So I tried the electrolysis rust removal thing over the weekend and
here's what happened:
Bought the Washing Soda (sodium carbonate) and a $40 battery charger
from Lowes.
Hooked up the positive to an old file, the negative to an old plane
iron, submerged the items, avoiding contact but maintaining line of
sight, turned on the charger and, nothing.
Flipped the switch several times, and, for some reason, the charge
took and bubbles began to rise from the file. I didn't know why the
charge didn't take the first time.
Okay, test complete, replace the plane iron with a #8 Bailey.
Submerge the item, no contact, flip the switch. Nothing.
I flipped the switch and 'adjusted' the clips on the positive and
negative pieces (anode and cathode?), and eventually, after much
flipping, the charge took (as shown on the meter, 2 or 3). Bubbles
appeared, and I left before I broke it again.
Came back a few hours later, turned the contraption off and checked
out the results. Quite Good!
Cool, so now let's do a plane iron. Repeated above procedures, but
despite my best switch flipping and contact adjusting, no luck. So I
gave up and now I'm asking this question:
Is this a connection/contact issue? Do I need a more 'clean' area to
connect to? Is the charger, which has such magical things as polarity
and spark protection, too 'safe' for this use? IOW, is it protected
against this type of thing? And if so, did it work for me the first
couple of times b/c I 'tricked' it into working by the multiple,
frenetic flipping of switches?
If anyone with help or insights or encouragement or any other such
feedback would be so kind as to respond, I would be much abliged!
Doug VH
My #8 is a really old one from the eBay. It has about two flecks of
japanning left on it. It was covered with rust. Like I said, I did get
this to work a couple of times, and now the tub of solution has a nice
orange-ish layer on the bottom of it, presumably the rust that was on
the object.
Tony D. wrote:
> Be careful you don't leave the plane body in too long, it can start to
> remove the paint(japan). DAMHIKT.
> Thanks, Tony D.
>
> [email protected] (Doug) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
>
>>So I tried the electrolysis rust removal thing over the weekend and
>>here's what happened:
>>
>>Bought the Washing Soda (sodium carbonate) and a $40 battery charger
>>from Lowes.
>>
>>Hooked up the positive to an old file, the negative to an old plane
>>iron, submerged the items, avoiding contact but maintaining line of
>>sight, turned on the charger and, nothing.
>>
>>Flipped the switch several times, and, for some reason, the charge
>>took and bubbles began to rise from the file. I didn't know why the
>>charge didn't take the first time.
>>
>>Okay, test complete, replace the plane iron with a #8 Bailey.
>>Submerge the item, no contact, flip the switch. Nothing.
>>
>>I flipped the switch and 'adjusted' the clips on the positive and
>>negative pieces (anode and cathode?), and eventually, after much
>>flipping, the charge took (as shown on the meter, 2 or 3). Bubbles
>>appeared, and I left before I broke it again.
>>
>>Came back a few hours later, turned the contraption off and checked
>>out the results. Quite Good!
>>
>>Cool, so now let's do a plane iron. Repeated above procedures, but
>>despite my best switch flipping and contact adjusting, no luck. So I
>>gave up and now I'm asking this question:
>>
>>Is this a connection/contact issue? Do I need a more 'clean' area to
>>connect to? Is the charger, which has such magical things as polarity
>>and spark protection, too 'safe' for this use? IOW, is it protected
>>against this type of thing? And if so, did it work for me the first
>>couple of times b/c I 'tricked' it into working by the multiple,
>>frenetic flipping of switches?
>>
>>If anyone with help or insights or encouragement or any other such
>>feedback would be so kind as to respond, I would be much abliged!
>>
>>
>>Doug VH
Doug <[email protected]> wrote:
> Came back a few hours later, turned the contraption off and checked
> out the results. Quite Good!
> Cool, so now let's do a plane iron. Repeated above procedures, but
> despite my best switch flipping and contact adjusting, no luck. So I
> gave up and now I'm asking this question:
Try connecting a small 12V battery in parallel with
the charger. Some chargers will not work if there
is not a small amount of voltage already present on
the battery they are trying to charge. I am guessing
that some sort of safety feature such as that is
causing the problem. A small lawn-mower battery
should be fairly cheap. You might even have one
around to try it out with.
Bill Ranck
Blacksburg, Va.
Your voltage to size of item or distance between items is jacked up. You are
electroplating. The further the distance between the two objects the more
voltage required to complete the circuit. The electricity has to pass from
one item to another. Also, the conductivity of the water to begin with will
dictate how much voltage you need. To decrease the amount of voltage
required move the objects closer together. The smaller the objects the less
current required. Also, 70 volts AC or DC is enough volts to go through you.
Should it pass through your heart it will kill you.
Try this:
Get a pint jar and fill with vinegar. Add 1 tablespoon of salt. Dump in a
few iron screws or nails. Put the top on and let it sit there. Shake it
every day or so. The vinegar will dissolve the iron. After a few days take
out the iron nails/screws. Attach one lead of your battery to your object
and the other lead to an iron nail/screw. Shake up the mixture very good and
submerge the object and the iron nail/screw. If the object starts bubbling
reverse the leads.
