Oxalic Acid Rust Removal

[Nessism]

I’m fixing up an old Schwinn bicycle for my neighbor what had surface rust all over the chrome steel parts – rims, crank, chainring, handlebars, seat, etc. The bicycle restorer folks are always talking about oxalic acid to remove rust so thought I’d give it a try. Took a large plastic tub, filled it with water, and then dumped in some oxalic acid (deck cleaner). Let the parts soak over night and the rust was gone, with no harm to the paint. I’ve had good success with Evapo Rust but this stuff is cheaper and you can mix it to make a huge batch, which works great for large parts. When used as a deck cleaner the solution is washed down into your yard so apparently it’s not harmful to the environment when used in normal concentration levels. Good stuff. http://www.idealtruevalue.com/servlet/the-16883/Detail

[posplayr]

I’m fixing up an old Schwinn bicycle for my neighbor what had surface rust all over the chrome steel parts – rims, crank, chainring, handlebars, seat, etc. The bicycle restorer folks are always talking about oxalic acid to remove rust so thought I’d give it a try. Took a large plastic tub, filled it with water, and then dumped in some oxalic acid (deck cleaner). Let the parts soak over night and the rust was gone, with no harm to the paint. I’ve had good success with Evapo Rust but this stuff is cheaper and you can mix it to make a huge batch, which works great for large parts. When used as a deck cleaner the solution is washed down into your yard so apparently it’s not harmful to the environment when used in normal concentration levels. Good stuff. http://www.idealtruevalue.com/servlet/the-16883/Detail

Nice; Do you then cover with silicone /wax?

[Nessism]

Nice; Do you then cover with silicone /wax?

Yea, wax should be applied after the rust is removed; the metal is somewhat raw and needs to be protected in some way. I use a clear spray Turtle Wax product; you spray it on while the metal is wet and then wipe it down. Seems to work well and smells good too. Just keep standing water off the chrome and it should stay that way for a while.

[ramrod400]

Wish you had before and after pics,long time ago i used some stuff called navel jelly on a 1970 schwinn pea picker it was a lot of work.That bike is worth about 1,000 bucks now so i am told.

[tkent02]

Naval Jelly didn't do squat.

[ramrod400]

It clean this bicycle up fairly well,but It was not to rough to begin with and I was 12 yrs old and that what I found at the local store

[almarconi]

The naval jelly (phosphoric acid) container warns against using on chrome parts.

Ed, was there any harm done to the chrome with the oxalic acid?

[Nessism]

The naval jelly (phosphoric acid) container warns against using on chrome parts.

Ed, was there any harm done to the chrome with the oxalic acid?

The chrome looks great, along with the paint. I just dumped everything into the tub and pulled it out in the morning perfectly clean. I'll take some photos for you guys to see and try to find some more rusty parts to clean up so before and after shots can be taken.

[kruns]

I am my rusty tank cleaned using electrolysis ...

[kruns]

^ before

v after

[Calvin Blackmore]

The chrome looks great, along with the paint. I just dumped everything into the tub and pulled it out in the morning perfectly clean. I'll take some photos for you guys to see and try to find some more rusty parts to clean up so before and after shots can be taken.

oxalic acid is extremely toxic to humans
handle it with great caution

[gsgeezer]

Just wear gloves, I've been using it for years, no problem.

[pwrdbyoreos]

So, correct me if I am wrong, but it sounds like whatever part you have that is rusty, painted, clear coated, chromed etc, can just be put in this chemical and soaked over night, and when you pull it out, the clear coat or paint etc, is still intact, but all corrosion is gone? would this work on sprockets and things? I am working on removing as much rust and gunk from my 78 skunk resto project as I can.