Big, Scary Hydroflouric Acid Warning / Etched Glass
Regarding glass etching: There are many ways to etch glass or provide the look of etched glass. Hydroflouric acid, etching creams designed for the hobby folk and sandblasting are the best, all giving you a different look. Frosted paints should be discounted in my personal opinion, but this is just my opinion. However . . . I simply can not stress too much how extraordinarily dangerous hydroflouric acid is. No one here should ever consider even purchasing the stuff, because its dangers are far greater than any other acid you are likely to encounter. This one is a genuine killer in a bottle. Sorry to sound like an alarmist, but you have no idea. There are acids and then there is hydroflouric acid. It is uniquely deadly. No offence, but few here are in a position to safely use hydroflouric acid; well, there might be a few chemists here, so I apologize if I seem to be talking down to the group. If you do not understand how exceedingly dangerous the acid is, avoid it at all costs. It is unlike any other acid you will ever encounter. The vapors can kill you depending upon the amount and concentration. This acid is one of the most corrosive liquids known. The burns will deeply penetrate into the skin and washing with water is of no help. The acid will react with your skin and bones in such a way that treatments need to be very specific; conventional treatments for acid burns are useless. If you had an accident and went to the emergency room, you might have a problem, if the doctors or nurses treat the burn like a conventional acid burn. Delayed treatment means you can die. As it is, if you are severely burnt, you could lose limbs. Just a few drops is, or can be enough to cause you grief you do not want. Please, AVOID this acid at all costs, it is not worth the trouble. It does make nice etched glass, however. I etch many sheets of glass, and I will never consider using this acid, even though I understand its unique dangers. It scares me silly. It is recommended that you confirm with your local hospital that they can treat hydroflouric acid burns, if you decide to use the acid. The immediate treatment that is required might not be well known by many doctors, so it is simple: if you use it, call your hospital and ask them if they understand treatment for exposure to this specific acid. Treatment delays can cost you your life, it is just that simple. Hydrochloric, sulfuric or nitric acids do not pose the same dangers, but they will not etch glass, either. So, leave it alone, play it safe and visit a craft store and purchase one of the brands of creams or pastes. I hope that my rather long and scary post does not make it seem like I am treating you all like children, but this is one acid you must never, EVER use, purchase, store or handle. I always try to scare people when I read a mention of a material like hydroflouric acid. I always assume people might not fully comprehend that some materials are way past being simply dangerous. It must be my former life as a Haz-Mat, Lead Hazards and Chemical Safety Trainer; I even question my own coffee. Another corrosive to avoid at all costs : Bob - The DIY List's Official Chicken Little
to realize there's a lot of truth in something I heard in college; there are no dangerous chemicals, only dangerous PROCEDURES. Hydrofluoric acid (note the spelling) or "HF" can be used safely. I agree with you to a point, and this is my view. However, people are not careful as they need to be in many cases. Sure, they know something represents a danger and they are as careful as they think they need to be. My guess is that if you tell someone HF is really dangerous, they will certainly act as though it is, not knowing that their safety procedures are or might not be enough. For example, the treatment for HF burns are probably a surprise to many, as is the idea that even if they are treated at the hospital, the specialists might not know that treatment is different with HF than it is for other acids; and washing the ares with water and a few pain killers are simply not enough. I do not want to insult any doctors or nurses on this list, but I am betting that I am correct. You might say hydroflouric, and they might hear hydrochloric and proceed in a way that causes more problems than they solve. I recall reading a thread on another list about formulas requiring the use of certain perchlorates. No mention of the dangers such as grinding the material when it is mixed with other chemicals. I recall reading about the "fun" you can have with certain combinations of ammonia and iodine. As a chemist, I am certain that you know what I am talking about, so I will not go into details here. Nothing was mentioned about the dangers of grinding some chemicals, or the extreme sensitivity of the ammonia and iodine compound. It was mentioned that the iodine compound was sensitive, but no one knew that even a slight breeze can set it off. In my youth, I mixed up potassium perchlorates (I think it was potassium), red phosphorus and magnesium powder. As soon as I started grinding it, whoosh, it went off and my face was burnt; no summer fun for me. I learned a lesson. I also recall reading that if the chemical is contaminated with carbon compounds or perhaps dirt, it can become dangerous. No mention of this, and no one except a chemist or someone who has researched the material would guess this is the case. At work, we used concentrated UV light to cure encapsulants. The manufacturing engineer who set the system up, did so in a place where everyone could look at the light. And it was a very beautiful blue light, impossible to look away from, because it was an amazing color. I chimed in and ratted them out to our safety officer. It immediately went away, until the process was restructured. The conclusion I drew is that not even the "experts" know much or care to check. So, about the best I can offer regarding chemicals, is make absolutely sure you know every danger and make sure you are protected in the proper way. With Respect, Bob
Not to worry. Sounds like if you do say manage to swallow some of this stuff,,,you can keep the siren off.
from work by frying chicken for dinner... little did he know that she had changed out flour from the cannister marked 'flour' and put in powdered sugar, and he didn't cook often enough to be able to tell the difference by eye... you can imagine the horrible smell and mess she came home to.... but we gave him big brownie points for trying.. (plus it was so darned funny!) LOL. I have a few of those sad culinary tales. My father once made a "tuna" sandwich. He wondered why it tasted so funny. Let us say that the cat wanted to know why he was missing a tin of his special brand. I tended by brother's dog at his house recently, and got a hankering for ice cream. I grabbed the bottle of "chocolate" topping, and slathered it on. Too bad it was BBQ sauce. We all have these moments from time to time. Bob Ray Charles, RIP
good on scene treatment. Obviously this would be a lights and siren transport, but is there anything I can do enroute? The disclaimer: Bob is not qualified to offer medical advice. However, If you encounter this type of accident, I can only tell you to make sure the hospital knows that the burn is a hydroFLOURIC and not hydroCHLORIC burn. There is lots of information on the web about this issue, so a simple search will turn up lots of references. I think Honeywell is a large manufacturer of the stuff and has specific info on their web site.. Actually, if you have time, you might ask the doctors if they understand this problem. Especially if a local business is using the acid. Again, I am not a doctor, and I do not like to tell a paramedic what to do, if there is a chance you might have to follow my advice. Bob