electrolysis cleaing question

viper771

viper771

Sr. Member
Jul 17, 2006
395
3
Germany
Hey guys! I hope to set my machine up this weekend but I had a question. I know you attach one end to a stainless steel rod or whatever, then you attach the other wire to your object, via clips. Would I attach the alligator clip directly to my object needing cleaning, or wrap a wire around the object, and clip the alligator clip to that?What kind of wire do I use around the object? I have to either find a trickle battery charger, or use some of those large rectangle flashlight batteries since the voltage out here is 220. Ive seen people use screens made from certain metal, or use a paper clip.. but my stuff is kind of big. Any info would be great! Thanks in advance!
 

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You can do it either way. By wrapping the relic with wire you just save the clip. I just use the clip (battery charger clip) and throw it away after doing 100 large items.

If you use wire, make sure it's solid copper and not that stranded stuff. Stranded wire is coated and can really mess-up a find.

Best to you.

Badger
 

Thanks! Solid copper wire, got it. i have to make a trip to the store this weekend. Do you wrap the wire over the WHOLE thing (covered completely) or just around it around to get all the areas? I really hope it cleans my relics up. That would be really cool!
Thanks again!
 

All you need to do is make an electrical connection to the item being cleaned. The current flows through the relic to the stainless steel pan cover or whatever. The process is the reverse of plating.

You need to make sure you have a good connection or it won't work. I usually sand or grind off the rust from a small spot in a hidden area so I can connect the clip to it. If you get it right you'll see the relic start to bubble immediately. The bubbling will increase as more of the corrosion is removed.

I use baking soda in the water bath because it holds up much better than using salt. Salt fouls too quickly.

Best to you.

Badger
 

One more thing...after electrolysis on an iron relic, use a wire brush to clean off the loosened rust scale. Wash well with soap and warm water and wipe dry. After it sits a few days some patina will return. You can regulate it by simply brushing away as much as looks best to you.

Personally I wouldn't coat large relics like axe heads with anything. Thin iron knives I would coat with a metal preserving wax.
 

ah ok coo. I am going to buy supplies tomorrow. I bought one battery today (just one is 7 bucks ;( ) I may need more.. i didn't want to over do it. I am going to practice on some shrapnel first to see what happens. Thanks for all the info!
 

Old lawn mower blades make good anodes. They are flat and hold a lot of crude and are easily cleaned off with a putty kinife. On long items I use 2-3 blades on each side,
 

ah that is a good idea. right now i have about 1/8 of a long stainless steel bolt in my water, with the + connected to it, and the neg directly connected to my relic. I am not sure if its working or not. How long does it usually take? What is it really supposed to look like when done? With this rifle barrel i was doing, it was turing it black, but the black could wipe off a bit. I am using a 6 amp car battery charger (i have 220V here, its the lowest I could go). Seems to be doing ok with the big stuff. I have a smaller setup im going to use for the delicate stuff.
 

Be sure to attach the negative wire to the item to be cleaned.You can use an ac/dc adapter for electrolysis.I would also say that this should not be used on old important copper or bronze coins.
 

It has taken me a couple days to get the rust completely off some iron. I wire brush the black stuff off with water.
 

thanks for the info! I can't get anything lower than 4 amps here (i figured a car battery charger was the best way to go bec of the 220V current we have in germany). I have been using baking soda, but where would I get soda ash or sodium hydroxide? That may be hard to come by out here..

3 months is a LONG time hehe.. i dunno if i could keep sometihng plugged in that long, the electric bill would go though the roof! lol

Soak the stuff in rubbing alcohol over night too.. ok i got that. The rust is pretty caked on.. i think a lot of it is german clay. thanks for the info! I really appreciate it!
 

well, there is no radio shack out here.. that may take some searching, same with a pool supply store. I miss home depot!

so solid copper wire is NOT good? Right now I am clipping the neg lead to the relic itself. I tried wrapping solid copper wire around the relic, but then the copper wire just bubbled, and not the relic.

thanks for the info though. this is a little more complicated than I thought hehe :) thanks :D
 

Cant you use a cellphone or other common AC to DC adapter?
 

viper771 said:
Right now I am clipping the neg lead to the relic itself. I tried wrapping solid copper wire around the relic, but then the copper wire just bubbled, and not the relic.

thanks for the info though. this is a little more complicated than I thought hehe :) thanks :D
Click to expand...
You were not getting a good connection to the relic.
 

i guess i Could use an AC/DC adapter, but i heard that 220V is too much (as opposed to the 120 in the states). So far, the 6 amp (or 4 am, i have to check again) is doing ok.

Does ALL the rust come off? I am not really sure what to expect in doing this process, other than it will look better, maybe de rust it. But its cool so far :)
 

viper771 said:
i guess i Could use an AC/DC adapter, but i heard that 220V is too much (as opposed to the 120 in the states). So far, the 6 amp (or 4 am, i have to check again) is doing ok.

Does ALL the rust come off? I am not really sure what to expect in doing this process, other than it will look better, maybe de rust it. But its cool so far :)
Click to expand...
Correct me if Im wrong, but it doesnt matter what the AC in voltage is (120v or 220v) The DC out voltage is what you will be using. I would listen to the conservators advice, he is very experienced.
 

i believe him :) The only reason why my machine is the way it is now, is everyone else said the 220 V was bad. Its kind of hard to find stuff out here. If they had a radio shack and a home depot, id be set :)


I checked my battery charger im using now, its 4 amps. If I can find something with less that I can rig up, when I will do that. Is reg water ok to use when its hooked up to the machine? Or do I always have to use distilled water when doing that, and after its out of the electrolysis tank for the final soak?

thanks for all the information everyone! I appreciate it!
 

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