because of the salt argument.


I used Brownell's water displacing oil after rinsing when hot bluing
firearms, which I haven't done in decades. The bluing solution was a
hellish mix of caustic, sodium nitrite, and sodium nitrate, kept at
295 deg F by back-adding water (very carefully). Very nasty. The hot
rinse was to remove the caustic (lye), etc. In theory, the oil
displaced the water to prevent rusting. Bluing is a form of oxide
which is relatively stable. Without a good rinse and oil, it'll still
rust.

Pete Keillor

_Does_ the lye protect the steel in any way?

If you've not put any steel in HCL, perhaps you should do so to understand
the speed at which it reacts, especially if heated.

I have done it. Yes it rusts anyway if left.


Please read the post by Koz, which is in keeping with my personal
experiences as well. I have no argument with the theory of salt being a
by-product, but one might consider the reality of the situation at hand.

Actually burying the steel in lye, as those conveyors apparently are,
is quite different from having dipped them for a short while and then
left them out to air.

In
this instance, the part(s) would be protected by the residual lye. It would
be highly unlikely that any salt would have been formed.


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Nick White --- HEAD:Hertz Music

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