De-rusting technique

[sdalcher]

I ran across a technique for removing heavy rust from steel and iron. It consists of filling a nonconductive container with water adding sodium carbonate (pool additive to raise PH) teaspoon per gallon of water. You then attach a battery charger (car variety) negative electrode to rusyed part and then attach positive electrode to a piece of scrap steel. Caution are to wear protective goggles, do not allow the + and - charged parts to touch, dont reach in the water while connected, etc and use in a well ventilated area as hydrodgen gas is a by product.

Supposedly this process will not harm the base metal, no matter how long left in process.

I have several old sets of tongs that I would like to treat. I picked ouy the rusyiest set and hooked them up. Witin 10 minutes I had bubbles forming. After a couple of hours there was already a noticeable difference, I can't wait to see what they look like in the morning.

Steve

[sdalcher]

Seems like it has been covered before, oh well good info and worth a Google search to see what others have used this on.

Thanks
Steve

[irnsrgn]

BP0448 Removing Rust from Metal

[easilyconfused]

It is a very good technique. I use it all the time to reclaim parts and tools on the farm. Fast, cheap, reusable and easy to do.

[Moose Forgery]

Followed the link for BP0448 and didn't find it. Got a new/old leg vise with lots of rust that needs cleaned up.

[Chrispy]

1 litre of Molasses poured into 20 litres of water in a plastic tub is excellent for completely removing heavy pitted rust. It even gets into the nooks and cranys.
The rusty item needs to be completely submerged in the solution and it usually takes up to 3 months. The moment you remove it from the tub and give it a quick wash with the garden hose, it begins rusting. A light rub with a wire brush and a splash of CRC or WD40 usually does the trick. Molasses is available at most grain stores as it is used as an additive to charf for horses to eat. Usually costs about AU $2.60 / litre. Take your own container as they get it in bulk.
Cheers Chrispy. ps it stinks a bit but worth its weight in gold.

[dragonflySmithy]

Originally Posted by sdalcher

I ran across a technique for removing heavy rust from steel and iron. It consists of filling a nonconductive container with water adding sodium carbonate (pool additive to raise PH) teaspoon per gallon of water. You then attach a battery charger (car variety) negative electrode to rusyed part and then attach positive electrode to a piece of scrap steel. Caution are to wear protective goggles, do not allow the + and - charged parts to touch, dont reach in the water while connected, etc and use in a well ventilated area as hydrodgen gas is a by product.

Supposedly this process will not harm the base metal, no matter how long left in process.

I have several old sets of tongs that I would like to treat. I picked ouy the rusyiest set and hooked them up. Witin 10 minutes I had bubbles forming. After a couple of hours there was already a noticeable difference, I can't wait to see what they look like in the morning.

Steve

You can do the same thing with borax and a car battery charger. It will also put a layer of black oxide on the part to help keep it from rusting again.

[Oldiron]

Great Technique!!!! I've used it a lot to restore old rusty parts. Here is a good description of the process. Enjoy!

Rust Removal by Electrolysis.