Questions about Electrolysis

[artemis moon]

I've been curious about electrolysis, and the systems don't seem to difficult to fabricate. I am wondering about what types of materials and under what conditions it would be appropriate to use this cleaning method.

For instance, I have a few Indian Head pennies that are green and I can't make out the dates, but only some details that confirm that they are indeed IHPs. Would using electrolysis be a good idea, or would it further damage the copper?
I also have what I think is a girl scout pocket knife from the late 40's. The blades are very crusty. Would electrolysis be a good idea with this piece, or do you think it would damage the plastic? Can someone give a quick run down on when electrolysis is a good idea and for what types of metals, and when it's not?? Thanks!!

 

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[mical66]

artemis,, from what i understand electrolysis is good for iron/steel items .
items like the copper pennies would benefit from hot peroxide .
i have not tried the peroxide yet , but have read several great reviews on it.
as for the electrolysis , i have did that . used a old phone adapter , cut the end off and attached 2 small aligator clips . 1 ( the negative side ) attached to the coin and the positive side i attached to a stainless steel rod .
mixed salt water and added a few squirts of lemon juice and then submerged the coin and plugged it in.
by the way i used a clear glass so i could watch the transformation . with in a few minutes a cloud of dirty water was coming off the relic..again i did not have as much luck with the coins , it did help a little but i hear the hot peroxide works best for coins.

Peroxide bath was basically heat peroxide in microwave for 1 min 3o seconds and drop in coin , let set for a few minutes take out and lightly brush with toothbrush or cotton swab , if needed repeat.



anyone feel free to correct me please . i am by no means a expert at this.

 

[HutSiteDigger]

Always wear a mask if you are going too be doing this so you don't breath in those toxic fumes!

 

[artemis moon]

Always wear a mask if you are going too be doing this so you don't breath in those toxic fumes!

Toxic fumes created through the electrolysis process or from the hot peroxide or both? Also, I understand that baking soda is the way to go because table salt is corrosive to metal. Has anyone else heard this?

 

[fella]

Always wear a mask if you are going too be doing this so you don't breath in those toxic fumes!

Water vapor isn't typically toxic. Unless of course you're Evillene!

 

[releventchair]

You might dig through some pages here in the cleaning and preservation forum.
I am a user of wash soda(not baking soda) to make electrolyte.Silver after brief electrolysis gets a gentle rub with wet baking soda and comes out great, most coins get the same after. Unit is run outside to dodge issue with fumes.
Practice on sacrificial items to get a feel for time required per individual unit used.
Electrolysis has not been a good solution to poor Indian cents for me,not only from loss of patina but leaves surface like sandstone.though pretty well toasted before running them. Next ones with bad corrosion will get patient olive oil treatment. Green overall patina would be welcome but i,m not finding them that way.
Big caution is all ways not to clean old coins if they are to be sold. My keeper silvers have about half cleaned. Personally i like them a lot better and someone else can worry about resale value down the road.
For relics its a way to stop loss of integrity before preserving for not all but some. great find on G.S.knife! plastic should show no effect but rivets may become reduced,(lose rust and corrosion leaving) making holes seem larger. H.H.

 

[Frankn]

Very simple process. What you are doing is either removing surface material OR adding surface material, depending on your polarity hookup. For our purpose, 3VDC to 12 VDC work best. You use regular water, but you kind of prime it with something like baking soda. One lead is hooked to the metal of the target item and the other is hooked to a piece of stainless steel, like a spoon. If you want to copper plate to restore copper finish, reverse leads and use copper sulphate for the solution. Frank...

No magic required.

 

[Peyton Manning]

it works well on my bikini line

 

[doc-d]

Great discussion, thanks