Guys
I have been using electrolysis to remove rust from some of my parts. I use a 75 amp battery recharger and rebar for the + side and the part goes on the - side. I use a large tub with Armer hammer washing power and water. This makes the mixture safe.
Here is the before picture. All hinge's are frozen with rust.
http://img17.photobucket.com/albums/v50/serlink/camaro/Pict0003.jpg
http://img17.photobucket.com/albums/v50/serlink/camaro/Pict0004.jpg

After Picture. Now I can move the hinge with just my fingers.
http://img17.photobucket.com/albums/v50/serlink/camaro/Pict0006.jpg
http://img17.photobucket.com/albums/v50/serlink/camaro/Pict0005.jpg
I am building a larger tub so I can dip a whole fender at one time.
Anyone has any questions I well be happy to answer them.
Sam

How about send me a picture of your set up. How long did it take for the hinges to be done? -- Bryan

be Very careful there!
electrolysis breaks down the water molecules.
water is made up of 2 parts hydrogen and 1 part oxygen.
no smoking by all means!
I maintain O2 generators on US navy Subs
same principle but at 1050 amps of DC current.
try using distilled water and a mix of potassium hydroxide (KOH)
youll love the results.
KOH is a alkaline base so itll burn ya, be careful.

Sammie

Great looking pictures every think about going into business.

D graemlins/beers.gif

I cook my parts 24 to 48 hours. The hinges took 24 hours to do. The more rust the longer it takes.
Yes, you will produce H2, but it just goes up in the air,so dont cover your tub. Dont use stainless steel for the + side. It will produce poison gas and water.
This first pictues is of the setup that did the hinges.
http://img17.photobucket.com/albums/v50/serlink/overview.jpg
This is what it looks like inside the tank with no water. The rebar does NOT touch the bottom or the part. The parts does not touch the bottom or the rebar eather. I use jumper cables to connect the rebar all the way around.
http://img17.photobucket.com/albums/v50/serlink/view.jpg
Here is my son Kyle on the left and my newph Eric right and the ulgy one is me. We just put the motor in my 67 RS/SS
http://img17.photobucket.com/albums/v50/serlink/12.jpg

I am always thinking about going into business.

Sam

nice idea.

Originally posted by Sammie:
The rebar does NOT touch the bottom or the part. The parts does not touch the bottom or the rebar eather.

Sam Great idea! graemlins/beers.gif I have a couple questions though.
What would happen if the parts or the rebar touch the bottom? What kind of mixture of soap to water do you use or does it really matter? Thanks.

Brown68Z/28
If the parts touch with 75amps going it will spark and some damage to the part can occure. It will not blow up or any thing like that. I did it at less 2 times. However my charge just shut off. In the soap box is a large cup, I put in 6 cups to the 50 gal of water.
Sam

67-69 RoHawk, I see that you are just up the road from me. I live in Columbus, GA.
Would this setup work with steel parts stuck inside an aluminum housing (such as a smog pump, alternator)?

Drdrive69
I forgive you for not moving a 100 feet so you could live in Alabama. LOL
I would be cautious of the aluminum parts. Aluminum can only be cooked for half the time as steel or sheet metal. Aluminum will start to be eaten away if left for a long time. So I would not do them as one.

Come to Auburn Brunos at 6 pm the 2nd Saturday of every month for the Southern Cruser Car Club. My car in to the making so its not going to be there for a while, but you will see Camaro's and other rods. Some times 30 to 50 cars in the parking lot.
Sam

Is that the charger you've been using? It looks smaller than 75 amps. Thanks, Ted

Yep thats the charger. Its a 2/12/75amp it cost about 44.00. Its not very big but does the job.
Sam

67-69 Ro Hawk,If the re-bar cannot touch the tub how do you suspend the re-bar? If you used the 12 amp funtion on your charger would it be enough? Tks, Frank

frankff
The rebar can touch the sides of the tub(if the tub is not made of metal) but not touch the botton. All the rust will go to the botton and on the rebar. I cliped the rebar to the sides of my tub with jumper cables.
You can use a 12 amp charger, but it will take longer and if your tub is real big it would take a very long time to get all the rust off. A 12 amp charger would be good for small parts in a small tank. I started with a 12 amp one after two days I got the 75 amp.
Sam

Hey Dawg...Got to love those Treadwell 6L16's huh

i read caswell plating and metal finishing website alot and found this link in there. it tells more about this subject.

http://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/rust/electrolytic_derusting.htm

angel

I definitely have learned something from this original posting and the article also. Thanks. This is one I'm "filing away".

