In today’s video, I’m going to show you how to remove galvanization from steel quickly and easily using muriatic acid. I have these tent stakes that I want to use for a project but first I must remove the galvanize coating. So, what is galvanized metal? It’s steel that has a layer of zinc which prevents rust from forming when exposed to the elements. Zinc can be very dangerous to your health if inhaled from its dust or fumes. This means it must be removed before grinding, welding, or other cases where the steel goes under enough heat to vaporize the zinc. That being said, zinc poisoning can easily be avoided.
For my solution, I’m using 3 parts water to one part muriatic acid. Muriatic acid is also known as hydrochloric acid. There’s a few minor differences in the two, being levels of purity and concentration. To remove galvanization, you don’t need to mix it in water to work but I found that this ratio works exceptionally well. As soon as you put the steel in the solution, it will begin to bubble. That’s the zinc dissolving in the acid. Make sure you are wearing skin, eyes, and lung protection when doing this process. The same reasons you wouldn’t want to weld with galvanized steel apply to this process so make sure you do it in a well ventilated area.
After only a few minutes all of the zinc was removed from the tent stakes. When you remove it from the solution, you must neutralize the acid from the steel otherwise it’ll keep eating away. I mixed up a quick solution of washing soda, borax, and water. I kept adding until the solution was fully saturated and wouldn’t dissolve anymore of the powder. There’s still a galvanized section that wasn’t submerged in the acid so I’m going to flip these and repeat the process. After two minutes the bubbles stop flowing so aggressively and the coating looks like it’s completely off. I neutralize the steel again and set aside.
To dispose of this acid solution I’m just going to pour it into my neutralization solution. The acid and bases cancel each other out rather quickly in the form of these bubbles and heat. You really should pour the neutralizing solution into the acid to avoid the acid slashing onto you, but I couldn’t do that with my container. Something to consider if you’re attempting this process. Make sure you read the instructions on the muriatic acid label.
You can immediately tell the difference between the plain steel and zinc coated steel. Since the steel has no coating, but is left with a nice patina, you want to put on a layer of oil to prevent rust from forming. Now it’s ready to be heated and used in an upcoming project.
Muriatic Acid: amzn.to/2Zecto3
Galvanized Steel Tent Stakes: amzn.to/2Mihqai
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Sharp Works
25 апр 2018
