Electrolysis, or "how to de-rust while sleeping"

[Unclefista]

A few years ago I bought a 24 year old Ford Escort to chop up and use the running gear in another car.
Being an old Ford, it had plenty of rust.
After spending hours de-rusting with wire brush attachments on angle grinders etc. I read about Electrolysis rust removal and gave it a try.
It works like magic, almost effortless, all you need to do is leave it overnight, then take it out and give it a mild brush and the rust just falls off leaving good steel behind. The process affects nothing but rust and corrosion. Aluminium, copper, chrome etc are all unaffected, so it's quite safe to use on components like brake calipers, as the chrome lined bores and pistons are left untouched.

I bought a set of crusty calipers yesterday from a trader on here and when I got home I dug out my "kit" that's not been used in a few years, it consists of;

A bucket
A bag of soda crystals (less than a quid from Tesco)
A "dumb" bettery charger
String or wire to hang the piece in the bucket)
A piece of steel to use as an anode.



Before:


During:




Straight out of the bucket after 6hrs:


Drying (ignore the paint on the bracket, forgot I had a pic to take):


Not perfect, I'll give it another dunk later:



I half filled the bucket with water and poured a few tablespoons of soda crystals in. Then I connected battery charger's positive clip to the piece of steel which is then lowered into the bucket.
The caliper is then submerged in the bucket and the negative clip is connected.
The process works in a more or less "line of sight" from the piece to the anode, so you'll need to turn the piece half way through the process.

Once it's set up, switch the battery charger on.

After a few seconds you'll see lots of tiny bubbles fizzing up from the rusty piece, this is hydrogen being formed on the surface of the good steel, under the coating of rust, over a few hours this will loosen all the rust and the piece will just need a bit of a brush to remove the loose rust and a rinse, then painting.

I've only set it up in a bucket because I'm in no rush, but you can use a larger container to do more/bigger pieces at once and use more anodes, I usually use at least 2 wired together one in front and one behind the piece to cover more without needing to move it around.

[neilb740]

I have used this method to loosen crud from coins found with my metal detector. so i can tell you It works fine on bronze as well. Not sure about other metals.

[Unclefista]

Thanks Neil, I've ammended my post

[The_Monk]

Good idea, I hate wire brushing, even worse is the Dremel, the little wires shoot out and stab you

The wheel acid cleaner is excellent for over night results as well. I did mine this way and the crud dissolves to nothing. You need the concentrate stuff you dilute to use, and just use it neat.

[baconbuttyman]

or simply stick it in a tub of vinigar, less dangerouse too

[James.uk]

Aha, so that's why chips don't go rusty.. I often wondered..
...

[oldcarguy]

Originally Posted by Unclefista

A few years ago I bought a 24 year old Ford Escort to chop up and use the running gear in another car.
Being an old Ford, it had plenty of rust.
After spending hours de-rusting with wire brush attachments on angle grinders etc. I read about Electrolysis rust removal and gave it a try.
It works like magic, almost effortless, all you need to do is leave it overnight, then take it out and give it a mild brush and the rust just falls off leaving good steel behind. The process affects nothing but rust and corrosion. Aluminium, copper, chrome etc are all unaffected, so it's quite safe to use on components like brake calipers, as the chrome lined bores and pistons are left untouched.

I bought a set of crusty calipers yesterday from a trader on here and when I got home I dug out my "kit" that's not been used in a few years, it consists of;

A bucket
A bag of soda crystals (less than a quid from Tesco)
A "dumb" bettery charger
String or wire to hang the piece in the bucket)
A piece of steel to use as an anode.



Before:


During:




Straight out of the bucket after 6hrs:


Drying (ignore the paint on the bracket, forgot I had a pic to take):


Not perfect, I'll give it another dunk later:



I half filled the bucket with water and poured a few tablespoons of soda crystals in. Then I connected battery charger's positive clip to the piece of steel which is then lowered into the bucket.
The caliper is then submerged in the bucket and the negative clip is connected.
The process works in a more or less "line of sight" from the piece to the anode, so you'll need to turn the piece half way through the process.

Once it's set up, switch the battery charger on.

After a few seconds you'll see lots of tiny bubbles fizzing up from the rusty piece, this is hydrogen being formed on the surface of the good steel, under the coating of rust, over a few hours this will loosen all the rust and the piece will just need a bit of a brush to remove the loose rust and a rinse, then painting.

I've only set it up in a bucket because I'm in no rush, but you can use a larger container to do more/bigger pieces at once and use more anodes, I usually use at least 2 wired together one in front and one behind the piece to cover more without needing to move it around.

I assume that if you had a galvanised bucket you would just place the second clamp on to that, is that correct?

[Unclefista]

I've tried vinegar and also molasses, both do a good job but the smell of vinegar is vile

This method works better IMHO and just needs a quick rinse under the tap before painting.

As for danger, the battery charger is fused at 7.5a and the hydrogen rises and dissipates instantly, it's draughty in my shed

[Unclefista]

Originally Posted by oldcarguy

I assume that if you had a galvanised bucket you would just place the second clamp on to that, is that correct?

In theory yes, but I'd check and make sure the galvanising wouldn't react, I know using stainless steel as the anode is a no-no because it creates a different type of gas. Minimal risk, but it's there.

Also, the closer together the piece and the anode are, the better it works. Not a problem with a large object in a small container, but the other way around and the process would probably take longer.

[oldcarguy]

Originally Posted by Unclefista

In theory yes, but I'd check and make sure the galvanising wouldn't react, I know using stainless steel as the anode is a no-no because it creates a different type of gas. Minimal risk, but it's there.

Also, the closer together the piece and the anode are, the better it works. Not a problem with a large object in a small container, but the other way around and the process would probably take longer.

Thanks unclefista, I think this is something I will try when i find a suitable bucket.