Thread: using electrolysis to remove rust

mild steel eh? would a chipbreaker qualify as mild steel?

Originally Posted by luckduck32167

mild steel eh? would a chipbreaker qualify as mild steel?

The sacrificial anode should be mild steel, carbon steel , tool steel, cast iron , scrap iron, nuts, bolts, lawn mower blades old Holdens, new Falcons - it don't matter as long as there is no Chromium in it.

i got a problem with my electrolysis process, its taking forever and the plane is not even half done. Should i use a DC-DC power cord? what does it even do? i've put the plane in the water for like 3 days now =[

Originally Posted by luckduck32167

i got a problem with my electrolysis process, its taking forever and the plane is not even half done. Should i use a DC-DC power cord? what does it even do? i've put the plane in the water for like 3 days now =[

I think you should do more to help us help you. For a start what brand and model is your charger, have you read the manual, do you even know if it will generate a current when not connected to a battery?
What current are you drawing, what is showing on the gauge? you need about 2A.
Did you actually use washing soda as you were told to? How much did you use and what volume of water?
Please post a photo of the setup that clearly shows what is connected to what.
You will get much more help if you think about what you post and make it clear and informative

Originally Posted by luckduck32167

i got a problem with my electrolysis process, its taking forever and the plane is not even half done. Should i use a DC-DC power cord? what does it even do? i've put the plane in the water for like 3 days now =[

What is a DC-DC power cord?

You should have a plastic tub big enough to take your plane filled with water, deep enough to cover your plane. You should have mixed into the water a couple of handfuls of washing soda or bicarb soda or salt. Washing soda is best.

You should have connected the positive side of your battery charger to a piece of scrap iron/steel and placed it in the tub. The negative side of your battery charger should be connected to the rusty plane. The plane should be placed into the tub as close as possible, but not touching, the scrap steel.

Within a minute or two you should see little bubbles rising from the plane.

Leave it there for as long as it takes. maybe a few hours, maybe a couple of days.

Your plane will probably be black. Give it a rub with a brass brush or steel wool under running water, it will come up like new.

If you are not getting bubbles, if the thing is not working, your connections are bad or you battery charger is f'ed.

Originally Posted by mic-d

I think you should do more to help us help you. For a start what brand and model is your charger, have you read the manual, do you even know if it will generate a current when not connected to a battery?
What current are you drawing, what is showing on the gauge? you need about 2A.
Did you actually use washing soda as you were told to? How much did you use and what volume of water?
Please post a photo of the setup that clearly shows what is connected to what.
You will get much more help if you think about what you post and make it clear and informative

yea alright, ill help u so u can help me. The charger i got is this one

Jump Start Auto Jumpstart Car Jump Box Battery Auto | eBay

Specs:
Portable Jump Box
12 Volts DC
Portable, Rechargeable
300 Cold Cranking Amps, 700 Amps Peak Power
Includes Booster Cables with Copper Clamps
Includes Volt and Test Meter
Built In Light to Work At Night
12V Outlet for Powering 12V Accessories Like A Cell Phone
Includes Operators Manual
Includes 120V Charger and 12V Auto Charger
Includes a 12 Volt Air Compressor to Pump up a Flat Tire in an Emergency
MSRP $189.99

now i really dont understand ne of this stuff so im in need of help

Originally Posted by luckduck32167

yea alright, ill help u so u can help me. The charger i got is this one

Jump Start Auto Jumpstart Car Jump Box Battery Auto | eBay

Specs:
Portable Jump Box
12 Volts DC
Portable, Rechargeable
300 Cold Cranking Amps, 700 Amps Peak Power
Includes Booster Cables with Copper Clamps
Includes Volt and Test Meter
Built In Light to Work At Night
12V Outlet for Powering 12V Accessories Like A Cell Phone
Includes Operators Manual
Includes 120V Charger and 12V Auto Charger
Includes a 12 Volt Air Compressor to Pump up a Flat Tire in an Emergency
MSRP $189.99

now i really dont understand ne of this stuff so im in need of help

Perhaps others have more patience than I do, I'm not going to try and solve it from piecemeal replies like this. Why don't you get all the answers to ALL my questions together and then we might be able to help. I'll post them again
Have you read the manual, do you even know if it will generate a current when not connected to a battery?
What current are you drawing, what is showing on the gauge? you need about 2A.
Did you actually use washing soda as you were told to? How much did you use and what volume of water?
Please post a photo of the setup that clearly shows what is connected to what.

