| Author | Message | ||
| Dal Farnworth (Dallas)
Registered Member Username: Dallas Post Number: 792 Registered: 7-2004 Posted From: 98.20.59.175  Rating: N/A |
I've been collecting antique tools here and there for many years. Nothing very valuable but still some of them are kind of neat. I also have some antique bus parts that I've wanted to clean the rust off of. I use to Use Phosphoric acid, derusto, naval jelly, along with sand paper and wire brushes and wheels. Mostly I wasn't satisfied with the outcome. Sand paper and wire wheels leave marks and the liquids don't always do a good job aside from being expensive so I tried a little experiment yesterday. I grabbed my old 10a batter charger, some jumper cables, a couple pieces of angle iron, some clamps, an old plastic tub, some water and some Arm & Hammer washing soda, (Not Detergent). My first victim was a heavy old rasp I got at a yard sale years ago and it was badly rusted. I filled my tub with about a gallon and a half of water, added about 3 tablespoons of washing soda and set it out on the side porch. The angle iron I cleaned off with a grinding wheel so it was shiny on all sides and ends these I put into the tub across from each other standing up with the top ends sticking out of the water. I attached the positive lead of the battery charger to one and used the positive clamps of the jumper cables to connect them together. The rasp I connected to the negative lead of the battery charger and placed it in the bottom of the tub. After plugging in the charger and turning it on I watched the water. Soon bubbles started rising from the rasp as it began to cook a little bit. Not from heat, but because of the current passing through it. I left it over night, checking it a few times and cleaning off he residue that built up on the angle iron anodes and making sure I still had good connections. Here are the results: Before: http://busconversionstuff.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=179&fullsize=1 After: http://busconversionstuff.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=181&fullsize=1 (Message edited by Dallas on November 22, 2011) | ||
| Tim Brandt (Timb)
Registered Member Username: Timb Post Number: 638 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 66.165.176.62  Rating: N/A |
Good stuff Dal!! For the younger inexperienced ones like me what is washing soda and where do you get it???? | ||
| Jim Sanders (Sandy)
Registered Member Username: Sandy Post Number: 125 Registered: 1-2011 Posted From: 69.199.96.250  Rating: N/A |
Dal how about me sending my bus frame up there clean it good and mail it back All Clean and NEW LOL JIM | ||
| Jim Sanders (Sandy)
Registered Member Username: Sandy Post Number: 126 Registered: 1-2011 Posted From: 69.199.96.250 Rating: N/A |
Tim you are not supposed to have rust LOL JIM | ||
| Dal Farnworth (Dallas)
Registered Member Username: Dallas Post Number: 793 Registered: 7-2004 Posted From: 98.20.59.175 Rating: N/A |
Washing soda is available in your favorite emporium of victuals. The brand I used was Arm & Hammer. It comes in a big yellow box for about $4.00. Washing soda is actually nothing more than sodium carbonate. NOT sodium Bicarbonate. However, you can make sodium carbonate from sodium bicarbonate by spreading a thin layer of baking soda on a baking pan and putting it in a 305° oven for an hour or so. Caution: If you do this, (electrolytic rust removal), make sure you have good ventilation. During the process I have been told that the bubbles that rise from the anodes have a small concentration of hydrogen gas. Jim, if you can get your bus frame in those little flat rate boxes I'll be happy to de-rust them! You can also de-rust large pieces without a pan. Just use towels wetted with the solution and wrapped around the rusty part, then tie the anodes to the towels. It's probably not very efficient that way,but the more current or the stronger the solution or the closer the anode is to the cathode, the better the process will work. | ||
| Russell Beam (Rcbeam)
Registered Member Username: Rcbeam Post Number: 71 Registered: 11-2009 Posted From: 74.131.53.155  Rating: N/A |
Dallas: I have never heard of such a thing as you just did. Does it have a name? Where in the world did you come up with such an idea? Interesting indeed. | ||
| Dal Farnworth (Dallas)
Registered Member Username: Dallas Post Number: 794 Registered: 7-2004 Posted From: 98.20.59.175 Rating: N/A |
YEah Russ, it's called "electrolytic De-rusting". I heard about it from a friend on another forum that restores old machinery, wood planes, saws, etc. He has even used it to de-rust an old 1920's Ford engine block. Looking around on the internet, I found a lot of "how-to's" and went from there. http://www.oldengine.org/members/orrin/rustdemo.htm http://www.rickswoodshopcreations.com/Miscellaneous/Rust_Removal.htm (Message edited by Dallas on November 22, 2011) | ||
| Dal Farnworth (Dallas)
Registered Member Username: Dallas Post Number: 795 Registered: 7-2004 Posted From: 98.20.59.175 Rating: N/A |
Right now I have an antique Sargent 414 jack plane in the soup. I'll pull it out in the morning and see how it looks. | ||
| Bill 340 (Bill_340)
Registered Member Username: Bill_340 Post Number: 159 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 75.224.117.199  Rating: N/A |
Do you think, that maybe you could hook that same system to the front and back bumpers of an Eagle, that may just solve all the problems. Being a former Eagle owner I just had to say that........................ | ||
| Dal Farnworth (Dallas)
Registered Member Username: Dallas Post Number: 796 Registered: 7-2004 Posted From: 98.20.59.175 Rating: N/A |
Probably not Bill, there has to be enough steel left to make a circuit. ;>} | ||
| Sam Summers (Greyghost)
Registered Member Username: Greyghost Post Number: 114 Registered: 4-2011 Posted From: 166.182.3.43  Rating: N/A |
Dallas, How much do you want for the rasp? Mines wore out and rusted... Sam | ||
| Dal Farnworth (Dallas)
Registered Member Username: Dallas Post Number: 797 Registered: 7-2004 Posted From: 98.20.59.175 Rating: N/A |
Sam, they are easy to find at yard sales and flea markets, besides, a new one like mine is only $26, but they've been back ordered for 2 years. | ||
| Bill Holstein (Billmoocow)
Registered Member Username: Billmoocow Post Number: 164 Registered: 5-2009 Posted From: 24.21.114.17  Rating: N/A |
Best info post i have seen in a long time! Thanks Dal. Very good info! | ||
| Jack Fids (Jack_fids)
Registered Member Username: Jack_fids Post Number: 995 Registered: 1-2009 Posted From: 72.211.145.15  Rating: N/A |
Assumption: Some of us still smoke Pot some claim to not. Using elec-tricmels to dissolve FeO2 rot makes me think it may be the Beer...! Next Week's Mister Wizzard Farnworth will be the Extraction of Hydrogen of HouseHold produced Methane for fun & profit in your own Bus, a study in compression & pressure tankage . | ||
| Dal Farnworth (Dallas)
Registered Member Username: Dallas Post Number: 798 Registered: 7-2004 Posted From: 98.20.59.175 Rating: N/A |
Hunh? Jack, go get another glass of Mouse Milk and you should feel better. | ||
| Austin Scott Davis (Zimtok)
Registered Member Username: Zimtok Post Number: 485 Registered: 9-2006 Posted From: 173.166.209.1  Rating: N/A |
I've used this type of rust removal often over the years... It is great for small parts that you don't want to loose the details of like you would if using a wire wheel or grinder.... You can put a bunch of small parts in a metal basket to save time. . |