Oxalic Acid for cleaning off rust

[univac]

Hey everybody.

I see where this has been covered before, but I wanted to pitch in on the topic as well.

Just thought I'd post a quick picture showing what Oxalic Acid can do. Oxalic Acid is wood bleach, and you can pick it up at Ace Hardware (that's where I got my container). I paid just under $8.00 for it. It came in a small white plastic container, and it comes in crystalized form. I put three heaping spoonfuls of it (soup spoon size) into a 5 gallon bucket and filled it with water. I dropped the parts in and let them soak for 48 hours. This picture is the result.
So, if you want an easy way to eat the rust off some old parts, this is it. You can't see it in the picture, but my parts are really pitted in some areas. But that's ok, because this is a rat rod bike!!!

Rock on, people.

 

[ParkRNDL]

Nice. I never tried that--just read about it recently on the Musclebike board, and I was thinking I might get around to it. Your results are certainly persuasive...

--rick

 

[SSG]

Shoot those parts with a can of "patio clear". That should keep the rust from forming back quickly through all those pits.

 

[Beau]

Vinegar will do the same thing, and a lot less toxic. Just takes a couple days.

 

[Road Master]

Looks like parts off a CWC Western Flyer w/ Shockmaster Springer.

 

[univac]

Patio clear. Got it. I'll have to pick some of that up.

And it is indeed a Western Flyer. A friend gave me the frame, forks, and bottom end. I'm reusing everything but the handlebars on this rebuild. You have a good eye, Road Master.

 

[kickback]

That is amazing ! Going out and buying some.

 

[MERK]

Did you happen to try anything galvanized in that solution? Like maybe spokes? I`ve never tried oxalic acid, thought I have used nearly everything else, and most other acids will take galvanizing off...and I don`t want to! I have a set of chrome wheels that have a painted centre strip and would like to soak them to remove most of the rust. Spokes are galvanized though, so don`t want to remove that in the process...

 

[twomorestrokes]

Oxalic acid (wood bleach) is amazing stuff! I use it all the time saving seemingly unsaveable parts. Spokes don't do well in it, or anything else cad plated and it eats aluminum.

Wear gloves and avoid the fumes when mixing and using. Dilute it thoroughly before disposal. It is very toxic in concentrated form, put not so much when very diluted. It is used in swimming pools to adjust ph levels.

 

[utilityart]

Just as a rule of thumb, add acid to water, not water to acid. Some acids react with water and dropping some water in it will have some bad consequences.

Results look good though.

 

[twomorestrokes]

If you soak an assembled wheel, use a tray and have the solution just deep enough to soak a portion of the rim standing up. I have it deep enough to soak my nipples in it too :wink: but not the spokes. Rotate the wheel a little a couple times a day until you're done.

 

[lambohaha]

Here`s some of my "befores and afters" with Oxalic acid.

and check out this video I made using Lemon Juice to clean some rusty pedals
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Wx1AMMG_Lc

 

[Beau]

Vinegar

Nuff said.

Non toxic, it's cheap and it works. No gloves, a slight odor.

Fill a 5 gallon pail full.

Before:

After-

 

[lambohaha]

Vinegar

Nuff said.

Non toxic, it's cheap and it works. No gloves, a slight odor.

Fill a 5 gallon pail full.

Before:

After-

Yep, a really good choice. I had used the OA bath before I realized I could`ve went with white vinegar.

 

[subadrew]

5 gallons of vinager!? Or do you mix with water too?

I've used OA on a bunch of small stuff...

 

[twomorestrokes]

I use OA for large things too A tub of crystals for $7 makes over 50 gallons of solution...

 

[Bigcam59]

If you soak an assembled wheel, use a tray and have the solution just deep enough to soak a portion of the rim standing up. I have it deep enough to soak my nipples in it too :wink: but not the spokes. Rotate the wheel a little a couple times a day until you're done.

Oxalic Acid+rotisserie motor=win! I'll have to work on that...

 

[Beau]

5 gallons of vinager!? Or do you mix with water too?

I've used OA on a bunch of small stuff...

Store bought vinegar is usually only 5% acidity and mostly water, so five gallons of what you can buy at you local grocery. Not pure vinegar or industrial strength. That why it takes longer to clean parts. That also means that you won't corrode your parts.

Vinegar is about $2 a gallon and it can be reused for quite a while.

 

[axsepul]

good info here. +1 for the acid. the faster it works the more i like it!

 

[glenn rich]

the acid allways leaves a white powder film on the part when i use it ,wont rence off very well