FYI, I've applied Oxyclean to stainless at near full strength using only enough hot water to wet it to a paste consistency. Same result with zero pitting or any other discernible damage to the metal. The only commonly used chemical that I have seen attack stainless is chlorine bleach. That stuff will definitely pit stainless. Long ago, I managed to completely ruin a stainless steel stove top wiping it down with bleach. That won't happen again!
burn on inside of stainless steel brewing kettle
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FYI, I've applied Oxyclean to stainless at near full strength using only enough hot water to wet it to a paste consistency. Same result with zero pitting or any other discernible damage to the metal. The only commonly used chemical that I have seen attack stainless is chlorine bleach. That stuff will definitely pit stainless. Long ago, I managed to completely ruin a stainless steel stove top wiping it down with bleach. That won't happen again!
Ace_Club
Well-Known Member
+1
EarthBound
Well-Known Member
Sweet. It's actually a relief for me to dismiss any notions of pitting from using OxiClean.
I'll try an OxiClean soak and an ammonia soak. I'll post the comparison results.
I'll try an OxiClean soak and an ammonia soak. I'll post the comparison results.
nutty_gnome
Well-Known Member
Its "a lot of bullshi!t" And it is. Oxyclean free and a stainless boil kettle are a match made in heaven.
I'm interested in the results of the ammonia soak. I have not tried that yet, but ammonia works wonders for cleaning bottles and leaves zero residue no matter what. I know Oxyclean also works on bottles, but sometimes it can leave a chalky film under certain conditions. The film is easily removed by a quick rinse with dilute StarSan or white vinegar, so it's not really much of a problem at all.
IMO, Oxyclean free, or otherwise obtained, was one of the best discoveries for home brewing use. RIP Billy Mays!
EarthBound
Well-Known Member
The burnt-on stuff was barely affected by a 48-hour ammonia soak. The spot went from an 8" diameter to a 7.75" diameter. I should've taken pics. It's been soaking in oxiclean since last night. I'll make sure to take pics tonight. A 24-hour soak should be sufficient, don't you think?
tomroeder
Well-Known Member
Use some spent star-san. It is acidic and will usually eat up burnt on stuff.
Golddiggie
Well-Known Member
I've been able to clean anything that got burned onto my stainless steel pots using a hot water soak (as hot as you can get, and let it sit) or boiling water in the pot for a while (depending on how bad it is, a 20 minute boil should help out) and then using some BKF (Bar Keepers Friend) with a scrubbing sponge. I have yet to come across ANY burn (on SS) that can resist the combination. With BKF, typically, you only need to use it once, or twice, on a burn in order to get it clean. Obviously, rinsing between times, and using enough BKF to do the job. Wet scrubbing sponge, wet pot, sprinkle in enough BKF and go to town... If you have any muscles at all, it will get clean faster than you probably think it will.
So, I did some research, and they don't, in fact, appear to be chemically identical. It seems that PBW contains metasilicates, and OxiClean does not.
To be fair, though, Charlie from Five Star (PBW) was pretty ambiguous when he prepared the MSDS, so maybe I'm missing something. Do you know if the actual ingredients to PBW have been published? I'm guessing Charlie is protecting his trade secrets, while the OxiClean, like most other MSDSs, is much more thorough.
Edit: I'm not taking sides in the argument, just wanted to clarify that PBW and OxiClean are not the same thing.
The two products are not identical. IMO, PBW is somewhat more potent and also considerably more expensive. The cost of PBW is a deal killer for me. Between Oxyclean and BKF, I'm pretty well covered.
Golddiggie
Well-Known Member
Way I see it, if BKF and oxyclean are not removing the stain, then just get a 1 pound container of PBW and use it when the others fall short. For $8, it's cheap enough to not matter... Unless you pinch pennies until they sh*t dimes...
EarthBound
Well-Known Member
After soaking in oxiclean for over 24 hours, I was barely able to get anything off. Turns out that it was mucho bravo sierra or whatever. However, it still wasnt good enough. It was better than the ammonia though! I tried BKF before the ammonia soak, and it helped because its abrasive, but it required too much elbow grease and would still not do the job. Maybe soaking it longer or soaking it in PBW or Starsan would help, but I doubt it will do more than the oxiclean.
I assume that boiling is more likely to do the trick. First, I will try boiling water. If that doesnt work, I will try boiling in vinegar as mrk305 suggested. Sounds crazy, but I might as well try it, right? I dont know what else to try after that, so Im taking suggestions.
I bought a SS wire brush for my angle grinder, and I know it will work. Regardless of all the whining, I know the keggle will be just fine.
This thread finally has a pic. Its the keggle Im workin on. It definitely looked worse before the BKF, ammonia, and oxiclean.
I assume that boiling is more likely to do the trick. First, I will try boiling water. If that doesnt work, I will try boiling in vinegar as mrk305 suggested. Sounds crazy, but I might as well try it, right? I dont know what else to try after that, so Im taking suggestions.
I bought a SS wire brush for my angle grinder, and I know it will work. Regardless of all the whining, I know the keggle will be just fine.
This thread finally has a pic. Its the keggle Im workin on. It definitely looked worse before the BKF, ammonia, and oxiclean.
Did you try the oven cleaner? The heavy duty Easy Off should work, although it may require multiple application and it works best on a hot surface. IIRC, lye is the active ingredient which is a serious caustic chemical. Boiling some PBW or automatic dishwasher detergent might also be worth a try. It looks like you only have a little further to go.
mariojr
Well-Known Member
Come on over to the dark side and get a stainless Chor Boy and just scrub it off already. You know you want too It's not like your cleaning bird poop off the the hood of your DeLorean. It's just a keggle.
Funny how we'll use all kinds of chemicals to clean something that a little elbow grease will take right off.
It's not like your cleaning bird poop off the the hood of your DeLorean. It's just a keggle. Funny how we'll use all kinds of chemicals to clean something that a little elbow grease will take right off.
EarthBound
Well-Known Member
Come on over to the dark side and get a stainless Chor Boy and just scrub it off already. You know you want too
Funny how we'll use all kinds of chemicals to clean something that a little elbow grease will take right off.
Lol... I already got the SS wire brush for my angle grinder, so I'll use that instead of a scrubber. It is funny, but it's better to work smart, not hard. Also, I just like to experiment. If I didn't want to experiment, I would've used the SS wire brush right off the bat and not wasted my time. It would've been done in a couple minutes. However, I could only find speculation on this topic, so I figured it was time to dick around with some chemicals and document the results. I'll be done experimenting tonight, and I'll post the results soon after.
CoolHandLuke
Well-Known Member
+1 for the oven cleaner. Organics need caustic, not acid.
I read some dolty advice on this thread from a most excellent and respectable member recommending a combination of an acid and caustic. Sure, if all you want is a nice reaction and salt water...
I read some dolty advice on this thread from a most excellent and respectable member recommending a combination of an acid and caustic. Sure, if all you want is a nice reaction and salt water...
Ace_Club
Well-Known Member
Yes, that was already covered. The main cleaning agent in both is sodium percarbonate and sodium carbonate. Next time I'll be less general in my wording.
To that end, you could also just use straight lye (NaOH), just be sure to protect your skin.
EarthBound
Well-Known Member
I will try the oven cleaner, maybe even lye. I understand you think Steelers77's advice was fallible, but calling him a dolt is inexcusable. Many people on HBT have a lot of respect for him, so you might want to try having some, as well.
CoolHandLuke
Well-Known Member
NaOH is generally the main ingredient in oven cleaner. Use eye protection and have a bottle of vinegar near in case of accident.
Earthbound,
You really don't want to use a stainless wire wheel.
It will create deep scratches that may make it harder to clean in the future.
The stainless scrubby would be much gentler. If that doesn't work, then resort to the wire wheel.
EarthBound
Well-Known Member
I suppose if I man-handled it, deep scratches would result. I would use a very steady, gentle hand that would not result with deep scratches. However, trusting your experience, I will try the scrubby first.
Ace_Club
Well-Known Member
I bought a SS wire brush for my angle grinder, and I know it will work. Regardless of all the whining, I know the keggle will be just fine.
LOL! Way to stick to your guns and not listen to all the whining.
go have a look at the "keg polishing thread"
maybe use one of those sanding pad to get rid of the black, then finish with the polishing pad to get rid of scratches.
you'd have the nicest looking keggle on the inside
-=Jason=-
maybe use one of those sanding pad to get rid of the black, then finish with the polishing pad to get rid of scratches.
you'd have the nicest looking keggle on the inside
-=Jason=-
wired247
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Ive worked in brewing and food processing for a very long time. Currently I am the maintenance manager at a plant that makes ingredient cherries like the ones you find in ice cream etc. At all the jobs Ive had Ive worked with stainless steel. Its a lot tougher and more resilient than most people give it credit for. You can grind on it , you can weld it, you can polish it . You can do a lot to it that the internet experts will tell you will ruin it such as use chlorine and oxyclean etc. The plant I manage now is a sea of stainless and we use Chlorine as a sanitizer for all of our sanitizing duties. Been doing that for 75 years. I have yet to see pitting.
If it bothers you to polish, weld or grind stainless then after you are done just fill it up with some lukewarm water and dump a few cups of citric acid in and let it sit over night. Any acid will do . Dump it , rinse and you will have a freshly passivated pot. Its not magic. Its just metal.
If it bothers you to polish, weld or grind stainless then after you are done just fill it up with some lukewarm water and dump a few cups of citric acid in and let it sit over night. Any acid will do . Dump it , rinse and you will have a freshly passivated pot. Its not magic. Its just metal.
EarthBound
Well-Known Member
LOL! Way to stick to your guns and not listen to all the whining.
Ouch! And I thought it was the keggle that got burned! I hope that felt good.
But seriously, please understand that I will quickly respect/listen to his advice because he has proven that he belongs in the DIY forum. I know this because I have thoroughly looked through his threads/posts as well as yours. You have only proven that you have a much lower mentality/maturity than most of the people on here.
Have you actually built anything? If not, WTF are you doing in the DIY forum?
P.S. One tip... remove the sandy vag before posting on HBT. You're bringing the rest of us down.
It is possible but difficult (IMO) to get the almost perpendicular angle required to use one of those discs/pads because of the angle grinders size. The SS wire brush has a wider range of available angles to work with. I would not use the sanding one because it would be too rough, IMO. I would use the polishing one because it would definitely get the job done without being as rough. However, dmfa200 is correct with suggesting that I try my best to not rough it up (do it by hand) before resorting to the angle grinder.
Earthbound,
I would like to ask. What is the wire gauge size of the wire wheel?
If it's a fine wire wheel I would say to go ahead and use it.
A good test is if you can rub your hand back and forth across the bristles and they don't poke the S**T out of you they should be fine enough.
I would like to ask. What is the wire gauge size of the wire wheel?
If it's a fine wire wheel I would say to go ahead and use it.
A good test is if you can rub your hand back and forth across the bristles and they don't poke the S**T out of you they should be fine enough.
Ace_Club
Well-Known Member
Ouch! And I thought it was the keggle that got burned! I hope that felt good.
LOL. Coming from an EE, that's rich.You do realize that we are in the Equipment/Sanitation forum, right?
I see what you did there.
EarthBound
Well-Known Member
LMAO! That is why all my engineer friends are mechies!
EarthBound
Well-Known Member
0.50mm or 0.0197 in.
I'm not sure if it's fine or not, but I can rub my hand back and forth without it being too pokey.
It shouldn't be too rough on your kettle then.
You have any issues on how to work with stainless I'll steer you in the right direction.
I don't advocate using stuff like scrubbys and wire wheels on such things as Blichmann kettles and fermentors with a polished finish.
Not because their going to damage your stainless. Only because I wouldn't want to F**K up that slick A** finish.
You have any issues on how to work with stainless I'll steer you in the right direction.
I don't advocate using stuff like scrubbys and wire wheels on such things as Blichmann kettles and fermentors with a polished finish.
Not because their going to damage your stainless. Only because I wouldn't want to F**K up that slick A** finish.
The thing I have always had the best luck cleaning up stainless with is Aluminum Foil. Its harder than the dirt and softer than the steel. Works wonders on Knives, sinks and the like. Just be aware that the real nasty stuff can take some elbow grease.
EarthBound
Well-Known Member
Well, the verdict is in. Oven cleaner worked very well. I still had to scrub it just a little though.
I used Easy Off Fume Free. I would've used Easy Off Heavy Duty, but the Fume Free was 50% off. It doesn't have lye, but it still worked. I sprayed on a few layers, covered it with foil to prevent evaporation, and let it sit for a few hours. It didn't just wipe away like I hoped it would. I still had to lightly scrub it with a non-metallic 3M scrub pad found next to the steel wool in the paint aisle at lowes. The one I used is equivalent to #3 steel wool. I'll post a pic of the results later. I didn't try the boiling of water or vinegar because I just didn't think it would work.
I used Easy Off Fume Free. I would've used Easy Off Heavy Duty, but the Fume Free was 50% off. It doesn't have lye, but it still worked. I sprayed on a few layers, covered it with foil to prevent evaporation, and let it sit for a few hours. It didn't just wipe away like I hoped it would. I still had to lightly scrub it with a non-metallic 3M scrub pad found next to the steel wool in the paint aisle at lowes. The one I used is equivalent to #3 steel wool. I'll post a pic of the results later. I didn't try the boiling of water or vinegar because I just didn't think it would work.
The most powerful Easy Off is the older liquid version that comes in a jar with an applicator brush. It's much harder to find these days. The Heavy Duty stuff in the spray can is the next best thing and the weakest is the fume free type. You do not want to get any of that stuff in your eyes and it can also cause skin burns.
wired247
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Drano or better yet red devil lye . 6 oz per gallon of water.
The Red Devil lye was taken off the market over three years ago because it was a key ingredient for cooking meth. You can still buy lye in bulk, but you won't likely find it on the supermarket shelves anymore.
Ace_Club
Well-Known Member
No, but this type of product, which is 100% lye, can be found in most hardware stores (my local Ace and Menards both carry it).
Thanks! I've been trying to find somewhere to buy lye in small quantities. I use it for making old style German soft pretzels. FYI, extreme caution is advised when using any type of lye. Even a very tiny splash in the eye can be disastrous. Lye will also eat through aluminum in a heartbeat.
Steelers77
Vendor
Wow! I did not know that I was getting lambasted on this site for making a suggestion. A DOLT? If you want to call me a mental retard than just do so, don't try to hide it by using vocabulary that some may not understand. Trust me, I don't mind I've been called worse!
Anyway, I was simply suggesting the use of Baking soda and vinegar because it is a proven and natural way of cleaning things; I have cleaned build up at the bottom of my kettle many times using this method. I figured he may not have wanted to use a fairly toxic chemical like oven cleaner on his kettle. Check the web there are many sites promoting this method for cleaning SS.
Glad you got your kettle clean Earthbound.
One more thing, why do people have to be so rude when expressing their thoughts. If you did not agree with my suggestion that's fine but you could say so without being so condescending. This site is not a d**k measuring contest, it's a community where we are suppose to help each other.
Cheers,
John
Sorry for the hijack (and I totally grabbed this off of another forum):
As lye is very dangerous, consider your own sodium carbonate (washing soda) which, while not as basic as lye, it is more basic than baking soda.
You can make your own washing soda by baking "baking soda"
The NY Times had a good article on doing this.
"The Curious Cook
For Old-Fashioned Flavor, Bake the Baking Soda"
by Harold McGee
"Just spread a layer of soda on a foil-covered baking sheet and bake it at 250 to 300 degrees for an hour. Youll lose about a third of the sodas weight in water and carbon dioxide, but you gain a stronger alkali. Keep baked soda in a tightly sealed jar to prevent it from absorbing moisture from the air. And avoid touching or spilling it. Its not lye, but its strong enough to irritate.
Baked soda is also strong enough to make a good lye substitute for pretzels. In order to get that distinctive flavor and deep brown color, pretzel makers briefly dunk the shaped pieces of raw dough in a lye solution before baking them. Many home recipes replace the lye with baking soda, but the results taste like breadsticks, not pretzels."
The entire article is worth reading for some good kitchen chemistry.
