burnt copper A NoGo

Originally Posted by etack

jewelers use dilute sulfuric acid in there pickling solutions to brighten cooper.

look for sulfuric acid drain cleaner. It will be wrapped in plastic at Ace or HD lowes. it should say 98% sulfuric acid. from what I read on this (pickle)its about 10% acid the rest water 1:10 ratio on acid to water. (always add acid to water ESPECIALLY WITH SULFURIC)



Try it on small lot with a small amount of acid solution.

If I were to do this and had a reason to. I would set up my turkey fryer and use a big canning pot to boil water in then I would make my acid solution (always add acid to water ESPECIALLY WITH SULFURIC) in a 5gal plastic pail and put it into the hot water and let it heat up. when its warm around 80-90 degrees I would dip in some cooper and let it sit till all is clean. first rinse it in water then rinse it in a weak solution of lye and water then clean water again and again.

Just a warning sulfuric acid is a nasty unforgiving acid when concentrated and still nasty diluted. look up sulfuric acid burns it will eat through your skin in no time. diluted it will burn were gloves and eye protection. It will also do some pretty good work on your clothes so where the ones you were throwing out. I like to use those plastic rain suits for stuff like this.

Metal Studio Workbook: In a pickle. All about pickling solutions and how to dispose of them.

Sulfuric acid will eat thru all organic materials. Pants,shirts,shoes,boots,socks,hats...etc. It will keep eating until it exhausts itself or hits something inorganic. I would not handle it unless you have gloves that go up to at least your elbow that are rated to handle acid. You should also have at least a rubber apron on and a full face shield.
I am a bit surprised that you would post this as a means to clean copper wiring. Most scrappers are not going to have that proper safety equiptment to handle sulfuric acid and by posting in big red letters not to pour water into acid ever may not be enough of a warning for some people. Its very easy to get what goes into what confused and if the mistake is made or the proper dilution is not mixed you are going to have at the least some bad burns or possibly worse.
I DO NOT RECOMMEND anyone using sulfuric acid to strip wire. If you are too lazy to use a wire stripper or strip it by hand then turn it in as #2 insulated. Its not worth permanently scarring yourself or possibly killing yourself for a couple of pennies.
I am also surprised you posted this considering the top priority at the other site is safety.

Originally Posted by BRASSCATCHER

Sulfuric acid will eat thru all organic materials. Pants,shirts,shoes,boots,socks,hats...etc. It will keep eating until it exhausts itself or hits something inorganic. I would not handle it unless you have gloves that go up to at least your elbow that are rated to handle acid. You should also have at least a rubber apron on and a full face shield.
I am a bit surprised that you would post this as a means to clean copper wiring. Most scrappers are not going to have that proper safety equiptment to handle sulfuric acid and by posting in big red letters not to pour water into acid ever may not be enough of a warning for some people. Its very easy to get what goes into what confused and if the mistake is made or the proper dilution is not mixed you are going to have at the least some bad burns or possibly worse.
I DO NOT RECOMMEND anyone using sulfuric acid to strip wire. If you are too lazy to use a wire stripper or strip it by hand then turn it in as #2 insulated. Its not worth permanently scarring yourself or possibly killing yourself for a couple of pennies.
I am also surprised you posted this considering the top priority at the other site is safety.

If you either take the wire in with the coating and sell it like that or strip it the right way by using a jig or knife or any other means you have. Then you would never need to use sulfuric acid, I have used this acid for projects and will say no one should use it unless they have some exp with it and have all the safety gear like the acid neutralizer on a 2 to 1 so you have more neutralizer than you needed (once you mix it with water you now need more neutralizer). May not be a BAD thing to stop by and tell the fire department what you are doing encase they are called out they KNOW what COULD of gone wrong if you are NOT talking.


Again I will say maybe I am to much of a profeivanl that I will do the job right the first time so I do not have to do all the other steps like burning wire, mixing the acid, washing wire, neutralize the acid that was used, making sure the wire is fully neutralized (acid burns) then trying to go and sell it.....to many steps and not talking about the costs and the safety gear....fire and acid? Alot of room for things to go WRONG!

Originally Posted by BRASSCATCHER

Sulfuric acid will eat thru all organic materials. Pants,shirts,shoes,boots,socks,hats...etc. It will keep eating until it exhausts itself or hits something inorganic. I would not handle it unless you have gloves that go up to at least your elbow that are rated to handle acid. You should also have at least a rubber apron on and a full face shield.
I am a bit surprised that you would post this as a means to clean copper wiring. Most scrappers are not going to have that proper safety equiptment to handle sulfuric acid and by posting in big red letters not to pour water into acid ever may not be enough of a warning for some people. Its very easy to get what goes into what confused and if the mistake is made or the proper dilution is not mixed you are going to have at the least some bad burns or possibly worse.
I DO NOT RECOMMEND anyone using sulfuric acid to strip wire. If you are too lazy to use a wire stripper or strip it by hand then turn it in as #2 insulated. Its not worth permanently scarring yourself or possibly killing yourself for a couple of pennies.
I am also surprised you posted this considering the top priority at the other site is safety.

I think that you have miss read this thread. I am talking about using 10% sulfuric acid not HOT 98% sulfuric acid this is used in HS jewelry making classes and in wash tanks in machine shops. This is to be respected but not feared and warn the fire department about. If this was the case when you unclogged your sink you would need to call then too.

pickling cooper is not new or inherently dangerous caution is good not saying its not.

Eric

Originally Posted by etack

......This is to be respected but not feared and warn the fire department about. If this was the case when you unclogged your sink you would need to call then too.

pickling cooper is not new or inherently dangerous caution is good not saying its not.

Eric

Yes you should warn the fire department, using it once to unclog a sink is not the same as you using it to clean wire. You have a higher risk of getting it into your eye or other related accidents. In my book, its just smart to let them know that you have an acid that strong (if its pushing over 90%) and your using it more than just once a year for the dammed clogged sink.

Just take a look at this link https://www.google.com/search?q=sulf...w=1008&bih=632

just encase something known as a accident happens it would be nice if they knew what was burning your skin off when they show up and how to stop it....just a thought...I kinda like my skin/body.

@ etack- No I did not mis-read the thread. You still have to use 98% sulfuric and dilute with water. Not as bad as handling hot sulfuric but I still would not want to have it spill and get a drop in my eye, or have it all over my work area. You, me and others know that water should not go into acids, but it only takes one time for someone to get distracted and make that mistake. Don't want to get into a pissing match about this, so we can just agree to disagree on this point and hopefully our posts will educate a few people that read this.
@SirS- any pictures of you in those shorts?