Restoration Tip: Electrolysis Derusting

[Bob Carriere]

The size of the parts and the size of the sacrificial electrode will dictate the current needed.

We used a plastic 45 gallons / 200 + liters........with a Lye solution. Had a huge sheet of stainless steel curled on the inside of the drum parts were suspended in the center.....like axle suspended from the tractor front loader.

I ran a ten amp bat. charger connected to 2 huge truck batteries. In 3 hours the axle housing was cleaned and both batteried were near dead.

Batteries were recharged overnite and the other half of the axle done.

Scums and gas bubbles on top was an inch thick...... we did this outside in the open so fumes or hydrogen gas was not an issue. Lye was strong enough to require gloves but it removed paint and hard caked gear oil residue like you would not believe.

Rinsed with the pressure washer....sun dried and phospated...sun dried and painted with POR 15.

To run this process on a large scale would require a large and expensive bat. charger...... batteries was quicker for us.

Bob