Author Topic: Cleaning Electro - Reverse & SS Chromium  (Read 11635 times)

Offline Paul Hummel

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Re: Cleaning Electro
« Reply #20 on: July 17, 2006, 06:51:08 PM »
I've been   [smiley=read.gif] the manuel that came with my  CPR electro  [smiley=shocking.gif] cleaning operation.   The O hi O i can clean cast iron cleaning system. [smiley=bath.gif]
   
[smiley=thumbsup.gif]
                                                   
Paul H.
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« Last Edit: July 17, 2006, 06:59:35 PM by bikepath »

Offline Wesley Schultz

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Re: Cleaning Electro
« Reply #21 on: July 20, 2006, 12:15:45 PM »
When I clean my pan, if I have the anode in the bottom of the tub, will I have to flip the pan over and do it twice to get both sides clean? If so, how can I assure that there are no air bubbles trapped in the pan when it is upside down. My tub is not large enough to flip the pan while it is submerged. I would imagine that anywhere there is trapped air there will be no cleaning action. This may sound like a dumb question but I'm trying to clear out as many question marks as I can before I actually do this.
Thanks

Offline Roger Barfield

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Re: Cleaning Electro
« Reply #22 on: July 20, 2006, 12:22:26 PM »
Quote
When I clean my pan, if I have the anode in the bottom of the tub, will I have to flip the pan over and do it twice to get both sides clean? If so, how can I assure that there are no air bubbles trapped in the pan when it is upside down. My tub is not large enough to flip the pan while it is submerged. I would imagine that anywhere there is trapped air there will be no cleaning action. This may sound like a dumb question but I'm trying to clear out as many question marks as I can before I actually do this.
Thanks


Bob, you are right, if you have air trapped then that part won't clean.  The cleaning occurs mostly on the side closest to the piece of metal you have on the positive lead.  In the old set up I used, I hung the sacrificial piece from the side and suspended the cast iron next to it and turned it around to clean the other side.  
As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.

Offline C. Perry Rapier

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Re: Cleaning Electro
« Reply #23 on: July 20, 2006, 12:39:15 PM »
Roger, I like your "sacrificial" piece talk. That says it all. Sometimes I get the anode and whatever that other thing is called cornfused, I can't even remember what its called.

BUT, I can remember red rhymes with dead and that means "sacrificial". And since you only got two leads, and the red goes to the dead, that means the other one,the black one, goes to the piece you wanna clean, NOT sacrifice.

Sorry folks, I'm just a common man, drive a common van, my dog ain't got a pedigree. I do believe thats John Conally, I wouldn't swear to it though.

Offline Wesley Schultz

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Re: Cleaning Electro
« Reply #24 on: July 20, 2006, 12:40:58 PM »
A light just went on in my head. For the cooking surface side I could set the pan in the bottom right side up and the anode above it. That way I could be sure of no air bubbles. Any reason why that wouldn't work?

Offline Ed Allspaugh

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Re: Cleaning Electro
« Reply #25 on: July 20, 2006, 08:55:10 PM »
I can think of no reason that would not work Bob. Good idea.
 Perry, black to the black iron. Even if it ain't black iron think of it as if it is.
  Oh yeah, Anode positive lead red ,,, Cathode negative lead black. Just refreshing your memory.  ;)
Gray Iron-- Old as antiquity, new as tomorrow.

Offline C. Perry Rapier

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Re: Cleaning Electro
« Reply #26 on: July 20, 2006, 09:45:13 PM »
Quote
I can think of no reason that would not work Bob. Good idea.
 Perry, black to the black iron. Even if it ain't black iron think of it as if it is.
  Oh yeah, Anode positive lead red ,,, Cathode negative lead black. Just refreshing your memory.  ;)


Ed, thanks, I forgot about that cathode thing, whatever that is  :o. Also, your black to black makes more sense than my red is dead.

Steve Stephens, now when you start using that electro system, don't come on here and ask if its nickeled or chrome how do you hook it up.  ;D Seriously, that was a good thread. I learned a lot and we got some beautiful pictures, after Jerry quit being stingy with showing us his cast iron.  ;D

joetsou

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Re: Cleaning Electro
« Reply #27 on: July 25, 2006, 01:58:42 AM »
Hi, Folks!

