Post by: 75 C20 on December 07, 2006, 07:58:00 pm
Its called electrolysis- first i'll list wut u need:
1.washing soda(don't use baking soda) or lye ( lye definately works better-but its pretty gnarly stuff, its type of drain cleaner so becarefull with it)
2.plastic container(s) size depends on the size parts u will be cleaning- i just went to wal mart and got a rubbermade tote thing and it works pretty well
3.battery charger- size doesnt matter as long as it can do bout 10 amps- if i cant it will just take a bit longer
4.piece of scrap metal-iron-steel, this will work for a piece that u will scacrifice to clean ur part- it will eventually turn to nth but rust but u will need to wire wheel it clean every so often so it makes good connection in the water- i use rebarb bent up to fit into a nice shape- u can use ne thing really- lawn mower blades just any metal steel really
5.water- i dont think u need to much help there
cooking it
mix the solution of a rate of 1 tablespoon of lye to every gallon of water in ur container- becarefull when u mix it that it doesn't slapsh up on u
put the part u want to clean in the center of ur tub with a wire connected to it so u can hook ur battery charger up to it
next put ur sacrificial piece of metal in it somewhere- on the edges or smth so it isnt touching the part and put a wire on it so u can hook ur battery charger up to it also
becareful cuz we are dealing with electricity-water-and drain cleaner
make sure nth is touching and it is safe and on a good outlet and all is good
now hooking up the battery charger
hook the BLACK(-) cable up to the part u want clean
hook the RED (+) cable up to ur piece of metal so it can rust away
turn on the battery charger and u should see bubbles coming up and the battery pulling some charge- if it goes of the deep end it is shorting out- fix and go on...
it may take a while- couple days..week- depends on how rusty and dirty the part is.... it wont rust as long as power is kept to it- once power is off the it will start to rust like metal in water(cuz thats wut it is
) it will take all of the rust, dirt,paint, etc off.every so often u can take it out when u think its lookin good and it should be kinda cover in black stuff- this is black oxide u can scrub,high pressure this off and it might be good enough for u but if its still crappy then just throw her in again and let it go for awhile.
clean it off- i usally steel wool and then wash it off w/mineral spirits then oil,prime-paint it, whatever u got to do to keep it from rusting because it will start quickly
i have done quite a few things in my bath- valve covers, intake manifolds, timing chain covers, truck rims and so far evey thing has worked out great- its nice because its cheap, u can do it urself, and it doesnt eat away at the metal like sand blasting and acid dipping- it also doesnt get sand every where
thats all the typing i want to do for awhile
try it- it works great and is not hard to do at all
any ?s just ask Edited by: 75 C20 at: 12/7/06 8:00 pm
Post by: Lt.Del on December 07, 2006, 08:19:00 pm
SgtDel
aka "Andy"
www.delbridge.net
1979 Big 10 383 stroker
1991 Blu 'Burb 3/4 ton 4x4
Post by: cruppert77 on December 09, 2006, 08:57:00 am
Post by: shaved80 on January 07, 2007, 01:16:00 am
Post by: 75 C20 on January 08, 2007, 06:43:00 pm
Post by: shaved80 on January 09, 2007, 12:22:00 am
Post by: 75 C20 on January 09, 2007, 04:45:00 pm
Post by: Mr Diesel on December 28, 2007, 11:13:51 am
Can anyone give a little more detail on these or have a suitable alternative to them?
Post by: VileZambonie on December 28, 2007, 12:20:08 pm
Post by: 75 C20 on December 28, 2007, 12:26:06 pm
thats wut i used
i tried washing soda first because i couldn't find lye but it doesnt work near as good as lye does.
look next to the stuff like draino max or wut ever is used to open clogged drains in any store should have lye in it some where.
Post by: werewolfx13 on December 28, 2007, 01:45:17 pm
That said, check farm supply stores for lye if you can't find it anywhere else..Just ask if they sell lye, anyone working in one of those stores should know what it is and be able to direct you to it if they have it.