southern Maine diver
Posts: 1436
Joined: 8/13/2005
From: South Berwick, Maine USA
Status: offline
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Barbieheid...
Hey Barbie... welcome to our family on the forum!!! there are a lot of serious bottle diggers, divers and collectors here from all across the USA, Canada, Britain, Australia... it's a heck of a group... and sometimes, we have a lot of fun poking fun at each other
I looked up an old thread for you regarding muriatic acid. Go to page 2 of the "cleaning and Repairing" section and look up"Muriatic watch out" thread. started by Leisalu on 07-07-04... there is a lot of info there.
Personally, I have used a muriatic bath (soup) for a long time. I've used it diluted 1 to 1, 2 to 1 and straight with terric results. Most of the bottles I find diving in salt water, so the barnacles, limpets, coraline algae, muscles clams etc sometimes cover the bottle completely. So I adjust (spice up) my "soup" accordingly.
You can purchase muriatic acid by the gallon at pool stores, brick and stone outlets, maybe at Cosco or some of the other do-it-yourself type chains. Pool installers, concrete workers and masons use it to clean up the brick, stone and mortar and then they wash it down with fresh water. Here are a few suggestions:
* keep the "soup" in a five gallon plastic bucket with a tight fitting lid
* store it outside, away from children and pets
* mark the outside of it with "ACID" if you have nozy neighbors or inquisitve
kids
* Use it ONLY in a WELL VENTILATED AREA 
* Use proper size/length (longer the better) rubber gloves for placing or
removing the bottle from the bucket
* have a second 5 gallon bucket on hand with fresh water in case of accidental
splash and to rinse/soak your bottles in when they are removed
* wear old clothing or a tyvek suit over your good clothing to protect from splash
* always PLACE your bottles in the "soup" not just drop them in
* ceramics, earthenware, pottery can absorb some of the acid, so soak these items
for a short duration in the "soup" and for a long time in the fresh water rinse.
If not, it can stain counter tops & lift paint if not completely rinsed.
* depending on how often you use your "soup" it will last for a very long time. When
it gets weak, mix in baking soda & more fresh water to dilute it & help neutralize
the acid
* always use your "soup" bucket on flat, level ground to avoid tipping over or
bumping into it. You should be on firm ground as well (not on an ice patch like
I did once!)
* wear eye protection & be familiar with proper first aid tecniques for treatment
of accidental burns/eye splash
* avoid breathing in the fumes, they can be harmfull as well
* Use it & store it away from other metal items, even the fumes can cause rust &
deterioration
Now, I either impressed you with my knowledge and experience, or I scared the hell out of you!!
When used safely, the acid bath treatment works really well. Believe me, the stuff can cause burns, destroy clothing, melt nylon, stings like hell, smells, burns your eyes and nose. In a nutshell, just be careful and use good common sense!!
Now go get some encrusted bottles, fix up a batch of "soup" and have some fun
Wayne
PS: This is what "heavy" encrustation looks like...
 Attachment (1)
< Message edited by southern Maine diver -- 1/4/2006 3:43:47 PM >
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uh-oh, did I do something wrong? - 
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