The tenants at my daughter's rental property let the bathtub faucet
drip for a couple of years, building up a
rusty area about 12 inches in diameter beneath the faucet, except
directly under the drip where the build-up was washed away. I tried a
spray-on iron/rust remover, but it only helped around the edges. I
was able to scrape off a little portion using a screwdriver, but am
scared that I may damage the tub. Can anyone recommend a super-
strength remover? I vaguely remember something about oxalic acid as
being useful, but not sure.

TIA,

Bob Hofmann

"hr(bob) " wrote in news:cd79d460-
:

The tenants at my daughter's rental property let the bathtub faucet
drip for a couple of years, building up a
rusty area about 12 inches in diameter beneath the faucet, except
directly under the drip where the build-up was washed away. I tried a
spray-on iron/rust remover, but it only helped around the edges. I
was able to scrape off a little portion using a screwdriver, but am
scared that I may damage the tub. Can anyone recommend a super-
strength remover? I vaguely remember something about oxalic acid as
being useful, but not sure.

TIA,

Bob Hofmann


I've removed some pretty nasty rust stains from countertops and sinks
with Barkeep's Friend cleanser. I know, cleanser seems whimpy for such a
task. Not sure how much it will help for you.

Make a paste and put it on. Let it sit for a bit then scrub with a
Greenie pad. You will need to repeat several times as the rust removal
ingredient gets "used up" working on the rust.

It's worth a try. Stuff is cheap, can be got at Walmart and you can
always just use it as an everyday cleanser. I think Zud is a similar
product but not sure.

Here's a countertop that was badly rusted under the cast iron sink rim.
It took time, elbow grease and repeated applications but the end result
made the countertop salvageable.

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=16hmgdu&s=4
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2uxuw0j&s=4
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=169nu3c&s=4


Don't forget to check out the light duty shutoffs that were there :-)

On Fri 12 Sep 2008 09:48:42p, hr(bob) told us...

The tenants at my daughter's rental property let the bathtub faucet
drip for a couple of years, building up a
rusty area about 12 inches in diameter beneath the faucet, except
directly under the drip where the build-up was washed away. I tried a
spray-on iron/rust remover, but it only helped around the edges. I
was able to scrape off a little portion using a screwdriver, but am
scared that I may damage the tub. Can anyone recommend a super-
strength remover? I vaguely remember something about oxalic acid as
being useful, but not sure.

TIA,

Bob Hofmann


ZUD

This link is just for the description. You should be able to find this in
a hardware store or in some supermarkets.

http://www.instawares.com/zud-heavy-...0750rc.0.7.htm

--
Wayne Boatwright

*******************************************
Date: Friday, 09(IX)/12(XII)/08(MMVIII)
*******************************************
Countdown till Veteran's Day
8wks 3dys 11mins
*******************************************
'Do not thwart an enemy returning
home.' -Sun Tzu
*******************************************

"hr(bob) " wrote in message
...

The tenants at my daughter's rental property let the bathtub faucet
drip for a couple of years, building up a
rusty area about 12 inches in diameter beneath the faucet, except
directly under the drip where the build-up was washed away. I tried a
spray-on iron/rust remover, but it only helped around the edges. I
was able to scrape off a little portion using a screwdriver, but am
scared that I may damage the tub. Can anyone recommend a super-
strength remover? I vaguely remember something about oxalic acid as
being useful, but not sure.

1. Any acid will dissolve/remove some minerals. Your problem
may be that the rust is iron but you do not know the composition
of the bathtub surface, and do not want to dissolve that as well.
2. Prepackaged CLR (calcium/lime/rust) chemicals do most
such tasks.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

Red Green wrote:
"hr(bob) " wrote in news:cd79d460-
:

The tenants at my daughter's rental property let the bathtub faucet
drip for a couple of years, building up a
rusty area about 12 inches in diameter beneath the faucet, except
directly under the drip where the build-up was washed away. I tried a
spray-on iron/rust remover, but it only helped around the edges. I
was able to scrape off a little portion using a screwdriver, but am
scared that I may damage the tub. Can anyone recommend a super-
strength remover? I vaguely remember something about oxalic acid as
being useful, but not sure.

