Rust remover with electrolysis?

Have a rusty chain and want to remove the rust. Heard that you can put a chain in a bucket of water with Epsom salt mixed in. Hook up a battery charger negative connection to the chain and drop the positive into the bucket and put it on low charge and it will remove the rust in a couple hours.

Anybody try this?

If you want to try something other than electrolosys, Try Evaporust. It works great. It is non-toxic and does an excellent job. Soak it overnight and the rust will be gone in the morning. I used it on some old hand plane parts and was amazed. I picked it up at Autozone in the body work section.

i have never tried it but the way heard is you use baking soda and you want to use a "consumable" like a scrap piece of steel on the positive so you destroy your positive clamp

Yes, been there, done that, with 5 gallon bucket, rebar, and a trickle charger.
The only thing I have ever done was an old rusty pair of pliers that were frozen when I started, and a couple of pieces of rusty metal I found in the yard. It took more than a couple of hours, but it did remove the rust pretty good.
I have pics someplace. I'll have to look when I get home tonight.

what you have to worry about is having good conductivity to all of the parts of the chain, and having the rusty surfaces face the anode. This may mean changing how the chain sits in the solution a couple of times, depending on how you set up the container where you're doing this.

Assuming you are talking about a saw chain, you might consider just immersing the chain in thin oil for a few days, and then running it. If it has a little flex in it after sitting in the oil for a couple of days, running a few revs on the bar will loosen it right up, and when you cut something it'll shine the chain right up.

Chris

I've tried both Electrolysis and Evapo-Rust to clean up old tools. For something like a chain, I'd use Evaporust, it's quicker and less setup, and small enough to be manageable. I only use Electrolysis when the part is too big to be submerged in ~1 gallon of evapo.

Why not make it three Richmond area posts in a row? I think you would have better results on a small item like this with a solution rather than the electrolysis method. You could also try soda blasting first if that is an option to clean it up and then soak it to get at the rust between the links.

Chris, did you work for LandAmerica?

If it were Me, I'd steal some vinegar out of the ol' ladys' kitchen and soak it in that for a few days.

Steveo_supremo said:

If it were Me, I'd steal some vinegar out of the ol' ladys' kitchen and soak it in that for a few days.

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Do you recommend white or cider? :hmm3grin2orange:

White.

How well does the white vinegar work? As well as the evapo-rust?

My personal experience is that vinegar didn't work nearly as well as EOR, but I was working on some pretty crusty stuff. I've heard other guys swear by it.

Here is a great article on rust removal in a relatively safe way - no acids or explosive electrolosis.

I use these products since 2003 with great success..Very similar to the evaporust and possibly the mfg.

available is spray pumps, gallons, 5 gallons and larger.

http://www.cortecvci.com/Publications/Brochures/Surfacebroc/SurfaceBroch.pdf

My concern with electrolysis is that it can remove more metal than needed for chains, pins and links.

These other veg based products work in minutes vs hours and rinse with water

Not to be arrogant, but since I've spent a few Decades working with rust removal processes, I'll try to correct some misperceptions here.

First, All acids should be avoided on a cutting chain because of how acids act on rust.

Electrolosys (actually a misnomer) would be iffy on chains given the lack of conductivity inherent to the chain. If you insist on using the electrical method it should be done in 2 steps, the first bath using a sodium silicate based cleaner to remove all the oil which will then allow electrical removal of rust.
I've developed the process sufficiently over 30 years that my tanks run 24/7 with clear solution and no scum layer on top. Toolboxtalk -> Electrolytic Rust Removal

Were I doing cutting chains I'd elect to do a chelation process in a molasses tank, which could be as simple as a capped piece of PVC pipe containing agricultural molasses. This should be done after removing all possible grease by cleaning with dishwashing soap. Of course should you have money to piss away feel free to employ Evaporust. It's a very expensive way of doing the molasses process.

Were I doing cutting chains I'd elect to do a chelation process in a molasses tank, which could be as simple as a capped piece of PVC pipe containing agricultural molasses. This should be done after removing all possible grease by cleaning with dishwashing soap. Of course should you have money to piss away feel free to employ Evaporust. It's a very expensive way of doing the molasses process.[/QUOTE]

Now were talking....go on!

Doderman makes a good case for having real applied knowledge for corrosion removal.

Most "rusts" are simply metal oxides of the metal being electrically drawn from the base metal.

Knowing how to do it without "more power=faster" is key..

Both "electrolysis and chemical methods" are similar in NATURE.

Mechanical methods like grinding and steel wool are superficial at best. removal of a rust is best done where you get into the metal pore (grain).

The best method for me is the one I can use as needed safely and with quality real results with reasonable economics and minimal environmental impact. I can use a brush, dip or spray Cortec system as required. It can be used in a PVC pipe dip method over again.

As he said stay away from phosphoric acids, they can burn and do more harm than good with precision assemblies like chains, pins and cutting edges.

The new liquid "green" cleaners can be very cost effective as well- and yes a molasses based system I would consider green.

I had great success with 1 gallon of white vinegar,1 small lemon juice,and about 1 cup of salt.
Soak the rusty parts in it.

Guido Salvage said:

Chris, did you work for LandAmerica?

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Yep, until 11-2008. May Ted Chandler rot in....

Chris

hitechredneck said:

Doderman makes a good case for having real applied knowledge for corrosion removal.

Most "rusts" are simply metal oxides of the metal being electrically drawn from the base metal.


Both "electrolysis and chemical methods" are similar in NATURE.

Really? Would you like to explain to me how the hell you arrive at that statement?
The only similarity I see is the rust is gone.

Mechanical methods like grinding and steel wool are superficial at best. removal of a rust is best done where you get into the metal pore (grain).

The best method for me is the one I can use as needed safely and with quality real results with reasonable economics and minimal environmental impact. I can use a brush, dip or spray Cortec system as required. It can be used in a PVC pipe dip method over again.

As he said stay away from phosphoric acids, they can burn and do more harm than good with precision assemblies like chains, pins and cutting edges.

WHOA just a damn minute, don't put words in my mouth!
If you want to use an acid system Phosphoric is to only acid that stops acting when it reaches clean steel. Just about every other acid will continue to eat into good steel, including Acetic, Muriatic, Tannic, and Citric. Phosphoric at 5% concentration in water will convert rust to Iron Phosphate, and done properly become a bonded layer you can paint over. Phosphoric at 40% concentration will remove rust and leave clean steel.

BE DAMN CAREFUL WITH PHOSPHORIC AROUND ALUMINUM. Even at 2% concentration Phosphoric will dissolve aluminum.

As to being "green" phosphoric is used in agriculture to fertilize rowcrops and disinfect and clean milk lines.


The new liquid "green" cleaners can be very cost effective as well- and yes a molasses based system I would consider green.

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If you meant John Deere by Green, pressurewash the thing.

Although there is only one fundamental mechanism of corrosion, the electrochemical cell, there are several Corrosion forms or Corrosion Types that can occur.
Each form of attack has a specific arrangement of anodes and cathodes and the corrosion which occurs has a specific location and pattern.

rust and corrosion is an "electron"- "chemical" affect. Removing rust is done in similar controlled systems..

applying a higher voltage energy can accellerate it due to potential difference. Lots of ways of rusting and derusting takes place lots of ways but all have a common mechanism.

Enough on chemistry..

And I do like green Deere's but prefer red Massey Fergusons..

Phosphoric acid tastes great

Balanced small % of phosphoric acid also tastes good.. adds that slight sweet bite to Coca Cola and lots of other drinks and foods...
some folks claim to use soda drinks to remove light surface rusts..