Cleaning rusty parts with Electrolysis

[cully]

results from the wheel!
wheel has been in the tank for around 20 hrs the scum on the top of the tank was propper red rusty!



lifted the wheel out looked as before not to promising



untill i sprayed the hose at it gave it a little scrape and a wirebrush





im so impressed!
I will wire brush it off again once dry then give it a coat of paint
then it can live in the wheel carrier again

[nominous]

I need to invest in a more powerful power washer. Would help no end to clean the crud off after bath time.
Would love to share my results, but sadly my hosting died and I've lost all my piccies

[Niall]

Ive got a 24v 3a power supply sitting in the shed. Reckon it will be man enough for me to build my own setup like this?

[C.A.R.]

I'm thinking the same! I have an old battery charger knocking about in the garage, but as there is no power supply out there I'll have to do this in the garden and run an extension lead...so I'll need to cover it up in case it rains...

[nominous]

Ive got a 24v 3a power supply sitting in the shed. Reckon it will be man enough for me to build my own setup like this?

More power takes the rust off faster, but there is an argument that you go too fast and it'll cause hydrogen enbrittlement.
I've not had a problem zapping 12V 40A+ into my wheelie bin setup when I need something in a hurry or I'm doing multiple sets of calipers. It'll make it look like a jacuzzi
But generally I have the same PSU running via a 21W bulb to limit the current flow and save some electric.
Smaller container for smaller parts. Not one big one for everything, or at least adjust the water level.

[cully]

as said above yes a small power supply will do but will take longer

good idea about running a 21w lamp to limit the current no need to worry about the consentration level of the soda crystals then or over driving your small power supply

[ozonehostile]

Just a thought cully, would it not be better to have the electrodes connected to a car battery which is connected to a battery charger?

Those trickle chargers just don't really seem man enough to me.

And remember people, don't try this with aluminium

[SupaStar88]

Why not with ally?

[ozonehostile]

Why not with ally?

Aluminium would dissolve very quickly leaving the surface pitted and scarred if you're not careful

Depending on what electrolyte you're using, some can also discolour the aluminium.

I'd just use electrolysis for cleaning ferrous metals


Cully, have you noticed the water getting hot during the process?

[cully]

if you put a lot of current into the water it will heat it up
small battery chargers and a current limiter will be ideal over a longer period

[devils_fuel]

***awaits the cleaning for money thread

awesome cully

[nominous]

good idea about running a 21w lamp to limit the current

Plus it tells you when the wire connection to the work piece has dissolved cos the light goes out

[RetroPug]

As asked by others, would a car battery be suitable/safe?

[John1.4]

if you had something to regulate the current and voltage then yes technically it would work, it'd just go flat over time

[cully]

as above
get yourself a cheap battery charger and run a 21w lamp in sieries with a lead then the tank wount take any more than 2 AMPs Max
or run a 55w halagen headlight and it wont take no more than 4-5amps

a battery will work but will go flat fairly quick when you need to power the tank for a minimum of 12hours

[RetroPug]

Oh just remembered I do have a 2 quid mains battery trickle charger.
Thanks!

[Tom]

Im having a go... Sort of.



Haha, cups that hold the bump stops.

[Matt]

id love to give this a go, ive got some stuff that needs the rust taking off. but cba making up a rig haha

[pugmanxud]

I do industrial electrolosys clea ing if it helps

[devils_fuel]

I do industrial electrolosys clea ing if it helps

You're going to regret saying that

[pugmanxud]

Oh why haha

[devils_fuel]

Sure you'll get a to-do list soon

[306Dan]

Bugger to do list he'll have a que of members waiting in fount of his work

[nominous]

With a shell each

[cully]

finished off my spare 18mm hubs today
pressed in two new bearings so now they are ready to be fitted to the car

[C.A.R.]

[powerandtorque]

They came out really well

I'm guessing that the electrolysis made the usual pain that is removing the rusted solid circlip somewhat easier too?

[cully]

yup circlips cam out a lot easyer as did the ABS sensor
although the sensor did still take some shifting but it was still in one piece once removed

[devils_fuel]

Have you repainted them cully or is that how they came out?

[cully]

hafords primer and gloss black top coat