OXALIC ACID - CLEAN THOSE CRYSTALS,wood decks 50g |
OXALIC ACID
This material, 99.6% pure, is shipped in a dry sugarlike condition and activates upon being placed in warm water. It is used to remove that yellow brown deposit that appears on many crystals and minerals. Good for removing stains from wood decks, also.
Instructions:
- Always handle with thick rubber gloves on
- Best used warm
- Make a solution of about 1/8 cup(+-32ml) to a gallon(4.404 liters) of water
- You can place it in a plastic container in the sun.
- An old slow cooker works well, too.
Anything that has the word "acid" sounds ominous. But oxalic acid is easy to find, use and the safest for the home. In fact it is found in many vegetables including spinach. It is used to dissolve the iron oxide (brown) stain on all minerals. Specimens collected at Phoenixville, Ellenville, Case Quarry, NH smoky quartz and many others clean up beautifully with oxalic acid. Zeolites do not respond as well, so you should test beforehand on small specimens to see how they react.
To make this as simple as possible I will give a step by step guide to its use. Do not take any shortcuts or make substitutions.
For 1/8 of a cup of oxalic acid: Fill a plastic container with 3/4 of a gallon hot tap water. Pour in the oxalic acid crystals and stir for five minutes. Be careful not to inhale any powder when adding the crystals. Once the oxalic acid is dissolved top off the container to a full gallon. Label the container and put out of reach of children or pets.
When you are ready to use it place your specimens in a plastic container and add enough oxalic acid solution to cover. Set aside for several days.
After the iron color has disappeared then you can remove the specimens (with gloves on) and wash under running water for three hours. Then soak in clean water for a day changing the water as often as possible.
Heat speed up the reaction, as does agitation. If you have a hot plate and can set up outdoors or in an area with good ventilation the repeat step 4 but heat the solution to bath water hot (110o f.). Never Boil! You will find that an hour in hot solution will usually do the trick. Best of all is an ultrasonic cleaner with built in heater. Sometimes only 30 minutes is necessary. But you should not put the oxalic acid directly into the stainless steel basin. Make a double boiler type of arrangement by partially filling the ultrasonic cleaner basin with water. Then place your specimens and oxalic acid solution in a plastic container or heavy duty plastic bag that is suspended in the water.
You can reuse the solution over and over. As it dissolves more and more iron it will get darker often taking on a green color. After it gets really dark I would discard it and mix a new batch.
WARNING - Precaution:
Safety is important. Oxalic acid solution is highly toxic. It can be absorbed through the skin and builds up in your organs cumulatively. Same goes for the fumes, which is why you never boil the solution and always have proper ventilation when using the heated solution. Be careful not to spill the solution on porcelain and keep away from food preparation surfaces.
In spite of the fuss, this is the best all around method of cleaning minerals. It always works and the large volume does not exhaust quickly. Mastering this technique will provide an important tool in your mineral cleaning and preparation arsenal.
Please note : The seller takes no responsibility for the misuse of this product by anyone. Please take proper safety precautions when working with this toxic product
