Removing rust stains from sails

[Seajet]

I suspect modern oxalic acid is more diluted than the 1980's stuff, but go ahead and try it by all means but FFS use at least eye protection !

NB as most hulls are taller than humans the acid runs down ones' sleeves / forearms.

The nurse who helped me was a qualified Matron; before her help splashing my arms with cold water was no use, I had to fill a basin with cold water and keep my arms immersed for 40 minutes, maybe not life threating but no fun, as I said it felt like the skin would burn down to the bone !

 

[parbuckle]

Could have mistakenly used caustic soda crystals they are white before dilution in water and will burn like acid although they are a strong alkaline. FWIW oxalic acid is very poisonous as

in rhubarb leaves so take care.

 

[nigelmercier]

H'mm
I can remember the days when I used to pipette a near saturated oxalic acid solution by mouth on a regular basis

It was like that at school, everything sucked into a pipette by mouth. No protection glasses, or rubber gloves. Lab coat though, but only because they looked cool.

I was using Oxalic acid yesterday. About an hour later I discovered a splash of it had dried on my arm, it stung a bit, so I rinsed it off. I didn't die. From Wikipedia: In humans, ingested oxalic acid has an oral LDLo (lowest published lethal dose) of 600 mg/kg. So that's about 75g to finish me off. I don't think I've ever mixed that much up, let alone drunk it