TIA,

Bob Hofmann


I've removed some pretty nasty rust stains from countertops and sinks
with Barkeep's Friend cleanser. I know, cleanser seems whimpy for such a
task. Not sure how much it will help for you.

Make a paste and put it on. Let it sit for a bit then scrub with a
Greenie pad. You will need to repeat several times as the rust removal
ingredient gets "used up" working on the rust.

It's worth a try. Stuff is cheap, can be got at Walmart and you can
always just use it as an everyday cleanser. I think Zud is a similar
product but not sure.

Here's a countertop that was badly rusted under the cast iron sink rim.
It took time, elbow grease and repeated applications but the end result
made the countertop salvageable.

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=16hmgdu&s=4
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2uxuw0j&s=4
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=169nu3c&s=4


Don't forget to check out the light duty shutoffs that were there :-)

At first, this picture really confused me.

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=16hmgdu&s=4

I couldn't figure out why the cold supply was T'd into the hot supply.
Strangest plumbing I'd ever seen!

The 2nd and 3rd pictures resolved the issue.

Don Phillipson wrote:
"hr(bob) " wrote in message
...


The tenants at my daughter's rental property let the bathtub faucet
drip for a couple of years, building up a
rusty area about 12 inches in diameter beneath the faucet, except
directly under the drip where the build-up was washed away. I tried a
spray-on iron/rust remover, but it only helped around the edges. I
was able to scrape off a little portion using a screwdriver, but am
scared that I may damage the tub. Can anyone recommend a super-
strength remover? I vaguely remember something about oxalic acid as
being useful, but not sure.


1. Any acid will dissolve/remove some minerals. Your problem
may be that the rust is iron but you do not know the composition
of the bathtub surface, and do not want to dissolve that as well.
2. Prepackaged CLR (calcium/lime/rust) chemicals do most
such tasks.

What you say is true but he's not trying to remove a metal. Rather he's
trying to remove the salt of a metal, rust or iron (ferric) oxide.
Oxalic acid will react with the red ferric oxide to yield ferric
oxalate. The importance of this is that unlike many iron salts,
including ferric oxide (rust,) ferric oxalate is soluble in water.

Oxalic acid is found in Barkeeper's Friend, and numerous other stainless
steel cleaners, but when confronted with large quantities of rust I
prefer to use just oxalic acid to remove as much of the stain as I can.
It's readily available as wood bleach. Usually all of the rust stain
will disappear.

I would not expect oxalic acid to damage bathtub surfaces.

On Sep 13, 7:05*pm, Boden wrote:
Don Phillipson wrote:
"hr(bob) " wrote in message
....

The tenants at my daughter's rental property let the bathtub faucet
drip for a couple of years, building up a
rusty area about 12 inches in diameter beneath the faucet, except
directly under the drip where the build-up was washed away. *I tried a
spray-on iron/rust remover, but it only helped around the edges. *I
was able to scrape off a little portion using a screwdriver, but am
scared that I may damage the tub. *Can anyone recommend a super-
strength remover? *I vaguely remember something about oxalic acid as
being useful, but not sure.

1. * Any acid will dissolve/remove some minerals. * Your problem
may be that the rust is iron but you do not know the composition
of the bathtub surface, and do not want to dissolve that as well.
2. *Prepackaged CLR (calcium/lime/rust) chemicals do most
such tasks.

What you say is true but he's not trying to remove a metal. *Rather he's
trying to remove the salt of a metal, rust or iron (ferric) oxide.
Oxalic acid will react with the red ferric oxide to yield ferric
oxalate. *The importance of this is that unlike many iron salts,
including ferric oxide (rust,) ferric oxalate is soluble in water.

