cleaning bronze with vinegar(white)

[erice 732]

after the recent discussion on removing corrosion / cleaning inboard engine heat exchanger cores with vinegar thought would try a little vinegar test on some old jib hanks reconditioning for an old sail

 

it really does work!

 

 

ideally heat exchanger cores are removed annual from new + cleaned with a 3hrs spak in $3 white vinegar......... but if the core has been left in for so many years that salt water corrosion has fused bronze end caps and bolts together enough that breaking bonds may break bits...

 

then draining the coolant, flushing, and leaving 2lts of white vinegar topped up with tap water in the cooling system overnight, before another flush and new coolant, would be better than doing nothing and waiting for heat exchanger failure/blockage to kill an otherwise good engine 

 

and yes VB

 

let the annealing begin...

[wheels 543]

Two extra things you can do to improve it further.
Firstly, add a cup full of Table Salt to the mix. That speeds up the process.
If you want to make a paste to cote over the outside of something, mix in Flour to make into a paste.

[Vorpal Blade 89]

I still reckon you will break at least half of them putting them back on. Given the time and materials you have put in to these its probably cheaper to just get all new ones. Either way with a 50% breakage rate you will still have to get some new ones and they will be the ones that still work after the sail has been sitting in its bag for 6 months whereas the reconditioned ones will probably have corroded and frozen up again.

[w44vi 17]

Giving them a good wipe over with lanolin with help keep the corrosion away