Oxalic Acid - I don't get it!!!

Lazy Kipper said:
That's 10 parts water to 1 part Oxalic powder?
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Yes, but you can make it stronger if you want it to act faster, or weaker if you have several hours. Wear rubber gloves, and eye protection. Don't put your hands near your face. I keep a bucket of warm water handy with some sodium bicarbonate in an open jar next to it. Only needed it once, but I'm glad it was nearby, as I couldn't see anything. Did I say wear eye protection?
 
Mistroma said:
Y-10 can be a bit of a sod to remove in very hot weather if allowed to dry.
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Yes - just washing down with a hose won't shift it.

My technique is to apply the Y10 to one side of the boat using a paintbrush. Leave it for 10-15 minutes and then wash it off with hot soapy water and a lightly applied Scotchbrite pad, followed by hosing down with fresh water. That leaves the hull very clean and white, ready for polishing. The boat is 46 years old and still comes up looking good each year.

As has been said before, a warm day is essential. The stuff just won't work if it's too cold and you waste your time and money trying. I found this out the hard way!
 
nigelmercier said:
Yes, but you can make it stronger if you want it to act faster, or weaker if you have several hours. Wear rubber gloves, and eye protection. Don't put your hands near your face. I keep a bucket of warm water handy with some sodium bicarbonate in an open jar next to it. Only needed it once, but I'm glad it was nearby, as I couldn't see anything. Did I say wear eye protection?
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Thanks Nigel.
 
I recently started a thread on rust removal, and decided to go with the oxalic acid option which had been suggested. I bought some on ebay mixed it 10:1 added a bit of washing up liquid, put it in a spray bottle and sprayed it on my rather large rust stains on both horizontal and vertical surfaces. Went off to faff around with something else, and 10 minutes later there wasn't a speck of rust to be seen. I was amazed. Great stuff, and it wasn't even that warm!
 
Out of interest, when oxalic acid acts on rust, does it change it into something colourless and soluble in water or does it leave behind whatever it has taken the colour out of? Any chemists?
 
alahol2 said:
Out of interest, when oxalic acid acts on rust, does it change it into something colourless and soluble in water or does it leave behind whatever it has taken the colour out of? Any chemists?
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Dissolves and removes the rust. I think you will find. Maybe chelates the iron to form the ferrioxalate anion ??


I have no idea, on the other hand, why it is apparently so good as a general cleaner for GRP. I suspect that being acid it removes carbonate deposits that harbour general grime.
 
I have a far simpler solution than all of this chemicals and work nonsense. Just stop buying such nice boats! My boat is 10 years older than me and I've never once thought any kind of acid would be necessary for improvement :D
 
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