Oxalic acid is found in Barkeeper's Friend, and numerous other stainless
* steel cleaners, but when confronted with large quantities of rust I
prefer to use just oxalic acid to remove as much of the stain as I can.
* * It's readily available as wood bleach. Usually all of the rust stain
* will disappear.

I would not expect oxalic acid to damage bathtub surfaces.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Boden:

Thanks, your reply is what I was hoping someone would be able to do,
confirm the Oxalic acid route. I'll hit the local Big Orange Box
Hardware store tomorrow and see what's available in the paint
department. If not there, it's off to the local full-service hardware
store, a little farther away.

On Fri, 12 Sep 2008 21:48:42 -0700 (PDT), "hr(bob) "
wrote:

The tenants at my daughter's rental property let the bathtub faucet
drip for a couple of years, building up a
rusty area about 12 inches in diameter beneath the faucet, except
directly under the drip where the build-up was washed away. I tried a
spray-on iron/rust remover, but it only helped around the edges. I
was able to scrape off a little portion using a screwdriver, but am
scared that I may damage the tub. Can anyone recommend a super-
strength remover? I vaguely remember something about oxalic acid as
being useful, but not sure.

TIA,

Bob Hofmann

OxiClean usually a laundry soap contains oxalic acid.
It is sold at Home Depot.

Iron out can also be used.

wrote:
On Fri, 12 Sep 2008 21:48:42 -0700 (PDT), "hr(bob) "
wrote:


The tenants at my daughter's rental property let the bathtub faucet
drip for a couple of years, building up a
rusty area about 12 inches in diameter beneath the faucet, except
directly under the drip where the build-up was washed away. I tried a
spray-on iron/rust remover, but it only helped around the edges. I
was able to scrape off a little portion using a screwdriver, but am
scared that I may damage the tub. Can anyone recommend a super-
strength remover? I vaguely remember something about oxalic acid as
being useful, but not sure.

TIA,

Bob Hofmann


OxiClean usually a laundry soap contains oxalic acid.
It is sold at Home Depot.

Iron out can also be used.
Oxiclean does not contain oxalic acid. It is a percarbonate which
hydrolyzes when mixed with water to ultimately produce free oxygen.

snip
Oxiclean does not contain oxalic acid. It is a percarbonate which
hydrolyzes when mixed with water to ultimately produce free oxygen.

You are right. OxiClean contains oxygen bleach

On Sep 14, 10:57*am, wrote:
snip

Oxiclean does not contain oxalic acid. *It is a percarbonate which
hydrolyzes when mixed with water to ultimately produce free oxygen.

You are right. OxiClean contains oxygen bleach

I bought some CLR, could not find anyone that sold any oxalic acid-
related products in our city, maybe it has been banned. Any ideas on
the HCl-based iron stain/rust/lime removers??

hr(bob) wrote:
On Sep 14, 10:57 am, wrote:

snip


Oxiclean does not contain oxalic acid. It is a percarbonate which
hydrolyzes when mixed with water to ultimately produce free oxygen.

You are right. OxiClean contains oxygen bleach


I bought some CLR, could not find anyone that sold any oxalic acid-
related products in our city, maybe it has been banned. Any ideas on
the HCl-based iron stain/rust/lime removers??

I wouldn't do it. Hydrochloric acid is far too reactive, even when
diluted. You run the risk of damaging plumbing and the drain assembly.

I recently saw a neighbor attack rust stains on his concrete driveway
with HCl only to immortalize them.

Try to find Barkeeper's Friend...even our one grocery store carries
that. It contains some oxalic acid. Make a paste of Barkeeper's Friend
and water and apply that. Let it sit for an hour or so. Replace it as
needed. The paste needs to remain wet. Ultimately the rust will be
gone...I've done this many times.

