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H

hemicuda

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 3, 2007
Messages
57
Location
British Columbia Canada
Hello all!
I am going to be reverse plating in a sulfuric cell more than 30 + pounds of old pins. I have 1 problem and a few questions to ask (and I shall keep them all straight forward and simple...lol )

1) For de-plating of these pins does it matter if there is solder on them? i know i might not get the gold that is under the solder but will I have trouble with it?
2) Can I use battery acid in the cell ( new acid ) with the specific gravity of 1864?...I can get 93% battery acid but.....will this stuff work okay?
3) I have a few pics I would like to post and I know I read somewhere that I have to keep the image size to a certain amount so Forum members that would like to download them can.

More questions to come thanks to all that can help in advance!

This is still by far the best site going!
Regards,Keith.
 
(1) the solder actually incorporates the gold that is under it. The gold becomes part of the solder alloy. The sulfuric won't dissolve this. Therefore, anything under the solder will be lost when using the sulfuric stripper.

(2) In the U.S., I know of no 93% sulfuric battery acid. It is usually about 35%. If the acid is truly 93%, it will work great as is.
 
Thank-you for the response GSP, apparently the 93% acid I have found is used soley for the "huge" batteries in battery operated forklifts and the shop I stopped into today said they may sell it to me for $20 for a quarter of a gallon.??? maybe it is tooooooo good to be true! lol.
I am assuming that I would need to boil down the acid that i have already then?
 
Keith,
See if you can find Rooto, or some other drain cleaner with a high percentage sulphuric content. It should be about $20 a gallon.
And no boiling it down.
Jim
 
Does it say 93% on the label? Why do you think it is 93%. If it is really 93%, it will not have to be boiled down.

A liter (1000 ml) of 93% sulfuric acid will weigh about 1820 - 1830 grams. A liter of standard U.S. battery acid (35%) will weight about 1260 grams. Big difference. These numbers are not exact but they are close enough to weigh a known amount and estimate the strength of what you have. I would say that, for it to be used in a cell, it should be evaporated until a liter of it, at room temperature, weighs at least 1800 grams.

It would be safer to follow jimdoc's lead and buy a high sulfuric drain cleaner, such as Rooto - read the label for the sulfuric percentage. Other brands have been mentioned on this forum.

Please be very, very careful. Strong sulfuric will burn you bad, whether hot or cold - but especially when hot.
 
Hey guys,
from what the shop owner had told me...( like I said maybe to good to be true,and yes he even cautioned or warned against me buying it), the percentage is 93%. And yes I do agree fully with you GSP, that at that concentration, it is dangerous stuff to use.And of course I would love to have a look at the label saying 93%.
Gsp, thank-you for the comparison in regards to percentages,I shall apply it and see what i actually did get.

Jim,I shall look around to see if I can find Rooto, I have searched the hardware stores for better drain openers but some that i have found say " sulfuric acid with up to 11 buffers."...lol I have 1 type of drain opener here on hand that is actually dark brown and looks like it already has been used in a cell!!!! lol
As with other drain openers they do not even list the percentage of Sulfuric....but they do come in that tell tale "danger" plastic bag too.
Jim in regards to Rooto,could you suggest a big box store that might sell it? We just have Home Depot here and to no avail is it stocked on the shelves.

Thanks again for the help,info and heads up! :)
 
Keith,
I got mine at an Ace hardware, other small mom and pop shops
may have it or be able to get it for you. Maybe Noxx or Gustavus
would know a Canadian source for you. I use Rooto, and that is what Steve used in his videos, but there should be others like it.
You are right, when it comes in the plastic bag that is a good sign.
$20 for a quarter gallon sounds high for the other stuff. I don't know how much you will need for 30 lbs of pins, but it may be more than a gallon. I wish I did have that much to play with to know the answer.
Jim
 
You can get a fairly good idea by just picking it up. Concentrated sulfuric is almost twice (actually, 1.8 times) as heavy as water. A quarter of a gallon is a quart. Pick that up in one hand and a quart of something else in the other hand and feel the difference. That's not accurate but it will give you an idea. Also, many hardware stores have a scale for weighing nails. You could get a closer idea from that. Just do the math. The plastic container probably won't weigh much. A US quart of concentrated sulfuric will weigh at least 1720 grams. Figure about 40-50 grams for a plastic quart container.
 
