Not even Wheel Brightener could get it off!
- Thread starter Dane Guy
- Start date
Showroom Shine
New member
WD 40 is supposed to remove tar real good. Although I have never tried it on wheels. I have used it on the finish with good results!
tom p.
Active member
citizen arcane said:
+1. I've had success with this strategy on engines that need extra attention - - it does work. It would be worth a try on the wheels.
imported_billzabub
New member
Bbasso said:
...beat me to it.
David Fermani
Forza Auto Salon
Setec Astronomy said:
Yup, on some wheels, it's a must.
I don't mind using them, as long as it's used properly(safely) and is neutralized.
Whenever I go more than a month without washing my wife's minivan,I always break out wheel acid. It's the only thing that removes the caked on brake dust.
PedroDaGr8
New member
As a note, baking soda solution or paste should work great for neutralizing these acids. It would give you carbon dioxide, water and sodium fluoride in the case of HF, while ABF would additionally give ammonium hydroxide (ammonia in water).
Just be careful with it. HF has a numbing effect on the body, so you won't necessarily feel the burn as it burns you. Also, in low doses it can cause a brittling of the bones as the bones become fluoridated.
Honestly, it is nasty stuff (and this from a person who worked in a lab where we worked on compounds to remediate pesticides and nerve agents) so please be careful.
Just be careful with it. HF has a numbing effect on the body, so you won't necessarily feel the burn as it burns you. Also, in low doses it can cause a brittling of the bones as the bones become fluoridated.
Honestly, it is nasty stuff (and this from a person who worked in a lab where we worked on compounds to remediate pesticides and nerve agents) so please be careful.
CleanLegend
New member
^^ ummm, he sounds like an educated man on the subject.. Thanks
PedroDaGr8
New member
kopimon said:
It passes readily through the skin, from there it will usually attack what ever bones it is closest too but a small amount WILL be dragged throughout the blood stream as well, where it will fluoridate whatever bone it encounters. The reason is that fluorine forms really strong bonds with calcium.
An HF burn on 25% of the body (so a little over one full leg) is usually fatal.
For the professionals, it would be ideal to keep a calcium gluconate gel around (first aid for HF burns). It isn't expensive and helps keep the HF from burning further after exposure. We had a lab here get in trouble with OSHA for not having a Calcium gluconate kit in the lab where HF was being used (girl was burned pretty badly after someone put some organic in the acid waste container and it blew up).
As for neutralizing, just make a paste with baking soda and water and apply it with gloves.
Eisen Hulk
New member
^^^^^
I know Pedro personally...He knows his stuff front to back.
I know Pedro personally...He knows his stuff front to back.
PedroDaGr8
New member
OK, I decided to go find an MSDS for a wheel acid.
http://www.jmnspecialties.com/Download-document/1593-WHEEL-ACID-CLEANER-MSDS.html
You professionals keep your MSDSs for all of your chemicals handy right ;-)
It appears Wheel acid is a mixture of phosphoric, sulfuric and hydrofluoric acids with an ether to help is dissolving.
An couple of excerpts from the MSDS:
For burns of moderate areas, (greater than 8 square inches), ingestion and significant inhalation exposure, severe systemic effects may occur, and admission to a critical care unit should be considered. Monitor and correct for hypocalcemia, cardiac arrhythmias, hypomagnesemia and hyperkalemia. In some cases renal dialysis may be indicated.
The effect of HF, i.e. onset of pain, particularly in dilute solutions, may not be felt for up to 24 hours. It is important, therefore, that persons using HF have immediate access to an effective antidote even when they are away from their work place in order that first aid treatment can be commenced immediately. We recommend that any person in contact with HF should carry, or have access to a tube of HF Antidote Gel at all times; ideally with one tube at the work place, one on the person and one at home. It is imperative that any person who has been contaminated by HF should seek medical advice when the treatment by HF Antidote Gel has been applied.
Note that a moderate burn is just a tiny area not even the size of the back of your hand.
Now before anyone says oh I don't want you using wheel acid because it is a dangerous chemical, I won't say that exactly. Hell, I use and make compound that are so reactive they smoke or burst into flames when exposed to air/water. I jsut want you to RESPECT the chemicals you are working with, be educated about what CAN go wrong and that they DO cause problems and IF a problem occurs have the proper procedures on hand and ready to keep a bad situation from getting worse.
FOr those who want to buy Calcium Gluconate gel, you can find it online at a variety of places (the cheapest I found is here: calcium gluconate gel as first aid for HF acid burns)
For those who have a large shop and would need large amounts of Calcium Gluconate Gel. You can make your own in bulk using a recipe found in the link below at the bottom of the page. You would just need to buy reagent grade calcium gluconate from a chemical suppy company such as Alfa Aesar, Fisher Scientific, etc.
UC Davis: Safety Services : SafetyNet #70 - Safe Use of Hydrofluoric Acid
This link has a lot of information about HF acid poisoning.
http://www.jmnspecialties.com/Download-document/1593-WHEEL-ACID-CLEANER-MSDS.html
You professionals keep your MSDSs for all of your chemicals handy right ;-)
It appears Wheel acid is a mixture of phosphoric, sulfuric and hydrofluoric acids with an ether to help is dissolving.
An couple of excerpts from the MSDS:
For burns of moderate areas, (greater than 8 square inches), ingestion and significant inhalation exposure, severe systemic effects may occur, and admission to a critical care unit should be considered. Monitor and correct for hypocalcemia, cardiac arrhythmias, hypomagnesemia and hyperkalemia. In some cases renal dialysis may be indicated.
The effect of HF, i.e. onset of pain, particularly in dilute solutions, may not be felt for up to 24 hours. It is important, therefore, that persons using HF have immediate access to an effective antidote even when they are away from their work place in order that first aid treatment can be commenced immediately. We recommend that any person in contact with HF should carry, or have access to a tube of HF Antidote Gel at all times; ideally with one tube at the work place, one on the person and one at home. It is imperative that any person who has been contaminated by HF should seek medical advice when the treatment by HF Antidote Gel has been applied.
Note that a moderate burn is just a tiny area not even the size of the back of your hand.
Now before anyone says oh I don't want you using wheel acid because it is a dangerous chemical, I won't say that exactly. Hell, I use and make compound that are so reactive they smoke or burst into flames when exposed to air/water. I jsut want you to RESPECT the chemicals you are working with, be educated about what CAN go wrong and that they DO cause problems and IF a problem occurs have the proper procedures on hand and ready to keep a bad situation from getting worse.
FOr those who want to buy Calcium Gluconate gel, you can find it online at a variety of places (the cheapest I found is here: calcium gluconate gel as first aid for HF acid burns)
For those who have a large shop and would need large amounts of Calcium Gluconate Gel. You can make your own in bulk using a recipe found in the link below at the bottom of the page. You would just need to buy reagent grade calcium gluconate from a chemical suppy company such as Alfa Aesar, Fisher Scientific, etc.
UC Davis: Safety Services : SafetyNet #70 - Safe Use of Hydrofluoric Acid
This link has a lot of information about HF acid poisoning.