Originally Posted by luckduck32167

yea alright, ill help u so u can help me. The charger i got is this one

Jump Start Auto Jumpstart Car Jump Box Battery Auto | eBay

Specs:
Portable Jump Box
12 Volts DC
Portable, Rechargeable
300 Cold Cranking Amps, 700 Amps Peak Power
Includes Booster Cables with Copper Clamps
Includes Volt and Test Meter
Built In Light to Work At Night
12V Outlet for Powering 12V Accessories Like A Cell Phone
Includes Operators Manual
Includes 120V Charger and 12V Auto Charger
Includes a 12 Volt Air Compressor to Pump up a Flat Tire in an Emergency
MSRP $189.99

now i really dont understand ne of this stuff so im in need of help

Yeah! well,

Like you, I don't really understand any of this ########. I really can't help.

if you want a battery charger , why not go to somewhere like

3 Stage Pulse Battery Charger - 4A - Supercheap Auto Australia

this thing will work.

Originally Posted by mic-d

Perhaps others have more patience than I do, I'm not going to try and solve it from piecemeal replies like this. Why don't you get all the answers to ALL my questions together and then we might be able to help. I'll post them again
Have you read the manual, do you even know if it will generate a current when not connected to a battery?
What current are you drawing, what is showing on the gauge? you need about 2A.
Did you actually use washing soda as you were told to? How much did you use and what volume of water?
Please post a photo of the setup that clearly shows what is connected to what.

yeah i have read the manual. sure it generates a current when not connected to a battery (i think so ne ways, i charged it for 12 hrs b4 use). i am drawing 11 volts it says on the gauge. I used washing powder. Maybe 3 or 4 litres and 2 teaspoons of washing powder. Can't upload a picture my computer stuffed.

That device is not a battery charger, sorry, and is basicaly unsuitable for use as a supply.

If it is like others I have seen, it'll have a sealed lead acid battery inside, and it is trickle charged by a wall wart. It is not suited to delivering a constant high current over a number of days. Judging by how many I've seen in the recycling shop at the local tip, I'd say it's not that good at its intended purpose, either!

A cheap (free) alternative is the power supply from an old computer. See one of the other recent threads on electrolysis for details on how to hook up.

Note that volts is not amps - and I'd be a bit suspicious of anything designed to charge a lead acid battery reading 11 volts - a 12 volt lead-acid battery needs a forward bias to take a charge - ie it needs more in the range of 13.8 volts to charge properly.

I'd also be wary of changers with 'intelligent' circuits in them - sometimes they are too smart to be used for purposes other than charging lead acid batteries without mucking around inside to make them dumb again!!

Originally Posted by luckduck32167

yeah i have read the manual. sure it generates a current when not connected to a battery (i think so ne ways, i charged it for 12 hrs b4 use). i am drawing 11 volts it says on the gauge. I used washing powder. Maybe 3 or 4 litres and 2 teaspoons of washing powder. Can't upload a picture my computer stuffed.

I don't know if the box that you have will supply current, I have no idea, can't help.

Washing powder is not the same a washing soda. OMO , LUX or RINSO probaly won't work. Washing soda comes in clear plastic bag, I think 1 KG. crystals, like ice flakes. If you can't get it , use bicarb soda, it's in every supermarket .

You'll be looking for this http://cedel.com.au/lectric.html in your supermarket, or sodium carbonate in the pool section at a hardware store.

naw naw it works cuz i can c the process working b4 my eyes

Originally Posted by luckduck32167

naw naw it works cuz i can c the process working b4 my eyes

Well, f you can see it working, if the brew is bubbling, let it go. It may take a few days, it doesn't matter. No harm can be done to the work piece. Leave it for a week or two, it doesn't matter. When you think it is done , rinse it off and scrub it with steel wool or a brass brush under running water. A new plane to start tuning - another story!