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Faith, no hosing , just another bucket with clear water and a sponge. Hearth bricks covered with a couple of layers of cardboard, so little water makes it to the hearth bricks or the under insulation.
Its a sucky job job no matter what. I wouldn't bother unless you have big gobs of dried mortar hanging off off you bricks and joints. The acid thing just isn't very smart, yet I would do it again. I'm just a glutton for punishment, one day my stubbornness will get myself injured.
I knew it was nasty stuff and it makes me a little, uh, anxious. Being my first oven (and hopefully last) I wasn't sure if the firing would burn off the little bit of mortar stuck to the outside of the bricks so that sounds promising. I was also thinking of using a wire wheel on a grinder to buzz the mortar off but I don't know which is worse...the dust or the fumes from the acid.
Brickie, what is the acid solution that is readily available in OZ? The stuff sold at every store here is 31.45% hydrochloric acid.
RT
They sell it as 33% here.
There was a bloke not long ago got cornered by the cops for some stupid offense, he drank 1 litre straight from the bottle in front of them, he was dead before he got to hospital.
Nasty was to go, it hurts enough if it splashes in your eyes.
RT - I used around 50/50. No messing around, took it off in a heatbeat. I didn't go in there with it to clean though. Come to think of it, I would go in there with plain water.
Hey, I never said I followed any recommendations. I go with fast, effective, and yes, a bit dangerous. Personally, I've found the weak solution to be no more effective than a stiff brush and plain water. Again, not something I recommend. I know this is your trade and you do this every day so safety is of the utmost importance, but you have to admit a 10% solution doesn't do s#@t for removing much of anything unless the residue is very fresh. If the solution doesn't bubble and fizz, then its not strong enough for me. I can't stress enough the lack of proper protection is harmful, not to mention highly corrosive to the surface it is applied to. I only leave it on for seconds before rinsing.
Realistically, now that I think of how I usually mix it, I'm probably in the 25-30% range.
Brickie, what is the acid solution that is readily available in OZ? The stuff sold at every store here is 31.45% hydrochloric acid.
I did it, with gloves, long sleeves. a mask, and safety glasses. Not something I would recommend fora any novice. Even fully protected, you will experience the acid in the mot unwanted places. Just be careful, wear protection, and DO NOT use it full strength, need to be cut with a minium of 50% water.
My thoughts would be NO. First off the fumes would make it dangerous in such a confined space. and second how will you rinse the acid off without filling your oven up with lots of water. There are more reasons but that's my big two.
So my dome is a mess, I didn't realize how bad it was until I tried to remove some mortar from the dome sides today. I saw a video where someone used muriatic acid to basically dissolve mortar from the surface of the bricks of an outdoor fireplace. I'm wondering if the same can be done for cleaning the inside of the dome. Any thoughts here?
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