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Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ
The authoritative public forum
for Metal Finishing since 1989
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Remove salt from steel surfaces, chrome wheel rims
Q. We are presently blast cleaning and lining petrochemical tanks at a coastal location. The steel has an extremely high chloride contamination which must be reduced to less than 200 mg per square meter. We have environmental control on site to avoid further contamination, but find it difficult to get down to the required levels with only blasting.
1. Has any one experience in this field?
2. Any suggestions for chemical pretreatment?
Thanks for a very enlightening home page.
Kind Regards,
Internet Africa
1995
A. The only way to remove the salt of the steel surface, is to steam clean ⇦this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] it first, using an alkaline cleaner. You must do this before the blasting because the blasting will only disperse the salt across the surface. Good luck with your project.
MF DeKeizerThe Netherlands
A. You can wash using CHLOR*rid detergent
Mohamed Elsayed- Alexandria, Egypt
January 21, 2008
Thanks, Mohamed! If readers have difficulty finding that product, there are a number of other brand names of detergents designed to remove salt. We don't compare different brands here ( huh? why?), but other brands of salt removers are available⇨
Good luck.
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Multiple threads merged: please forgive chronology errors :-)
Q. I NEED TO KNOW WHAT THE BEST PRODUCT(S) WOULD BE TO SPRAY AND RINSE SALT WATER OFF ALUMINUM WITHOUT IT DRYING CORRODED OR REMOVING FINISHES.
JEFF JENKEL- SAN DIEGO, California
2002
 |
Uh, fresh water? Ted Mooney, P.E. Striving to live Aloha finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey After Ted's very long, highly accurate and detailed response, here is a much shorter response.  Freeman Newton [deceased] R.I.P. old friend (It is our sad duty to advise that Freeman passed away 4/21/12) I can top that … H2O  Marc Green with Rusty anodizer - Boise, Idaho (expletive deleted), Marc Green's (expletive deleted) dawg has gone and done it again. Freeman Newton [deceased] R.I.P. old friend (It is our sad duty to advise that Freeman passed away 4/21/12) Yeah … too bad he can't play hockey too … the Blues could have used him! Marc Green with Rusty anodizer - Boise, Idaho |
A. Water is not very good at rinsing salt except in a pure (table salt) form. Try a product called "Salt-x" available in boating stores and catalogs.
Todd Osmolski- Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
Hmmmm … me thinks you are correct, Todd … perhaps I should have said WARM/HOT H20.
Marc Green with Rusty
anodizer - Boise, Idaho
What Todd said sounds interesting.
I wonder if that product contains a super wetting agent such as TSP (trisodium phosphate
⇦this on
eBay
or
Amazon [affil links]
)?
And as far as Marc is concerned, I'm crying great clouds of tears for the St. Louis Blues (aptly named, too, coming to think of it). Cheer up Marc! They'll win a game ONE of these days.
Freeman Newton [deceased]
R.I.P. old friend (It is our sad duty to
advise that Freeman passed away 4/21/12)
A. In response to the comment that warm water and hot water will remove the salt from you equipment. WRONG it will not I am an employee of Innovative Chemicals and I have seen hundreds of tests and photos to show proof that this is a myth that is BUSTED. By using Salt-X you extend the life of all your boating and fishing equipment. So for the people that have been using Salt-X thank you and for the people that have not I recommend that you go out and buy some for yourself and see the proof.
Thank you
- Topsail Beach North Carolina
How to protect chrome plating from salt corrosion
Q. Hello
Salt from the road in the winter used to stop the roads icing up gets trapped in some chrome plated parts on my motorcycle I also live near the sea . The chrome parts where salt is trapped; e.g., weld seams in exhausts quickly rust if not cleaned regularly. Is there anything I can do to stop this?
Regards,
student - England
2007
A. Hi Dave. Sorry, but you will not improve chrome plating with a topcoat, and most topcoats won't stick anyway. Regular waxing is the best approach as the wax will get down into the microscopic cracks and help seal them.
OEM quality chrome is very durable as you can see from truck bumpers, and car bumpers from the 80's that last for decades, and the OEM parts on a Harley. Unfortunately, aftermarket components often have very poor chrome plating -- and poor chrome plating is worthless. Please see our "Introduction to Chrome Plating" for an understanding of why low quality chrome plating is worse than nothing.
But salt is soluble and can be largely washed away with a high volume of water from a hose or pressure washer. If high volumes of water and good pressures aren't practical, there are de-salting products that promise to remove it. Good luck.
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
How to calculate chloride content on hot rolled pickled sheet surface of steel?
Q.
I am searching for a chemical / laboratory procedure through which I can determine the chloride content on hot rolled pickled sheet surface of surface.
Please guide me if you know any procedure through which the chloride content can be calculated on a steel sheet.
- Karachi
January 21, 2013
A. Hi Akhtar.
I know that CHLOR*rid offers kits for testing the salt concentrations in different scenarios. There are many other commercial manufacturers of salt remover compounds like "Salt-x", "Salt-away", etc., who claim that their compounds will quickly remove salt completely. Surely since they make the claim they offer test procedures purporting to prove it, so you might try contacting them for a method. Good luck. :-)
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
A. Wash the sample with 2-3 portions of warm nitric acid. Combine the washes, then determine Cl- by AgNO3 gravimetry.
Dave Wichern
Consultant - The Bronx, New York
Do de-salting products strip zinc plating?
Q. Has anyone had any experience of de-salting products, like "Salt-Away" stripping zinc plating?
Paul WermersB-117 corrosion chamber grunt - Spillville, Iowa, USA
November 30, 2015
A. Hi Paul,
Check the Safety Data Sheet for Rain-X -- it is largely DI water. Other salt removers may be similar. DI water is reputed to attack zinc plating:
pfonline.com/articles/clean-wastewater-attacking-zinc-plate
Luck & Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
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