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LouSWPA 
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Location: Clinton, Pa
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 Topic: electrolysis questions
Posted: 11 May 2024 at 12:44pm |
I can find plenty of related utube videos, and if one watches enough of them one would be dumber than when he/she started!
I get the basic idea, but specifics are harder to come by. Some say neg terminal to part to be cleaned, while others say pos! Some say 'washing soda', whatever that is, some suggest other stuff, and none are very specific as to proportions. Some propose a post bath in a vinegar solution.
I have tried it several times, with mixed results, playing with various electrolyte material, and proportions. I realize almost all of the suggestions I have seen will work to some degree, but what works the best?
anybody have any proven processes they would like to share?
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I am still confident of this;
I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Ps 27
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steve(ill)
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Location: illinois
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Posted: 11 May 2024 at 1:04pm |
I have not done it for over 10 years.. But i was buying the "washing soda" in the laundry section of Wal Mart.. About 3.5 pound box.. I would add that to a plastic 55 gallon drum that had about 40 gallons of water in it...... The PROCESS depends on how many AMPS you can put out.. If your using a small battery charger with 4-5 amps, it dont work near as good as a 15 - 20 amp charger..... adding a little EXTRA soda can make the amps go up and work somewhat faster.
Edited by steve(ill) - 11 May 2024 at 1:05pm
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Like them all, but love the "B"s.
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steve(ill)
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Posted: 11 May 2024 at 1:12pm |
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I think the NEGATIVE terminal goes on the PART to be cleaned.. The POSITIVE lead goes to the scrap metal that will collect the CRAP off of the part.... Some will say to use rebar or old fence posts for the "collector"... i found that the more SURFACE area you had, the better... I had a 1/4 inch steel plate about a foot square that i hung over the side of the barrel for the "crap collector"... you have to pull it out every day and scrap off the crap to get it clean so it can collect MORE CRAP ( paint / rust / crud).
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Like them all, but love the "B"s.
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jaybmiller
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Posted: 11 May 2024 at 1:25pm |
I used plastic 45g drum, handful of washing soda(not much needed...), and LOTS of 'collector' steel around the entire inside of the barrel. More amps = more aggressive the action so done faster. The close the two 'electrodes' are (piece and plates) , = more amps as well. 1/2ve the distance ,get 4x the amps. At the end of the season I had about 3" of 'crud' on the bottom of the barrel. Nice thing is IT works 24/7 while YOU can be doing other things....!!!!
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JW in MO
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Posted: 11 May 2024 at 6:36pm |
I learned from a guy that called himself the Cranky Yankee and had Peter Griffin as his profile picture. I use Sodium Hydroxide crystals, (drain cleaner at Home Depot), marketed as Lye. you want minimum 99% Sodium Hydroxide. You mix it, 1 Tablespoon per gallon of water in your tank. Sodium Hydroxide will remove paint as well as rust. I've used a 275gal tote for fenders. Connect your battery charger, positive to the sacrificial rod, negative to the part to de-rust. I had access to a bunch of 3/8" stainless soda tubing that I used and it worked real well. People warned me about the off gas but I never had an issue and I cleaned a couple of tractors, piece by piece. Side Note: Sodium Hydroxide is the little balls in the acid trap on a Speed Vac.
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LouSWPA
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Posted: 11 May 2024 at 6:57pm |
 JW in MO wrote:
I learned from a guy that called himself the Cranky Yankee and had Peter Griffin as his profile picture. I use Sodium Hydroxide crystals, (drain cleaner at Home Depot), marketed as Lye. you want minimum 99% Sodium Hydroxide. You mix it, 1 Tablespoon per gallon of water in your tank. Sodium Hydroxide will remove paint as well as rust. I've used a 275gal tote for fenders. Connect your battery charger, positive to the sacrificial rod, negative to the part to de-rust. I had access to a bunch of 3/8" stainless soda tubing that I used and it worked real well. People warned me about the off gas but I never had an issue and I cleaned a couple of tractors, piece by piece. Side Note: Sodium Hydroxide is the little balls in the acid trap on a Speed Vac. Boy O boy, there is a reference from another life time ago! If you ever talk to Jose tell him I said hi
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I am still confident of this;
I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Ps 27
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IBWD MIke
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Joined: 08 Apr 2012
Location: Newton Ia.
