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"Looking for an acid to eat through bolts on a metal structure"

2004

I am looking for an effective way to dissolve rusted bolts from an old swing set. I figure if I can use acid to eat through the bolts the dismantling will be easier. Would you recommend Sulfuric Acid, Hydrochloric Acid, or is there an over the counter product that would work better?

Thank you,

Greg Wehking
hobbyist - New Berlin, Wisconsin, USA
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2004

A method we are unfamiliar with always seems easier than the one we are familiar with, Greg :-)

But get a hand held grinder; they're cheap these days and will make fast work of this problem. It is terribly unsafe and an environmental shame to attempt dissolving bolts in acid. And don't be unduly influenced by what you see in the movies; what you want to do would take days, not seconds.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
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July 29, 2010

The chemical you are thinking of is called THERMITE

david lawry
- san francisco, california, san francisco
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