waterboysh
spending too much on rocks
Member since April 2021
Posts: 386
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Post by waterboysh on Apr 29, 2021 14:50:25 GMT -5
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rockfrog
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since February 2021
Posts: 115
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Post by rockfrog on Apr 29, 2021 15:28:05 GMT -5
I was given some old rocks like this once and I let them soak in a bucket overnight then scrubbed/sprayed them off... but I'm not sure if that one will fit in a bucket.
It depends on how gentle you want to be with it, if you think it wouldn't break any of the little points then I'd use a pressure washer or a water hose with a nozzle with high pressure. If you'd want to be a little more gentle then maybe a water hose on low/medium and a dish scrub brush.
I'm sure others will have more ideas, can't wait to see it clean!
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Post by jasoninsd on Apr 29, 2021 16:35:32 GMT -5
Nice garage sale find!  I know greig has used a pressure washer to wash some material similar to that...only much smaller. LOL |
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Post by fernwood on Apr 30, 2021 0:54:23 GMT -5
How large is this?
It is beautiful.
How much time do you want to spend cleaning it initially and in the future?
Are the black areas just dirt, or is there some mold?
Can you try to clean a small area with a toothbrush to determine how easily the black areas become clean?\
How stable are the individual crystals?
Lots of questions, but they will help determine the best way to clean.
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waterboysh
spending too much on rocks
Member since April 2021
Posts: 386
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Post by waterboysh on Apr 30, 2021 8:09:18 GMT -5
How large is this? It is beautiful. How much time do you want to spend cleaning it initially and in the future? Are the black areas just dirt, or is there some mold? Can you try to clean a small area with a toothbrush to determine how easily the black areas become clean?\ How stable are the individual crystals? At work atm, but going from memory I think each side is about 1.5' - 2'. I'd like to at least get the black out if I can. Now that you mention it, it might be mold and not dirt. I only brought it home from my parents house very recently and all I've done to it is blast it with my hose. My FIL has one of those large deep utility sinks; do you think taking it over there and soaking it in some bleach water could help? You can't really get a toothbrush down enough into the crevices between the crystals to scrub it very well. Back when I first got it (I was probably about 7 or 8) my dad attempted to clean it. He was a painting contractor so he used his pressure washer on it. I think he was hoping to get some of the red stains off. It was so long ago I don't really remember. But the crystals are pretty stable. |
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stefan
Cave Dweller 
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
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Post by stefan on Apr 30, 2021 9:53:52 GMT -5
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Post by greig on Apr 30, 2021 10:15:23 GMT -5
It all depends what you plan on doing with it afterwards. If you are going to put it back outside, I would suggest you could be a bit more aggressive with the cleaning. In that case, I would take it to a spray car wash and use their soap and then rinse. But before, have soak the rock rocks overnight in deck wash and water to remove any mold. Soak in Super Iron Out powder and water for the brown stain. Do these separate. Watch where you dump the water afterwards as it may kill your green plants. Wash up if you get either of these acids on your skin.
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waterboysh
spending too much on rocks
Member since April 2021
Posts: 386
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Post by waterboysh on May 18, 2021 10:30:46 GMT -5
Alright, I took it over to my in-law's house because they have a big utility sink in the back yard. Soaked it overnight in a strong bleach solution and scrubbed it some and blasted it with a hose. Some of the black came out, but some didn't. That's okay. I would really like to try and get some of the iron stains off. I got some Iron Out powder at Lowes, but I'm worried about messing up my rock that I've had for so long. Can anyone point me to a good step-by-step guide or offer some tips/advice on cleaning this rock?
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Post by stephan on May 29, 2021 21:46:59 GMT -5
Using acid to get the iron stains out will also likely kill the mood. Muriatic acid (aka hydrochloric acid) should work well at 1:8. Some people prefer rust out (oxalic acid) because they think it’s safer. It really isn’t when you consider that you have to mess with a powder (inhalation hazard), and that, in the end, you are going to have approximately the same concentration of hydrogen ion.
Either way, wear some good, long chemically resistant gloves, and tight-fitting goggles (not just safety glasses).
Disposal of either can be made a lot safer by neutralizing with baking soda. You still won’t want to pour it on your plants, because you will now have salt water.
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Post by rmf on May 30, 2021 11:39:00 GMT -5
You have quartz from Arkansas. The rust colored coating/stain is iron. You did not say how big it is, but assuming you could put it in a rubbermaid tub or something similar and let it soak in the sun a couple of weeks with some oxalic acid. The Iron stains will be removed. Oxalic works faster hot but plastic not good to boil water in so take your time. Oxalic is the acid that gives rhubarb its tart taste. So it is a naturally occurring organic acid. When done neutralize with sodium hydroxide (drain cleaner) or let the water evaporate and collect the acid crystals for later use.
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waterboysh
spending too much on rocks
Member since April 2021
Posts: 386
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Post by waterboysh on May 30, 2021 23:18:44 GMT -5
You did not say how big it is, but assuming you could put it in a rubbermaid tub or something similar and let it soak in the sun a couple of weeks with some oxalic acid. It's fairly large. I would need to use my in-laws outdoor utility sink and probably somewhere between 5 - 10 gallons of water to fully cover it because of the size of the sink. Though... I'm wondering if I could put something down on the bottom of the sink as cushioning and put the rock in upside down. It would take significantly less water that way. I got Iron Out powder because that's what I saw mentioned the most... but can't seem to find a good reference to how to clean something with it by submersion. I'm trying to figure out how much Iron Out powder do I need to add? How long do I need to let it soak? You're the first that I've seen mention weeks. Is there a risk of it eating away the rock base under the crystals? I've had the Iron Out for a couple of weeks now and just haven't gotten up the courage to try it. |
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Post by HankRocks on May 31, 2021 4:14:28 GMT -5
You did not say how big it is, but assuming you could put it in a rubbermaid tub or something similar and let it soak in the sun a couple of weeks with some oxalic acid. It's fairly large. I would need to use my in-laws outdoor utility sink and probably somewhere between 5 - 10 gallons of water to fully cover it because of the size of the sink. Though... I'm wondering if I could put something down on the bottom of the sink as cushioning and put the rock in upside down. It would take significantly less water that way. I got Iron Out powder because that's what I saw mentioned the most... but can't seem to find a good reference to how to clean something with it by submersion. I'm trying to figure out how much Iron Out powder do I need to add? How long do I need to let it soak? You're the first that I've seen mention weeks. Is there a risk of it eating away the rock base under the crystals? I've had the Iron Out for a couple of weeks now and just haven't gotten up the courage to try it. As mentioned, I would get one of the plastic tubs/totes with lid for my cleaning container. Iron out is my Arkansas Quartz cleaning agent of choice. Used to use Oxalic acid but moved away from it for two reasons, health risks and availability. I can buy Iron Out at several locations, Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes, etc.. There is also some health risks associated with it. If the Quartz to be cleaned has a sandstone base, as yours does, I would presoak it in warm to hot water. This allows the sandstone to absorb some of the water. Then drain and add more warm water to cover the piece, then add the Iron Out. The Iron Out solution will not absorb as much into the sandstone as it is already saturated with water from the first soaking. As far as how much Iron Out if you have say 5 gallons of water covering the piece, then about two cups should be enough. No hard formula with that as I just pour until I feel it's enough. Let it soak for a couple of days, then drain the Iron Out and refill with clean water and soak for a day or so. Iron Out does work best with warm to hot water. Be careful, if the piece is cold(winter time cleaning) then hot water can shock the quartz and cause fractures. I do most of my cleaning in 3 or 5 gal buckets with lids and during warm weather. The water hose on the driveway side(west side) of the house is a nice source of warm to hot water on sunny days. Usually enough to get 1 or 2 gallons of heated water. The presoaking for quartz with sandstone helps to reduce subsequent leaching out of Iron Out crystals on the piece as it dries after cleaning over time. With no sandstone the presoaking is not a required. Even though Iron Out is a bit safer that Acid, I would take care not to avoid breathing any fumes from the cleaning process, hence the lid. |
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Post by rmf on May 31, 2021 10:49:33 GMT -5
Iron out contains: The container of the powdered Iron Out states: “Contains Sodium Hydrosulfite and Sodium Metabisulfite.” No strength or percentage information is provided here, either.
With Oxalic I just put in about 1LB. When done I let it evaporate and save for reuse. As stated above, hot water makes Iron Out work faster and the same is true for oxalic. Try it for a day or two and see what happens. I see no reason that upside down won't work. Make sure the bottom is well supported or a single crystal could poke through plastic. For deeply stained rocks (which yours is not) I have a stainless stock pot and three hot plates. That cleans in a couple of hours. In Arkansas they just you a big Iron pot and they don't care if it eats the Iron.
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waterboysh
spending too much on rocks
Member since April 2021
Posts: 386
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Post by waterboysh on May 31, 2021 12:40:03 GMT -5
Just to add, the rock is about 15" x 13" and about 8" tall.
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waterboysh
spending too much on rocks
Member since April 2021
Posts: 386
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Post by waterboysh on Jun 7, 2021 9:53:51 GMT -5
I found a plastic tub with a lid that fit the rock pretty well. Filled it with hot water from my hose/tap and added probably about 3 cups of Iron Out. I have the rocks upside down resting on some PVC pipes. When doing my Google research, I found anecdotal evidence from people saying that this helped the iron precipitate to the bottom of the container instead of clinging to the rock. I'm a little disappointed that the red color is disappearing from the base of the rock, though I guess that should have been expected. I initially only added enough water to make sure the crystals were covered, but I quickly realized it was going to make a weird line across. Now it sorta looks like it's just a hunk of cement. I wish I could see what the top looks like. It's been in since Saturday, so this was only after about 24 hours. Question: When I am ready to remove the rock and neutralize the acid, how much baking soda do I add? How do I know when it's completely neutralized?  |
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waterboysh
spending too much on rocks
Member since April 2021
Posts: 386
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Post by waterboysh on Oct 25, 2021 20:53:55 GMT -5
Here's what it looks like post Iron Out soak  |
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Post by stephan on Oct 25, 2021 23:27:05 GMT -5
Very nice. Good to see a little color stayed for contrast.
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Post by fernwood on Oct 26, 2021 3:04:00 GMT -5
That cleaned up nice.
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