My first electrolysis tank... and some questions

Mike CA · Nov 11, 2009

I got it set up, and put in my first part. It started bubbling right away. My kids thought it was neat as I explained the science behind it. I showed them, and answered their questions so they wouldn't be curious. They know to stay away and not to touch.

- Right now I have it set up for 12v 2 amp. Would it make a difference if I bump it up to 6 amps?

- Will it pull the paint off the part too, or just fix the metal underneath, and I'll have to wire wheel off the paint?

- How often can I use this tank before I have to dump it and refill it with water/Soda Ash?

I hope this works out! It will be awesome if it really works out!

Dave H (MI) · Nov 11, 2009

I have a tank set up year around in my little shop. I am not aware that I ever had it jump to 6 amps so cannot tell you what the effect would be there. I use a rectifier and the amount of amperage varies with the quality of the scrap piece. Lye does remove paint as I believe any caustic solution will eventually. It doesn't always remove ALL the paint and not all paints come off at the same rate. Some sheet right off and some have to be scrubbed a little. I change my solution about every six months when it gets cruddy. It seems to lose it's strength after a while and I have never tested Ph or anything like that to find out why. I just dump it and replace it. Get some heavy rubber gloves.

GA Dave · Nov 11, 2009

It will remove the paint. Here's my setup to remove paint and rust off wheel weights. Other stuff also. I used a cheap electric pressure washer to knock the crud off. I never changed or added to the tank while redoing my IH 240 Utility. The tank sure was nasty when I finished. Don't let your electrodes touch the crud in the bottom. I also upped the amperage to 10 A at times. David..................

GeneMO · Nov 11, 2009

Mike, the other guys answered your questions, so I will just say I love mine. It takes caked grease and paint off with no problem. Now the better you scrape it before you put it in, the longer you can go between cleanings.

Good luck, Gene

GeneMO · Nov 11, 2009

Mike, the other guys answered your questions, so I will just say I love mine. It takes caked grease and paint off with no problem. Now the better you scrape it before you put it in, the longer you can go between cleanings.

Good luck, Gene

GeneMO · Nov 11, 2009

Mike, the other guys answered your questions, so I will just say I love mine. It takes caked grease and paint off with no problem. Now the better you scrape it before you put it in, the longer you can go between cleanings.

Good luck, Gene

Mike CA · Nov 12, 2009

Don't let your electrodes touch the crud in the bottom.

When you say "electrodes", do you mean the piece you are cleaning?

I'm wondering how I am going to do large pieces that are too large to suspend from a chain, like my fan shroud. I plan on doing half at a time, but I thought I could set it on the bottom. I guess that is a bad idea. Any idea how to do a piece like a fan shroud or radiator shutters?

rhouston · Nov 12, 2009

6 amps would be fine. Overheating the battery charger is the only worry. You can let suff rest on the bottom I did my gas tank and snowblower housing that way. just MAKE SURE that the scrap steel you use does not touch the bottom when the peice to be cleaned is also touching the bottom. contact between the two electrodes is bad even through the sludge on the bottom. My 50 gallon tote lost about 3 inches of water while I was cleaning the snowblower housing and my gas tank. It ran for about 3 weeks straight at 4 to 6 amps. An occasional cleaning of the the piece will help remove the paint which does get soft while in the tank. I have chemical stripped some items before going in the tank. should you use a larger tote you may want to build a wood frame around the top to keep it from deforming and splitting the tote.

rhouston · Nov 12, 2009

I would also like to add that large flat steel is better than the round rebar for what you are trying to clean. You may find that your setup as it is in the picture will clean the end by the flat steel better than the ones closer to the rebar. Old VCR and computer cases work well. The stainless parts of a stainless steel travel mug work very well on curved parts such as the inside of a snowblower chute. Have fun and experiment with different configurations to find what works best.

Peculiar Farmer · Nov 12, 2009

Nice Start, This is what happens after a while, you just keep finding bigger and more to do.

NawlensGator · Nov 12, 2009

You can only set the voltage. The amps can only be increased by by increasing either metal surface area or electrolyte concentratiion. I dumped in a little borax and my amps went to 10+.

Mike CA · Nov 12, 2009

I read that adding Borax can create a hazardous toxic reaction. I've got kids, so I'm going to stay safe with it.

rhouston · Nov 12, 2009

many of the newer battery chargers do have an amp setting. It actualy sets the maximum amps the charger will put out.If his project will only draw 2 amps then changing it to a higher setting will get him nothing. However if he is set at 2 amps and his setup could draw 4 amps then changing the setting to 6 would make it work better. You are correct in that it will only draw what it can conduct and making more available without an increase in voltage does nothing.

My first electrolysis tank... and some questions

Mike CA

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Dave H (MI)

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GA Dave

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GeneMO

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GeneMO

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GeneMO

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Mike CA

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rhouston

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rhouston

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Peculiar Farmer

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NawlensGator

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Mike CA

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rhouston

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