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Product Code: OXALIC500
A cleaning powder used to remove iron stains from gemstone slabs. Transparent, colorless crystals. Occurs naturally in many plants (wood sorrell, rhubarb, spinach). Caution: Corrosive, may be fatal if swallowed. Avoid contact with eyes, skin, clothing. Uses include general metal and equipment cleaner, leather tanning, and bleaching agent for textiles and woods. Rust remover in mineral crystal preparation.
To make this as simple as possible, below is a step by step guide to its use. Do not take any shortcuts or make substitutions.
Fill a plastic one gallon container 3/4 full with hot tap ...
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A cleaning powder used to remove iron stains from gemstone slabs. Transparent, colorless crystals. Occurs naturally in many plants (wood sorrell, rhubarb, spinach). Caution: Corrosive, may be fatal if swallowed. Avoid contact with eyes, skin, clothing. Uses include general metal and equipment cleaner, leather tanning, and bleaching agent for textiles and woods. Rust remover in mineral crystal preparation.
To make this as simple as possible, below is a step by step guide to its use. Do not take any shortcuts or make substitutions.
Fill a plastic one gallon container 3/4 full with hot tap water. Pour in the 500gm of OA crystals and stir for five minutes. Be careful not to inhale any powder when adding the crystals. Once the OA 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 OA 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 speeds 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 OA 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 OA 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. Safety is important. OA solution is highly toxic. It can 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. I keep a large five gallon bucket with tight fitting lid filled and ready, I drop specimens in as I collect them. 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.
Source: John Betts John Betts - Fine Minerals
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