hangforum.com - The Archive

Recently the results of a corrosion inhibiting product test by user mudman were published on handpan.org. The purpose of the test was "to compare several corrosion inhibiting products in a manner that is intended to simulate the way they would likely be used with a handpan."

Besides 11 oil based products the water soluble IRMCO FLUID 980 819 was tested. The test results of the IRMCO FLUID were very bad compared to the other products.

Reading these results Hang players may be concerned that the Hang Cleaning Fluid by IRMCO (recommended by PANArt) could not be suitable for the Hang and could cause the risk of rust. But this would be a misinterpretation of the test. There are two reasons why this test is not able to compare IRMCO FLUID with the other tested products and why the test cannot say anything about the corrosion inhibiting effect of the Hang Cleaning Fluid:

1) The testing method is not qualified to compare a water soluble product with oil based products. In the first five days the specimens were stored in contact with a moist bag. From day 6 on the specimens were dipped daily in an "artificial sweat solution consisting of 920 mg of sodium chloride per liter of water. After dipping each specimen in the salt solution, they were hand rubbed".

In the first five days of this test a water soluble product was possibly partly removed from the specimen. The dipping and rubbing then removed a water soluble product for certain while oil based products are able to stay on the specimen. The result was inevitable: After all the fluid was removed by the testing method the specimen showed "large spots of rust" on day 7. But this doesn't say anything about the product in normal use on a Hang: If a Hang got wet any intelligent Hang player will renew the corrosion protection because he knows that his corrosion inhibiting product is water soluble.

2) In the test IRMCO FLUID 980 819 was used. This product is not identical with the Hang Cleaning Fluid recommended by PANArt and distributed by LBI oil free GmbH. The Hang Cleaning Fluid is based on IRMCO FLUID 980 819, but it contains additive compounds reinforcing the corrosion protection and optimizing the haptic characteristics.


More information about the Hang Cleaning Fluid you can find here.

Hi Michael,

I have the cleaning fluid from Germany that is recommended (I bought it after reading it on the hangblog ages ago) and I find it really good (and I live in a humid, semi-tropical climate).

What just occurred to me to ask - is it possible to spray it on the inside of the hang? (My integral came to me in 2008 so it wouldn't have had the treatment in the making process.)

Cheers from Oz,

That is an interesting question, actually. I am sure you *can* spray it. But is it useful ?
Maybe someone savvy can shed some light on this, or share their experience ?
BTW, what is the treatment you're referring to ?

If you keep your Hang dry, it isn't necessary to use the spray inside.
If you don't keep your Hang dry, spraying inside will not protect your Hang from rusting.

So there isn't any reason to use the pray inside. I have never done this for seven years and never had a problem.

Michael

So you think that it's better to pray outside?