On 6/8/07 14:44, in article , "Barb"
wrote:

Hi, I've got some horrendous rust stains on flagstones, from old cast iron
pation furniture.

What's the best way of cleaning these? Can it be done? I've tried all
sorts of the usual things and nothing really seems to work ...

Thanks.


I've forwarded this to Cormaic to see if he has any ideas and/or time to
tell us!
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

On 6/8/07 17:58, in article ,
"Martin" wrote:

On Mon, 06 Aug 2007 17:42:47 +0100, Sacha
wrote:

On 6/8/07 14:44, in article , "Barb"
wrote:

Hi, I've got some horrendous rust stains on flagstones, from old cast iron
pation furniture.

What's the best way of cleaning these? Can it be done? I've tried all
sorts of the usual things and nothing really seems to work ...

Thanks.


I've forwarded this to Cormaic to see if he has any ideas and/or time to
tell us!

There is a chemical that will remove rust stains, people use it on GRP boats.
Oxalic acid. It is toxic,

Do you know how far it will penetrate, Martin, if these stains have gone
deeply into the flags? I think Barb has to be careful what she does
according to what kind of stone these are made from.
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

In reply to Martin ) who wrote this in
, I, Marvo, say :

On Mon, 06 Aug 2007 18:02:24 +0100, Sacha
wrote:

On 6/8/07 17:58, in article
, "Martin"
wrote:

On Mon, 06 Aug 2007 17:42:47 +0100, Sacha
wrote:

On 6/8/07 14:44, in article ,
"Barb" wrote:

Hi, I've got some horrendous rust stains on flagstones, from old
cast iron pation furniture.

What's the best way of cleaning these? Can it be done? I've
tried all sorts of the usual things and nothing really seems to
work ...

Thanks.


I've forwarded this to Cormaic to see if he has any ideas and/or
time to tell us!

There is a chemical that will remove rust stains, people use it on
GRP boats. Oxalic acid. It is toxic,

Do you know how far it will penetrate, Martin, if these stains have
gone deeply into the flags? I think Barb has to be careful what she
does according to what kind of stone these are made from.

No. I have never used it. I avoid nasty chemicals.
Proprietary rust stain removers often contain oxalic acid.
Some toilet cleaners contain oxalic acid.

Rhubard leaves contain oxalic acid. You could try those :-)

Acetic acid is just as effective (vinegar). I imagine borax would do the
trick too, but will take long.

On Mon, 06 Aug 2007 18:58:50 +0200, Martin wrote:

On Mon, 06 Aug 2007 17:42:47 +0100, Sacha
wrote:

On 6/8/07 14:44, in article , "Barb"
wrote:

Hi, I've got some horrendous rust stains on flagstones, from old cast iron
pation furniture.

What's the best way of cleaning these? Can it be done? I've tried all
sorts of the usual things and nothing really seems to work ...

Thanks.


I've forwarded this to Cormaic to see if he has any ideas and/or time to
tell us!

There is a chemical that will remove rust stains, people use it on GRP boats.
Oxalic acid. It is toxic,

That's interesting. Perhaps rhubarb leaves will remove rust - they
contain oxalic acid.

Steve