Oxalic Acid

[badLoveLeather]

Hey Guys,

Along with the great info I get here from you guys, my quest for fire leads me out and around town to locals. Where I live there aren;t many Cowboys left but a lot of hoity toity horse people and so there are a few saddle makers around. Since I'm still new to carving I went to the local guy yesterday in hopes of learning some. One of the things he did tell me was to use Oxalic Acid to treat the leather before dying.

Where do I buy this stuff around town? Can this be purchased at the local super market or hardware store?

Thanks Again!

Travis Poole

Bad Love Leather

[Crystal]

Hi Travis-

I found mine at my local pharmacy. I think Springfield Leather was mentioned as a supplier- but can't remember for sure.

Crystal

[barra]

The local hardware should sell it as wood bleach.

Barra

[whinewine]

Travis: I got mine at the local Sherwin-Williams Paint store. It is a Savogran(Sp?) product, so a full service paint store should carry it, or be able to get it for you. It lasts forever because you use so little.

You won't find it at Lowes or Home Depot, but you might find it at your local corner hardware store.

Oh, yeah- as Barra says, it's listed as 'wood bleach'.

russ

Edited December 4, 2009 by whinewine

[badLoveLeather]

Is using this stuff really necesary? The last few projects I did I used oil dye and dyed both sides of the stain so the penetration was full.

[outcast]

Is using this stuff really necesary? The last few projects I did I used oil dye and dyed both sides of the stain so the penetration was full.

I use oxalic acid to clean my leather before I dye or put a top coat on it. I bought mine at Walmart for $1.92/21 oz. can. It's called "Bar Keepers Friend". Works pretty good for me. I've seen it on ebay for $6 & up for 1 oz.

[tonyc1]

I've always bought mine from the local pharmacy.

I've never used it prior to doing anything with leather, only after to remove any dirty spots.

Tony.

[RandyScott]

I recommend that you look at the following links. It is supposed to be some nasty stuff. I believe it accumulates in the body.

http://www.jtbaker.com/msds/englishhtml/o6044.htm

http://www.sciencestuff.com/msds/C2193.html

http://www.inchem.org/documents/icsc/icsc/eics0529.htm

When I was cleaning out my dad's old wood working shop, I found a 5 pound box of the stuff that had never been opened. The label had faded almost to the point of being unreadable but the "store this side up" and "Caution - Corrosive" got my attention. Had I not known about the stuff I probably would have opened the plastic bag within the box to see what it was or just tossed into the nearest garbage can.

[badLoveLeather]

Sure I've used Bar Keepers Friend in the Kitchen. Its that a pure form of Oxalic Acid? So its a teaspoon of powder to a quart of water?

[outcast]

Sure I've used Bar Keepers Friend in the Kitchen. Its that a pure form of Oxalic Acid? So its a teaspoon of powder to a quart of water?

I doubt if it's pure. Looks different than the stuff on ebay.

[crissy]

hello everyone

curious,,,,, would anyone mind elaborating on the entire process of how one should go about cleaning leather with this solution?

salutations

[whinewine]

hello everyone

curious,,,,, would anyone mind elaborating on the entire process of how one should go about cleaning leather with this solution?

salutations

Crissy:

it's primarily a bleach (as opposed to a cleaner) & helps lighten leather a bit (veg-tan), but it will NOT turn it white, nor will it help a lot with sun-struck leather to a tremendous degree, but it may help even out the contrast somewhat. It does help bleach out some stains. I don't use it a lot, as I feel it's unnecessary for most projects. It may also help remove any surface oils that may screw up dyeing. If you really want to be sure, I'd use the oxalic acid, let it dry & then go over it with deglazer.

As far as application, I would simply wipe with a sponge that's been dipped in it.

russ

[OdinUK]

I got my technical grade Oxalic acid in the UK from ebay.

