05-06-2016, 01:41 AM
(05-05-2016, 09:46 AM)Phlogiston Wrote: I have a 55 gallon de-rusting tank that uses a 50A @ 12V supply, though I don't often have to use it. A lot of flaking plating or stains/rust can be removed with careful application of sulfuric acid which is a lot faster than navel jelly.
Ihome. It is too costly to setup for a single project. If you are not very careful with the process the solutions can be ruined. Like in painting, the prep is critical.
Pictures of the stripping process:
This is NOT the plating supply
Yes, the crud floating on top came off of the chassis.
P.S. the plating of the catacomb was a real quick job. I did not put much time or effort into the plating. I just did not want it to rust again.
Also, I get these 55 gal drums for about $15 and sandblast the inside. The process eats a hole in the bottom pretty quickly. Another reason to be outside. (The agent in the stripping barrel is washing soda. I would not drink it but it is not hazardous)
Russ;
I really need to get my derusting tank going again, what I used last time was an old plastic garbage can, filled with a water and washing soda mix, but I used half of a rusted out lawnmower deck for the sacrificial anode. What I really need is a better high current DC power supply for the tank, I was using a car battery charger which puts out unfiltered DC, electrolysis really works better with a clean DC power supply since polarity is so important.
What I would like to have for a new tank is something like a carwash soap barrel, the garbage can works but the sides taper inward towards the bottom which makes stripping some objects awkward. Another possibility is to use a kiddie pool, and put the sacrifical anode in the bottom with bricks or blocks between it and the object that I need to strip. A guy I follow on You Tube uses a dead chest freezer for his tank, and isolates the cabinet from the anodes, which are sheets of scrap diamond mesh/expanded metal, he also uses an old computer power supply for the DC.
Just as a word of warning to anyone trying this, do not use stainless steel for sacrificial anodes, it can create hexovalent chromium apparently which is toxic waste, regular scrap steel and iron is everywhere so there is no advantage to having a longer lived anode. In my opinion the risks of hydrogen buildup from the process is way over blown, there may be some but it's so little that you won't get enough of it to burn, believe me I've tried. Also, if your sacrificial anode gets really cruddy you can clean it off by reversing the polarity using another chunk of scrap, it should work with cleaning the inside of an oil drum as well.
Regards
Arran