TABOO! Rust removal

[shizzy]

I have found that sometimes wrapping some saftey wire around the hook and through a couple of bolt holes in the part helps the process. I think it is helping conduct the electricity.

I dont have any good before or after pics of anything, but here is a cast iron intake for my Cutlass I dunked. It was your typical intake. 10 coats of various paint and many many layers of rust and scale. It took about three days of dunking but it came out like this.....

 

[Gastrick]

Good illustrated tip shizzy. How many amps are you using? I've got some crusty brake backing plates I wat to try this on.

 

[shizzy]

I have a cheap Sears battery charger, it only has a 2 amp and 10 amp setting. I was told 4 amps or so is where ya want to be and more ISNT better, so I just put it on 2 amps and leave it till the next day. it also hleps if you can grind or wire wheel the area where you are attaching it , helps the current flow. I dig it for the main reason that it isnt dirty and messy like using a wire wheel and I dont have a blast cabinet. I can dunk it and forget it for a day and then spend minimal time with a wire wheel or sandpaper to make it ready for some rattle can goodness.

 

[24dodge]

thanks for the explaination , i`ll give it a try .....`24

 

[shizzy]

one more thing, when you pull it out of the bucket stick it in the sink and run water over it while you scrub it with a wire brush. if all the paint and rust isnt gone you can toss it back in.

 

[maddog]

I tried it today and was absolutly blown away by how well it works.

I used first just one then ended up with 3 - 5 gal buckets of water, a tablespoon per gal of baking soda, and one 2 amp batterycharger jumpered to all 3 buckets.

This is just too easy.
I did a little research first and this is what I learned.

Arm and hammer WASHING SODA works best. I used baking soda. Washing soda has lye in it .

The positive goes to the steel (not the part to be cleaned)
The negitive goes to the parts to be cleaned.

It kinda works by line of sight so I used 2 or 3 pieces of steel connected to positive evenly spaced around the perimiter of the buckets.

Dont use stainless or lead as the positive chunk you throw into the water because it will put metals in the water that will make it toxic. With just steel and bakingsoda, you can dump it on your lawn and its not toxic.

If you had a power supply that would let you apply only 500 milla amps (1/2 amp) you would actually build up the steel converting some of the rust to iron. I used 2 amps and just blew the rust off.

The water never goes bad. It gets dirty but is good forever.

You CANT over clean steel. It wont hurt it in any way.

Works for brass and aluminum but I am not clear totally about that yet. They clean up faster. Left too long you can corrode them causing pits.

It doesnt do such a good job if multiple parts are touching tightly. The rust remained on the threads of the bolt under the nut.

I connected multiple pieces together with small jumper cables.

A little 3m scrubbing or wire brush after removal and its amazing.

I didnt take pics before but if you can imagine the most rusted, pitted, crusty 70 yr old headlight buckets and a 50 yr old rusty crusty pitman arm you have the before picture.

Now look at them.
This took 6-8 hrs.

You have to try this, its just too cool.

 

[shizzy]

thanks, thats all info I failed to mention. I also started with a 5 gal pail just to try it out and after one piece I decided a 55 gal drum was in order. any manner of "dunk it and forget it" rust removal process is cool by me.

 

[maddog]

Its very cool, thanks for turning me onto this.

I am also looking for a 55 gal drum...... and a doboy pool.

 

[shizzy]

Its very cool, thanks for turning me onto this.

I am also looking for a 55 gal drum...... and a doboy pool.

I mentioned it to a friend of mine who works at a Ford dealer and the next day I had a blue barrel sitting in my back yard. hahaha

 

[maddog]

I have 3 5gal buckets and a 35 gal garbage can going now.
I have done many parts, wishbones, front axle, all interior trim for my 46 truck, some shocks, shackles, a front spring, 2 headlight buckets, some louvers, and a few other misc brackets.

I painted all the interior trim today and it looks great.

Its amazing. The grease (caked 1/2" thick), paint and rust just falls off with a wire brush or 3m pad and a garden hose.

Make sure you dry it with shop air or papertowls before it has a chance to air dry. If you dont, surface rust begins right away.

