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Electrolysis Derust

Derusting with Electrolysis

Overview

In order to derust a part we can use Electrolysis to remove the rust from a metal part The below setup includes

  • 4 nails around the outside dangling down, wired to the positive of the supply
  • A single wire dangling down on the middle connected to the part to de-rust

Power Supply

Ideally the power supply needs to be approx 12V with as many amps as possible The one in the picture is a spare originally belonging to Tas / Skippy for charging a battery. This seems to work very well over a short period of time

Water mixture

The main ingredient other than water is Bicarbonate of Soda. Note Baking Powder should be avoided since it has other things in which interfere with the process.

  • 6 Litres of water = 40ml of Bicarbonate of Soda
  • 5 gallons of water = 1/2 cup of Bicarbonate of Soda
  • 2 gallons of water = approx 1/4 cup of Bicarbonate of Soda

Cleaning the black Coating

After using Electrolysis to remove rust from a part sometimes there will be a black coating left over. This can be avoided by using de-ionised water, although another way around this is to use a mixture of

  • Water
  • Toothpaste
  • Baking Soda

Last update: August 22, 2020