I hate to think how much money I've spent on rust removal compounds over the years. And, some of them actually sort of worked!
Several months ago I stumbled across several YouTube video's using several seemingly odd ball methods to remove oxidation. I have a curiosity when it comes to many things short of astrology so I couldn't resist trying one of them out of sight of my neighbors. The one that caught my eye was electrolysis.
The appeal to me was the simplicity and low cost of the technique, a clear invitation to give it a try. Required is a battery charger, a plastic storage tub, $5 box of washing soda and a disposable chunk of iron such as a rotor or a piece of rebar and a little water.
I have used this method to clean up both exhaust manifolds, the water pump octopus, pan and several other small parts on my Champ. At the moment a collection of small parts are getting the treatment.
The process is simple:
1) 1 tablespoon of washing soda per gallon
2) Negative battery charger lead attached to part and positive charger lead attached to sacrificial piece of iron.
3) On the charger 8 to 12 hours or so.
The end result is a tub of iron rich water that is good fertilizer for your yard and a slim covered part. The paint and other residue left on the part literally falls off with a little rubbing or quick pass with a wire brush. Particularly with respect to a rough surface casting, this process cleans right down into the pits... areas that could not be reached with a wire brush or sandpaper.
As hydrogen is a byproduct use this in a well ventilated area and avoid using a stainless steel positive anode due to the exotic and potentially dangerous fumes it would give off.
Several months ago I stumbled across several YouTube video's using several seemingly odd ball methods to remove oxidation. I have a curiosity when it comes to many things short of astrology so I couldn't resist trying one of them out of sight of my neighbors. The one that caught my eye was electrolysis.
The appeal to me was the simplicity and low cost of the technique, a clear invitation to give it a try. Required is a battery charger, a plastic storage tub, $5 box of washing soda and a disposable chunk of iron such as a rotor or a piece of rebar and a little water.
I have used this method to clean up both exhaust manifolds, the water pump octopus, pan and several other small parts on my Champ. At the moment a collection of small parts are getting the treatment.
The process is simple:
1) 1 tablespoon of washing soda per gallon
2) Negative battery charger lead attached to part and positive charger lead attached to sacrificial piece of iron.
3) On the charger 8 to 12 hours or so.
The end result is a tub of iron rich water that is good fertilizer for your yard and a slim covered part. The paint and other residue left on the part literally falls off with a little rubbing or quick pass with a wire brush. Particularly with respect to a rough surface casting, this process cleans right down into the pits... areas that could not be reached with a wire brush or sandpaper.
As hydrogen is a byproduct use this in a well ventilated area and avoid using a stainless steel positive anode due to the exotic and potentially dangerous fumes it would give off.
Comment