Originally Posted by
deepinahartatx
Well, long story short, the BKP/oxalic acid stripped the paint, which sucks. It's my fault for experimenting, but I have heard on these forums that oxalic acid is safe on paint, but it wasn't for me. Off to try and find nail polish or tester paint. I should have left it alone instead of trying to make it "better"…I think I should have just rubbed it on/off instead of letting it sit...
I am very sad :-(
Sorry for your poor experience. I have used OA on close to 100 bikes, and a lot of parts. I pretty much have a small OA bath going continuously, I've got it going right now. I have never had it lift paint. It didn't even hurt the very fragile decals on my Katakura Silk.
As always, I recommend using OA in extremely dilute form (like 0.25% or so). I have not used Bar Keepers Friend on a bike. Not sure what else is in it besides OA. Bar Keepers Friend is listed as 5 to 10% OA. That leaves another 90 to 95% something else. I prefer to use just OA and water.