Question on bleaching

[Dave Wermuth]

I have not used oxylic acid before and wonder if I have to give it a wash with baking soda after? the old varnish was all stripped. I sanded and then bleached with wood bleach, oxylic acid. I then washed with tsp. Is there more I need to do? Is there a preferred method of using oxylic?
I mixed up a batch of the stuff and painted it on and worked it in twice. It seemed to work.

Thanks.

 

[Michael Grace]

Hi Dave,

Oxalic acid (at least in the form in which it's sold as a consumer product) is highly water soluble, so a good water wash should get it back out. After bleaching, you washed with TSP, and presumably rinsed that with clean water. This should remove the oxaic acid. As for neutralizing the oxalic acid, be careful- some bases (that's "BASES", not "mases") can cause some woods to turn extremely dark. Water alone should be sufficient and won't cause darkening.

Michael

 

[Dave Wermuth]

Thanks Michael,

I did rinse after everything. I also soaked the outside well and then hung it and loaded lumber inside to get that little hog out.------I hope.