Gonna Wash That Rust Right Outta My Rocks With Oxalic Acid

Today's video came to us from a subscriber question. How do you remove rust and dissolve iron stains from stones and crystals? Here's a link to her channel : Prevent PA    / channel   We wandered the bar to get some really rusty rocks for our samples. The goal was to be able to show that you don't need to have a strong, or caustic chemical to achieve the desired effect. The chemical we're working with is common Oxalic acid. Otherwise known as wood bleach. This common hardware store staple is used to remove the iron stains from wood during restoration. It removes rust stains from floors and furniture while preserving the oxidized patina of the wood. We use a rather weak amount of 2 Tablespoons per 4 Gallons of water. We start with hot water to both help dissolve the crystals and to help speed up the process. The stones are completely submerged in the solution for 24 hours or until the desired level of stain removal have been found. Please understand gentle cleaners can only do so much. When the solution no longer removes rust, shake in a FULL standard fridge box of baking soda to render the solution neutral. Shake a bit in and stir, repeating until it stops getting bubbly, then add the rest for good measure. Allow it to sit for a few days covered before disposing of.