Oxalic Acid

[tillybobs]

Hi all I have bought a boat with rust stains on the sails all along the wire and generally very dirty. I heard you can soak them in Oxalic acid. So I was thinking that I could put 15 litres of water into a 45 gallon drum add 3.4kg of the acid and soak sails for 30 minutes. Is this a good idea or not and will it affect the brass fittings? Thanks

[Nauticatarcher]

Oxalic acid works fine and shouldn't affect fittings just try it on a small area first if not sure

[zeehag]

for no mar rust removal at low price--barkeepers friend.....have fun!! good luck

[tillybobs]

Thanks I will order some and give it a go.

[GordMay]

Removing stains and spots on Dacron sails:
Rust: Soak the area in a 5% solution of oxalic acid dissolved in hot water. Follow this with a 2% solution of hydrochloric acid in warm water and, finally, and then rinse the spot well with clear water.

The active ingredient in Barkeepers Friend is Oxalic Acid.

[daddle]

Originally Posted by GordMay

[B]Removing stains...Follow this with a 2% solution of hydrochloric acid

I'd skip, or at least test first, the hydrochloric acid (muriatic acid) on the wire, brass or bronze fittings. It can be a bit violent with those. The resulting chloride compounds are not pretty. This is not an issue with oxalic acid.