acid pickle

[Dougie SwanParticipant @dougieswan43463]

Can anyone tell me where I can buy sulphuric acid in Scotland, the last bottle I have is nearly gone and my enquiries at the local chemist have proved fruitless Dougie

[Dougie SwanParticipant @dougieswan43463]

[CirclipParticipant @circlip]

Car Battery shop. S*d the Elfins, but DOOOOOOOOOO take care.

 

   Regards  Ian

[mgjParticipant @mgj]

Quick point, but I have always done better at motorcycle shops. For some reason the smaller batteries are often the maintenanceful acid filled types stored dry charged. 

 

Which would also mean that a bigger garden machinery place that sold and serviced ride on mowers would possibly be worth a phone call too.

[LADmachiningParticipant @ladmachining]

I have used ‘One-Shot’ drain cleaner from B&Q, which is pretty much just sulphuric acid.

 

Diluted it down to about 10:1 with water, and it works a treat.

 

Was about £5 for a litre, but it has lasted me about 6 years so far, and is still half full.

 

As others have said, take care, as it is nasty stuff.

 

Anthony

[Dougie SwanParticipant @dougieswan43463]

Thanks for the replies, if I go to a car battery shop like halfords do I just ask for battery acid?

I’ve been using pure acid(99.9) for the past few years which I dilute to 20/1, how does that compare to battery acid?

Dougie

[LADmachiningParticipant @ladmachining]

Very unlikely you will get battery acid from Halfords or any other motor factor.  Most batteries these days are supplied ready filled and sealed.

 

Even motorcycle batteries (or the more modern ones anyway) are supplied with their own acid pack with which you fill the battery.

 

 

[Dougie SwanParticipant @dougieswan43463]

I suspected as much, that brings me back to my original quest of finding an acid supplier near me.

The problem with supply seems to have started after 9/11 when in the aftermath lots of chemicals that could be used to make nasty stuff were re clasified and supply dried up

( thats what my chemist told me)

How does dry acid salts that I can get through the post compare to liquid?

Dougie

[mgjParticipant @mgj]

Well try the bike shops anyway – yellow page one or two. I’ve been able to buy it as recently as a month ago, so its about. 

 

Incidentally most welding shops do a pickle paste – wouldn’t do for a copper boiler or some such, but quite handy for small jobs.

 

Have you looked in the yellow pages under chemical factors?

 

Also water treatment people. They add caustic and sulphuric to adjust the ph of things (Not at the same time I wouldn’t imagine!), so they have gallons of the stuff.

 

Still the B&Q option seems pretty good. 

[Mike.H.Participant @mike-h]

 

How about using Citric acid I find it works fine ,and the home brew shops dont employ elfins

   Mike. H.

[mgjParticipant @mgj]

I asked in our lab about dry acid salts. Sulphuric and the inorganic acids don’t exist as a salt or crystal, I’m told. Organic acids like citric, do.

[AndyPParticipant @andyp13730]

The “dry salts” I use are termed safety pickle – commonly sold into the jewellery trade, the composition portion of the data sheet reads:-

 

“Sodium hydrogen sulphate (a modified salt based predominantly on sodium bisulphate). The product is not corrosive if kept dry but in damp or wet conditions it readily absorbs water, forming an acidic liquid which is mildly corrosive when in contact with skin, eyes or by ingestion or inhalation.”

 

One common source of the main component is swimming pool consumable suppliers – it is used to lower the ph ! (ph down is one brand name).

Andy

[david greggParticipant @davidgregg87136]

 Does it have to be sulphuric acid   .Hydrocloric acid is available in farm supply shops ,it is used as a steralising agent in the dairy industry ,i dont know what the contretation rate is It costs approx  £ 14  for 20 litres           

[AcrosticusParticipant @acrosticus]

It doesn’t have to be sulphuric acid, you can use citric if you can get it but Boots don’t  seem to stock it any more despite its being used in some food preparations. Reason is apparently because it’s used to “let down” cocaine.. I’m told that wine-making/homebrewing shops sell it. Some places keep it for sale for descaling kettles etc. 

 I wouldn’t use hydrochloric acid: too corrosive for this purpose IMO.

 

If you are diluting concentrated Sulphuric acid, don’t forget you must add the acid to the water and not the other way round which is dangerous!

[mgjParticipant @mgj]

We can get citric easily enough at a proper chemist.Thats what I use, and it seems very effective.

 

I have 5l of sulphuric, but of the two, I find citric better.

 

Best of all in that line is to get the metal really clean, and to solder when it isn’t too hot.,and use a lot of flux. That way water is pretty good and leaves nothing behind. You just don’t get any of that burned on black glass – its all a soft paste which washes off in a couple of seconds. probalby wouldn’t work on a big job, but on small stuff I rarely need the pickle.

 

Ordinary chemists also stock caustic which also works well.

[AndyParticipant @andy73574]

If you are looking for Citric Acid, you can sometimes find it in bulk in asian food supermarkets at it is still used a lot in that style of cooking.

[GoCreateParticipant @gocreate]

Hi

I bought a motorbike battery on ebay for £12 which came with a separate electrolyte pack. I bought it for the battery, not the acid. Probably an expensive way to buy a small quantity of acid. The Citric Acid route seems a safer and convienient.

[David Clark 13Participant @davidclark13]

Hi there

I bought Citric acid crystalsfrom Ebay.

I always look on Ebay before buying anything.

Don’t always find it cheaper on Ebay but it often saves money.

regards david

 

[Jim KParticipant @jimk]

Hi,

I bought acid from a supplier in Paisley Scotland it is in back sneddon street i think if you have no luck i will check the address when i get home in 3 weeks

Jim

[Speedy Builder5Participant @speedybuilder5]

I guess it is a bit late,  but sulphuric and hydrochloric acids are freely avaiable from most DIY shops in France,  also many larger super markets.  Sulphuric is used for swimming pools – keeps the bathers nice and pink when the sun doesn’t show,  and hydrochloric is for drain cleaning.  Both are normally found on the shelves that are about eye level for a 4 year old child !!!  Vive le france

[Author]

Posts