De-rustificatation via electrolysis

[Rockingkj]

Better living via chemistry and electrical attraction. Took this rusty Winchester plane iron from a rusty mess to not so bad looking in a few hours. All you need is a battery charger, washing soda, water, some wire and scrap steel. Dissolve a hand full is washing soda in water. Connect the positive to the scrap steel and the negative to the item to de-rustify (invented my own word). Turn on the battery charger and let the fine bubbling begin. Works on rusty gun parts too. Only removes the active rust not in-rusted steel. Do not have any non-ferrous parts it will eat those to nothing. Before and after pics. So much fun you will look for rusty stuff to clean up.

[LAGS]

I have done that type of rust removal before.
It works great on recently rusted objects.
For more prominent rust or gun bluing , I use Vinegar , or Vinegar mixed with Hydrogen Peroxide.
Both are safer to use rather than strong Acids.

[Rockingkj]

Works pretty good on old rust too. Could not tell this was a Colt mold before. No harmful chemicals involved.

[imashooter2]

I do electrolytic rust removal as my preferred method. Great results and the waste water goes down the sink with a clean conscience. Here’s my quick and easy setup.

http://imashooter2.com/pictures/ERR-out.jpg

http://imashooter2.com/pictures/ERR-in.jpg

And a link for those interested in the process.
http://schoepp.hylands.net/electrolyticrust.html

[DougGuy]

Don't ever cover up an e-tank or run it in an enclosed space like a closet. Electrolysis splits water molecules to produce hydrogen and oxygen. A VERY explosive combination in the right amounts. Run it in a well ventilated area.

[uscra112]

Another satisfied user here. My power supply is a very old non-electronic battery chsrger, and in front of that I have a small variac to modulate the voltage. Tje variac trick may not be compatible with these new-fangled computerized chargers.

[LAGS]

I too had to find an Old Style battery charger to use for a power supply.
I found one at a yard sale.
If I used my Modern Electronic Style battery charger , I had to kick start the power with a battery to tell the charger to kick on.

[405grain]

I've used this same process to clean up rusty machine tool parts. One time at work the coolant supply on a horizontal bandsaw stopped working. I found out that the guy operating it didn't know that he was supposed to be using water soluable oil, or dedicated liquid coolants, and had instead been using just straight water to cut parts with. Over time the tiny metal particles from stock that he's been cutting rusted and built up inside the coolant passages of the saw guides until they were completely clogged. It would have been difficult to root out all the rusted crud from those passages because they weren't easily accessible, and they were drilled at odd angles. A 5 gallon plastic bucket full of water with a handful of baking soda, and hooking everything up to a battery charger ate that rust away. I used a piece of copper plate as the positive electrode and connected the negative to the part. It took two days, and I had to replace the water & soda three times, but it worked and the saw guides were as good as new. I'm positive that this process would work for rusty gun parts, but keep in mind that it will remove rust, but it won't cure a pitted surface if the rust has eaten into the metal too badly.

[fastdadio]

I've done this to remove rust from inside a motorcycle gas tank. I was tempted to reverse the leads and try to copper coat the inside of the tank but decided against it.

[uscra112]

I've done this to remove rust from inside a motorcycle gas tank. I was tempted to reverse the leads and try to copper coat the inside of the tank but decided against it.

Brilliant. Wish I'd known this 50 years ago when I was restoring old BSAs. We used a fistful of nuts and dilute battery acid, but that involved a lot of shaking and turning of the tank, and of course you always got the acid on your clothes. I think that may have been the origin of the "distressed jeans" look. Plus you had to fish the nuts out with a magnet, which was mighty tedious.

[Rockingkj]

These locks were rusted solid before, functioning after.