Michael Cochran Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 I bought several hammer heads yesterday at an auction and decided to try electrolysis to clean away a bunch of the rust. That said I don't have a car battery charger but I do have a 12v power supply I'm planning on tryin and I have the other things I need for the project but I wanted to get tips from someone who's done this before. I'm rounding up the stuff I need now but I don't wanna start runnin it today if it's gonna take several hours of babysitting to get done. Also any special warnings I may not have seen while browsing online would be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave51B Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 See if this helps........ Dave Mod Note Link removed as it suggests using stainless in the set up. The main problem with using stainless is the hazardous waste it produces. Stainless steel contains chromium. The electrodes, and thus the chromium is consumed, and you end up with poisonous chromates in your electrolyte. Dumping these on the ground or down the drain is illegal. The compounds can cause severe skin problems and ultimately, cancer. Hexavalent chromate is poisonous. These compounds are not excused from hazardous waste regulations where household wastes are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 USE CAUTION when you get information from the internet. LYE is not something to be played with unless you know what you are doing. Use personal protection equipment, and KNOW how to neutralize any splash or spill. If you have to ask then you do not know, and need to do a LOT more research DO NOT use stainless as it produces hazmet materials that are nasty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave51B Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 I would think a few hammers would be pretty easy. This is a tractor part I did a while back. Dave Thanks Glen, you are correct..... Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 Removing rust by electrolsis This link is better as it provided caution NOT to use stainless. The derusted parts will flash rust as soon as you remove then from the solution and rinse them. You may want to protect them from the flash rust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Cochran Posted February 1, 2016 Author Share Posted February 1, 2016 Thanks for the pointers. I started small and I'm doin one of the duplicate size ballpiens just to get a feel for the process. If all goes well with it I'll put together a setup for the rest of the ballpiens and think about the claw hammers. I have plenty of claw hammers already but who knows I might just wanna use one of those old ones for somethin one day lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arkie Posted February 1, 2016 Share Posted February 1, 2016 If you are considering obtaining a battery charger in the future for your electrolysis projects, keep in mind that you will need a "manual" charger. Old ones are usually manual. The newer "automatic" chargers have sensing circuitry that checks (1) to see if you are indeed connected to a battery and (2) if the battery is low and needs a charge. When you connect to the electrolysis setup, the newer automatic chargers don't detect a battery and won't work properly with electrolysis. Some of the newer chargers have both a manual AND automatic mode, so just use the manual mode. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Cochran Posted February 1, 2016 Author Share Posted February 1, 2016 Thanks, arkie, I didn't think about the sensing circuit in the newer chargers. Right now I have a bench top power supply that'll give me 12 v and I don't recall the amperage off the top of my head but it seems to be working just fine for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arkie Posted February 1, 2016 Share Posted February 1, 2016 Michael, most of the electrolysis can be done with amperage anywhere from around 2 amps (slowwww...) to as high as 6-8-10 amps depending on how fast you want to de-rust. I haven't seen or read of anyone using more amps than that. I use a 6 amp manual and it does OK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyw Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 do you have to neutralize the pieces after electrolysis? The last time I tried this, I got some nasty flash rust on the clean metal parts, and now I am hesitant to try electrolysis again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 Neutrilizing the electrolyte isn't really necessary unless you're using something dangerous say lye or sulfuric acid, those aren't necessary don't use them. A little baking soda or table salt, even sugar will work. (NO I'm not recommending sugar as an electrolyte just that it will . . . "work") What happens when you use electrolysis the clean surface is exposed on a molecular scale so it WILL react chemically virtually instantly. Remove your parts from the bath, rinse it, wipe dry and oil it immediately. You need to keep the air off it until you're ready to paint, plate, assemble it, etc. Heck, spray furniture polish works a treat so does Pam, whatever you use you need to keep air off it or it will flash rust fast enough to watch. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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