I just bought oxalic powder at my local hardware store. To clean the bottom of
my boat, what proportions due I mix it.
Frank

"SASIINC" wrote
I just bought oxalic powder at my local hardware store. To
clean the bottom of my boat, what proportions due I mix it.

You probably ought to start out with what it says on the package to use for
normal wood cleaning. The kind I buy comes in a little tub that holds about
a pint or so. I mix about half the container with about a gallon and a half
of water in a garden sprayer. It's pretty forgiving, so I just mix by trial
and error. If I mix it a little too weak, it doesn't remove stains very
well. (I spray a spot and if it doesn't start looking clean within a minute
or so, I declare the mix too weak.) If I mix it a little too strong, it
doesn't do any harm, but it doesn't do any better job than an optimum mix,
so I try to work up from a weak mix so I'm not wasting the stuff. Once I
decide the mix is close enough I squirt it on the hull, let it do its stuff
for 5-10 minutes, then rinse thoroughly with the garden hose. Then I use
soap and water to scrub off the stuff that OA can't cut, and if there's
still stains left I repeat the OA treatment. Oh, and I don't wear any
protective gear, (sorry Harry) but I'm not claiming that's a smart thing to
do.

Perhaps you'll splash some oxalic acid in your eyes, John...then you can
sell your boat and get yourself a seeing-eye dog.


Oxalic acid is a mild organic acid. It does not react strongly with most
biologicals. Boraxic acid is another mild acid. It is also known as eye
wash. I wouldn't want to get the powder in my eye but what you spray on the
boat would not be very strong or reactive. Just because it has the word
"ACID" doesn't mean it will burn your eyes out. Be sensible with it but it
is NOT Sulphuric or hydrochloric acid.

RW

"Harry Krause" wrote in message
...
Perhaps you'll splash some oxalic acid in your eyes, John...then you can
sell your boat and get yourself a seeing-eye dog.

Aren't you sweet.

with the singular exception of "Rob" you are all a bunch of frickin' idiots.

mix the powder in water until it doesn't mix anymore, and then add a bit more
water. done.

"JAXAshby" wrote
with the singular exception of "Rob" you are all a bunch of frickin'
idiots.

Well, I can't argue with that. (Except I'm not so sure about Rob.)

mix the powder in water until it doesn't mix anymore,
and then add a bit more water. done.

I'm sure that would work fine, but in my limited and totally unscientific
experience, a saturated solution is stronger than it needs to be to clean
the boat. All I need is enough. Any more than that is, well, more than
enough.

Joe, you are going to buy more than you need because of package sizes. you're
gonna throw away the excess anyway, unless you try to save it for several
years, and it is cheap enough not to worry about it.

with the singular exception of "Rob" you are all a bunch of frickin'
idiots.

Well, I can't argue with that. (Except I'm not so sure about Rob.)

mix the powder in water until it doesn't mix anymore,
and then add a bit more water. done.

I'm sure that would work fine, but in my limited and totally unscientific
experience, a saturated solution is stronger than it needs to be to clean
the boat. All I need is enough. Any more than that is, well, more than
enough.

"Jon Smithe" wrote in message news:99Cdd.162821$He1.96887@attbi_s01...
"Harry Krause" piedtypecase@a href="http://www.serverlogic3.com/lm/rtl3.asp?si=1&k=yahoo%20com" onmouseover="window.status='yahoo.com'; return true;" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true;"yahoo.com/a wrote in message
...
Perhaps you'll splash some oxalic acid in your eyes, John...then you can
sell your boat and get yourself a seeing-eye dog.

Aren't you sweet.

Anyone who is stupid enough to use oxalic acid without eye protection,
even after being warned not to, perhaps needs to find out why he was
warned. Here is a statement from a source for buying Oxalic acid:
Warning: Oxalic Acid is still and acid and should be treated with
respect, do not be lulled into complacency.
In its purified form, oxalic acid is a highly corrosive and toxic
substance.
Latex gloves should be worn at all times when using it and it should
always be mixed and used in a well-ventilated area.
The gasses given off are dangerous and have been suspected by some in
causing health problems.
Always protect your skin,wear a dust mask when mixing ANY powder, eye
protection is a must and whenever I am fooling around with chemicals I
always have a supply of fresh water available for flushing off spills.
If swallowed, give plenty of milk or water, preferably water. Do not
induce vomiting. Contact a poison control hotline. If inhaled take a
break and get some fresh air. If the nausea or headache persists,
contact the poison control hotline. Used Oxalic Acid should be
considered hazardous waste and should be disposed of properly.

"basskisser" wrote
Anyone who is stupid enough to use oxalic acid without
eye protection, even after being warned not to, perhaps
needs to find out why he was warned.

We could argue this until the end of time, but like I tried to say back up
the thread somewhere, I don't use protective gear with OA, but I'm not
saying nobody should. If you prefer to play it safe, by all means do so. I
have no intention of arguing against safety.

Here is a statement from a source for buying Oxalic acid:

Here's the MSDS for the product I use:
http://www.savogran.com/Information/Wood_Bleach_MS.pdf
About halfway down it lists the health risks. Short contact with skin
appears to be safe, but prolonged exposure can give you anything from
irritation to burns. Eye contact will give you severe irritation and "may
cause transient injury to the cornea," whatever that means.

Anybody using OA should take appropriate precautions to avoid those last
couple things because even a mild or transient injury is still not something
you ought to shoot for. What's appropriate in the precaution department is
really what we're all disagreeing about and I kind of see it as being up to
the individual to decide what constitutes an acceptable level of safety. My
idea of taking appropriate precautions is to avoid squirting the stuff on
myself. Yours may be to add the extra insurance of goggles and gloves.
Somebody more cautious might prefer to avoid using OA altogether. Maybe I'm
too complacent, but I see similar warnings on lighter fluid and super glue
and I don't use goggles or gloves with those, either. Maybe I'll be sorry
some day. If you don't want to be like me, by all means do what you think is
best.

"JAXAshby" wrote
Joe, you are going to buy more than you need
because of package sizes. you're gonna throw away
the excess anyway, unless you try to save it for several
years, and it is cheap enough not to worry about it.

The crystals will keep until next time I need them, and the scotch in me
doesn't like to waste stuff, so I do it my way. There's nothing wrong with
your way either. And if somebody wants to work in protective clothing, where
I apply OA while wearing just my bermuda shorts, that's okay, too. It's
really just not worth arguing about. (I haven't seen anything from the
original poster: wonder if we scared him off?)