70_Fastback
Hell Bent for Speed
While I'm finishing my basement and not getting any garage time; I figured I would try this in the background. I trying reverse electrolysis to non-abrasively remove rust from the wheels I am using on my next model A build. These are artillery type, Wide-5 wheels. They are not rusted horribly and blasting is a pain and removes material as well - so figured what better thing to experiment on.
I started with a 55-gallon plastic (HDPE) barrel. You can see the first wheel adjacent to it:
I figured this would also be a good time to get the boys involved on this little science project. They measured & cut the rebar on the band saw. I show them how to figure circumference and they located the 4 equally spaced locations and drilled holes for the rebar & tis straps. They strapped the bars in place as well. They did a great job and they were really excited to help.
The rebar will serve as the electrodes. The electrolysis works on "line of sight" theory - hence the 4 quadrants around the barrel. I drilled the top of each rebar to run my wires through to get the best possible contact patch - the electrodes need to be installed/wired in series:
The base solution is just water and Arm & Hammer WASHING soda. I used one tablespoon per gallon mixture. The wheel is suspended FREELY without touching the electrodes. I am adding water to mix the solution here:
Here is the setup first introduced to the DC charge. I am using my battery charger set to 12V & 10-Amps. The positive lead goes to your electrodes and the Negative attaches to the lead from the item to be cleaned:
Tiny bubbles of hydrogen start to emit from the solution & metal as the charge builds in the solution. This is 6 hours after initial startup:
And 18 hours later. See the rust scum forming on top? That is releasing from the wheel:
There is no hard fast time/result window. I will let it set for another day and pull it out and see where I am.
I started with a 55-gallon plastic (HDPE) barrel. You can see the first wheel adjacent to it:
I figured this would also be a good time to get the boys involved on this little science project. They measured & cut the rebar on the band saw. I show them how to figure circumference and they located the 4 equally spaced locations and drilled holes for the rebar & tis straps. They strapped the bars in place as well. They did a great job and they were really excited to help.
The rebar will serve as the electrodes. The electrolysis works on "line of sight" theory - hence the 4 quadrants around the barrel. I drilled the top of each rebar to run my wires through to get the best possible contact patch - the electrodes need to be installed/wired in series:
The base solution is just water and Arm & Hammer WASHING soda. I used one tablespoon per gallon mixture. The wheel is suspended FREELY without touching the electrodes. I am adding water to mix the solution here:
Here is the setup first introduced to the DC charge. I am using my battery charger set to 12V & 10-Amps. The positive lead goes to your electrodes and the Negative attaches to the lead from the item to be cleaned:
Tiny bubbles of hydrogen start to emit from the solution & metal as the charge builds in the solution. This is 6 hours after initial startup:
And 18 hours later. See the rust scum forming on top? That is releasing from the wheel:
There is no hard fast time/result window. I will let it set for another day and pull it out and see where I am.