CPOdeep hey howd you know about them?
you a A ganger?
I work in Treadwell field service.
new AEOG is much better than the old 6L16
I should have known with a name like CPOdeep

angel
Thanks for the link. It does answer a lot of question and I learn some new things also.
Sam

Have you done much aluminum? You said not to leave it in as long as iron parts, but I am wondering how it looks when it is finished. Will it remove carbon from intakes and pistons? What about the color and texture. Does it turn black?

Originally posted by dyno jonn:
Have you done much aluminum? You said not to leave it in as long as iron parts, but I am wondering how it looks when it is finished. Will it remove carbon from intakes and pistons? What about the color and texture. Does it turn black? This weekend I will do some pistons that I have laying around and well see if it will clean them up and how long it well take. However, this is mainly for rust removing. I have not done aluminum.
Sam

This method will quickly eat away at aluminum. Any machined surfaces will become rough. I've cleaned some aluminum pieces with lower current (smaller charger) and keeping an eye on it.

Bob.

Hey guys. I have been thinking about this since i first read this thread. I'm restoring a 68 convertible and have a LOT of rusty parts. I have a big sandblaster but using it is out of the question in this new neighborhood i moved into. And i really dont have room for a blast cabinet. I was bored this weekend so i gave this thing a shot.I didnt have to buy anything,just used stuff i had around the house. It works very well,does not make a mess,makes no noise and is not labor intensive,just set it up and go do something else while it does its magic.So its great for keeping peace with your neighbors!
here (http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/ochrisl/detail?.dir=/726c&.dnm=8124.jpg) is my first setup. I used two tire irons for my electrodes. My park brake mechanism is in there in the pic. It was VERY rusty. Came out CLEAN. Now i have my inside heater box in a 30 gallon rubbermaid storage tote.The heater box is what first got me thinking about this since the doors were frozen from rust and there is really no way to get the rust out of the INSIDE other than dipping it. I'll report back when its done. Next im going to get the biggest rubber gabage can i can find and try to fit my front wheelhouses in it. graemlins/thumbsup.gif
Here is another helpful link. (http://www.rowand.net/Shop/Tech/Electrolysis.htm)

Kewl... post more pics when you can.

The key is to have a detergent that is phosphate free. Kind of tough to find nowadays but it is a lot more effective. I have been using this method for years, and it is pretty amazing.

does using a higher amp charger speed up the process, or using two higher amp chargers speed the process up?
i am using a 50 amp charger and it seems like it is taking forever.
thanks!

50 is what i used. I found at least 24 hrs,as much as 48. Maybe a 75 amp would help. Biggest problem i found was flash rust when you pull the part out. This process is not for the impatient type.

This has been one of my favorite posts! I have a set of headers I just pulled off... I was thinking I might give them away to someone here that had posted a clearance problem earlier.
But now, I am going to set this thing up soon with a BIG tub, and have at it with those headers... THEN, I'm going to...

I don't know WHAT I'm going to do then. LOL. Oh well, this is going to be a fun, future project. I'll post some before and after pics when I'm done. Probably won't be for a couple of months... starting to scrounge around for parts.

Originally posted by TRILOGYZ28:
does using a higher amp charger speed up the process, or using two higher amp chargers speed the process up?
i am using a 50 amp charger and it seems like it is taking forever.
thanks! Hmm, if the charger has an Amp gauge, how much current is being pulled? I've been using an 8 Amp charger with good results. Typically pulls 4 to 6 Amps.

Then again, it would depend upon the size of the piece being cleaned. I've done some fair size pieces, 14" x 14" stuff.

I use Arm&Hammers Super Washing Soda for an additive. Works nice.

Bob.

One thing to remember is to have the rebar on at less two sides of the piece to be cleaned. Line of sight from the rebar to the piece, its hard to clean a side that can't see the rebar.
Sam

Sam, That is really cool! Since it does not affect the plastic tub, can I assume it would not damage plastic parts (like bushings) that may be attached to the parts you are cleaning?

Also, I need to see if I followed your photos right:
>You have two pieces of rebar bent into long U-shapes. These are placed on opposite sides of the tub and not touching the bottom.
>You then connect the positive charger terminal to one rebar and the negative to the other.

If I have that much right, then where I am confused is with what you are doing with the extra jumper cables? Are they just clamping the rebar to sides at the opposite end from the charger cables? Or are they creating or providing an additional circuit of some sort?

In other words, could a couple of regular spring clamps (not jumper cables) be substituted and do the same job?

Dawg, Where would a guy get KOH (potassium hydroxide)? Will the FBI and Homeland Security and a HazMat squad be knocking on my door if I run around town asking for some?

Thanks guys!

Chaindrive, yes the positive goes to the rebar. then use the jumper cables to connect all the pieces of rebar together so they're all positively charged. the negative goes on the piece your cleaning.

this is really interesting, i have never heard of anything like this. im gonna have to give it a try

if i have parts that are rusty but still have paint in a few places, what happens to the paint?
if it comes off with the rust that would be great

For me the paint turned into a film of paint similar to paper that just came off easily.

Guys there was just a post last week with a you tube video showing how to do this... I'll look for it for ya...

edit: check this out... http://www.camaros.net/forums/showthread.php?t=100261&highlight=rust+removal

More...

http://www.instructables.com/id/E17UQMY28PEQ6T2A5Z/
http://www3.telus.net/public/aschoepp/electrolyticrust.html

One thing to remember is to have the rebar on at less two sides of the piece to be cleaned. Line of sight from the rebar to the piece, its hard to clean a side that can't see the rebar.
Sam

First off, great post. I used to work in a resto shop that did full bodies. On the other hand, line of site shouldn't matter because it's the soda that carries the electric current to the piece. I too have done this at home with baking soda as well as wash soda, and they both work. Maybe the wash soda works a little better.

Thanks again for the post!

would salt work better because salt is very conductive when mixed with water.

chaindrive,

you might not get a reply from sam. he has not posted here in over 2 yrs. you must have read the other thread regarding this proceedure in the restoration forum where i posted the link to this thread.

if i read your post correctly, you were asking if you connect the pos. and neg leads from the charger to the rebar. you only connect the pos to the rebar and the neg goes to the object that is being derustified(not an actual word)

Jon,

You did this to entire car bodies?

would salt work better because salt is very conductive when mixed with water.

I believe salt would give off chlorine in the reaction and could be very dangerous.

As little as 2 amps can be used successfully, but it does take longer, especially with larger pieces.

Jon,

You did this to entire car bodies?

Yes. The tanks are huge. The power supply was 3 phase, 700 amps and they used castic soda beads. Not for the back yard. Now that I know more about the process the company I was working for wasn't doing it totally right. The owner didn't know the physics behind it and would reverse polarities to "shock" the rust off. What he was doing turns out to be sacrificing the car, part, or whatever. Everything I've read about it, no need, and indeed bad to reverse.

The bad thing about cleaning a whole body this way is how to clean hard to reach places. You have to rinse the black "dead" rust off. If you don't it will rust quickly. So in between a hood support and the outer sheet metal would rust for example. What you would have to do to complete the process I think, is to spray a rust converter/primer in rockers and other hard to rinse areas.

The process does work, I've seen some pretty rusted out hulks come out looking hopefull.

Hope this helps.