Overnight Handsfree Rust Removal for free...

[USMCBay]

Well it looks like I have a new thing to try. This will especially come in handy with my Refrigerated Drink Fountain parts and my Coke Machine Parts. The drink fountain has the most rust damage...

Electrolytic Rust Removal

 

[Shadowdog500]

Works well but is extremely slow. I used this method to remove rust from the inside of a motorcycle tank, i took a week or so to remove the rust. Just remember that the rust removal is line of sight between the two plates.

Chris

 

[USMCBay]

Works well but is extremely slow. I used this method to remove rust from the inside of a motorcycle tank, i took a week or so to remove the rust. Just remember that the rust removal is line of sight between the two plates.

Chris

Do you know if a round rod shape is a better "projecter" than a flat piece of positively charged iron? I wonder how surrounding it with a (+) wire basket would do and suspend the (-) piece in the middle?

 

[Git]

Phosphoric Acid converts iron oxide (rust) to iron phosphate - similar to how you "blue" or "parkerize" a gun.

It is available in several common household products - like CLR, or you can buy a more concentrated form that is marketed as a rust remover - like naval jelly and other products.


Here is what the inside of my gas tank looked like after 101,000 miles (Honda ST1100)

A little CLR swirled around - note the color of the fluid

Almost done

You might try some naval jelly for hard to get at areas

 

[Shadowdog500]

Do you know if a round rod shape is a better "projecter" than a flat piece of positively charged iron? I wonder how surrounding it with a (+) wire basket would do and suspend the (-) piece in the middle?

I used a flat piece of metal because it was hat I had laying around. I do know that more surface area was better, because the rust transfers to the bar and has to be cleaned off once or twice a day.

One of the guys at work bought a gallon of rust dissolver stuff at Harbor Freight that worked pretty good as well.

Chris

 

[hammlm]

Well it looks like I have a new thing to try. This will especially come in handy with my Refrigerated Drink Fountain parts and my Coke Machine Parts. The drink fountain has the most rust damage...

Electrolytic Rust Removal

Have used a similar process numerous times in numerous containers.

One - don't use baking soda, use "washing soda". It's available from Arm and Hammer in a yellow (not orange) box. Usually I find it in the laundry aisle at the store. A box will go a long, LONG way.

Two - for small parts, I typically use a 5 gallon bucket and put 4 pieces of rebar around the sides to provide "shortest" path. I connect all 4 pieces of rebar together electrically using wire.

Three - I've found low current is best.

Four - I've heard people say that it takes forever. That has not been my experience. I generally don't get any incremental progress after 12 hours or so. One one particularly crappy job I was doing, I did make more progress after I changed the solution and cleaned off the part. Maybe just more time would have yielded the same results.

Here's a pic ofthe first rig. I still have it and works great for small parts. I've also done larger parts in those big rubber maid tubs (30 gal?) with similar setup. It looks a bit worse for the wear 2+ years later, but still works.

 

[robin1731]

Remember to do this outside too or at least in a well ventilated area. This process does produce hydrogen gas. I don't know how much or how bad it could be but I always do mine out side.

 

[trailwart]

power block tv did alot of this on some budget restoration for the home mechanic. they used the washing soda. never tried it yet, but looks easy enough.

 

[USMCBay]

Wonder how a metal bucket would work? I would have to suspend the opposite charge...

 

[W-Cummins]

Wonder how a metal bucket would work? I would have to suspend the opposite charge...

It would work great for a few hours until it started leaking! Take a plate of steel and place it in the bottom of your tub and place a dish towel over it, then sit the part right on it. Works great, and unless they touch, the electrodes can be very close together that way. For the motorcycle tank a piece of chain and a tube sock should work very well too just make sure there are not holes in the sock!


tt

William....

 

[JHunter]

I'll echo a few comments - washing soap works great as does low amps. I've always used some rebar from Home Depot / Lowes as my sacraficial diodes. I use a larger tub and weld the rods together to form a cage around the outside the tub, includding a few pieces of rebar across the bottom of the tub. The more the part is surrounded by the negatively charged metal the better. I've had great results doing it this way, and the rebar pieces are cheap as is the washing soap.

 

[RbrtAWhyt]

Phosphoric Acid converts iron oxide (rust) to iron phosphate - similar to how you "blue" or "parkerize" a gun.

It is available in several common household products - like CLR, or you can buy a more concentrated form that is marketed as a rust remover - like naval jelly and other products.


Here is what the inside of my gas tank looked like after 101,000 miles (Honda ST1100)

A little CLR swirled around - note the color of the fluid

Almost done

You might try some naval jelly for hard to get at areas

That looks a heck of a lot easier...

 

[35mastr]

Mollases from the farm store will be the best. Does not eat at the metal and is 100 percent safe. I have seen real rusted engines soaked in the stuff only to see them come out like new metal.