Removal of Nickel Ore Stains / Footprints

do you have access to google ?

Of course... I did not find anything. Only some methods for dissolving nickel alloys etc.

http://uk.ask.com/web?l=dis&qsrc=999&siteid=41627711&o=41627711&q=Removal+of+Nickel+Ore+stains+%2F+footprintsremoval+of+nickel+stains&ifr=1

I don't get it. It just returns a simple search from Jeeves with nothing new.

Strip and repaint.

Stripping isn't the right solution. Harming the paint of carbon steel a little is ok, but I'm talking about a whole ship's hold.

Why isn't stripping and painting the right solution? Is that too 'nice' a finish?

What are you trying to accomplish? Are you converting a Handymax to a passenger ship? How clean and sparkly does the hold of a bulk carrier need to be?

You're right! It's a bulk carrier, turning from ore to wheat. And, as you may know, stripping is never the solution for the shipping companies.

It does not have to be sparky, but needs to be clean and without stains, so that it'll pass the investigation.

Have you tried bleach? Cheap enough and available enough to try. Above that, maybe 30% hydrogen peroxide, but make sure to read the MSDS for proper handling procedures.

I've tried sodium hypo 12% (bleach), not working! Hydrogen peroxide seems promising! It should be combined with bleach? Or stand alone application?

How does it interact with painted surfaces? Discoloring like bleach? Stripping?

Should I use it in combination with other chemicals?

Which type of nickel ore? How much Cu or Fe is included? Do you know what caused the stains?

Would this "ore" look like dirt to the uninitiated?

If "nickel ore" is all you know, then, strip and repaint is still my answer.

Sorry

I looks like mud. It is the ore, just extracted from the mine (Africa). It may have any composition. Sorry, stripping not an option.

unable to find anything relating to nickel but when looking for yellow stain i came up with the following link which may work.

http://about.pricegrabber.com/search_attrib.php/page_id=2064/form_keyword=pool+stain/rd=1/st=query

http://about.pricegrabber.com/search_attrib.php?form_keyword=yellow+stain+removal&topcat_id=&Search.x=0&Search.y=0&Search=Search&page_id=2064&st=filter-query

http://swimming-pool-supplies.poolsupplies.com/search?w=yellowish+stain&asug=

http://www.minsocam.org/ammin/AM56/AM56_1077.pdf

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=colour+of+stain+from+nickel+ore&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=what+metal+is+yellowish+in+colour&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a

Could you paint over the original paint layer without stripping? I know that probably has every coating guy on the planet rolling over in his or her grave whether they are dead yet or not, but if stripping is a non-starter......

If one assumes that the stain is due to the presence of nickel (and other metallic) oxides, you might think about using a solution which contains chelating agents, such as EDTA. These compounds will form water soluble chelates with metal ions which can then be dissolved (washed). That's the next chemically logical approach..oxidation didn't work (bleach) since (hypothetically) the ionic species are already highly oxidized.....I'd be interested in knowing if this shows any promise at all.

First thing I think is to ask what kind paint is on the floor. If it is epoxy coat the you may try delute nitric acid solution then a cleating agent like HEDP (phosphonic asid). Nitric acis dissolves nickel ores or nickel metal.

You may also try a special formulated nickel strippers which you can easly find from electro plating chemical suppliers.

Hope this can help.

One other thought..the key is to try to identify what the composition of the yellow stain is...You can use a portable XRay Flouresence (XRF) device to identify the chemical/elemental differences between the stained and unstained area. This (hopefully) will give you a clue as to the composition of the stained area relative to the unstained area. THEN..perhaps..you will have evidence to guide a cleaning procedure. Seems more orderly than "hit or miss". You should offer this challenge to manufacturers of portable XRF units...perhaps a great demo will result in their selling you an instrument? Good luck.