Update on Oxalic acid

H

Heckler

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Having used Starbrite Hull Cleaning potion for years now, I was getting fed up with paying £11 ish for a bottle that didnt go very far. Anyway looking at advice on here and off other friends I decided to buy some oxalic acid and give it a go, a quick trip to Google and a supplier was found, 1 kg for about £3 plus postage. It duly arrived. This weekend down to the boat and the big test, the instructions said 4 ozs per pint of hot water, but other quantities I had seen said half that so I mixed 4 ozs per litre and away we went, I had taken off a liferaft that had been on the coach roof for a few years and the inevitable green stuff and stains from the wood mount was left behind. On with the potion and leave for 20 mins. Magic it worked! I did the seat ad coaming teak, it brought it up like new. Highly recommended, credit crunch buster etc etc. Just have to be careful with precautions, rubber gloves and safety glasses etc, having said that no different than using Starbrite stuff.
Stu
 
Yes Stu great stuff, I bought a 5 kilo drum 2 winters ago and have given most of it away, but have used it twice now and as you say just makes yellow scum stain dissapear.
For teak etc I tend to mix it stronger about double what you mixed it at, then again my teak was very bad.
A green or brown scourer pad brings the wood up nice and smooth.
I guess thats you converted too!
 
I cant believe i waited so long, all those 11 quids I have put in to the pockets of those swindleries. I wonder what profit margin they work on? I kow that i was gobsmacked a few years ago, in orlando for my fix of mickey mouse, went to the kmart and the 3m polish and restorer that we pay 12 quid for was only 4 or 5 dollars, now what is going on there, why do we pay so much over her?
Stu
 
I bought mine on E-Bay. 25 quid for 5 Kg (1 Gallon container of powder).
Never had a problem with stainless, it removed the rust streaking very quickly. Just remember to use a polish afterwards.
Excellent on decks and topsides.
Brought up my exterior woodwork (using a scotchbrite pad) beautifully.
Never used it for interior work though.
 
I had an anchor chain that went rusty and it has badly stained the deck around the anchor locker and there is also some staining on the hull. would it be any good for this??
 
In a word, Yes, you might have to mix it a bit stronger, another mate of mine actually dissolves the crystals till they wont dissolve any more, ie a saturated solution. It wont harm figlass.
Stu
 
Did some rust spot stains on my decks last year got rid of them completely but also highlighted how dirty my deck was so ended up having to do the whole topsides. What a difference it made though I hadn't realised how stained the deck had become.
Brilliant stuff. Got mine on Ebay.

Just read this and it's put me off a bit
http://www.jtbaker.com/msds/englishhtml/o6044.htm
 
It is an excellent fibreglass/ gelcoat cleaner.
As has already been mentioned, add to water until a saturated solution is formed (wont disolve anymore). ALWAYS ADD TO WATER _ NEVER ADD WATER TO THE ACID !!! Otherwise you will risk being splashed.
I read the link to the Safety Data info - I must admit that I have been splashed a few times, though never had anything more than a little discomfort. HOWEVER, that is not to say that this should be treated as anything other than the dangerous chemical that it can be if misused. Wear the recommended safety gear - I do now!
And for Gods sake KEEP KIDS AWAY !!!
 
Does anyone know if it will damage paintwork? My hull has been painted in the past (not sure what type of paint) and if I cleaned the deck, it will certainly run onto paint.
 
great at removing rust stains , dont forget one thing though, apart from its obvious acidic properties, oxalic acid is a very potent poison both by swallowing and absorption through the skin... be careful!!
 
Similarly when polishing a tired looking car. On olden days I used to use T-Cut at £3.50 a pop! /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Now I find that the non-scratch bath cleaner Cif or Jif will do exactly the same job for coppers instead of quids! Probably just the lemon juice which does all the work? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
I bought a drum from Ebay a year or so ago and as you say, it is the way to go. I have two 2 litre plastic bottles. In the first, I have a super-saturated solution (i.e. crystals on the bottom). I then fill the second bottle 10% full of saturated solution and fill with water. The weak is great for teak and general work while you can 'spot' with the 100% if you need to.
 
The snag I've found with these products is that they seem to only bleach the yellow stain away but leave the surface even more vulnerable to its return.

I had cleaned my hull carefully, matched the paint and touched up a few areas that resulted from my "excellent close quarter manoeuvring skills". She looked loved again. After one season, the yellow stain was back, but not on the places where I had touched up the paintwork. The stain didn't stick to the new paint.
 
One caution.

Having had success on boat stains, I thought I would have a go at removing a rust stain in our (domestic) bath caused by leaving some diving gear in it overnight.

As anticipated, the stain disappeared BUT the acid attacked the vitreous glaze on the bath (cast iron).

We now have a non slip area we didn't have before!
 
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