My electro setup - Pics and questions

[miniwoodworker]

Also, there is a good deal of white carbonate crud floating on the surface and sticking to the sides.

Is this what I'm supposed to get? Am I screwing up? Is the garbage can acceptable?  

After looking at your pix, I'm wondering if part of what you're seeing is the electro process removing the galvanized coating from the trash can. I haven't tried using anything galvanized for the sacrificial metal, so this is speculation on my part.

Lee

[ysageev]

Ok, just went and picked up the DieHard manual charger and here are the results.  Getting decent bubbling.  Right now the water is very cold and I'm getting about 10 amps throughput.  

[ysageev]

Bubbles.  Not boiling but much, much better.  Is the bubbling supposed to be stronger than this?  The water was clear and now it is completely cloudy.

[ysageev]

At the beginning...

[ysageev]

Also, there is a good deal of white carbonate crud floating on the surface and sticking to the sides.

Is this what I'm supposed to get? Am I screwing up? Is the garbage can acceptable?  

After looking at your pix, I'm wondering if part of what you're seeing is the electro process removing the galvanized coating from the trash can. I haven't tried using anything galvanized for the sacrificial metal, so this is speculation on my part.

Lee

This won't plate my part with aluminum, will it?   :-?

[Jeff Friend]

Yair,

My guess is that the zinc is being stripped off the trash can and is precipitating as zinc carbonate as soon as it goes into solution.  You may have a layer of this precipitated material adhering to the can.  I don't know if this could create enough resistance so that only 10 A is flowing.

Try moving the iron closer to the can and see if the current increases.  Although I only use 10 A for my setup, I don't think you should see enough gas being liberated so the whole tub looks like it's boiling.

I suppose it is possible for some zinc (not aluminum) to plate on your iron, but at a pH of 10+, not much zinc will be in solution.

I like that charger . . . may need to run over to Sears and upgrade.

Jeff

[ysageev]

Jeff, the charger is only 79 clams.  They also have another manual version that can put out 50 amps and a midrange 20 amps.  It costs $164, however.  Thank you Sandy!

I noticed that the amperage increases to about 20 when I wire brush the sides of the can.  It stays about 20 for about a minute then drops to 10.  I've also noticed that if I just pump the items up and down to stir the mix and then turn on the charger, amps start at 15 and go down.  I tried moving the items closer to the sides but I'm worried about shorting it.  Right now I think they are about 1 inch from the sides.  The water temp is about 40 degrees, which may or may not have something to do with it.  I am getting decent rust removal, as the surface scum attests.  Right now it is quite brown and foamy.

I have a stainless steel sink in the basement that was removed when the house was renovated.  Think I'll upgrade to that eventually, or else check out the junkyard.  Maybe they have some drums or large containers available.

[Roger Barfield]

I have stainless steel sink in the basement that was removed when the house was renovated.  Think I'll upgrade to that eventually, or else check out the junkyard.  Maybe they have some drums or large containers available.

Yair, before I got my barrel from Perry, I was going to get some scrap stainless from a salvage yard and make a sleeve to go in side my plastic trash can.  As far as the bubbles, the water shouldn't boil, but rather look like the small bubbles you have above.  I bet that the galvanizing is slowing you down, but if you're getting 10amps it will still work.  I used to run my old set up at 20 amps because anything hotter and you can risk tempering the spring in the clamp on your negative lead as they can get hot.  An inch of space is close enough.  Just keep playing around with it and you'll get it.

[Dwayne Henson]

Yair,  The sacrificial piece can be almost anything. I'm currently using an old cast iron brake rotor off of my wife's mini-van. On top of the rotor, that is laid flat, I have a plastic grid and then I set the skillet on top of the grid. The skillet is only about 1/8" above the rotor and it cleans very well and very fast. Pulls about 20-30 amps. When the amps go down, I know it's time to scrap off the crud. True southern ingenuity with yankee thriftiness.

[ysageev]

Yair,  The sacrificial piece can be almost anything. I'm currently using an old cast iron brake rotor off of my wife's mini-van.

Did you replace the rotor in her car or did you just rip it out for the much-more-important electro?   ::)

I wonder if anybody has used an entire auto body for a great surrounding piece?   ;D

[ysageev]

Roger, can you post a pic of the type of barrel you bought from Perry?  If he has more I might see if any are for sale, although I'd hate to pay shipping for a huge hunk of metal (since I do this on Ebay all the time...).

Maybe some are are available locally.

[Dwayne Henson]

Way to go Yair, Now she's on to me! No more shade tree mechanic for her.

[Will Person]

Yair,  this is a barrel I got from Perry.   I think he is out.   Shipping was like $17.00 to me 3 states away.


Will 8-)

[ysageev]

Thanks Will, that looks like a super clean and elegant barrel.  (I never thought I'd say that about a barrel).

I'll see what I can find around here.  What amp throughput do you get with it and has it disintegrated appreciably from use?   [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

[Sandy Glenn]

Jeff, the charger is only 79 clams.  They also have another manual version that can put out 50 amps and a midrange 20 amps.  It costs $164, however.  Thank you Sandy!

Hey Yair... You're welcome.  That's a nice charger for that price.  Glad to see your Sears store had it in stock and you didn't have to order it online.

[ysageev]

Hallelujah

[Roger Barfield]

Roger, can you post a pic of the type of barrel you bought from Perry?  If he has more I might see if any are for sale, although I'd hate to pay shipping for a huge hunk of metal (since I do this on Ebay all the time...).

Maybe some are are available locally.

Yair, here is a thread with photos of my setup. It works great, but you can really use anything and get good results.  

http://www.griswoldandwagner.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1134401142/0#0

[ysageev]

Yair,

My guess is that the zinc is being stripped off the trash can and is precipitating as zinc carbonate as soon as it goes into solution.  You may have a layer of this precipitated material adhering to the can.  I don't know if this could create enough resistance so that only 10 A is flowing.

Nice call, Jeff.  Last night I left it run getting 10 amps.  Came back this morning and it had moved up to 20 amps.  Sides of the garbage can have lost most of the Zinc coating.  Everything is running smoothly.  Lots of brown foam and bubbles.

I wonder how long the can will last?   ;)

[Roger Barfield]

I wonder how long the can will last?

Yair, before I used the stainless, I used a piece of sheet metal and it lasted about 6 months.  When I saw the amps go down, I would take a wire brush and go over it.  Eventually, it got holes in it and I just threw it away.  Glad you're up and running though.  You will really like the way this works.  We have a section in the members area under the second section from the top.  It says Foundry list, PDF, PUPS and unusual, click that and go to links, links, links.  From thre click on before and after.  This is a section that was started, but didn't generate alot of interest.  There are some nice photos of what electro can do.  Keep us posted on you progress. ;)

[Jeff Friend]

Yair,

It's hard to say how long the trash can will last.  My guess is you'll be able to use it a long time (months) since you have a plastic can to contain the electrolyte.  The seams will probably be the first to go.  A few weeks ago, I electro-cleaned a cylinder for a Maytag engine in a coffee can.  The current flow was great and the cylinder came out very clean in less than a day, but the coffee can was like Swiss cheese.

Here is a suggestion.  After you run several pieces through the bath, let all of the iron settle out, then pour off the clear water into another container.  Hose out the trash can and use the wire brush like Roger said.  Get rid of the sludge in the bottom can, then pour your old electrolyte back in and top it off with some new electrolyte.