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Puddin' Man Puddin' Man is offline
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Default Electrolysis for de-rusting

On Sun, 13 Sep 2009 12:47:52 -0700 (PDT), Limp Arbor wrote:


Will probably take no more than 24 hours. The more you can surround
the piece you are trying to de-rust with the sacrificial rod the
quicker/better it will work. Best results I had were when I used
chicken wire fencing to wrap around the entire container.


Hmmmm. I got some "hardware cloth" (very similar) ...

Unfortunately the process is not without side effects. I'v done it a
few times and the derusted part ends up with a dull gray color and an
odd texture. The texture could be due to the rust being 'ripped' away
by the current.


I expect pitting where the rust occurred.

The parts also seem to re-rust much quicker than raw
steel. This seems to happen even if you thoroughly rinse and
immediately dry the piece.


Did you use washing soda (sodium carbonate) for electrolyte? Did
it strip paint as well as rust? Did you paint immediately?

With light rust and a pipes that will be painted anyway you're
probably better off with a wire wheel in a drill to remove the rust
then follow up with hi-temp rustoleum.


Motor is an I4, pipes are 4-into-1. Some surfaces are not readily
accessable.

No rustoleum. I've got some hi-heat (1500 F) paint.

Thx,
P

"Law Without Equity Is No Law At All. It Is A Form Of Jungle Rule."