electrolytic rust removal

[GW8IZR]

For anyone wanting to use an electronic smart charger for electrolysis - don't bother! This is the type of thing I'm talking about, mine is the Lidl version.

To get it to work you need to add in an old car battery to fool the charger and get it to charge. This is a fiddly process coz if the battery has <7v or >12v the charger wont switch on. But the main problem is that the charger is not designed for a steady high current draw over a long period. I damaged my charger & it is very temperamental now when using it normally to charge batteries.

yeah they are the kind of worse ones for this application, too clever ( they are fantastic for what they are intended, wouldnt be without one )

 

[droopsnoot]

Oh, my chargers are way older than that, both are just old ones from the car boot sale for a couple of pounds each. I'm not in a desperate rush due to not wanting the electrolyte to freeze up. And if Yodel ever deliver my parcel, I have some citric acid on the way for smaller items.

 

[MattF]

Oh, my chargers are way older than that, both are just old ones from the car boot sale for a couple of pounds each. I'm not in a desperate rush due to not wanting the electrolyte to freeze up.

Transformer based chargers? Whack a photo or two up of them. Electrolyte seems to be good in current temps, as in no freezing. My cleaning tub has iced over several times over the past month or two, but the vats haven't once, as yet.

And if Yodel ever deliver my parcel, I have some citric acid on the way for smaller items.

Try that on a few test pieces before committing anything proper to it. No matter how many times I experiment with citric, it always fails to rock my boat on results.

 

[Wendelspanswick]

What about a computer PSU?

 

[MattF]

That'd work fine.

 

[eSCHEn]

I might finally have a use for the boxes of the damn things then!

What you have in vices and hammers I have in old crap computing equipment...

 

[droopsnoot]

Transformer based chargers? Whack a photo or two up of them. Electrolyte seems to be good in current temps, as in no freezing. My cleaning tub has iced over several times over the past month or two, but the vats haven't once, as yet.

Try that on a few test pieces before committing anything proper to it. No matter how many times I experiment with citric, it always fails to rock my boat on results.

I've used citric before with some good results. It all seems a bit hit or miss, so maybe I'm the contributory factor - I had good results with electrolytic once, but now I don't. I've had good results with citric before, but ran out. I've also been using milkstone remover diluted roughly 50/50, that's been a mixture of good to poor - in fact now I've left it for a bit it actually seems to be cleaning up better than it did when it was new. As if the residue that comes off the earlier pieces has somehow helped.

Anyway, won't by trying the citric for a bit as Yodel have actually lost the parcel. Great.

 

[MattF]

I might finally have a use for the boxes of the damn things then!

What you have in vices and hammers I have in old crap computing equipment...

The notable trait of a hoarder. "I'll just keep that; It'll come in handy one day....".

 

[eSCHEn]

The notable trait of a hoarder. "I'll just keep that; It'll come in handy one day....".

Unfortunately that day passed long ago, unless someone comes on and says "Yes I'd like a really crap PSU please; oh and can you throw in an old P4 desktop system?"

Seriously I counted the other day. Double digits of spare desktops people have given me and two, possibly three laptops.

I got rid of twenty odd desktops and laptops not two years ago. WHERE ARE THEY STILL COMING FROM? I seriously only remember saying yes to one of the old desktops.

I wonder if they're any use to the CNC etc people on here? There's nowt but the tip for them round here I shall poke a mod. Poor sods.

 

[MattF]

I've used citric before with some good results. It all seems a bit hit or miss, so maybe I'm the contributory factor - I had good results with electrolytic once, but now I don't. I've had good results with citric before, but ran out. I've also been using milkstone remover diluted roughly 50/50, that's been a mixture of good to poor - in fact now I've left it for a bit it actually seems to be cleaning up better than it did when it was new. As if the residue that comes off the earlier pieces has somehow helped.

Milkstone is the phosphoric based stuff? One I've not tried, as yet.

 

[MattF]

Unfortunately that day passed long ago, unless someone comes on and says "Yes I'd like a really crap PSU please; oh and can you throw in an old P4 desktop system?"

Seriously I counted the other day. Double digits of spare desktops people have given me and two, possibly three laptops.

I got rid of twenty odd desktops and laptops not two years ago. WHERE ARE THEY STILL COMING FROM? I seriously only remember saying yes to one of the old desktops.

I've never figured that out either. The amount of times you clear out, yet still there's stuff stashed here, there and everywhere. Like the opposite of a blackhole.

I wonder if they're any use to the CNC etc people on here? There's nowt but the tip for them round here I shall poke a mod. Poor sods.

Definitely be better than them seeing the tip if they were.

 

[GW8IZR]

Definitely be better than them seeing the tip if they were.

I let someone have an old P4 to control his model rail thingy .. after a few days he said he noticed the HDD was a bit noisy. Hmm.. warranty repair implied that I had some responsibility to sort it out so I gave him a crisp box full of old IDE drives - that did three things, it got shut of some junk, it shut him up, it made me smile.

Oh yes.. thats going to be handy when I retire.. thats my lifes stock of old cack here :-)

 

[eSCHEn]

I've never figured that out either. The amount of times you clear out, yet still there's stuff stashed here, there and everywhere. Like the opposite of a blackhole.

It's frankly terrifying going into the loft these days. There's a top of the range 20U ish cabinet up there with dimensions larger than the access hatch. How did I get it in there?!

Definitely be better than them seeing the tip if they were.

I have asked the question to Woz. I do understand if it's not okay putting it on here but I hope he says go for it!

 

[Screwdriver]

Would you believe I actually put my mouth to the other end of this to start the syphon! eww.

Anyhow, overnight it drained the lot leaving me with a surprisingly heavy bucket of goop. It's currently siting in one of those disposable, plastic weave recycling sacks, waiting to drain. I say waiting because that coarse woven, crudely stitched sack is as water tight as a ducks ****. Just my luck.

Speaking of luck, I did "find" this on my bench though.

I'll probably press that into service with the new improved mk.IV electrolysis tank.

S.

 

[MattF]

Would you believe I actually put my mouth to the other end of this to start the syphon! eww.

Muppet. Knowing what crap ends up in the vats, even I wouldn't try that one.

Speaking of luck, I did "find" this on my bench though.

I'll probably press that into service with the new improved mk.IV electrolysis tank.

S.

That'll be perfect for the job. You'll probably notice little if any real world difference to what you pull out of the vat in use, between that and what you've been using, but that's far more suited for the task.

 

[Screwdriver]

In my defence, there is another twenty feet of coiled hose to make it work

The bench PSU was always going to end up as part of an electrolysis/electroplating solution. I restore a lot of old motorcycles and am hoping I can at least Nickel plate some of the corroded fasteners that often turn up. Just need to figure out how to squeeze a few more hours out of the day...

S.

 

[MattF]

Just need to figure out how to squeeze a few more hours out of the day...

If you ever manage to find the answer to that one, let us know.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Just need to figure out how to squeeze a few more hours out of the day...

Surely one of your vices is up to that job.

 

[Screwdriver]

Surely one of your vices is up to that job.

All those vices are what's filling them up!

 

[T0rnado69]

Surely one of your vices is up to that job.

dont ask MattF to try, with all the vices he has, he will get an extra week's worth of time