James asked, “Will the TSP/90 Phosphate Free products work as well as the standard TSP brands?”
An excellent question. My first impulse is, “I doubt it.” But I am not sure. The folks at ReactiveMetals.com might have some insight (that I would share here if passed along).
TSP/90 is made with Sodium metasilicate and pentahydrate. So it is an alkali electrolyte with plenty of oxygen carriers in it. So far, so good. But as a cleanser it appears to suffer from leaving behind a film; a bad sign.
If you are concerned about the potential harm of artificial phosphates in the environment, anodizing is not a significant supply. I have been using the same 8 oz. box of actual TSP for the last dozen years. That’s equivalent to a few weeks of laundry. The same batch of electrolyte can keep on going for months, by adding distilled water (the part that is used up) and an occasional pinch of TSP crystals (to keep up the concentration from the drops removed by pulling out pieces). Occasionally, I filter out the dust and bring it to a boil to make sure it stays sterile.
If you want to be even more environmentally correct, use ammonium phosphate (lawn fertilizer) and then dispose of your old electrolyte by spraying it on your lawn. I used a box of this through the 1980’s and 1990’s.
One of these days, I’ll probably expound why the lingering phosphate meme of the 1970’s was somewhat misguided in the first place.
The Mrtitanium Forum 