my attempt at electrolysis

[Bluethunder3320]

ok, i did a lot of research last night and came up with this. the bolt in my drawing is what im using for the experiment, a tecumseh head bolt. the process seems really simple, though.

i grabbed an old plastic kitchen container, soldered some wires onto a 12v battery, and bent a probe for the positive out of some metal rod i found. then i connected the negative to the bolts, and filled it with water.

here is what it looks like after about 10 minutes, the water is piss yellow.

so thank you bighead and the info i gathered from the forum, it looks like it might work! ill check it later today, tonight, and tomorrow.

 

[bighead]

did you use baking soda?

 

[Bluethunder3320]

did you use baking soda?

no, oops, forgot.

well anyways it seems to be working. hasnt used .1 volts off my battery yet either and its been going all day long.

 

[Garified]

The baking soda acts as a catalyst doesn't it?


Well, add some baking soda. 1 tablespoon per gallon of water.

It shouldn't take all day to clean a bolt I don't think...


How's it looking now?

 

[Bluethunder3320]

well so far, they are just slightly better.

i used no baking soda though, just water. tonight i put in a table spoon, i think in about 45 oz water.

ill find out what it does tomorrow!

 

[bighead]

yah you need the soda. Must use item. If you did there would be zero rust left. And the rod would be caked with crap. Make sure the battery has a good charge.

With Soda as soon as you plug the charger in your bolt should start fizzing and make small bubbles. If not then something is not right.

Also is that a coat hanger you are using? it looks like it has a coating on it. Use raw steel. Anything raw non coated steel. Just wire wheel the coating off. twist and coil so there is more in the water. The bolt should be hanging I think??? Do you have a 5 gallon bucket? You need more room to get more of the sacraficial anode into the water. Remember the anode is what is pulling the rust off. All the rust will stick to the anode. So if you have small anode then the process is slower. The anode needs to be cleaned every day as well.


Make sure it set up like this. You do not need the cookie tin. Just a bar of steel. (I never tried the cookie tin, It may work even better) I would coil the coat hanger around the bottom of a bucket. Then hang your bolt into the bucket suspended from wood.

http://thekneeslider.com/archives/2008/10/21/how-to-get-rid-of-rust-in-motorcycle-gas-tanks/

 

[Cam]

The electrolysis worked for me, i used a large conoco container and a tablespoon of baking soda, brought the metal back to bare, make sure it has no grease or oils on it though

 

[Bluethunder3320]

Okay well they look much better today! They do
Make more bubbles.

 

[redsox985]

The soda helps the current to pass through the water by adding ions (if I'm remembering Chem from last year clearly). Coil the wire or find a way to maximize the amount of surface area of the sacrificial piece under water.

 

[Bluethunder3320]

The soda helps the current to pass through the water by adding ions (if I'm remembering Chem from last year clearly). Coil the wire or find a way to maximize the amount of surface area of the sacrificial piece under water.

ill definately try that... think a big metal plate will work? can it be too big?

 

[redsox985]

Nope, I don't believe so. The greater the surface area of the sacrificial piece the better.

 

[Bluethunder3320]

well today i checked it, battery was low so its charging now, the bolts arent perfect yet but MUCH cleaner.

the sacraficial rod is nasty now... and the water is pitch black!!!!!! yuck!!!!!!!

 

[redsox985]

Change the water and maybe clean some crap off the sacrifice.

 

[landuse]

I also did the whole electrolysis thing, but i think all those posts were wiped in the 'Great December Bang of 2010'. I thought I would post some of the pics of the chain that I did. Like Bighead says, there is a lot of crap that attaches itself to the electrode that you use. I was able to get the correct catalyst. If I remember correctly it was soda as that I got in the pool section of our local store.

Here are the pics. I left my chain in the solution for about a day or so. The chain came out a bit blacker than it went in, but all the rust was gone. If you want to get rid of the black colour, drop it in some Coca Cola for a while. That stuff eats anything.

 

[Bluethunder3320]

I also did the whole electrolysis thing, but i think all those posts were wiped in the 'Great December Bang of 2010'. I thought I would post some of the pics of the chain that I did. Like Bighead says, there is a lot of crap that attaches itself to the electrode that you use. I was able to get the correct catalyst. If I remember correctly it was soda as that I got in the pool section of our local store.

Here are the pics. I left my chain in the solution for about a day or so. The chain came out a bit blacker than it went in, but all the rust was gone. If you want to get rid of the black colour, drop it in some Coca Cola for a while. That stuff eats anything.

i saw your original post of that... and yours came out great. i am soaking my bolts in coke right now, ill get back to electrolysis this weekend and get them all cleaned up for good.

 

[bighead]

I also did the whole electrolysis thing, but i think all those posts were wiped in the 'Great December Bang of 2010'. I thought I would post some of the pics of the chain that I did. Like Bighead says, there is a lot of crap that attaches itself to the electrode that you use. I was able to get the correct catalyst. If I remember correctly it was soda as that I got in the pool section of our local store.

Here are the pics. I left my chain in the solution for about a day or so. The chain came out a bit blacker than it went in, but all the rust was gone. If you want to get rid of the black colour, drop it in some Coca Cola for a while. That stuff eats anything.

Your pics are the best example I ever seen for electrolysis. It zapped all that rust between all the links.

Thanks for posting those again.

 

[redsox985]

That is a perfect example of the potential of electrolysis.

 

[Bluethunder3320]

bump.............. im just gonna post these here..... of my gas tank.