Can't get my battery charger to elctrolysise

[Graham Orm]

If you are stripping rust the residues (rust/grease/soot/paint/coal/oil etc) are attracted to the anode (+), so if you got the wires the right way theres no danger of getting zinc or any other metal onto the item you are stripping (connected to _). It would only happen if the wires were the wrong way, in which case you would be adding to the residues on your tools to be cleaned, not cleaning them. Electrolysis is electroplating in reverse. I would just use a piece of plain mild steel as an anode.

I have cleaned probaly 30 or 40 saws and a variety of other tools with electrolysis. Here is a tip that might help. I found that if you scrape the gunge off the anode every few hours, the process works more efficiently. And a wide expanse of anode metal works well too, I 0nce used an old pressed steel shelf bracket.
The first charger I used blew out quickly so I got a powerfuller one (6 amp iirc, I am not a technical electrical type person, not sure of that amp, but the replacement is still working 6 years later)

Thanks CW. I've switched the thing off now, don't want to leave it running overnight. I'll change the anode in the morning I think. The galvanised tube I used has a pile of white stuff at it's base, probably zinc that has come off it, however, there is no distinguishable change in the planes I have in there. It took me all day to get it working, so it's only been cooking for a few hours. I'll get cracking early tomorrow and then it will have all day. Fingers crossed I don't burn the cakes.

 

[Graham Orm]

Question: Will this remove unwanted hair?

 

[Cottonwood]

LOL Put it this way, the brown liquid/gunk by product wont harm a grass lawn, so it cant be too bad....I found that included caustic soda electrolyte as well as washing soda.

I find it to be an inexact science so to speak, sometimes it works fast, sometimes it is slow. Also, I seldom got "sparkling pristine surcface" right out of the vat. I use the green scouring pads to wipe out the slimy gunk that remains on the piece, it comes off just as easy as porridge off of a decent non stick pan....Plenty of fresh water to rinse, and dont forget to treat the fresh surface after it dries because the clean metal will want to re-rust VERY fast :lol: . I generally rinse with hot water, dry with a fan heater blowing into a tempory cardboard box cabinet, then apply briwax straight away especially on a saw.
Dont forget, electrolysis is a non destructive way of removing oxidised waste, it wont remove healthy clean steel. More than once I have had old far gone saw plates that resembled time team archeological finds, thick and dense with all sorts of crud, but after electrolysis it all lifted off (even concrete in some cases) yet found the original etched makers mark to have been preserved in tact.
I have tried acetic acid etch to remove rust, it works on its own or with a electric current (even if it smells like a bad vegetarians f##t) but if you leave it too long your 1/2 inch chisel could just become 3/8 instead!
Cheers Jonathan

 

[kreed]

I've used a mobile phone battery, but kept getting intermittent results. Sometimes it worked well & other times not. I then used an old BT hub power supply which worked a treat.
As far as the wires go, give it 10 minutes, & don't forget to add baking soda (helps conductivity).
All the above is trial & error & thanks to whoever it was referred me to it in the first place. Plenty of info around the web too.

 

[Myfordman]

It's WASHING soda not baking soda

 

[Graham Orm]

No it's baking soda.........I'm doing cakes :lol: