Sciencemadness Discussion Board

glycerin and HF mixture

green - 4-6-2009 at 00:00


I am planing to do some etching test on metal sheet. I work at university so safety is number one. I have used HF before with other organics solvents. Now I am planing to use glycerin and HF mixture. Before i do that i want to know what will happen if these two mix. I apperciate your help. thank you.

merrlin - 4-6-2009 at 10:28

I have used glycerine/HF/nitric mixtures for metallographic etching with good results. In general, I like to avoid HF, but there are some applications in which it gives the best results. HF deserves the utmost respect. Skin contact can result in absorption that leads to bone damage, and it doesn't always give that burning sensation on contact (see attached .mht file). If you specify a particular alloy, I can suggest an etchant composition.

Attachment: Hydrofluoric Acid Safety.mht (100kB)
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