Electrolysis rust removal

[hemmjo]

How about an broken shaft of a golf club? Wondering what those would be good for.
Geffre

I have never tried it, but I would think the carbon fiber golf club shafts, as well as most other carbon fiber products, have so much resin encapsulating the carbon fiber that the carbon would be insulated by the resin and not available to the electrical process.

[Hopefuldave]

As in carbon arc gouging rods?

They will work, BUT if left in the solution they tend to dissolve, I think they may be graphite with a clay binder? I use slices from block graphite, which can be expensive if you don't rescue the blocks from a skip....

The slices I use are about 12mm / 1/2" thick, 75mm/3" wide, with a foot or so immersed I can get up to 25A and trip the breaker on my battery charger

It helps if the graphite surface area in solution is about the same as (or bigger than) the area of the steel being de-rusted in the EGBERT (Electrolytic Gungey Bubbling Encrustation Removal Tank), I think?

Dave H, (the other one)

[C Tucker]

I have used this process to clean up lots of parts in a tractor restoration, including the engine block.
I would never waste time bolting the anode to the container, because , from my experience, they need cleaned at least every day.
I used a 55 gallon plastic drum for the engine block and scrap pieces of tin for the anodes, placing several large pieces all around the part to be cleaned.
Very simple to just hang them from the edge of the bucket or barrel and clip leads to connect them.
You definitely want to do this in a well ventilated area, because the water breaks down, releasing Hydrogen and Oxygen into the surround air. Quite the explosive mixture, if contained and subjected to a small spark!

[shopandmath]

That is a good idea
I use acid (mostly toilet bole cleaner)
that looks so much cleaner
Ray

[Daturat100r]

The only odd chemical is the sodium carbonate /washing soda the same as used for washing clothes and ph modifying in swimming pools ,rust is the other component along with paint. when left turned off the electrolyte clears as the solids settle to the bottom syphon off the electrolyte and the residue is left in a bucket to dry then sent tinto the steel recycling

[Daturat100r]

Beautiful build - much more finished than a lot of stuff I've seen on YouTube. Not to be Debbie Downer, but...

What ends up in the used bath, chemically? Are there environmental concerns with disposing it?

The only odd chemical is the sodium carbonate /washing soda the same as used for washing clothes and ph modifying in swimming pools ,rust is the other component along with paint. when left turned off the electrolyte clears as the solids settle to the bottom syphon off the electrolyte and the residue is left in a bucket to dry then sent tinto the steel recycling

[oldmachinist]

Where in the solution are you getting the sulfur from? Are you adding acid to your bucket water to increase the reaction speed? From your added sulfates I would guess. Regular electrolytic rust removal generates a little hydrogen through electrolysis, using baking soda or washing soda in solution with water.