Electrolysis

[davidimurray]

I see a couple of people have used electrolysis for cleaning parts up. Sounds quite interesting. I was wondering what sort of affect it has on the material. I'm thinking of things like brake calipers - if I was to strip the calipers could I safely clean them up with electrolysis and not damage the bores? Similalry with the the uprights, could the same be done but obviously remove the bearings apart from the outer races, again would the electrolysis damage them?

Cheers

Dave

[RAYLEE29]

there is someone on here that posted pics before it does work very well
you do have to be carefull about hydrogen production
and apparently using stainless as an anode is a big no no some very toxic fumes
also ive read about hydrogen causing the component to become brittle
im not a metalurgist but i dont see this as a big issue as im sure someone on lcb would have put big warnings about it
there is a long term sticky on lcb if you care to go have a look you definately dont have to pay to see it but might have to become a member
Ray:)

[geeman]

I did this on one of the front hubs( i took the disc and caliper off and electrolysed it with the hub. ) It seemd to work very well, howver the pics i have dont show it well. Also now the hub i electrolysed seems to spin mor freely) It doesnt become shiney or clean, but it removes any rust and leaves a surface thats relatively easy to clean(i pressure washed it). I would do it for the rest of my parts, but it just takes too long tbh and i cant be bothered as its just mor work.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2663/3799122596_472a73a78d.jpg

the one on the left still looks very rusted but it is nothing compared to the one on the right

[Land Locked]

... you definately dont have to pay to see it but might have to become a member
Ray:)

Sorry for going off the topic a wee bit, but registration to that site DOES cost, not much but one does need to make a non free phone call to activate the account.

[Matthew]

Dave

It doesn't have any visible effect on unrusted metal so you should be OK with the bores and bearings. For the hydrogen embrittlement I've looked a lot on the net and the only place where people have concerns is when de-rusting springs. If you are worried then there are suggestions the baking in an oven for some time (can't remember how long) reverses the effect. I can't see how a day long treatment on a large lump of cast iron like a caliper is going to make any difference at all.

My personal opinion is it's the nearest thing to magic I've seen in a long time. You can see from the attached pictures the change to heavily rusted metal

One thing you do have to watch out for is that anything you treat then starts rusting again at an amazing rate - there's a fine coat of rust within days so it is best to give parts a quick coat of paint straight away.

Matt

[geeman]

yep id have to agree with you matt as my hub has rusted amazikngly fast since i electrolysed it a few days. next time ill paint ti as soon as the electrolosis finishes

[AshG]

i used electrolysis to get the worst off then went at it with the angry grinder with twisted wire brush

[Jimmyd]

Another before and after pic for you. I did give the finish a rub with a wire brush before taking the picture.

J

[geeman]

Another before and after pic for you. I did give the finish a rub with a wire brush before taking the picture.

J
hi, i wondered what sort of current and voltages you are running to get those results and for how long on those paticular parts. THanks

[londonsean69]

hi, i wondered what sort of current and voltages you are running to get those results and for how long on those paticular parts. THanks

I have a cheap and nasty Halfords charger, it's only for small cars, puts out about 4 amps (I think). It does the job perfectly on anything I have tried so far - Uprights, Hubs etc.

The voltage is usually just over 12V

It really doesn't matter what you use - it's magic

Sean

[adrianreeve]

I did all my donor stuff with electrolysis, using a cheap 12v car battery charger (it has to be a cheap one with no conditioning circuit in it, else it just kicks into maintenance mode), and a 1.5mm steel plate in the bucket as the electrode.

I left my front hubs in overnight, and the next morning, it was genuinely like someone had swapped them for new ones overnight. As Ash says though, you need to wash, dry thoroughly, and then paint straight away, don't even leave them a day, as they WILL rust.

Cheers

Adrian

[mark]

I have a cheap and nasty Halfords charger, it's only for small cars, puts out about 4 amps (I think). It does the job perfectly on anything I have tried so far - Uprights, Hubs etc.

The voltage is usually just over 12V

It really doesn't matter what you use - it's magic

Sean

I totally agree it is magic :D

I used it on my sierra uprights and rear drum backplates, it worked an absolute treat :cool:

As geeman said it does take an age but if you just leave it going all day whilst your working in the garage, its doing the hard work for you.

Definately worth a try if you are toying with the idea.

I too used a very cheapy charger (£8) and it draws about 11 volts.

mark

[Matthew]

I used an ancient 12v charger, and it shows anything from 4 amps at the start to the needle just quivering after it's being going a while, never bothered to measure the voltage. Some really rusted parts I left in for a couple of days, twisting them to get all the rust exposed.

When it comes down to it you're going to be taking a lot longer to build the car than you will be de-rusting donor parts so he time taken doesn't really matter ;)

Matt

[geeman]

i used an old car battery when i did my hub, at first it was drawing more than 10amps, but i think the batter ran flat pretty quickly so it probably stopped some time during the nught.

[ACE HIGH]

I don't like the idea of electrolysis to clean parts at all,it can lead to hydrogen embrittlement and what I will call"a highly active surface' that can rust and corrode real fast,and be a problem accepting paint,and bearing surfaces can be damaged also,electrolysis to colour parts is OK but something quite different.

However, a sandblaster ,even a simple vacuum type from China(about $70)works miracles,only catch you need the maximum size air compressor that will operate on single phase,around 12/15 cu ft per minute 100 psi plus,but worth buying if you can afford it,even better if the sand goes through an old pressure tank first rather than vacuum fed.Google the net for DIY.

Also there are 2 sandblast cabinets on the market,about $300 NZ,forget this one and a larger one about $700 NZ,you could easily make the portable unit and the cabinet.Dry sand is a must and take care of your lungs,no cheap "Michael Jackson"style masks,only the highest quality masks and helmets.

Sandblasting,works like a miracle,far better than any other way I am aware of and I highly recommend it as a great tool to have in a Clubman 7 build.You just would not believe what it will do for say a diff,engine or brake parts etc.David:)

[Sam]

I tried the electrolysis thing but found shot blasting much quicker and just as effective. It was alot of fun mind. Got bored with the battery charger so used TIG inverter and ramped it up to 300 amps. See pics sample took about 5 mins.

[RAYLEE29]

Im surprised you didnt blow yourself up at that many amps :eek: