Hydrofluoric Acid to clean wheels?

[Eric]

I use the Meguiar's Wheel Brightener with great results, I use it 3:1.
The wheels have to be really dirty before I use it, my wheels are always well protected to in most cases just soap and water is all I need for my wheels, not so for some of my customers wheels though, baked on brake dust can take a long time to clean but not with the WB, really dissolves it quickly.

Just use common sense, not a bad idea to wear eye protection, a mask, gloves, that goes for a lot of wheel cleaners, even some of the all purpose cleaners can be harmful to you.

Wheel brightener is acid, but not HF acid IIRC.

[Audios S6]

Wheel brightener is acid, but not HF acid IIRC.

Ammonium bifluoride is a precursor to HF

[FUNX650]

Wheel brightener is acid, but not HF acid IIRC.

Sorry...It's a little bit more complicated than that.
{Meguiar's D140's acid is: Ammonium BiFluoride (ABF)}


•Basically:
-Ammonium BiFluoride can be viewed as a mixture of:
ammonium fluoride and hydrogen fluoride.
-Ammonium Bifluoride has a molecular weight of 57.0432. And:
-Hydrogen fluoride (HF) has a molecular weight of 20.006.
-Ammonium BiFluoride is therefore 35.072% HF.

•Another "Touch of Chemistry" regarding ABF:
-ABF is a crystalline salt formed when ammonium hydroxide reacts with HF.
-Through another (complicated) chemical reaction:
ABF essentially becomes HF when mixed with water or liquid cleaning solutions.
-Fluoride ions are fluoride ions...they are what causes the dangers to Humans health.
-(Don't get me started on fluoride added to our Nation's drinking water supply!!)

•Whenever someone...(anyone, for that matter):
-Tries to pass-off ABF as a "safe" HF alternative;
And/Or:
-Promulgates to use either one as "wheel cleaners/brighteners"...

That is when I become deeply troubled.


Bob

[oldmodman]

Extremely dangerous and toxic substance. Stay away.

Just to add to what everyone has said...STAY AWAY. This stuff is just plain nasty.

Even in a diluted state, a lot of human damage can still occur.

I'm sure "PiPUK" will be chiming in this one with his wealth of facts.

Bill

Many years ago I found some bottles of Eagle One Chrome Wheel Cleaner at Pic N Save.
I bought all they had and I did read the ingredients before using them. one of the ingredients was hydrofluroic acid (dilute).
So I took "reasonable" care in using it. Rubber gloves, long sleeve shirts, and safety goggles. The one thing I forgot was a safety mask.

So naturally, one of the times I was using it a gust of wind blew some of the mist toward me and I inhaled some.
My lung just about instantly started filling with liquid and I could not stop coughing.
I knew pretty much right away I was in serious trouble so I did what had to be done, even thought I knew exactly how unpleasant it was going to be. I had a five gallon bucket of fresh water. I put my head under and inhaled. Coughed it all out. Then did it again. It was a lot harder to do the second time. But after getting all the water out of my lungs I was finally able to breath again without coughing. I went across the street to a neighbor that is an industrial medicine specialist and has actually treated quite a few aerospace workers for acid ingestion and inhalation. He listened to my breathing and had me cough up onto a strip that measures acidity and said since the quantity that I took in was so low I would be fine. Just don't do it again. He did say that if after three or four hours if I started coughing again he would drive me to the emergency room at UCLA where he had privileges and treat me himself since most typical doctors had never treated a case of acid inhalation before. Especially hydrofluroic.
And after all that I actually kept the wheel cleaner anyway. But now i always wear the correct facemask.

[FUNX650]

Thanks, oldmodman, for sharing your not-too-pleasant experience with HF.

I just hope it somehow sinks-in to others,
that have now read of this experience.

Bob

[BillE]

One thing we can all take from this conversation is: When one is using ANY product that may have some sort of questionable chemical makeup we need to READ and UNDERSTAND those MSDA sheets and take the necessary precautions.

In other words...We all need to get (and keep) our heads outa our a** and be careful!

In the esteem words of Sgt Esterhouse, "Be careful out there."

Bill

[Mike Phillips]

Bump for a clean URL

[Farmallluvr]

I use it on occasion to clean wheels or a few other things,I wear gloves,a respirator and pour baking soda under the tire for it to run into and neutralize before it goes I to my drains.

I take no chance if it gets on my skin,I was it off instantly

[Mike Phillips]

I bumped this to share that I shared this article here,


https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...ml#post1695211


The topic of acid wheel cleaners was brought up as a way to remove road film or traffic film.

Not the method I use but others do.