The only possible problem is if you or someone else has tried a
different approach and converted the rust from ferric oxide to another
compound.

On Sep 14, 2:55*pm, Boden wrote:
hr(bob) wrote:
On Sep 14, 10:57 am, wrote:

snip

Oxiclean does not contain oxalic acid. *It is a percarbonate which
hydrolyzes when mixed with water to ultimately produce free oxygen.

You are right. OxiClean contains oxygen bleach

I bought some CLR, could not find anyone that sold any oxalic acid-
related products in our city, maybe it has been banned. *Any ideas on
the HCl-based iron stain/rust/lime removers??

I wouldn't do it. *Hydrochloric acid is far too reactive, even when
diluted. *You run the risk of damaging plumbing and the drain assembly.

I recently saw a neighbor attack rust stains on his concrete driveway
with HCl only to immortalize them.

Try to find Barkeeper's Friend...even our one grocery store carries
that. *It contains some oxalic acid. *Make a paste of Barkeeper's Friend
and water and apply that. *Let it sit for an hour or so. *Replace it as
needed. *The paste needs to remain wet. *Ultimately the rust will be
gone...I've done this many times.

The only possible problem is if you or someone else has tried a
different approach and converted the rust from ferric oxide to another
compound.

Hi Boden:

I finally found some Barkeepers Friend, will try it later this week
when we go back to the house for more work. it is 3.5 hours away, so
we only go when we are going to spend a very long day doing
maintenance, before we try to sell it. I've been helping work on this
place for 10 years and hope they finally get rid of it.

Bob Hofmann

In article cc49ba84-9861-4fd0-abbe-5268657fad59
@p25g2000hsf.googlegroups.com, says...
On Sep 14, 10:57=A0am, wrote:
snip

Oxiclean does not contain oxalic acid. =A0It is a percarbonate which
hydrolyzes when mixed with water to ultimately produce free oxygen.

You are right. OxiClean contains oxygen bleach

I bought some CLR, could not find anyone that sold any oxalic acid-
related products in our city, maybe it has been banned. Any ideas on
the HCl-based iron stain/rust/lime removers??

If all else fails, "Whink" has taken off every rust stain I've ever used
it on. But do read the label, it's basically thickened, dilute
hydrofluoric acid, and HF can do nasty things.

--
is Joshua Putnam
http://www.phred.org/~josh/
Braze your own bicycle frames. See
http://www.phred.org/~josh/build/build.html

wrote:

In article cc49ba84-9861-4fd0-abbe-5268657fad59
@p25g2000hsf.googlegroups.com, says...

On Sep 14, 10:57=A0am, wrote:

snip


Oxiclean does not contain oxalic acid. =A0It is a percarbonate which
hydrolyzes when mixed with water to ultimately produce free oxygen.

You are right. OxiClean contains oxygen bleach

I bought some CLR, could not find anyone that sold any oxalic acid-
related products in our city, maybe it has been banned. Any ideas on
the HCl-based iron stain/rust/lime removers??


If all else fails, "Whink" has taken off every rust stain I've ever used
it on. But do read the label, it's basically thickened, dilute
hydrofluoric acid, and HF can do nasty things.

As I recall the rust stain was on a sink or tub. HF will dissolve
glass. I can recall in the 40s and 50s when HF was sold in waxed
cardboard because glass containers couldn't contain it. Then plastic
bottles (Nalgene)came along and the spills became less frequent.
Porcelain will be attacked.

Also, HF has the interesting property of penetrating the skin and then
burning out from deep within. Some of the most painful acid burns I've
had were from HF.

Boden wrote in
:

wrote:

In article cc49ba84-9861-4fd0-abbe-5268657fad59
@p25g2000hsf.googlegroups.com, says...

On Sep 14, 10:57=A0am, wrote:

snip


Oxiclean does not contain oxalic acid. =A0It is a percarbonate
which hydrolyzes when mixed with water to ultimately produce free
oxygen.

