MythBusters chrome cleaner.

Tasty

New member
It's an old episode, but I saw it again last night. Anyone seen the episode where they clean chrome with aluminum foil and Coca-Cola? It worked pretty well according to them. Hard to really see on TV, but amusing nonetheless. I love that show for some reason. I guess watching people test totally crazy things out in half-scientific ways is just fun.
 
Yeah, I've been using Sprite and #0000 steel wool since the mid 70's. I always thought it was the citric acid in the Sprite. Don't know what it is if Coke does it too.
 
I'm not mistaken, Coke is quite acidic - probably one of the reasons it works (if it does). This is also why Coke addicts should think about what exactly it is they're drinking all the time :p
 
Hey, I used coke to remove rust when I was a kid in the 60's, believe me, it took rust off the fenders on my bike.
 
Wow, knowledge from people who have actually done that. I have heard many Coke myths, but never that one until I saw the show.
 
We used to clean windshields with a can of Coke. Strips the bugs off pretty quick. There used to be a controversy over whether New Coke or Classic Coke was better for cleaning windshields. Hey I'm not even that old and I can remember that!
 
Many soft drinks contain phosphoric acid (H3PO4). Depending on it's concentration/form, it can have many practical uses. Phosphoric acid can be used as an etching agent, a buffering solution, or a rust remover. When it is applied to steel, it converts iron oxide (rust) into a water soluble phosphate.
 
chml17l said:
Many soft drinks contain phosphoric acid (H3PO4). Depending on it's concentration/form, it can have many practical uses. Phosphoric acid can be used as an etching agent, a buffering solution, or a rust remover. When it is applied to steel, it converts iron oxide (rust) into a water soluble phosphate.





Ok, well I definatly need you to help me with my chemestry homework. Sounds like you know what you are talking about. I am so tired of seeing stuff like h2so4 and ch3o2, i could choke.







Oh, I use coke to drink, not to polish.
 
wytstang said:
I used coke to remove corrosion off me battery terminals works like a charm.



In the same Mythbusters episode they showed that water worked equally well as Coke.



However, I tend to dislike Mythbusters because NONE of their experiments are scientifically sound.
 
tanha said:
In the same Mythbusters episode they showed that water worked equally well as Coke.



However, I tend to dislike Mythbusters because NONE of their experiments are scientifically sound.



They aren't supposed to be either. How scientific can you get with testing whether or not a snapping cable can actually cut a human body in two using a pig carcass?? The show is supposed to be fun, and they succeed at that and then some.
 
Tasty said:
They aren't supposed to be either. How scientific can you get with testing whether or not a snapping cable can actually cut a human body in two using a pig carcass?? The show is supposed to be fun, and they succeed at that and then some.



I know they aren't supposed to be, but there's too many uneducated folks out there watching the show, not understanding that what they're doing has no scientific merit and why it doesn't. Those folks take what they see as truth without question. That's not a good way to educate oneself.
 
tanha said:
I know they aren't supposed to be, but there's too many uneducated folks out there watching the show, not understanding that what they're doing has no scientific merit and why it doesn't. Those folks take what they see as truth without question. That's not a good way to educate oneself.



If you're viewing that show as "education" then the Doritos you are eating while watching it are probably "nutrition". Anyone who uses TV as their main form of information intake is in a pretty bad spot.
 
Tasty said:
If you're viewing that show as "education" then the Doritos you are eating while watching it are probably "nutrition". Anyone who uses TV as their main form of information intake is in a pretty bad spot.



I personally hate the show, but my significant other loves it and I often overhear it or get sucked into watching it. I'm an environmental scientist by trade, and watching these guys "prove" or "disprove" any given concept makes me cringe.



There is a huge percentage of our population that's out there watching that show, believing what they say is true and what they do is meaningful. If I remember right, roughly one-third of our population has bachelor's degrees, only 10% have master's degrees, and only 2-3% have Ph.D.'s. That means that more than half the population has no formal secondary education. Secondary education is where you learn to think critically (although some people do learn this skill on their own). So, there's a large mass of people out there without the realization that a TV show is just a TV show (and I'm not just talking about MB here), and that it may or may not have merit to it.
 
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