Menu
Oil rig in the ocean
Home > Products > HoldTight 102

HoldTight 102®

Salt Remover & Flash Rust Preventer

Brochures

Safety Data Sheets

Technical Documents

HoldTight® 102 salt remover / flash rust preventer is a one step additive that prevents flash rusting of wet abrasive and water-blasted iron and steel surfaces and of dry-blasted surfaces in a pressurized wash down. It effectively removes all salts, including chlorides, sulfates, phosphates, nitrates, etc., and other contaminants, including oil, grease, and blast residues. HoldTight® 102 salt remover / flash rust preventer is approved by most major coatings suppliers for use with most coatings. A number of studies of the proprietary compound that is the active ingredient in HoldTight® 102 salt remover / flash rust preventer have concluded that the material may be safely disposed of in sanitary sewers, rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water without endangering aquatic life or otherwise compromising the environment. This was true even when that compound was tested at a much higher level of concentration than in HoldTight® 102 off-the-shelf and dramatically higher concentrations than in the product as applied.

How HoldTight® 102 “Works”

Large ship

All water has, to a certain degree, surface tension: the harder the water the higher the surface tension. This surface tension reduces the ability of the water to clean even under low pressures (<5000 PSI) those areas of a surface that are not fully exposed to the pressure (fissures, pores and cracks). As a result this leaves contaminants hidden in the cracks and fissures, which can lead to coating failure.

HoldTight® 102, a proprietary formulation, quite simply, when added to water reduces the surface tension of that water to a point at which the water’s inherent cleaning power is maximized. This elimination of the surface tension by HoldTight 102® allows what is effectively “supercharged water” to do what water does best: “WASH” all the contaminants away.

The key to using 102 effectively is to dilute it properly AND to pressure wash the surface with the – we say –“treated water” – the more pressure the better but the water volume need not be greater than 1 gallon per minute – a common flow rate for pressure washers. Higher pressure improves performance, higher volume doesn’t help as much. Most off-the-shelf (at Home Depot or Lowe’s, for example) pressure washers can easily generate 1500 p.s.i of pressure with a flow rate of 1 gallon per minute. Industrial washers can go much higher, 5,000 p.s.i or above; and they are more efficient. Heating the water will improve performance, but is not essential.

Why are pressure and flow important? Simply because 102 is a washing agent, a surfactant like soap, but UNLIKE soap, it leaves no residue if allowed to evaporate with the water that contains it. Forcing the water with the 102 into the profile or pores of the surface results in more thorough cleaning. When the surface is dry, the 102 is gone. There is nothing to remove. You are ready to apply your primer or coating or you can wait several days without seeing flash rust.

And here’s the bonus:

Rust

Clean surfaces simply don’t rust as fast. 102 prevents flash rust not by forming a film to separate the surface from air and humidity, but by leaving an exceptionally clean surface. Contaminants of any kind – visible or invisible – literally suck moisture out of the air, like sponges. To be a bit crude, but clear, about it, 102 removes those suckers. Because 102 evaporates with the water in which it has been dissolved, it does not leave a residue as do some salt removers and virtually all conventional “inhibitors.” It does not solve one problem by creating another.

Features

  • Provides corrosion-free surface for up to 48 hours
  • Removes all surface salts
  • Water soluble
  • Application ratios: 1:50 to 1:250
  • Leaves no residue
  • Phosphate and acid free
  • Biodegradable
  • Non-flammable
  • Non-toxic

Benefits

  • Allows delay in coating pressure washed/blasted steel
  • Clean surface prevents corrosion, assures coating adhesion
  • Wide application in all types of washing/blasting processes
  • Economical to use
  • Does not interfere with subsequent coatings
  • Non-polluting, safe-to-use and odor free
  • Environmentally friendly
  • Safe for workplace
  • Safe for applicators

When do you use HoldTight® 102

Bridge
  • After sand blasting for wash down for a much cleaner surface than with the use of air
  • After ultra high water blasting to wash down residue that deposits from the atmosphere
  • During wet abrasive blasting then rinse to prevent flash rust
  • Cleaning and salt removal with hand/power tools and hand washing
  • To remove built up road salts from steel and cement surfaces
  • As an additive to prevent flash rusting during hydro-testing heat exchangers and boilers

Removing Soluble Salts with HoldTight®102

Independent tests confirm that HoldTight®102 removes ALL salts (and other contaminants). It then prevents flash rusting, a simple and obvious indication that the surface is clean and ready for coating. Unlike other salt removal products, HoldTight®102 works with ALL field test methods, both ion specific tests and all total salt tests. If working to ISO standards use the Bresle test. For IMO use Bresle or SaltSmart®; for ASTM or SSPC use these tests or potassium ferricyanide paper or the Kitigawa tube method. The New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDoT) researchers concluded that HoldTight®102 will effectively achieve zero or undetectable salt levels.

“102” Does Concrete Too

Bridge

HoldTight® 102 cleans concrete as well as steel, aluminum, fiberglass, and composites leaving no contaminants. It is as effective on concrete as it is on metal surfaces for cleaning. Added to water and applied under pressure, it will remove both visible (oil, grease, crud, etc.) and non-visible contaminants (chlorides, phosphates, sulfates, nitrates, etc.) from virtually any surface. HoldTight® 102 is also used in industrial applications to remove contaminants from bridges, water tanks, refineries and equipment as well as other steel and concrete structures.

Coating suppliers who approve the use of HoldTight® 102 on various types of coatings *

  • Ameron
  • Carboline
  • Hempel
  • PPG
  • Sherwin Williams
  • Sigma
  • Tnemec
  • Wasser
  • Valspar
  • Dampney
  • Tristar
  • Lord Elastomers
  • Plasite
  • Polibrid
  • Jotun
  • Heresite
  • Rainbow Coatings

* This list is not intended to be complete or definitive. It is representative only.
Consult your coating supplier and/or HoldTight® Solutions Inc., for manufacturers or coatings not on this list.