[crissy]

Crissy:

it's primarily a bleach (as opposed to a cleaner) & helps lighten leather a bit (veg-tan), but it will NOT turn it white, nor will it help a lot with sun-struck leather to a tremendous degree, but it may help even out the contrast somewhat. It does help bleach out some stains. I don't use it a lot, as I feel it's unnecessary for most projects. It may also help remove any surface oils that may screw up dyeing. If you really want to be sure, I'd use the oxalic acid, let it dry & then go over it with deglazer.

As far as application, I would simply wipe with a sponge that's been dipped in it.

russ

thank you this is good "simple" news

crissy

Edited December 8, 2009 by crissy

[badLoveLeather]

OK. I think I found some of this stuff. Can anyone tell me what mixture of Oxalic Acid to Water I should mix?

[OdinUK]

Acording to the Leatherwork Manual, it states "...mix your own by dissolving about 1 teaspoon of oxalic acid crystals in a pint of warm water and shake well"

Hope that helps.

[badLoveLeather]

Acording to the Leatherwork Manual, it states "...mix your own by dissolving about 1 teaspoon of oxalic acid crystals in a pint of warm water and shake well"

Hope that helps.

Whats that book called?

[Rawhide]

I recommend that you look at the following links. It is supposed to be some nasty stuff. I believe it accumulates in the body.

http://www.jtbaker.c...hhtml/o6044.htm

http://www.sciencest...msds/C2193.html

http://www.inchem.or...sc/eics0529.htm

When I was cleaning out my dad's old wood working shop, I found a 5 pound box of the stuff that had never been opened. The label had faded almost to the point of being unreadable but the "store this side up" and "Caution - Corrosive" got my attention. Had I not known about the stuff I probably would have opened the plastic bag within the box to see what it was or just tossed into the nearest garbage can.

Sure if you sniff it or don't take proper precautions. It can be detrimental to your health, so can a bunch of other household products. Oven cleaner comes to mind. Not to mention all the crap we put in our pools to keep them clean, hydrochloric acid, diatomaceous earth (d.e.) (certified to cause cancer), etc...

Key is proper equipement, i.e. gloves, and well-ventalated areas. I don't use it very often, but do use it. But I wouldn't use it without following the directions, the Leatherwork Manual, mentioned above explains that this is an acid, and proper protective equipment is essential, If you chose not to use the equipement, prepare for the consequences.

Ever get dye on your fingers? Do you know that soaks into your skin, and gets into your blood stream? Think that's healthy? I'm not trying to sound condesending or anything, just pointing out that there are plenty of dangerous chemicals in the leatherworking industry. You should know how to properly use them and dispose of them. Sounds like you did the right thing when you found out it was corrosive.

Edited January 12, 2010 by Rawhide

[OdinUK]

Sure if you sniff it or don't take proper precautions. It can be detrimental to your health, so can a bunch of other household products. Oven cleaner comes to mind. Not to mention all the crap we put in our pools to keep them clean, hydrochloric acid, diatomaceous earth (d.e.) (certified to cause cancer), etc...

Key is proper equipement, i.e. gloves, and well-ventalated areas. I don't use it very often, but do use it. But I wouldn't use it without following the directions, the Leatherwork Manual, mentioned above explains that this is an acid, and proper protective equipment is essential, If you chose not to use the equipement, prepare for the consequences.

Ever get dye on your fingers? Do you know that soaks into your skin, and gets into your blood stream? Think that's healthy? I'm not trying to sound condesending or anything, just pointing out that there are plenty of dangerous chemicals in the leatherworking industry. You should know how to properly use them and dispose of them. Sounds like you did the right thing when you found out it was corrosive.

I'll be using rubber gloves next time I use dye Thanks Rawhide...

[yaklady]

There is no need for using Oxaclic acid. Not only is the stuff hazardous, but it will turn your leather pink or red if it gets put in the sun. Lemon juice does the same thing the acid does, only with no ill effects at all. Put some lemon juice on a sponge and wipe it on your leather. It will take out anything oxalic acid will. Wipe it with a clean wet sponge or cloth to remove any residue when you're done. You may want to do this twice. No need for rubber gloves or any caution of any kind, and you can make lemonade when you're done!