Electrolysis

[Michigan Badger]

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[EDDE]

Re: Cleaning Large Objects with Electrolysis

 

[EDDE]

Re: Cleaning Larger 19th Century Relics with Electrolysis

wow great results

 

[joe_black]

Re: Cleaning Larger 19th Century Relics with Electrolysis

hey badger, does the relative size of the stainless steel object to the object to be cleaned, effect the speed of the process? and how hot does the battery charger get (hot enough that you have to check every few minutes, or can you leave unattended for a while) Thx

 

[SHERMANVILLE ILLINOIS]

Re: Cleaning Larger 19th Century Relics with Electrolysis

MB,

excellent post, thanks.

Nice set up you got there, thanks for
time and effort in giving us all the info.

have a good un................

 

[joe_black]

Re: Cleaning Larger 19th Century Relics with Electrolysis

great info Badger. Thx for posting !

 

[Nana40]

Re: Cleaning Larger 19th Century Relics with Electrolysis

I'm gonna have to try that on this axe. I took this one to the scout 'show and tell' and some of the gentlemen there told me it was hand forged. I really don't know but thought you might!

 

[romeo-1]

Re: Cleaning Larger 19th Century Relics with Electrolysis

I know absolutely nothing about electrolysis but isn't it kind of dangerous to mix electricity with water? Are the clips actually going into the water? What safety precautions should I take? I have a lot of iron relics I would like to clean up but I am terrified of electrocuting myself in the process . Any additional feedback or resources would be appreciated.

Also, for relics like an axe head could I not just run it past a wire bit on a drill press? Thanks.

 

[Nana40]

Re: Cleaning Larger 19th Century Relics with Electrolysis

Great picture Badger! You are very fortunate to have them for reference! I found this one at a site where the little town began. Not really sure of the age of the town...need to look into that though. Just was told that the immediate area I was searching was the starting spot. Lots of places to hunt there....but it's summer time...and so it will have to wait till winter.

Thanks!

Nana

 

[jimorrison80]

Re: Cleaning Larger 19th Century Relics with Electrolysis

Yes...but with this system on the object form a little holes...

And..do you use a distilled water?

 

[allsmith]

Re: Cleaning Larger 19th Century Relics with Electrolysis

thanks for all the info badge,,im trying on an old axe head i found,,i got before pics and will get them up when its done,,, oh by the way you asked where i hunt,, i hunt a lot of old farm houses,, a lot of the stuff i found from my place,, the house and barn are gone but it has been a farm since the mid 1800's,, i do get caught up trying to find old coins ,and mostly dig the high tones but ,some iron like those loops ring a high tone so i dig them,, but some times i just go dig low tones to see what i get,, and one farm i was tectin i was finding all kinds of coins in this one area so i dug all the iron up and found it was masking some more coins,, found my best token that way,, a square 1 cent token from a local steelmill,, dated to around the 1930's ,,so i like it all,, if its old i like it!!!! oh i was wondering if you have ever found any hand forged square nails,, i would really like to find some of those,,always finding cut nails but no forged ones,, thanks badge

 

[EDDE]

Re: Cleaning Larger 19th Century Relics with Electrolysis

question can i use a stainless steel pot(like a stew pot)? as apposed to a lid in a bucket beside the obvious(keep it insulated from ne grounding etc)?

 

[lumbercamp]

Re: Cleaning Larger 19th Century Relics with Electrolysis

I always sandblast my iron, but decided to try the electrolysis route today. Since blasting chains takes an enormous amount of sand, I had previously popped the rust off a 14 foot long chain by tossing it into a hot fire. This only got rid of the surface rust. There was still rust in the pits on the chain. I hooked up the battery charger to the chain and cooked it for 2 hours. It's amazing how much of the rust came off the chain. After sandblasting close to 30 chains, I will probably use this process for chains from now on.

 

[lumbercamp]

Re: WARNING! NEW INFORMATION! Cleaning Larger 19th Century Relics with Electrolysis

Electrolysis. It's really a neat process. It was raining off and on all day and I couldn't do much out side. I had found a gun last spring and decided to clean it today. I had some left over rubber liner used to make a fish pond. It was easy to form into a long rectangle with bricks on the out side. I used iron pipe as the anode, 1 on each end and 2 on each side of the barrel, connected with copper wire. When finished, I found stamped on the barrel Winchester, pat. Aug 1860. If I would have sandblasted the gun I'm sure that I would have scoured the wording off.

 

[Postalrevnant]

Re: WARNING! NEW INFORMATION! Cleaning Larger 19th Century Relics with Electrolysis

Excellent post Badger. Pics for demonstration...good deal.

Been wondering how peps clean old iron artifacts.

Thank you,
Postalrevnant