# Oxalic Acid Bathing



## pedalpower17 (Oct 25, 2017)

Does anyone have experience with this treatment on small non-painted and non-chrome parts, such as fender braces, spokes, brake arms, nuts & bolts?

What if anything, should be done to these parts after treatment?


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## saladshooter (Oct 25, 2017)

I wash them off immediately after removal with clean water and a rag. There is a white film that forms on the parts. It's comes off easy.

Chad


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## Freqman1 (Oct 25, 2017)

pedalpower17 said:


> Does anyone have experience with this treatment on small non-painted and non-chrome parts, such as fender braces, spokes, brake arms, nuts & bolts?
> 
> What if anything, should be done to these parts after treatment?




Wash them with soap and water. After thoroughly drying I use a light coat of Johnson's Paste Wax to protect the part. I do the same for painted parts. I have been told that if you get too strong of a solution it may cause some cad parts to turn black so you may want to experiment on a similar part first. V/r Shawn


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## PlasticNerd (Nov 1, 2017)

I got some of the acid on the way from Amazon, what is the best mix ratio for painted/rusty parts?


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## Boris (Nov 4, 2017)

Check out post number 4 on the attached thread.
http://thecabe.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?32190-Old-paint-chrome-repair&p=173526#post173526
Don't breath this stuff!!!!


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## vincev (Nov 5, 2017)

PlasticNerd said:


> I got some of the acid on the way from Amazon, what is the best mix ratio for painted/rusty parts?



I use one tablespoon per gallon.


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## Danny the schwinn freak (Jan 20, 2018)

I’m going to try this on my next resurrection project. I can’t believe the results guys have with this method.


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## mike j (Jan 20, 2018)

I've had excellent results on frames, where it brought the paint back to life. With spokes & fender braces, I've not had any worthwhile results.


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## GiovanniLiCalsi (Jan 20, 2018)

Use two tablespoons per one gallon of hot water.
After rust removal, soak in baking soda solution. This neutralizes the acid, especially under hard to reach parts....


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## Cranky Chain Cycles (Jan 20, 2018)

GiovanniLiCalsi said:


> Use two tablespoons per one gallon of hot water.
> After rust removal, soak in baking soda solution. This neutralizes the acid, especially under hard to reach parts....




Any idea how much cold air reduces the effectiveness? I’d like to try in the garage but it’s in the 20s. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## stezell (Jan 20, 2018)

twinflight said:


> Any idea how much cold air reduces the effectiveness? I’d like to try in the garage but it’s in the 20s.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Temp needs to be at 70 degrees, so if you can't keep that up you might want to wait until the weather gets better. 
Sean


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## GiovanniLiCalsi (Jan 21, 2018)

stezell said:


> Temp needs to be at 70 degrees, so if you can't keep that up you might want to wait until the weather gets better.
> Sean



You can dip it in the house. Just be careful.


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## stezell (Jan 21, 2018)

GiovanniLiCalsi said:


> You can dip it in the house. Just be careful.



That also depends on your spouse or significant other, lol!


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## Cranky Chain Cycles (Jan 21, 2018)

GiovanniLiCalsi said:


> You can dip it in the house. Just be careful.




How so? Never done it. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## the tinker (Jan 21, 2018)

pedalpower17 said:


> Does anyone have experience with this treatment on small non-painted and non-chrome parts, such as fender braces, spokes, brake arms, nuts & bolts?
> 
> What if anything, should be done to these parts after treatment?



                                                                                                                                               Poor results on plated parts. Do not use it. There are much better solutions, such as Evaporust, that are safer and easier to use. the OX will turn your plated parts "yellow " and it's not only hard to get off , the results aren't that good. Do not be fooled that OX is a harmless powder that can be used indoors. It should only be used outdoors. The vapors are subtle but harmful to breathe. The hotter the solution , the better results. Painted pieces should be checked after the first 10- 20 minutes. Badly rusted parts may be soaked over night, with excellent results , however paint may soften to the point that your finger nail can scratch it off. Also, most red paints do fare well with the OX. Red paints commonly have an iron oxide pigment in them. The Ox will attack it, turning your piece lighter, possibly pink. Lastly, as with any de-rusting solutions, when dipping anything that is painted, the entire piece should be submerged under the solution. This sometimes requires a larger container that you have at hand, but only soaking half of something will result in noticeable "line" between the two soaks. I just wash my stuff off with soap and water afterwards, and then wax. The baking soda sounds like a good idea, but I have never tried it. OX is available at some Ace Hardware stores. 


 

 

   Above are some photos I posted some time ago in the restoration thread. I tossed these fenders in the trash, light and all. Decided to experiment on them before tossing out. They were off a Huffman. Actually sold them later at a swap, as they turned out excellent. Soak time was overnight. The rust was removed from the insides of the light. The OX did not attack the aluminum Light shield, as some other acids will. The fender braces needed a heavy scrubbing , but turned out ok. I am having some computer problems with posting these photos. I hope they are shown.


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## Barto (Jan 21, 2018)

How do you dispose of OA?

The results looks great!  I have a survivor I will eventually do but will most likely try it on something else 1st


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## GTs58 (Jan 21, 2018)

Barto said:


> How do you dispose of OA?
> 
> The results looks great!  I have a survivor I will eventually do but will most likely try it on something else 1st




I just dump it on the weeds to see if it's a better weed killer than white vinegar.   

*Applications[edit]*
About 25% of produced oxalic acid is used as a mordant in dyeing processes. It is used in bleaches, especially for pulpwood. It is also used in *baking powder*[12] and as a third reagent in silica analysis instruments.

*Cleaning[edit]*
Oxalic acid's main applications include cleaning or bleaching, especially for the removal of rust (iron complexing agent). Bar Keepers Friend is an example of a household cleaner containing oxalic acid. Its utility in rust removal agents is due to its forming a stable, water-soluble salt with ferric iron, ferrioxalate ion.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxalic_acid


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## fattyre (Jan 22, 2018)

I did an OA bath indoors a few weeks ago.  It was negative wind chill outside and about 45 or 50 degrees in my basement.  Had a windows cracked with a few fans turned on to help circulate air.  48 ounces to about 60 gallons of water.  Used cold water.  Had excellent results after 6 hours.  Could have soaked for a few more, but wasn't looking to completely remove all of the rust, just most of the oxidization on painted parts.


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## vincev (Jan 22, 2018)

Boris said:


> Check out post number 4 on the attached thread.
> http://thecabe.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?32190-Old-paint-chrome-repair&p=173526#post173526
> Don't breath this stuff!!!!



Why ?...............................................................................


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## Boris (Jan 22, 2018)

vincev said:


> Why ?..........................................




I meant to say, "Any people besides vincev, should avoid breathing it". Sorry for the omission.


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## vincev (Jan 22, 2018)

Boris said:


> I meant to say, "Any people besides vincev, should avoid breathing it". Sorry for the omission.



TY,I also find Tide tablets very tasty.


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## JimRoy (Feb 3, 2018)

OA bath before & after pictures.  I used a lot of the stuff mixed with water in a large plastic trash can. I soaked the parts overnight and brush rinsed with clean water   My entire garage smelled like rotten eggs the next morning.  Please see the small patch of blue on the fender in the before picture.  Something like a piece of tape must have covered that spot. Jim


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