Couple electrolysis questions.

time on this is a relative thing, it depends on so many things, how rusted the part is, how dirty it is, the size of your anode vs the part, how clean you keep the anodes, amps being put to it, distance from part to anodes, how much paint is on it, and what type, complexity(holes,details,etc) as it is a line of site system, so the part may have to be turned several times to get it all. the best part is that when the rust is gone-the reaction stops, so I tend to as the commercial says  "set it and forget it"
I have tiny parts in a cup, up to my big pieces in a 300 gallon tank. Most all the time I run about 6-10 amps, and I would say to get the results I want - 12 to 48 hours cleaning the anodes at least twice a day, more if I see things are slowing down. Play with it, you'll find what works for you!  hope this helps   Joe

Thanks Joe. I have had it in there sense Sunday. Looks pretty clean. I will clean the anode and flip the part around and let it go another couple days.

Cleaning the annodes often helps.   If your charger has an ampmeter on it, you will see the amps drop down as the annode fills up with rust.   When you clean it off and put it back in, amps will go back up and the process will speed up.   As the part finishes the process the amps will drop to nothing as there's no more rust to pull off.   Joe is the AC expert on electrolysis.  When I first got going with it, I learned most everything from his advise.   It helps also to have alot of surface area of annodes.   In my bigger tank, I put four or five annodes around it, and then link the annodes together with small jumper cables with alligator clips.   It does take time but if you spend 10 minutes in the am and pm cleaning the annodes, in one or two days you will have a part that all the rust, grease etc. is cleaned off.   Even if a big part takes three days to clean, the hour worth of cleaning annodes is still less then trying to degrease and then sandblast or sand it.   And the part doesn't get harmed or warped like if you would sandblast it.   I have a small sandblasting cabinet and since I started using electrolysis, I haven't used it once. 

Found this link in an old post which explains the process-
http://www.fboerger.com/restorationtips.html#electrolysis

I did the block for my 35WC in a 55 gal plastic drum. It coked for 2 1/2 weeks but it was dirty and greasy and I had limited anodes. I would turn it every day and clean the electrodes at least once a day. Because of the limited anode I don't think I ever got more than a couple amps at a time but the block turned out looking like new.
 Joe, the WC sure looks different than when I saw her. Good job.

Nobody mentioned that if you use scrap stainless steel for the sacrificial anode they stay cleaner much longer and sometimes forever on just rusty parts.

Dave,

Joe, she looks nice and clean. I know i'm probably going to get beat up by the correct police for this, but I really like the way she looks with that silver color. Just suppose you were to paint the rims orange and the tractor a nice silver. I bet it would look sharp.

you have to love anything that will help you undo rusted bolts and pieces that were as bad as these were off a 1920's plow I have

the biggest flaw I see with the ever popular rebar is the lack of surface area VS the area of the part cleaned. I use old lawn mower blades,old bushhog blades, scrap sheet steel etc for mine. Rebar just doesn't have the surface area I like to have.

Charlie, that's the same tractor, just with all the flash rust gone off it, the starter tank was full to the rim with kero when I brought it home, or I believe it would have rusted through long ago. Really need to get busy on it!
Dream, that's just some yellow primer I have left over from working at Deere on the wheels.

Krud Kutter is phosphoric acid, it's just cheap and easy to pick up at Stupid Depot when needed.

the biggest thing I have to remind people about is if you hook it up backwards, your part goes away instead of the rust, (ask me how I know that one!!!!)

here's some pictures of some of the things I've done and ideas of containers to use.
I even cut a small ditch with a turning plow, lined it with plastic and did the frame rails on the WC. One picture shows four picnic table benches and some plastic for a large part.
http://s33.photobucket.com/albums/d84/Joecdeere/Electrolysis/?albumview=slideshow

jjrosty, I have a 48 volt charger I used to use on really big pieces, was checking a clamp on a part and got bit good, enjoyed chest pains, muscle trouble in that arm, and a irregular heart beat for two days, haven't used it any more, my fault, but a safety concern anyway. I'll wait the little bit of extra time on the 12 volts!!

neat ideas, I will try that expanded metal trick.  I found a battery in line really helps speed stuff up too but if the charger times off it runs the battery dead. 

Where i worked we used this method to clean parts of photo-resist residue and surface oxidation on precision parts before etching them.

ChuckLuedtkeSEWI wrote: What I use is Krud Kutter Must for Rust.   It is a spray solution that you can buy at Home Depot.  Once the part is clean, I rinse it down and then dry it off with a blow nozzle.  Once dry, I spray it down with the Krud Kutter and it is an acid etching solution that will keep the bare metal from re rusting.  I have parts sitting on the shelf from three years ago that still look like I got done with them yesterday.

So, what is the process to get to paint?  do you have to remove the Krud Kutter by washing before priming?  If so, with what?

TomYaz wrote: I have a question...I will be doing some of this soon.   Since I will be using a plastic tank.   1.Does my part to be cleaned need to "hang" or can I place it in the bottom of the  tank?   2. Can my sacrifice anode make contact with the plastic tank?