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Posted: 12 May 2024 at 5:32am |
That Oliver Guy, Chris Losey, has a great video of this on you tube. I think it's the first one in his 1855 restoration series.
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jaybmiller
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Posted: 12 May 2024 at 6:44am |
It's better to use washing soda, LYE is really, really BAD on YOUR skin !!!! If you use a barrel, put it on a cart ! That way you can move it around to where it's NOT in your way....... Just be sure to put a lid on and remove ALL itty bitty obstacles, like a 1/4-20 nut...... if not, well, you'll soon find out why !!
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3 D-14s,A-C forklift, B-112
Kubota BX23S lil' TOOT( The Other Orange Tractor)
Never burn your bridges, unless you can walk on water
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JW in MO
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Posted: 12 May 2024 at 9:01am |
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Lou, I sure will the next time I talk to Jose.
I’m not downplaying your statement jaybmiller, it is to be treated as the caustic solution it is. You can’t ship the stuff without all the hazmat paperwork. One of the Cranky Yankee paragraphs explained how if you dip your hand in the solution for a bit and pull it out, you can feel how smooth your hand is because it just removed the first layer of skin. Of course Lou is quite adept to wearing nitrile gloves when working on stuff. On the other hand, I remember my grandparents having a bar of the stuff on the bathroom sink, didn’t lather much but sure took the grease off.
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LouSWPA
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Posted: 12 May 2024 at 1:12pm |
JW in MO wrote:
Lou, I sure will the next time I talk to Jose.
I’m not downplaying your statement jaybmiller, it is to be treated as the caustic solution it is. You can’t ship the stuff without all the hazmat paperwork. One of the Cranky Yankee paragraphs explained how if you dip your hand in the solution for a bit and pull it out, you can feel how smooth your hand is because it just removed the first layer of skin. Of course Lou is quite adept to wearing nitrile gloves when working on stuff. Yep, even had baby powder in my tool box because my hands would sweat in the gloves, and when inevasible tear would occur in the glove, replacement glove would NOT go on the sweaty hand. On the other hand, I remember my grandparents having a bar of the stuff on the bathroom sink, didn’t lather much but sure took the grease off. |
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I am still confident of this;
I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Ps 27
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LouSWPA
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Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Location: Clinton, Pa
Points: 24757
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Posted: 12 May 2024 at 1:32pm |
IBWD MIke wrote:
That Oliver Guy, Chris Losey, has a great video of this on you tube. I think it's the first one in his 1855 restoration series.
thanks Mike |
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I am still confident of this;
I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Ps 27
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IBWD MIke
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Location: Newton Ia.
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Posted: 13 May 2024 at 5:34am |
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Glad it helps Lou.
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SandraAdams
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Posted: 04 Jun 2024 at 4:43am |
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Happy that it helped me also.
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HudCo
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Posted: 07 Jun 2024 at 10:34pm |
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i remember going with my mother and grandma to my graetgrandmas house to make lye soap you could smell it brewing a half mile from her house , i took a lot of bathes when i was a kid useing lye soap it will strip a kid clean trust me
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Codger
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Posted: 07 Jun 2024 at 11:29pm |
Grandma always had lye soap at the sinks. Back when "Lava" soap first hit the shelves, it was purchased but didn't really stay around too long. She made her own formulation and after the addition of ground walnut shells, grease bearing hands, or clothes didn't stand a chance. "Lava" soap paled in comparison.
Sodium Hydroxide is a very useful product still. I use it in my hot aqueous parts washer to clean greasy ferrous automotive type items after a solvent bath.
Here is a quick link to Wikipedia if any interest in the product:
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