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WTH happened to my MP40 spare wetside

fatoldsun

NJRC Member
I keep (kept, I guess now) a spare wetside for my MP40. It’s a nonQD (the dry side bearing went and I failed in my attempt to repair so I got a spare out of it). Just swapped this one out about a month ago. Wish I had been there to hear what this small explosion must have sounded like.
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etmanning1

NJRC Member
Zoas Grow Out Winner
Woah that’s crazy. I’m glad it didn’t crack your glass when it blew up.


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fatoldsun

NJRC Member
Me too. Fortunately it was on a shelf away from the tank but what’s happening to the others in the tank?
 

ecam

President
Staff member
Board of Directors
NJRC Member
Moderator
do you dip them in vinegar or anything else when cleaning... its been well documented by people smarter than me that any type of corrosive breaks the seal on these things and allows saltwater to get to the metal and start this process. From this point i dont soak the magnet..

just tootbrush for blades and I soak the cage....
 

fatoldsun

NJRC Member
do you dip them in vinegar

Guess that’s it. I soak in a mild vinegar bath for 24-48 hours. Usually about 1/3 vinegar, 2/3 water. Not doing that anymore. Hopefully what’s in the tank is safe because there’s very little oxygen in there as long as they’re submerged. I wonder what Ecotech recommends for cleaning.

Fun fact - magnetic shards retain their magnetic properties so there was nothing to clean up. The exploded magnet held together for the most part.
 

redfishbluefish

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
I was with Edwin today and he mentioned this post and felt compelled to reply. Vinegar is an odd little acid (acetic acid) that has the ability to permeate plastic. The vinegar is getting to the magnet and causing it to start to rust (oxidize), and in the process swell....eventually breaking the plastic case. I've lost three wetsides before this was brought to my attention. I no longer soak the magnet portion in vinegar. The only part that goes into vinegar is the cage portion, while the magnet portion simply gets washed and scrubbed using tap water. If your magnet still needs an acid bath, you'd be better off with muriatic acid (hydrochloric acid) or citric acid. These acids can't permeate most plastics.
 

fatoldsun

NJRC Member
I was with Edwin today and he mentioned this post and felt compelled to reply. Vinegar is an odd little acid (acetic acid) that has the ability to permeate plastic. The vinegar is getting to the magnet and causing it to start to rust (oxidize), and in the process swell....eventually breaking the plastic case. I've lost three wetsides before this was brought to my attention. I no longer soak the magnet portion in vinegar. The only part that goes into vinegar is the cage portion, while the magnet portion simply gets washed and scrubbed using tap water. If your magnet still needs an acid bath, you'd be better off with muriatic acid (hydrochloric acid) or citric acid. These acids can't permeate most plastics.

Thanks Paul. Lesson learned. Hopefully my other wetsides aren’t time bombs
 
I was with Edwin today and he mentioned this post and felt compelled to reply. Vinegar is an odd little acid (acetic acid) that has the ability to permeate plastic. The vinegar is getting to the magnet and causing it to start to rust (oxidize), and in the process swell....eventually breaking the plastic case. I've lost three wetsides before this was brought to my attention. I no longer soak the magnet portion in vinegar. The only part that goes into vinegar is the cage portion, while the magnet portion simply gets washed and scrubbed using tap water. If your magnet still needs an acid bath, you'd be better off with muriatic acid (hydrochloric acid) or citric acid. These acids can't permeate most plastics.

Glad to see your comments Paul, I use vinegar bath and also commented on another post about Citric Acid, after seeing the pics and reading your comment I’m switching to Citric Acid.


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fatoldsun

NJRC Member
Glad to see your comments Paul, I use vinegar bath and also commented on another post about Citric Acid, after seeing the pics and reading your comment I’m switching to Citric Acid.


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Would you use canning citric acid or is this like a -squeeze a lemon into the cleaning bath- situation? Is that as stupid as it sounds now that I’m reading it back to myself?
 
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