Several Electrolysis ? from a dumb woman

[Stacylee926]

So now that I collected lots of fun stuff all caked in rust, I want to see what the stuff really looks like.
I have read these posts and on one of them I at least have a 'supply list'. I am most confused about the power source requirements for cleaning medium sized objects - something smaller than a pack of cigarettes - and nails.

I am frugal (not cheap), and I read that a Multi voltage power supply from Radio Shack is $10.00 - cool! Is that the right source my size of items?
Got the Folgers bucket - check - and the list to take to Home Depot..

Now..... please clarify... is this process mainly for iron?
WHAT do I put in the bucket - distilled water, baking soda, salt Proportions?
Timing - depends on the voltage apparently - So for the voltage thing above, am I looking at hours or days? I'm also not sure where to set this up. I have a patio (uncovered) so as long as it doesn't rain and I check it, am I ok?

When it looks done, unplug gizmo, take it out and clean the remaining stuff off gently with a brass brush? Rinse in regular water or a special solution of something?

As for clad - should I buy a rock tumbler from Michaels or Walmart? This will be a later purchase, but it sounds like you do not put clad in this electrolysis bath.

Sorry for the dumb questions.... BTW, I have an electronics geek brother in law that will put this together (correctly) for me so everyone in VA is safe! THANKS for your help - I would love to get this together this weekend!

 

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[mountainplayer]

Hi Stacylee,

There are no doubt plenty of folks on this forum who've got more electrolysis experience than I do, but I'll share what I have learned with you.

First, voltage is not really the critical thing. For electrolysis to work, voltage has to be of the DC "direct current" type. Since the US is all AC "alternating current", we need power supplies (transformers) to produce DC voltage.

The lion share of power supplies are going to be in the 5V-24V range. This is fine for just about anything.

The important part, and here is where I think many people have gone wrong and fried their great finds, is in the current capability of the power supply. Current capacity is always present on the manufacturers nameplate, and will be expressed in either milliamps (mA) or Amps (A). There are 1000mA in 1Amp.

For objects up to a railroad spike in size, I'd suggest a power supply with a maximum current capacity of 0.100 Amps (or, 100 mA). For larger objects, say up to a pound, pound and a half, use a maximum of 300mA.

When you turn on the power supply, look closely at the object you are cleaning. Within 5-10 seconds, you should see a modest stream of small bubbles start coming off of it...small and steady. If you've ever soaked a coin in peroxide to clean it, thats the way you want your electrolysis bubbling to look. From that point, be patient. Check your object every 20-30 minutes or so for the first few hours to make sure you're not going too fast.

Remember, low current is the key.

MP