You are right. OxiClean contains oxygen bleach

I bought some CLR, could not find anyone that sold any oxalic acid-
related products in our city, maybe it has been banned. Any ideas on
the HCl-based iron stain/rust/lime removers??


If all else fails, "Whink" has taken off every rust stain I've ever
used it on. But do read the label, it's basically thickened, dilute
hydrofluoric acid, and HF can do nasty things.

As I recall the rust stain was on a sink or tub. HF will dissolve
glass. I can recall in the 40s and 50s when HF was sold in waxed
cardboard because glass containers couldn't contain it. Then plastic
bottles (Nalgene)came along and the spills became less frequent.
Porcelain will be attacked.

Also, HF has the interesting property of penetrating the skin and then
burning out from deep within. Some of the most painful acid burns
I've had were from HF.



The MSDS http://www.whink.com/msdsrr.pdf reads like a description for
WMD's!

On Sep 15, 8:33*pm, Red Green wrote:
Boden wrote :





wrote:

In article cc49ba84-9861-4fd0-abbe-5268657fad59
@p25g2000hsf.googlegroups.com, says...

On Sep 14, 10:57=A0am, wrote:

snip

Oxiclean does not contain oxalic acid. =A0It is a percarbonate
which hydrolyzes when mixed with water to ultimately produce free
oxygen.

You are right. OxiClean contains oxygen bleach

I bought some CLR, could not find anyone that sold any oxalic acid-
related products in our city, maybe it has been banned. *Any ideas on
the HCl-based iron stain/rust/lime removers??

If all else fails, "Whink" has taken off every rust stain I've ever
used it on. *But do read the label, it's basically thickened, dilute
hydrofluoric acid, and HF can do nasty things.

As I recall the rust stain was on a sink or tub. *HF will dissolve
glass. *I can recall in the 40s and 50s when HF was sold in waxed
cardboard because glass containers couldn't contain it. *Then plastic
bottles (Nalgene)came along and the spills became less frequent.
Porcelain will be attacked.

Also, HF has the interesting property of penetrating the skin and then
burning out from deep within. *Some of the most painful acid burns
I've had were from HF.

The MSDShttp://www.whink.com/msdsrr.pdfreads like a description for
WMD's!- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I gave the chemicals I bought to my son-in-law and got a quick
telephone report Monday night that they helped remove some of the
built-up rust/lime/whatever. Will post more informtion when I get to
talk to him Tuesday night.

Bob H

"Boden" wrote in message
...
wrote:
On Fri, 12 Sep 2008 21:48:42 -0700 (PDT), "hr(bob) "
wrote:


The tenants at my daughter's rental property let the bathtub faucet
drip for a couple of years, building up a
rusty area about 12 inches in diameter beneath the faucet, except
directly under the drip where the build-up was washed away. I tried a
spray-on iron/rust remover, but it only helped around the edges. I
was able to scrape off a little portion using a screwdriver, but am
scared that I may damage the tub. Can anyone recommend a super-
strength remover? I vaguely remember something about oxalic acid as
being useful, but not sure.

TIA,

Bob Hofmann


OxiClean usually a laundry soap contains oxalic acid.
It is sold at Home Depot.

Iron out can also be used.
Oxiclean does not contain oxalic acid. It is a percarbonate which
hydrolyzes when mixed with water to ultimately produce free oxygen.

Oxiclean is dehydrated Hydrogen Peroxide?

On Sep 13, 12:48�am, "hr(bob) "
wrote:
The tenants at my daughter's rental property let the bathtub faucet
drip for a couple of years, building up a
rusty area about 12 inches in diameter beneath the faucet, except
directly under the drip where the build-up was washed away. �I tried a
spray-on iron/rust remover, but it only helped around the edges. �I
was able to scrape off a little portion using a screwdriver, but am
scared that I may damage the tub. �Can anyone recommend a super-
strength remover? �I vaguely remember something about oxalic acid as
being useful, but not sure.

