Need Advice on Safely Cleaning a Groco K Bronze Head

[WaldPinkler]

Hi folks,

I’ve been having a tough time keeping my Groco K bronze head clean with the constant saltwater exposure. Initially, I used hydrochloric acid for the task, and it worked wonders but at a cost. It ended up etching the porcelain and corroding the bronze cylinder. I had to hone the cylinder out and expand the piston ring to rectify the damage. Definitely a lesson learned the hard way.

I then switched to CLR, but it’s kind of pricy in the long run. I've been wary about using vinegar after reading some tests on Practical Sailor that mentioned it could also etch the porcelain and be harmful to rubber and metals.

On occasions where the hoses got extremely blocked with scale, I went back to hydrochloric acid, which bubbled away the scale blockage nicely. I always followed up with baking soda to neutralize the acid.

Now, I’m looking for some advice. Has anyone dealt with a similar situation or found a more pocket-friendly and material-safe solution for cleaning a bronze head, especially in saltwater conditions?

Any insights or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

[wsmurdoch]

I use citric acid, a coffee measure cup every two days or so. It is a powder solid, so it does not splash. It is odor free. It not only decomposes carbonate salts, as an chelating agent, it also increases the water solubility of calcium and magnesium. While a weak acid, it is trivalent with three acid groups per molecule making a nice buffered acid solution between pH 2 and maybe 8. It's available on Amazon and easily stored in used PET peanut butter or mayonnaise jars.

[WaldPinkler]

There's a bulk store selling it for AU$12/kg here. I'll give it a go. A container of powder next to the head would be easy.

I'm not a chemist but from what I read, it seems to react with the copper in the bronze, leading to the formation of copper citrate and potential discoloration or pitting of the surface. I don't know how much of a concern that is...