I found this on the go-kart forum and I will have to give it a try. I thought I would share since it would be a great way to clean up some rust parts.

http://www.diygokarts.com/vb/showthread.php?t=9744

I set up a tank as well. Works pretty good!

The electrolysis process works VERY well! I used a plastic bucket, filled it with enough water to cover the part, and stirred in a few table spoons of baking soda. I just used my cheapie old battery charger, and let it sit for a couple hours, and wow. When I took the part out, it was covered with sludge, I rinsed it under water and was amazed just how well it did.

This is the air canister bracket that I started with:



This is what it looked like after I took it out and rinsed it off, This is with no sanding or rubbing of any kind, just rinsed it off:




This is after a bit of sanding and a fresh coat of paint:


It will not perform miracles though If the rust is bad enough to pit the metal, those pits will remain. You can see some pitting in the air canister part above. The great part though, is when you are done there is zero rust, and painting it will prevent any further rust from bubbling up under the paint.

[This message has been edited by JohnWPB (edited 12-11-2010).]

Sand blaster for the win

quote Originally posted by 87antuzzi: Sand blaster for the win

Yes in big scale but blaster does not get behind weldments and any other area that is tight however the liquid does so,
not so much win for blaster maby a tie instead

[This message has been edited by jetsnvettes2000 (edited 12-12-2010).]

That is awesome. I will have to try that on some of my parts. Cheap compared to media blasting.

I want to try these old brake calipers I am getting. If it works that good, it makes for a very simple, not so messy way to clean rusty parts.

i prefer electrolysis as well. It's a tad slow but its very thorough...sand blasting is nice but it all depends...w/e works best in your situation.

I forgot to mention, while up at the Tyler car show, DIY_STU mentioned to me to add a small amount of salt to the water. He says it makes the water more conductive, and can speed things up.

When doing this, a couple of notes:

- Use a scrap piece of metal for your conductor, as it will be pitted / damaged in the process.
- This works "line of sight" so you may have to turn your part around to face the electrode when one side is done.

easier than sanding or striping w/ chem. striper. looks like it works well for old motorcycle gas tanks. i try ti keep my tank full si i dinot have rust. nock on wood. b ike turns 15 next year.

Somewhere in here, there is another thread on this process, that's where I learned it. I used it to clean up my rear strut parts.

before/after picture:

I did end up going back over it with the sand blaster because the scale was so bad.

Word of caution: keep your power supply wires out of the water. I used my battery charger and it ate the clamps real nice. Ended up having to replace the clamps.

Bob

awesome info, thank you

do you think this would work on something large like engine cradle, front suspension, etc. (obviously I would need a large enough tank and patience)

This works on cast iron AND steel components?

thanks again for the helpful post

Peter

If you had a big enough tank yes if it can rust within reason this process should work. The other thing would be finding the proper ratio of baking soda to water.

https://www.fiero.nl/forum/F.../HTML/078498.html#p4

Upper spring perch untouched...




Upper spring perch de-rusted (almost completely at that point, anyway)...








I use washing soda in the water (NOT baking soda).
It is 'mostly' line of sight, but not completely. I've de-rusted a few fully rusted parts without turning them around, it probably just took a little longer than it would have otherwise.

I also did this to my motorcycle's gas tank which was pretty bad inside. Worked AWESOME.

------------------

'88 Fiero GT - Project MIDTRBO
'10 Camaro LT/RS
There's no replacement for turbo placement

Very interesting. Going to favorite this thread.

Would pumping up the power help any?

My thought on this is that if the process is line of sight, why not put in a second anode on the other side? That would correct having the turn the part around if needed. -Jason

quote Originally posted by Ramsespride: Would pumping up the power help any?

From what I have heard, yes. I have heard people use golf cart charges and such for faster results.

Does it cause hydrogen embrittlement?

Anyone worried about the hydrogen byproduct? How much and how dangerous? I plan on doing this in my basement with the water heater near by...I dont want a Hindenburgg!!!

Wow, totally forgot about that! DO THIS IN A WELL VENTILATED AREA! Yes, it does create HIGHLY flammable hydrogen gas during the process!

Saw this product recently. Would have come in handy 4 years ago when I started work on the Indy.

METAL RESCUE - rust removing bath http://www.metalrescue.com/home.aspx

------------------
My World of Wheels Winners (Click on links below)

3.4L Supercharged 87 GT and Super Duty 4 Indy #163

quote Originally posted by fierosound: Saw this product recently. Would have come in handy 4 years ago when I started work on the Indy. METAL RESCUE - rust removing bath http://www.metalrescue.com/home.aspx

Wow, I wonder how many gas tanks this could save...?

[This message has been edited by mptighe (edited 05-07-2011).]