Ok, my latest foray into electrolysis went like this...

1. Clean out the old tub

2. Refill with water and 10 tablespoons of the Washing Soda

3. Clean off my sacrificial metal of rust deposits, etc.

4. Find a pair of headlight housings (usually they are pretty rusty). This pair from a 55 were rusty on the inside, but especially on the outside.

5. Immerse the housings and the sacrificial sheet metal in the solution

6. Attach the alligator clips and plug it in.

7. Turn the battery charger UP from 2 amps to 10 amps

8. Wait THREE days!

Here is what they came out like...





After about 5 minutes of brushing both of the housings, inside and outside, this is what I got...



I was more impressed by what happened on the outside of the housings than the inside. A few notes...

1. This was 3 days of sitting in the tub... I am beginning to wonder if it would not be worthwhile to take the part out after a day, brush it all off, put in new water and soda, and then let it go another day... would my results be better or does it even matter?

2. This time the sheet metal I was sacrificing was about as twice as much rusted up and corroded as the first round with the intake... I am figuring that it was because I had the charger set to 10 amps this time.

3. These parts did not clean up quite as nice as the intake manifold. Don't know why that is. Maybe more surface area to remove rust because I had two of them in there at one time?

4. I am beginning to wonder how the tub might do with small hardware, although I like my method of blasting small parts much much better.

5. Would there ever be a reason to use a different cleaner or soda in the cleaning solution other than the Arm and Hammer Washing Soda that I have been using?

6. Is there a better way to remove the residual rust on the parts other than a handheld wire brush?

LOL - anybody think I am crazy here with all this experimental cleaning and derusting?

Daniel Jessup

Lancaster, California

aka "The Hot Rod Reverend"
check out the 1955 Ford Fairlane build at www.hotrodreverend.com

I don't think you're crazy - keep experimenting, but stay safe.

Mark

1956 Mercury M100
1955 Ford Fairlane Club Sedan
Delta, British Columbia

Daniel, Saw something of interest on The Ford Barn the other day. It was suggested to use electrolysis similar to what you are doing to clean rust out of gas tanks. Filled tank with the solution, using a piece of exhaust pipe for the Sacrificial metal inserted through the sending unit hole and insulated from touching the tank and put the power to it. Supposed to clean all the rust out of the inside of the tank. Don't know if they sealed it after or not.

Thought it was interesting and pass it along to others with a rusty tank.

Picture from The Ford Barn;

http://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=127687&d=1367192717

"The Master Cylinder"

Enjoying life at the beach in SOCAL