Oxalic acid and clearing

Richard Sullivan (richsul@roadrunner.com)
Thu, 23 May 1996 01:09:33 -0600

Terry King writes:

>Do you think that oxalic acid would be more effective than EDTA as a clearing
>agent given that the EDTA/ferric oxalate reaction is reversible.

My experience has shown that oxalic acid has a tendency to crystalize out on
the paper fibers and lift them, even with dilute solutions. It's strange,
the paper can begin to feel like sandpaper. We confirmed this from reports
form a number of other printers who tried it, Dick Arentz for one.
Dick Sullivan
Bostick & Sullivan
Santa Fe, New mexico