Oxalis acid

PabloPicasso

PabloPicasso

Well-Known Member
Joined
12 Feb 2010
Messages
2,929
Visit site
Anyone know where I can order oxalic acid online? My plan is to mix it up with wallpaper paste, and brush it onto a grimey hull, leave for an hour and rinse off. A home brew y10
 
Mix it with Fairy Liquid (1:1) and squirt that on. It is MUCH easier to remove than wall paper paste, and contributes to the breakdown of oily residues.
 
PabloPicasso said:
Anyone know where I can order oxalic acid online? My plan is to mix it up with wallpaper paste, and brush it onto a grimey hull, leave for an hour and rinse off. A home brew y10
Click to expand...

Last time I looked you could order it via Amazon. I never got around to ordering any.
 
Do a search on ebay - I bought a large tub for about £25 still got plenty left even tho' sharing it around. Don't have link to hand.
 
eBay
Click to expand...

or AG Woodcare

remember its toxic by ingestion and harmful by skin absorption.

At least one forumite has had a very severe reaction to splashes on the skin

Be sure to dispose of waste safely and to clearly label any solid or solution retained.
 
Amazon - mixed 500g with 5l hot water and added 3/4 of a bottle of washing up liquid. That did the whole hull and deck of my 38 footer with some to spare for a second coat next day on the worst areas.

Applied with a roller. left couple of hours and jet washed off. Did ok job even though temperature was only 14 degrees c - read that it does not work very well below 15 degrees.

Also read that someone who added wallpaper paste and allowed to dry had a devil of a job getting it off again!

Wear goggles and gloves. And old clothes - the colour of my old trousers did change where exposed!!
 
Yep - got my OA from AGWoodcare in 2011.

Had some staining above WL which needed dealing with just last week:- carefully mixed OA crystals adding to luke warm water until no more crystals dissolved, mixed in wallpaper paste until gloopy (which also helps prevent spills when hopping into the dinghy, mixed a bit of Fairy to give a bit of colour (couldn't find any eyes of frog or bat wings to add into the witches brew) then me and SWMBO pulled the dingy alongside and pasted the solution on, left it for around 15mins and thoroughly hosed down with a light scrubbing brush. It did an excellent job, removing all staining from the hull. Quick light re-polish after just to add back some protection prior to a lift next Feb/Mar!
 
Pavalijo said:
Amazon - mixed 500g with 5l hot water and added 3/4 of a bottle of washing up liquid. That did the whole hull and deck of my 38 footer with some to spare for a second coat next day on the worst areas.

Applied with a roller. left couple of hours and jet washed off. Did ok job even though temperature was only 14 degrees c - read that it does not work very well below 15 degrees.

Also read that someone who added wallpaper paste and allowed to dry had a devil of a job getting it off again!

Wear goggles and gloves. And old clothes - the colour of my old trousers did change where exposed!!
Click to expand...

Well, that scuppers me. Probably won't see temps that high til middle of next year, and that'll be one day and the one day I can't get to the boat.

Thanks for all the comments, useful if I can ever get "the perfect day".
 
charles_reed said:
<<Wear goggles and gloves. And old clothes - the colour of my old trousers did change where exposed!!>>

Especially black, becomes red before falling apart.
Click to expand...
Yes, you get lovely pink spots on blue trousers. Temperature does matter: on a warm day it works amazingly fast, you can see the brown waterline stain fading as you sponge or brush it on. Below about 10 degrees it does not seem to work very well at all.
 
VicS said:
or AG Woodcare

remember its toxic by ingestion and harmful by skin absorption.

At least one forumite has had a very severe reaction to splashes on the skin

Be sure to dispose of waste safely and to clearly label any solid or solution retained.
Click to expand...

i got loads on my arms and hands when i used it with a sponge on the grp... has a weird pinching feel to it
 
I did the Oxalic acid and wallpaper paste mix
not very thick as I recall

then let it dry..


Was a right barsteward to remove, :ambivalence:
 
woozy-UK said:
i got loads on my arms and hands when i used it with a sponge on the grp... has a weird pinching feel to it
Click to expand...

Well it must have been different to the stuff I used then !

This was about 1991, the oxalic acid cleaners available now may be weaker.

I used it to degrease my boats' topsides prior to painting as the gelcoat had ' chalked '; stupidly when I saw ' to deactivate rinse with water ' I thought it must be feeble stuff.

I rinsed off the topsides with a bucket and sponge, allowing the residue to run down my arms - rolled up sleeves.

Within minutes my arms started to burn, and it was getting much worse very rapidly; I ran for the club loos and put my arms under a running tap but the burning continued, I knew I was in trouble and actually wondered if it would go down to the bone, very painful !

Fortunately a member was an ex hospital Matron who knew what to do; she had me fill a basin and keep my arms immersed for 40 minutes - she was fairly horrified by the angry red burns, it was obviously very nearly a hospital job.

I hate to think of getting this stuff in ones' eyes, that would be it I'd think, also be careful with any passing people.

Be very careful with Oxalic acid and do wear protective gear, especially goggles !
 
As others have said, buy on eBay. But for FFS don't add wallpaper paste - it's perfectly effective as a 10% solution in water.. As it dries, it becomes more concentrated, then rinse off.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top