TIA,

Bob Hofmann

I recommend a PRO ACTIVE MAINTENCE INSPECTION FOR THE FUTURE!

With occasional walk thrus asking whats broke? and fixing it right.

sadly many landlords just want the rent money and dont care about
their homes condition

Mike wrote:
"Boden" wrote in message
...

wrote:

On Fri, 12 Sep 2008 21:48:42 -0700 (PDT), "hr(bob) "
wrote:



The tenants at my daughter's rental property let the bathtub faucet
drip for a couple of years, building up a
rusty area about 12 inches in diameter beneath the faucet, except
directly under the drip where the build-up was washed away. I tried a
spray-on iron/rust remover, but it only helped around the edges. I
was able to scrape off a little portion using a screwdriver, but am
scared that I may damage the tub. Can anyone recommend a super-
strength remover? I vaguely remember something about oxalic acid as
being useful, but not sure.

TIA,

Bob Hofmann


OxiClean usually a laundry soap contains oxalic acid.
It is sold at Home Depot.

Iron out can also be used.

Oxiclean does not contain oxalic acid. It is a percarbonate which
hydrolyzes when mixed with water to ultimately produce free oxygen.


Oxiclean is dehydrated Hydrogen Peroxide?


No. When water is added to Oxiclean hydrogen peroxide is released from
the percarbonate.

On Sep 17, 7:58*am, " wrote:
On Sep 13, 12:48 am, "hr(bob) "
wrote:

The tenants at my daughter's rental property let the bathtub faucet
drip for a couple of years, building up a
rusty area about 12 inches in diameter beneath the faucet, except
directly under the drip where the build-up was washed away. I tried a
spray-on iron/rust remover, but it only helped around the edges. I
was able to scrape off a little portion using a screwdriver, but am
scared that I may damage the tub. Can anyone recommend a super-
strength remover? I vaguely remember something about oxalic acid as
being useful, but not sure.

TIA,

Bob Hofmann

I recommend a PRO ACTIVE MAINTENCE INSPECTION FOR THE FUTURE!

With occasional walk thrus asking whats broke? and fixing it right.

sadly many landlords just want the rent money and dont care about
their homes condition

Unfortunately, it is 230 miles from where my daughter now lives, and
the last tenants had to be evicted as they didn't pay the ent and
obviously didn't care about anything like iron build-up.

On Sep 17, 8:17*am, "hr(bob) "
wrote:
On Sep 17, 7:58*am, " wrote:



On Sep 13, 12:48 am, "hr(bob) "
wrote:

The tenants at my daughter's rental property let the bathtub faucet
drip for a couple of years, building up a
rusty area about 12 inches in diameter beneath the faucet, except
directly under the drip where the build-up was washed away. I tried a
spray-on iron/rust remover, but it only helped around the edges. I
was able to scrape off a little portion using a screwdriver, but am
scared that I may damage the tub. Can anyone recommend a super-
strength remover? I vaguely remember something about oxalic acid as
being useful, but not sure.

TIA,

Bob Hofmann

I recommend a PRO ACTIVE MAINTENCE INSPECTION FOR THE FUTURE!

With occasional walk thrus asking whats broke? and fixing it right.

sadly many landlords just want the rent money and dont care about
their homes condition

Unfortunately, it is 230 miles from where my daughter now lives, and
the last tenants had to be evicted as they didn't pay the ent and
obviously didn't care about anything like iron build-up.

Bob-

This stuff will work, I used it on a wall mount toilet that was badly
rust stained because of failing galv water lines.

Super Iron Out (a powder / small crystals)

I used this stuff first & then finished up with ZEP's "CLR"
knockoff......both from the Home Depot in Orange, CA.

A toilet was going to be $500.....the chems, about $20, cleaned up
very well.

cheers
Bob