Muriatic Acid to strip off coral and limestone encrustation of finds

[bdahunter]

Has anyone had experience with using acid to strip the limestone build up that occurs with ferrous relics that have been submerged for a long time in saltwater and beachsand? In theory I should be able to break down the calcium carbonate build up using the acid (safety precautions taken naturally) but the ferrous oxide component of the build up may be a little harder to dissolve.
I don't want to damage the finds but mechanical removal is not effective as the finds shatter when the crud is being chipped away, so a chemical solution seems to be the solution.
I would think that an acid would work better than a caustic agent like quick lyme.
Anyone with experience cleaning marine finds like these??
[attachment 29944 encrustedfind.JPG]

[attachment 29943 FathersDayweekendfinds007Medium.jpg]

Thanks for any and all help,

BDA

 

[VaBill]

n/t

 

[bdahunter]

It can't do any more harm than my chipping hammer and chisel. CaCO3 versus FeO2 when mixed with a solution of muriatic acid HCl aqueous, let's break out the test tubes and beakers and find out what happens.

BDA