I do mine on the stove in the kitchen - take a stainless steel bowl of water - put on low heat - add a handfull or so of barkeepers friend, stir parts occasionally as has been stated, leave them in til done - I've had rusted solid freewheels in for weeks when necessary (that come out like NOS parts), most parts take a few hours or over-night, but in really bad cases, just let them go - but you have to stir the stuff up - and the parts have to be clean of oil and grease, or it really doesn't work well....
Don't get the water too hot - you should be able to put your hand in - so you don't hurt the parts, or your hands - also, you really don't want to soak your skin with this stuff, though a little here and there isn't that bad - but with prolonged skin exposure, your hands will dry out and crack, which is no fun.
I've also tried EvapoRust - and find that Oxalic acid does a better job on parts that can be submerged and the color is better when done.
Rob Gougahry
Stamford, CT USA
> From: Bret Van Horn <bret@workshed.com>
\r?\n> Subject: [CR] Oxalic Acid Questions
\r?\n> To: "CLASSIC RENDEZVOUS" <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
\r?\n> Date: Monday, December 7, 2009, 6:49 PM
\r?\n> Hi All-
\r?\n>
\r?\n> I've read up a bit on using oxalic acid to de-rust frames,
\r?\n> but there
\r?\n> are a couple points that remain unclear, so I apologize if
\r?\n> this has
\r?\n> been rehashed before (I did search the archives):
\r?\n>
\r?\n> 1) I've read that it's best to do this when it's warm,
\r?\n> however, being
\r?\n> in the midst of winter, is it still okay to do now? Will I
\r?\n> just need
\r?\n> to soak it longer, or is it completely ineffective in
\r?\n> colder temps?
\r?\n>
\r?\n> 2) Given the relatively low ratio of acid used, is it safe
\r?\n> to do this
\r?\n> in an enclosed garage provided it's aired out periodically?
\r?\n> Or are the
\r?\n> fumes that toxic?
\r?\n>
\r?\n> Thanks!
\r?\n>
\r?\n> Bret Van Horn
\r?\n> Washougal, WA 98671