What happens: You've dissolved iron into solution. As you apply current the
current drags the iron that's in solution to your item on it's way back to
the battery.
Sam
"Doug" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> So I tried the electrolysis rust removal thing over the weekend and
> here's what happened:
>
> Bought the Washing Soda (sodium carbonate) and a $40 battery charger
> from Lowes.
>
> Hooked up the positive to an old file, the negative to an old plane
> iron, submerged the items, avoiding contact but maintaining line of
> sight, turned on the charger and, nothing.
>
> Flipped the switch several times, and, for some reason, the charge
> took and bubbles began to rise from the file. I didn't know why the
> charge didn't take the first time.
>
> Okay, test complete, replace the plane iron with a #8 Bailey.
> Submerge the item, no contact, flip the switch. Nothing.
>
> I flipped the switch and 'adjusted' the clips on the positive and
> negative pieces (anode and cathode?), and eventually, after much
> flipping, the charge took (as shown on the meter, 2 or 3). Bubbles
> appeared, and I left before I broke it again.
>
> Came back a few hours later, turned the contraption off and checked
> out the results. Quite Good!
>
> Cool, so now let's do a plane iron. Repeated above procedures, but
> despite my best switch flipping and contact adjusting, no luck. So I
> gave up and now I'm asking this question:
>
> Is this a connection/contact issue? Do I need a more 'clean' area to
> connect to? Is the charger, which has such magical things as polarity
> and spark protection, too 'safe' for this use? IOW, is it protected
> against this type of thing? And if so, did it work for me the first
> couple of times b/c I 'tricked' it into working by the multiple,
> frenetic flipping of switches?
>
> If anyone with help or insights or encouragement or any other such
> feedback would be so kind as to respond, I would be much abliged!
>
>
> Doug VH
Yeah AC would make the ions go toward one piece and then towards the other.
In america it'd be 60 times per second. I doubt anything would stick.
"Doug Van Horn" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I have an old 'vampire/pregnant' plug that says it's output is 18VAC,
> 800mA, as opposed to DC. Would that be an issue here? I know I can
> find an old DC at work, but I was curious as to your opinion.
>
> Andy Dingley wrote:
>
> > On 25 Aug 2003 11:18:57 -0700, [email protected] (Doug) wrote:
> >
> >
> >>Bought [...] a $40 battery charger
> >
> >
> > Too expensive. It probably includes battery-sensing bits that are
> > getting confused.
> >
> > - Ballast it with a car battery in parallel.
> >
> > - Ballast with a 9V PP3 battery _and_ a diode !
> >
> > - Get a cheap old one.
> >
> > - Use an old & redundant computer PSU. The larger "pregnant plugs"
> > from HST modems and HP Deskjet printers have enough current to work
> > here. Anything from 10V-20V is workable.
> >
> > Similarly, avoid "switch mode" PSUs. These need a minimum current draw
> > and will often go into a shutdown mode if you disconnect their
> > outputs.
> >
> >
> > Try to find an ammeter too. Something that tells you "0, 100mA or
> > 1500mA" is useful.
> >
>
I have an old 'vampire/pregnant' plug that says it's output is 18VAC,
800mA, as opposed to DC. Would that be an issue here? I know I can
find an old DC at work, but I was curious as to your opinion.
Andy Dingley wrote:
> On 25 Aug 2003 11:18:57 -0700, [email protected] (Doug) wrote:
>
>
>>Bought [...] a $40 battery charger
>
>
> Too expensive. It probably includes battery-sensing bits that are
> getting confused.
>
> - Ballast it with a car battery in parallel.
>
> - Ballast with a 9V PP3 battery _and_ a diode !
>
> - Get a cheap old one.
>
> - Use an old & redundant computer PSU. The larger "pregnant plugs"
> from HST modems and HP Deskjet printers have enough current to work
> here. Anything from 10V-20V is workable.
>
> Similarly, avoid "switch mode" PSUs. These need a minimum current draw
> and will often go into a shutdown mode if you disconnect their
> outputs.
>
>
> Try to find an ammeter too. Something that tells you "0, 100mA or
> 1500mA" is useful.
>
On Wed, 27 Aug 2003 11:42:01 GMT, Doug Van Horn
<[email protected]> wrote:
>I have an old 'vampire/pregnant' plug that says it's output is 18VAC,
>800mA, as opposed to DC. Would that be an issue here? I know I can
>find an old DC at work, but I was curious as to your opinion.
It _must_ be DC. Stick a diode, or a bridge rectifier in there.
800mA isn't really enough for doing plane bodies though.
On 25 Aug 2003 11:18:57 -0700, [email protected] (Doug) wrote:
>Bought [...] a $40 battery charger
Too expensive. It probably includes battery-sensing bits that are
getting confused.
- Ballast it with a car battery in parallel.
- Ballast with a 9V PP3 battery _and_ a diode !
- Get a cheap old one.
- Use an old & redundant computer PSU. The larger "pregnant plugs"
from HST modems and HP Deskjet printers have enough current to work
here. Anything from 10V-20V is workable.
Similarly, avoid "switch mode" PSUs. These need a minimum current draw
and will often go into a shutdown mode if you disconnect their
outputs.
Try to find an ammeter too. Something that tells you "0, 100mA or
1500mA" is useful.