new electroylysis tub

Frank Fusco

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Mountain Home, Arkansas
Yesterday, I rigged up a tub for rust removal with electrolysis. Made the anode from some flat steel stock I had lying around. The tub is a left over from a cattle protein feed. My battery charger completes the set-up. The hardest part was driving all over town, wasting much expensive gasoline, trying to find the Arm and Hammer washing soda. When I did find it, I'll betcha the box has been setting on the shelf for a decade, almost solid. Enneyhow, for those who have done this, how much of the soda should I use? There is probably 20 gallons of water in the tub and I tossed in about two cups of the soda. What voltage setting should I use on the charger? My choices are 2, 10 and 50. I put in a large, antique, square jawed adjustable wrench for a test at 10V and it started bubbling right away. Photo later.
 
...The hardest part was driving all over town, wasting much expensive gasoline, trying to find the Arm and Hammer washing soda. When I did find it, I'll betcha the box has been setting on the shelf for a decade, almost solid. Enneyhow, for those who have done this, how much of the soda should I use? ...

You probably have a 'lifetime' supply now, but next time you need some, go to a pool supply place. Sodium Carbonate is used to raise the Ph in swimming pools and spas. Readily available in small containers - or bulk if you need it - and relatively inexpensive.

As for the mix, I use about a quarter cup to a gallon of water. Actual mix doesn't seem to be critical, so a bit more, or less, may work well too.
 
Would someone mind telling how to set this processs up. I am not sure how to set it up?

There may be an old thread here on the subject. It does come up on many forums from time to time. I did a Google search and found many helpful hits. This one is pretty good: http://www.davidbradley.net/ERR.html
Information missing is how much electricity to use. Others here have confirmed that an ordinary car batter charger at about 10 amps. is good. Be sure to look for the Arm and Hammer Washing Soda, not baking soda. Or use the pool chemical mentioned earlier. My positive anode is just a hunk of 1/8"X3/4" flat steel I had laying around from an old project. My negative is copper wire hanging the rusty wrench. As soon as power is turned on I see water circulation and bubbles rising. I must be doing sumptin' right, as I said, it ain't blowed up yet. ;) And, fer me messin' wid electriks, dats sumptin' . :rolleyes:
 
Frank, with only one piece of metal (for an annode), you will need to turn the wrench around most likely so the other side is facing the annode for it to clean that side. I ran a wire from the positive lead around the top of my tub and put one annode down into the mix on each side of the tub and then hung the pieces to be cleaned in the middle from a broom handle (with the negative lead attached, of course) and it worked well. when I do it again, I'm going to make a ring around the top of a sawed off half barrel and put 4 or six annodes from it spaced around the sides to get even better action when I hang the pieces in the middle. I used 10 amps also and one report I read said that he had tried 2 amps, 10 amps and 50 amps and that there was great improvement when moving from the 2 amp up to the 10 amp setting, but not much increase in effectiveness was gained above the 10 amp setting. You will need to clean off the annode as the crud builds up on it or the action slows down. I just Hosed it off and kinda brushed the built up crud loose with a wire brush as I hosed it off.
 
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From my limited experience, I think you have plenty. It only takes a little to make it an electrolite, more makes it more reactive. but not progressive with the amount. Too much just lays on the bottom undesolved.

Every time I do it, I scratch my head trying to think Is it the Pos on the sacrifice or the Neg on the sacrifice or do it matter? I can never Member (let alone Re-Member):huh: Maybe next time I will write it down.

I learned of the process from a friend who learned of it from a friend and so the story goes, for a few years now. He uses Baking soda (which is chemically completely different) but it works the same. But I read on the net (wonderful info feature) about Washing Soda and tried it, and it works, biggest difference is that the piece is washed clean when done and your hands are cleaner than with the Baking soda. I also read of a fellow who uses Critic Acid (as you know Citric acid will do the same w/o the battery charger but add the battery charger to the mix and it is quite effective (or so he said) I lost the site where I read that.

The only good thing I have found for Tupperware is to soak rusty tools and attach electodes to watch it fizz... :thumb:
 
Frank, with only one piece of metal (for an annode), you will need to turn the wrench around most likely so the other side is facing the annode for it to clean that side. I ran a wire from the positive lead around the top of my tub and put one annode down into the mix on each side of the tub and then hung the pieces to be cleaned in the middle from a broom handle (with the negative lead attached, of course) and it worked well. when I do it again, I'm going to make a ring around the top of a sawed off half barrel and put 4 or six annodes from it spaced around the sides to get even better action when I hang the pieces in the middle. I used 10 amps also and one report I read said that he had tried 2 amps, 10 amps and 50 amps and that there was great improvement when moving from the 2 amp up to the 10 amp setting, but not much increase in effectiveness was gained above the 10 amp setting. You will need to clean off the annode as the crud builds up on it or the action slows down. I just Hosed it off and kinda brushed the built up crud loose with a wire brush as I hosed it off.


Good tips. Thanks. I have some of the flat stock left over. It will be easy to make a second, or third, annode.
 
Good tips. Thanks. I have some of the flat stock left over. It will be easy to make a second, or third, annode.

You will probably get a laugh out of this, Frank, but when I first decided to give the electrolysis a try, I knew that whatever metal I used for an annode would be ruined, so........being kinda cheap and not wanting to waste any GOOD scrap metal, I just found a couple of short pieces of scrap Purlin that was left from the shop construction.:D They worked ok from the start, but even much better after the primer on them came off.:rolleyes::rofl::rofl::rofl:
 
You will probably get a laugh out of this, Frank, but when I first decided to give the electrolysis a try, I knew that whatever metal I used for an annode would be ruined, so........being kinda cheap and not wanting to waste any GOOD scrap metal, I just found a couple of short pieces of scrap Purlin that was left from the shop construction.:D They worked ok from the start, but even much better after the primer on them came off.:rolleyes::rofl::rofl::rofl:

That would be really hillarious if I knew wat a Purlin wuz....:eek: :laugh2:
 
That would be really hillarious if I knew wat a Purlin wuz....:eek: :laugh2:

Purlin's are the metal (different sizes, but I used the approx 2 x 4 size), pieces that are formed in kind of a flat sided C shape that are welded between the frame members to screw the sheet metal siding to on a metal building.
 
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