Cleaning of Another Kind

[Warhammer]

Well I asked a question a while back about O2 cleaning methods and kept poor 'ole Joe up late at nights as the conversation progressed, so I thought I'd give it another whirl. Only this time, I'm interested in outside cleaning. I bought a pair of Pressed Steel HP100s this weekend and while they are presently in mint condition, I'm sure they will require cleaning somewhere down the road. What can I use on them and what can't I use on them? While they aren't aluminum, is aluminum cleaner a no-no? I'm mainly interested in maintaining their present condition but I do have a little name removal (paint marker) to do. Is there any way to prevent the chalking that most all Pressed Steels seem to get over time? Thomas, you out there?

 

[scubakat]

I just rinse mine with fresh water & stow them in the garage. When they were new it took a few dives to get what I think was extra zinc off of them. It left some chalky stuff on my BC, and the tank bands have actually left marks on the tank. I'm hoping that's all normal.

-kate

 

[rcontrera]

I used to spend time doing a soap and water wash after each dive to keep the galvanized surfaces clean. But now I use some stuff called Salt-X. I still rinse my gear in fresh water after diving, but then treat it all with the Salt-X solution and have had ZERO salt buildup or "chalking" on any of my cylinders (or the rest of my gear for that matter).

When we had rental equipment (80s), we used it on all that stuff and it greatly extended the life of everything we treated. Kind of magic stuff, but hard to find in dive shops. Only one accessory company carries it and they are primarily on the west coast. Lots of marine hardware shops carry it.

I am just a satisfied user and don't sell Salt-X ... but wish that I did!

Just my $.02

Ray

 

[Warhammer]

Thanks, Ray, I'll have a look around and see if i can find it.

 

[Thomas Ivey]

Originally posted by Warhammer
Well I asked a question a while back about O2 cleaning methods and kept poor 'ole Joe up late at nights as the conversation progressed, so I thought I'd give it another whirl. Only this time, I'm interested in outside cleaning. I bought a pair of Pressed Steel HP100s this weekend and while they are presently in mint condition, I'm sure they will require cleaning somewhere down the road. What can I use on them and what can't I use on them? While they aren't aluminum, is aluminum cleaner a no-no? I'm mainly interested in maintaining their present condition but I do have a little name removal (paint marker) to do. Is there any way to prevent the chalking that most all Pressed Steels seem to get over time? Thomas, you out there?

The best maintenance that PST recommends is that you rinse the tanks with fresh water and allow them to dry.

ti