Ok, guys, help me out here.I decided to start small, so I made up about a quart of solution using washing soda (note: found it at Kroger's). I took an axle cap from my Allis B, about 3" diameter, which had been cleaned and dried. I hung it into the solution using alligator clip, and attached the negative lead to it. I took a small piece of mower blade scrap and did the same with the positive. I set my little battery charger to 10A at 12V and turned it on. 1. The first thing that happened was all the plating from the clips deplated, and all the grease broke free from the parts. THis made a lovely black scum that had to be cleaned from the bath and the scrap. LESSON 1 - wash the parts first. LESSON 2 - use unplated attachments when possible. 2. I cleaned out the solution and started again. After about 15 minutes the bubbles stopped. I pulled out the cap and about half the paint was loose. I cleaned it up, rotated it, and put it back in. I pulled out the scrap and cleaned the slime off with a wire wheel. LESSON 3 - wear clothes you don't like. 3. I had to repeat this about every 15 minutes. LESSON 4 - Use a bigger piece of scrap to allow more build-up time between cleaning. 4. After a day of messing, I had a cap that was basically paint free, no visible red rust, but black deposits where the rust had been. LESSON 5- This converts rust not removes rust. 5. I took the other cap and wire brushed it first, cleaned it in a solution identical to the electrolyte, then rinsed it and hooked it up. This time I used an old bearing cage to get more surface area. This decreased my cleaning frequency somewhat. Got essentially the same results, a rust free but not deposit free cap. Since I had wire brushed the loose stuff off it is smoother and took less time to clean. LESSON 5 - good prep work helps. This did a heck of a job of cleaning, I will probably start using this technique to degrease before painting. Still, most of my "heavy metal" will probably be cleaned with the sandblaster. I niew this as a great technique for destroying the last bit of rust in those delicate parts or deep pits, and particularly on sheet metal, but frankly I've had good luck with Rustoleum and good paint (if air and water can't get to rust it can't creep). Did I miss something?
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