:shock: ....Lol I do not have my work cut out for me but I do have some homework to do though!
I have viewed and reviewed Steve's videos ( which are very handy,thanks Steve!) and have learned quite a bit,now just to apply the knowledge keeping safety in mind.
GSP I shall take and weigh my acid hopefully sometime today and get back to all interested what the outcome is.

Jim,thanks for the tip I shall also do so research into more small style hardware shops for rooto,clober,or liquid fire.....the more i think about the 30 plus pounds the more I think I will need the BIG stripping cell!!!! lol but I will see what I can do for now.
By the way Jim,did you get a chance to find the copper mesh?

Barren thank-you very much for chiming in and lending a hand! I will do some hunting........ :lol: a large primer or small one...lol

Have a good day all,and cheers!!!!
Keith.
 
From the CRC Handbook. The density of various strengths of Sulfuric Acid, by weight, at 20 C:

28% -- 1.2031
32% -- 1.2353
36% -- 1.2685
40% -- 1.3028
44% -- 1.3386
48% -- 1.3759
52% -- 1.4149
56% -- 1.4558
60% -- 1.4987
64% -- 1.5421
68% -- 1.5874
72% -- 1.6338
76% -- 1.6810
80% -- 1.7272
84% -- 1.7693
88% -- 1.8022
92% -- 1.8240
96% -- 1.8355
 
hemicuda said:
Jim,thanks for the tip I shall also do so research into more small style hardware shops for rooto,clober,or liquid fire.....the more i think about the 30 plus pounds the more I think I will need the BIG stripping cell!!!! lol but I will see what I can do for now.
By the way Jim,did you get a chance to find the copper mesh?

Keith.
Click to expand...

Keith,
Maybe a small cell will be better, because you will be able to learn first hand as you go. It will be safer and you can spread out the work to make it more manageable. Work up to a larger setup when you can.
My truck broke down the other day, so I will have to wait until I see what I need to get for that before I spend any money on the mesh.
The store is within walking distance, but I am not ready to do my pins yet. I am still building up my 30 lbs, I am only about 22 lbs away from that mark.

Jim
 
Fork truck batteries are no different than car batteries other than their physical size. In operation the electrolyte should be the same as a car battery. The only reason they may (but I doubt it) be selling concentrated sulfuric would be to save on shipping volume. Don't trust the battery tech to know the difference, be certain to read the label and the MSDS before you pay $20 a quart. If the label doesn't say the MSDS certainly should.
 
Okay, today i was looking at the acid I purchased yesterday, at a specific gravity of 1.28 at 25 degrees C,I have close to 40% purity acid according to the charts that I have read via GSP and Steve,(thank-you for the info.).

Also today I found some different drain opener locally and I also saw the MSDS sheet on this stuff......surprisingly enough-----66 Baume,and a specific gravity of get this 1.84, according to charts i have seen thus far that equates to a whopping 96%...???? and it seems about correct as the sales clerk weighed the 1 liter bottle just for kicks and it weighed up at 4.25 pounds for the bottle. makes me wonder (if this is actually the case) how they can sell this stuff over the counter.

Yuppers still understanding dangers of strong stuff ...ALL PRECAUTIONS WILL BE TAKEN! Gloves,face shield, head protection will be used.

Thanks all for the help again,i will keep you posted.
 
My point was that consumers need to take responsibility for what they buy instead of just thinking that if it is for sale, it is safe. The 96% acid is what you want for your stripping cell, and yes it is dangerous. Being aware of the hazards however can enable you to use it safely.

Through the forum you have become an educated consumer.
 
Imagine the typical homeowner buying 96% sulfuric to unclog their drain. If they get impatient the typical response would be to try some other product. Imagine if that 2nd product was sodium hydroxide 99% also sold as a drain opener. That would be a rude reaction in ones face.
 
Oz said:
Imagine the typical homeowner buying 96% sulfuric to unclog their drain. If they get impatient the typical response would be to try some other product. Imagine if that 2nd product was sodium hydroxide 99% also sold as a drain opener. That would be a rude reaction in ones face.
Click to expand...

You should see what it does if you go behind a customer that has put clorox in the drain without you knowing it and pouring stong sulfuric on top of it. You want chlorine gas? You will get it big time.
 

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