Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 16

Thread: electrolysis rust removal

  1. #1

    electrolysis rust removal

    Hi, I have been playing around with rust removal using various different techniques, I have a blasting cabinet with a 4hp compressor which is excellent for tearing rust and paint and metal! off, but its so clumsy to use, I end up with more grit in my face than in the cabinet. I have used grinders and sanders which work really well but you really need to put the effort in, and all of these techniques are way to fierce for small precision machined components such as bearing surfaces and tin ware.
    Looking around on the web I have seen lots of people using electrolysis to remove rust, at first I though it would take lots of equipment and consumables, and the results would be a little disappointing.
    I tried it yesterday and the total cost was £2, yes £2 !.
    The results are pretty shocking, I had a hub from my Salisbury 4ha axle to clean, this thing was pretty rusty, 1 hour later with absolutely no effort the thing came out completely rust free and was coated in "black oxide".
    This is a truly amazing method of rust removal, and all you will need is . . .
    A car battery charger,
    Plastic bucket,
    steel bar or plate (to sacrifice)
    water
    sodium carbonate (97p) from co-op
    The basic idea is to fill up your plastic bucket with water and pour in half a cup of sodium carbonate for every 5 gallon of water. Connect the positive lead of your charger up to the sacrificial steel bar (anode), connect the negative terminal up to the component you want to clean rust off of, and the submerge both the anode (steel bar) and the component with negative terminal in the water solution.
    Make sure the component and the steel bar do not touch, obviously this will cause a short circuit and you will blow fuses or worse!
    switch the charger on and leave it alone for a few hours, you will see bubbles of hydrogen coming from the component your cleaning.
    Again don't put your hands in the solution whilst the battery charger is on!.
    once the component is clean the reaction will stop, it will have a layer of black oxide stuff on it which apparently helps rust proof the part, however you need to dry the part off quickly and paint it, it is very susceptible to rust at this point.
    Use your common sense and you will have no problems.
    here is a link to further explain the process www.rowand.net/Shop/Tools/Electrolysis.htm
    Have fun . . .

  2. #2
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Guildford, Surrey, England
    Posts
    1,038

    Re: electrolysis rust removal

    What a great experiment!

    Now, I wonder where Nova builders can buy a bucket large enough for a chassis? Maybe a paddling pool...

  3. #3
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    NSW, Oz
    Posts
    2,203

    Re: electrolysis rust removal

    Wow, great idea. As Giles said, now to find a chassis sized 'tub'. I can already think of one here in Oz, plastic rain water tanks. Mind you, they cost a few hundred $$$, so unless you can get your hands on a old one, not the best idea.

    But indeed, something along a wadding pool. Take that a step sideways and grab yourself a huge sheet of tough plastic. Something like they wrap new mattresses in. Use pvc piping for framework, and you can have a 'plastic' tub any size and shape you want.

    The issue then becomes how to suspend the VW chassis in the solution. Several saw horses come to mind, plastic/wooden/fiberglass ones so they're not conductive. And some 4x4 wooden planks. Maybe need to scale the wooden beams up to make sure they hold the chassis up. Then suspend them with heavy duty chain.

    Then you'd have to work out how much water your 'tub' will hold, and by figuring that out, you then know how much sodium carbonate you need.

    So, anyone got a spare bug chassis to practice on to show us how it goes?


  4. #4
    ***Euro-Nova Supporter*** Peter's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Estepona, Spain
    Posts
    4,483

    Re: electrolysis rust removal

    Most good hardware stores will sell thick plastic sheet in widths up to 6m and as long as you want, few planks for stifners and bingo.
    The opinions expressed in my posts may not be made in a sound mind and should be taken in the spirit intended, Jack Daniels is fine. Autism isn't something you get or can be 'cured of', it is the way we are wired, differently.

    http://ukhozi.page.tl

  5. #5

    Re: electrolysis rust removal

    OK, so Ive been hunting again for rust removal ideas, and this one is awesome!

    Its called rust removal using molasses, whats molasses you ask?, its animal food!
    Yes you basically mix some molasses up with water and drop your rusty part in the tub, leave it a few days and when you pull it out it looks like brand new minus the flaky paint!

    Some of you were taking the idea of using electrolysis to strip a whole floor pan, well this guy in Oz dips whole ford bodies into this solution and pulls them 1 week later.

    Its supposedly dirt cheap to get hold of and is totally environmentally friendly.
    There is no excuse now for any rust, if I can get hold of some molasses Im going to dip an Essex v6 block and heads to see how they come up.

    here is a video to give you an idea http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZCFcxf5 ... ature=plcp

  6. #6

    Re: electrolysis rust removal

    Most farm supplies/animal feed merchants will sell you it - isn't it the same principle as using Coke? That's a pretty agressive liquid!
    It's a 52 year old car and everything works, just not always at the same time.......and it's probably about to get jealous!
    *Donate to Euro-Nova today!*

  7. #7

    Re: electrolysis rust removal

    The molasses method uses some form of biology rather than chemistry, its pretty mad stuff but I read somewhere that there are billions of bacteria like organisms that strip the oxygen out of the rust therefore de-rusting your metal.
    I haven't tried the molasses method myself but from what I understand its more ideal for larger items, it takes days and weeks rather than hours, but this may be an idea if somebody needs to restore a floorpan?

    Anyway my results for the electrolysis method were AWESOME!, first time I tried I left it for a few hours, it took allot of rust off but not all, wasn't that impressed, but then I left it overnight and pulled it in the morning, absolutely no rust on it at all.
    I have so far cleaned up a back plate which was totally rusted, its now immaculate just pitted, I've also dipped a knackered wheel drum in, these were really buggered because they had seized on and were left outside for years.
    Here's the result




  8. #8

    Re: electrolysis rust removal

    very impressive

  9. #9
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Guildford, Surrey, England
    Posts
    1,038

    Re: electrolysis rust removal

    Amazing!

  10. #10
    Senior Member bushboy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Grays Essex
    Posts
    2,456

    Re: electrolysis rust removal

    That is totally a-m-a-z-i-n-g,

    It even replace the missing chunk from the side of the drum

    time to dip the spare floor pan & replace the tin worm holes

    Bushboy
    "Always do what you are afraid to do"
    "I can accept failure, but I can't accept not trying"

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •