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Old 27th October 2015, 11:16 AM
JOReynolds JOReynolds is offline
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Default Removing limescale deposits

I am about to start teaching in darkrooms that were abandoned several years ago. The limescale deposits make Paterson reels unloadable, the dishes gritty and likely to retain carryover.
I was about to soak the equipment in dilute hydrochloric acid. Can anyone recommend a safer method of removing the deposit?
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Old 27th October 2015, 11:58 AM
John King John King is offline
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Lime scale will be disolved in ordinary vinegar. To see how effective it is put an egg still in its shell into vinegar and within a couple of days the shell will have been disolved leaving the contents still in the membrane.

There are the toilet preparations used for clearing limescale off toilet bowls and sinks but vinegar is cheaper and just as effective.
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Old 27th October 2015, 12:54 PM
Richard Gould Richard Gould is offline
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any of the household cleaning stuff that clears limescale will work, something like the much advertised Cilit bang limescale remover, (others are available), but Vinegar or even clear Acetic acid stopbath used neat will work, Calgon would work, at least it should, and all of the above are safer and easier to use than Hydrocloric acid, and vinager is the cheapest of all, Good luck with the teaching
Richard
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Old 27th October 2015, 01:42 PM
Lostlabours Lostlabours is online now
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Chances are it's not just lime scale, I know that the last time at looked at the darkroom in our local college there was a build up of fixer residue on the tanks and reels, and on the sink and benches.

As Richard says a Limescale cleaning product is the best option, it works faster and more effectively than Acetic acid/Vinegar. There's plenty of types available in the supermarkets.

Ian
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Old 27th October 2015, 02:38 PM
John King John King is offline
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Vinegar can pose a risk to life....Smell vinegar.......crave fish and chips..... lots of fish and chips..=...heart attack.......just joking of course but it works to shift scale.

There is another preparation on the market that may help removing tar and other discolouration and that is something called 'Brake and Clutch Cleaner. It is readily available from car accessory and motor factors it will shift tar faster than almost anything else. Far better and much cheaper than the NOVA product. Nor does it have that very unplesant smell - more like dry cleaning fluid.

I clean out my NOVA processor with it. It is completely benign to other things and will not stain.

Some staining, usually brown, is absorbed into the plastic and cannot be removed by anything readily available.
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Old 27th October 2015, 03:22 PM
Mike O'Pray Mike O'Pray is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by John King View Post
Vinegar can pose a risk to life....Smell vinegar.......crave fish and chips..... lots of fish and chips..=...heart attack.......just joking of course but it works to shift scale.
Too late for the "just joking" phrase, I am afraid. My love of vinegar, fish and chips and reading the above had me staring into the abyss and brought on a heart attack.

Mike
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Old 28th October 2015, 05:20 AM
cndnlfartist cndnlfartist is offline
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In North America we have something called CLR, which stands for Calcium, Lime, Rust.
It does a decent job desolving all 3, and is usually my choice for such chores.

Although CLR is expensive, it is worth the extra cost when compared to the knock offs I've tried.
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