Any of u guys ever try it on rusty parts? Or is chemical removal the way to go?

 

If the parts are small enough, or if you have a big enough tank, use Evap-o-rust. For larger stuff it's hand sanders or grinders followed by metal prep and epoxy primer.

 

I've been using electrolysis for years. It's a slow process but it works great. I use it along with my blasting cabinet. Most real rough parts spend a couple days in the tank first. It's really easy and works great.

 

Some of the street rod guys sometimes use a mixture of food grade molassas and water to soak rusted parts in.

 

I'm with Edz - Evap-o-Rust works awesomely. I don't have any experience with electrolysis.

 

Electrolysis works well as does Evap-o-Rust. Be certain not to reverse the leads when using electrolysis or the part you want to clean will become the sacrificial anode.

 

I had to bust in.

...and, it works - takes some time, but effective. Basically, molasses contains several chelators operating as ligands - ligands are Lewis Bases (in chemistry). This essentially means a Lewis Base has a net negative charge & readily accepts a net positive charged metal ion (such as that found in an iron (Fe3+) oxide. Simple, but effective. The ligand (Lewis Base) net negative charge (-) binds to the rust (Iron [Ferrous] Oxide) net positive charge (+) to remove rust.

At the very basic level - think of adding a base (-) to an acid (+). The base draws positive ions from the acid solution until the acid solution is neutralized. If you take this basic process far enough, you will have removed all of the positive (+) free ions from the acid solution.

 

I have done electrolysis before and had very good results. It was slow but that didn't bother me.

 

I want to try electrolysis on a bucket seat frame but in researching, there are comments that it is "line of sight" meaning that the parts of the frame that are not facing the anode will not be "cleaned". Is this correct? For my application Evaporust would be expensive (but I know it works as I've used it in the past), and I've heard of Metal911 which is a concentrate and cheaper than Evaporust, but have not tried it. Is molassas cost effective?

 

The key to electrolysis is “surrounding” the item(s) with proper configuration of the anodes. Using one or more anodes located on one side of a tank might work for some things, but not as effective as surrounding the items from four sides (sometimes five). I use nice size rebar attached on each of four sides. It will draw to each anode from four sides. You can use more anodes if you like, but location is key.

 

I don't know about the "line of sight" concern but that can be fixed by putting several anodes around the perimeter of the container. It's easy and inexpensive to try.

I've read not to have stainless anywhere in the process as it off-gases dangerous substances???

Good luck!!!

 

The real pimp electrolysis setups are typically a 5 gallon bucket with vertical rebar around the outside, and sometimes the bottom, wired together. The work is suspended in the middle, thus you get line of sight to everything but "up".

 

I’ve seen all kinds of contraptions. Here are the basics. This person knows what he’s doing.

 

Stainless will off-gas Chromium.

 

Pimping….

 

Thanks for the vid!! Can't wait to try it.

 

I have soaked rusted tools etc in olive oil. I let things sit for maybe a week at times. Cleaned up and lubed the tools.

 

Olive oil is a new one I haven't heard of before. Molasses can be a pretty inexpensive route if you have the means of disposing of it once you're done. I have a car restoration friend who I originally heard about it from and, since it's used a lot for various farm animals, you can get a 55 gallon drum of it pretty cheap at most farm supply places. As you can imagine, this could be pretty handy for large, cumbersome car parts. Drop them in the barrel of molasses and let the magic happen. Downside is it can attract stuff like mice and you ultimately have to figure out how to dispose of it. I suspect Mr. Ed might turn his nose up after you've had your way with that barrel and a stash of rusty parts.

 

Wilbur, on the other hand, might find it appealing.

 

I tried using molasses before to clean rusted parts. You can buy it cheaply at a farm & home store. IMHO, it's only useful for descaling large parts like control arms, springs or maybe an oil pan or valve covers. It creates quite a mess and disposal could be a PITA. I'll stick to using molasses on my pancakes and in my homebrew.

 

Thanks for all the replies. Been a lurker n here for awhile but about to start making things happen with the 77 403. The part in question is the stock intake manifold. Sounds like chemical action might be a better option.

I was gonna get an edelbrock intake but they seem hard to find at the moment and expensive. I will clean this one up and paint it corporate blue like stock.. 🚗

 

For stock iron metal intake manifold cleanup I use a strong base e.g. NaOH (Sodium Hydroxide). The easiest application is Easy Off Oven Cleaner which contains ~5-10% NaOH. Any pure Lye (NaOH) solution will readily and very quickly dissolve all grease/oil from the substrate. You can find other oven cleaners (less expensive) but many won't contain NaOH. NaOH is the active agent you want to dissolve grease/oil. Where gloves and goggles when using NaOH (Lye). Extremely inexpensive to mix your own NaOH (Lye) solution. Apply let it soak (bubble), wire brush & rinse with water.

 

The thing is you do not use straight molasses. It should be mixed about 1 gallon to 10 gallons of distilled water. After using it, it can be poured on your yard for fertilizer, is not harmful. Might stink for awhile, but harmless.

 

I use Muriatic Acid. It dissolve rust like magic. You can buy it at Home Depot or Lowes. I pour it in a plastic bin and add the rusted metals and it will eat it up. I rinse it away with brake cleaner. You MUST wear long rubber gloves.

 

A little late in my response, but the following is a link to when I used electrolysis for rust removal.

https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...84/#post466532

 

Is it ok put chrome plated wrenches etc. in the electrolysis bath?

 

Used half a dozen 5% and a 30% vinegar solution, diluted with water to about half in a 55 gallon barrel. Cleaned up two sets of rims, some bumper brackets. Took two days and could fit two rims in at a time. Have an engine block soaking in it now. Baking soda bath and power wash, amazing how well it works and no disposal issues.