Having trouble finding oxalic acid!

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Annika

Annika

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I can find it online, but would rather not order it, pay shipping, and wait. I'd like it in my little mitts by Saturday morning. Anyone know any chain hardware stores that carry it? DAP brand, powder form in particular? Not your mom-and-pop store 377 miles from me...but somewhere I can go in St. Louis. :) Thx!
 
It works awesome on rust!
 
for an organic acid, isn't that stuff fairly strong?

you can probably find bleach or wheel cleaner at the hardware store with a concentration of oxalic acid.
that being said you'll have a much easier time finding muriatic acid (hardware store-paint section)cheaper also.
i've cleaned out a couple motorcycle gas tanks with it.

you'll probably need to dilute it. when your finished, rinse off well, and wash your parts with baking soda or powdered laundry soap to insure the acid has been neutralized.

wear protective eye wear and gloves. dont get it on your cloths or skin, its nasty stuff. make sure you use it outside (make sure your up wind also) i etch damascus steel with full strength muriatic and it gives of one heck of a toxic gas. (actually disolving steel)

when mixing think a&w rootbeer -acid to water
 
Fireproof said:
Hey Annika, after you get your acid, would you please show us how it works? (a how-to post) :wink:
Click to expand...

It's a first for me, I just read about it - like Steve said, the BMX guys love it. That's where I learned about it, just Googling. It's much kinder on the environment and on you and your bike than muriatic acid, but still strong enough to pack a punch when highly diluted.

You stir the crystals into hot water....in a bathtub or a kiddie pool...haven't figured out the ratio yet, but it's only 1/2 cup to a cup...and then you stop by every hour or so with a brass brush and knock off the rust. When the rust is all gone, you're done.

It leaves paint and even decals intact.

Oxalic acid is found in rhubarb and other leafy plants. And, according to that BMX thread Steve posted, at Ace and Lowe's. :lol: So I'll look for it there I guess. It wasn't on their website so I started to think they might not have it.
 
D'oh! No luck. Even went to a lumber store. I'll try a couple of paint stores, but then I'm gonna have to try to use something else. I want to spend my weekend working on the bike, not hunting acid. :lol:

In the event I can't find oxalic and am afraid of muriatic, what works great to remove thick pitty rust from a steel frame?! :?:
 
Annika said:
D'oh! No luck. Even went to a lumber store. I'll try a couple of paint stores, but then I'm gonna have to try to use something else. I want to spend my weekend working on the bike, not hunting acid. :lol:

In the event I can't find oxalic and am afraid of muriatic, what works great to remove thick pitty rust from a steel frame?! :?:
Click to expand...
Try PB Blaster. It's a penetration lubricant from the auto parts world. You'ld still need to wool it, but not as much. Also hope you use rubber gloves with anything that loosens rust.
 
deorman said:
Annika said:
D'oh! No luck. Even went to a lumber store. I'll try a couple of paint stores, but then I'm gonna have to try to use something else. I want to spend my weekend working on the bike, not hunting acid. :lol:

In the event I can't find oxalic and am afraid of muriatic, what works great to remove thick pitty rust from a steel frame?! :?:
Click to expand...
Try PB Blaster. It's a penetration lubricant from the auto parts world. You'ld still need to wool it, but not as much. Also hope you use rubber gloves with anything that loosens rust.
Click to expand...

I'll take a look. You don't soak it then? I thought Evapo-Rust looked good, but would take hundreds of dollars to get enough to fill a kiddie pool! :lol:

And don't worry....I am well-armed with thick rubber gloves!
 
Annika said:
D'oh! No luck. Even went to a lumber store. I'll try a couple of paint stores, but then I'm gonna have to try to use something else. I want to spend my weekend working on the bike, not hunting acid. :lol:

In the event I can't find oxalic and am afraid of muriatic, what works great to remove thick pitty rust from a steel frame?! :?:
Click to expand...

Have you considered sandblasting?
 
I've never had the guts to try it, but read all about it on the BMX Museum. The stuff is pretty nasty so yeah, use gloves, eye protection, etc. Give us a thread on it when you do!

Dan
 
Fireproof said:
Annika said:
D'oh! No luck. Even went to a lumber store. I'll try a couple of paint stores, but then I'm gonna have to try to use something else. I want to spend my weekend working on the bike, not hunting acid. :lol:

In the event I can't find oxalic and am afraid of muriatic, what works great to remove thick pitty rust from a steel frame?! :?:
Click to expand...

Have you considered sandblasting?
Click to expand...

Considered it...but got $60+ bids from the people I called. Seemed a little high. Is it?
 
Maybe if I get it mostly gone using the wire cup brush I got for my drill, Naval Jelly will get the last little pitted dots out? I don't want to do anything overkill or incredibly toxic or harmful to my surroundings. In some spots that rust looks awful deep but maybe I'll see how much I can manually scrape off first.
 
It's really best for getting pits lightened on chrome parts. Doesn't work very well on plain steel. It works great on chrome. You can rub and scrub with 0000 steel wool and WD40 to get the same results but soaking in oxylic saves fingers alot of pain.
 
JLarkin said:
It's really best for getting pits lightened on chrome parts. Doesn't work very well on plain steel. It works great on chrome. You can rub and scrub with 0000 steel wool and WD40 to get the same results but soaking in oxylic saves fingers alot of pain.
Click to expand...

Yeah...just wish I could FIND some! Argh! All these websites say people got it at Lowe's, but Lowe's doesn't have it, at least not in my area. Maybe I'll call Ace and True Value, and then start calling the little guys. :lol:
 

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