I talked to a painter friend today and he said, "add a little soap to your final water wash and you dont even need to wipe it with wax and grease remover prior to paint"

You gotta try this, its too easy.

 

[4t64rd]

I heard to not let your battery charger clips get into the liquid, it'll eventually eat at them. Connect them to the part with a bolt and safety wire. Rebar is a good anode and they are cheap.
I'm going to try cleaning an oil pan in a rubbermaid tote this weekend, something I do not want sandblast media hiding in when I put it back on the engine.

 

[maddog]

I heard to not let your battery charger clips get into the liquid, it'll eventually eat at them. Connect them to the part with a bolt and safety wire. Rebar is a good anode and they are cheap.
I'm going to try cleaning an oil pan in a rubbermaid tote this weekend, something I do not want sandblast media hiding in when I put it back on the engine.

The positive lead clipped to the anode cant be in the water. No problem with the negitive. I have had several negitive clips in the water for several days and they are just clean.

It works line of site. If some of the paint doesnt come off, move your parts or move the anode and let it sit for another day. All the paint will come off, sometimes in a sheet.

Also, more than about 2 amps doesnt work any faster that I can tell, it does make more heat on the part and the charger works harder.

 

[Sawsall]

One thing to add... not once did I hear DO IT OUTSIDE IN A WELL VENTILATED AREA!!! DO NOT SMOKE NEAR IT! the bubbles... that is hydrogen... VERY EXPLOSIVE!

another thing you can use this for... make a small tank for under the hood of your ride... cap the tank and run a vent hose from the tank to your air cleaner/filter housing... it will improve your gas mileage. just make the current to the tank switched so you can turn it off when you stop... It would suck if you left it on and a hydrogen pocket formed under the hood and someone through a cigarette on the ground...

 

[maddog]

One thing to add... not once did I hear DO IT OUTSIDE IN A WELL VENTILATED AREA!!! DO NOT SMOKE NEAR IT! the bubbles... that is hydrogen... VERY EXPLOSIVE!

another thing you can use this for... make a small tank for under the hood of your ride... cap the tank and run a vent hose from the tank to your air cleaner/filter housing... it will improve your gas mileage. just make the current to the tank switched so you can turn it off when you stop... It would suck if you left it on and a hydrogen pocket formed under the hood and someone through a cigarette on the ground...

I put a torch right in the bubbles, just to see how flamable it really was. Nothing. not even a small flame. If it is in a resonably well ventalated area, it will be no problem at all. The amount of hydrogen is too small.

 

[Neophyte]

Here are two links to articles on electrolytic rust removal:

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

 

[Willowbilly3]

I saw on another forum they built a big enough box to put whole body parts in.
And I do think he meant lead (leed) not lead (led) as in a welding lead, not the soft metal.
The size of the anode will have some affect to as it attracts the rust and gets coated becoming less effective. The laundry version of the soda works better than the arm and hammer variety too I guess.

 

[Neophyte]

IMPORTANT:
The one important thing to remember is that the POSITIVE is a sacrificial anode and will be eaten away by this process . If you hook it up backwards , your prize will disappear in short order . And if you get the idea that a stainless bolt or sheet will last longer as an anode , you would be correct . Just remember it will leave toxic heavy metals in your soup .That iron and steel do not.

 

[maddog]

IMPORTANT:
The one important thing to remember is that the POSITIVE is a sacrificial anode and will be eaten away by this process . If you hook it up backwards , your prize will disappear in short order . And if you get the idea that a stainless bolt or sheet will last longer as an anode , you would be correct . Just remember it will leave toxic heavy metals in your soup .That iron and steel do not.

Ahhh, you smart cookie!

The anode (steel rod or bar connected to the positive cable) doesnt atract the rust, it rusts at an acelerated rate. The reverse is true for the part being de-rusted. The rust is being converted to iron. The heavy rust, paint, grease etc falls off during the process.

The part is actually building itself back up as the rusting process is reversed. How cool is that!

 

[Menace]

Absolutely a cool thread. I been to 2 World Fairs and a goat... you know the rest . Never heard of this before. Thanks

 

[Huryinhoosier]

just so i understand this....the anode and the part to be cleaned need to be touching....or it doesnt matter?