Restoration Tip: Electrolysis Derusting

[Bob Carriere]

I used a plastic 45 gallon food product barrel and cut the top off.

Filled with water and mixed lye form the rural hardware store.....comes in 5 pounds plastic bottle...... made a fairly strong solution.

Using a piece of scraped restaurant stainless steel counter I made a huge sacrificial circular plate all around the inside of the drum...about 18 inches deep and 40 inches long..... suspended the parts to be cleaned in the solution. Small hanged from a broom handle.... the axle housings were hung form the bucket of the tractor and did only one half at a time.

A regular 12 volt 10 amp charge would almost glow red in about 5 minutes.

I reverted to using 3 large 12 volts batteries which would drain out in about 2 hours....... hydrogen bubbled real fast..... so I did all the work outside the barn in open air. Batteries were recharged overnight for a repeat.....

Lye solution had the advange of removing any oil or grease or even paint that might have been missed by the pressure washer. Solution also cleaned your hands very well as it desolves the fat in your skin...... watch your eyes for splashes...... and drops will make your jeans very religious....!!!!

Parts were rinced with the pressure washer.

Metal was ready to be sprayed with a phosphoric acid as soon as it air dried in the sun. When the phosphate coating dried I hand painted with POR 15.

It really works wonders........

Bob