I set up my electro bath today. I used a cracked "Erie" #10 as my sacrificial iron ( :'(...thanks to yet another bad package and the US postal service) and a Griz slant #6 as the piece to be cleaned. My electrolyte is my lye (NaOH) bath, and the power source was my battery charger10/30/50). I place the smaller pan inside the bigger one and used a thin layer of fine fiberglass mesh to separate the skillets. Well, the action was quite lively from the start, but in two hours the current slowed and then stopped. I have read earlier that the commercial charger has a built-in 2 hours limit. I suppose it is a safety feature. My questions are:

(1) Is there anyway I can get around the time limit?
(2) How long it would take for a 10 amp charge to do the job?

Thank you in advance

Joe

joetsou

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Re: Cleaning Electro
« Reply #28 on: July 25, 2006, 11:24:48 AM »
Hi, Folks!

Just want to let you know that I have solved the automatic shutdown problem of my electro unit. I have discovered that it was a heat related problem. The charger shuts off when the unit temperature reached a certain limit. My solution was to place a plastic grate between the pans to increased the gap between them, thus reducing the current flow. I also placed a small fan directly on the vents of the charger to cool it. This way I have maintained a steady 20 amps charging currents without the troublesome automatic shutdowns. I am eager to see the end result.

Joe

Offline Gerald Melsheimer

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Re: Cleaning Electro
« Reply #29 on: July 25, 2006, 11:47:04 AM »
Joe

I used a milk crate to separate items and ended up with the pattern of the crate on the bottom of a DO.  Have not seasoned it yet; don't know if it will show after that or not.  Anyone else experienced this?

Jerry

joetsou

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Re: Cleaning Electro
« Reply #30 on: July 25, 2006, 12:47:17 PM »
Dear Jerry:

How long did you leave yours in the bath and at what amperage? After reading your post I moved mine a little so that the grid pattern of the grating won't show up on mine.

Thanks!

Joe

Offline Gerald Melsheimer

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Re: Cleaning Electro
« Reply #31 on: July 25, 2006, 01:19:29 PM »
Joe

I am using a Sears max 10 amps so it's a somewhat slow process.  I didn't time how long it was in there.  Sometimes items are in there for a week or more.  I'm want to get a larger charger when I can find one at a reasonable price.

Jerry

joetsou

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Re: Cleaning Electro
« Reply #32 on: July 25, 2006, 05:05:52 PM »
Dear Jerry:

I took mine out after 5 hours at steady 20 amps because the electrolyte was getting hot. The end results were as shown. The sacrificial Erie #10 was an awful mess of rust, as if it had come out of the lake after being sunken for a century. The Griz #6, the cathode, was clean, grey metal, although the pitted areas remained pitted. You were right, the grate left a mark on the bottom of the pan. I immediately greased it and it is now less noticeble. Next time I will use just 3 pin point support instead of the plastic grating.  

Joe
« Last Edit: July 25, 2006, 05:07:51 PM by joetsou »

Offline Mike Bohannon

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Re: Cleaning Electro
« Reply #33 on: July 25, 2006, 09:19:53 PM »
Jerry and Joe,  I'm only a few months ahead of you.  I've done all you guys are doing! :)   If you are only going to clean a few pieces just rotate and turn over the piece you are cleaning to 'get it all' cleaned and keep on as you are.  The next step will to be buy a rubber/plastic trash can so you can suspend the piece to be cleaned and don't have to deal with the milk crate patterns!   Not many have the solid CPR SS barrel!  More AMPS is faster.  Half the fun is 'the way I do it is the best'. ;D  Mike







remember to have the 'red is dead' piece in 'line of sight'.

Offline Roger Barfield

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Re: Cleaning Electro
« Reply #34 on: July 25, 2006, 11:34:47 PM »
Quote
remember to have the 'red is dead' piece in 'line of sight'.

I just remember black iron.  I want the one I'm cleaning to end up with that nice black cast iron look.  However, I like the sound of red is dead.  Just don't ever let the two touch or it's the battery charger that's dead. [smiley=grim.gif]
As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.

joetsou

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Re: Cleaning Electro
« Reply #35 on: July 26, 2006, 12:10:45 AM »
Mike and Roger,

Thank you for your posts! I am happy that I can get so much help here at this forum and we all can learn and benefit from other's experiences. I have several pieces coming in and I will get more electro cleaning done in the next couple of weeks.

Joe

Offline Gerald Melsheimer

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Re: Cleaning Electro
« Reply #36 on: July 26, 2006, 06:25:36 AM »
Mike and Roger.  It's reasuring to know that others have been there and done that too when it comes to the learning curve.  I started with a 5 gal bucket and a piece of stainless and the charger; all items on hand.  Now I have half a 55gal plastic drum, a larger piece of stainless and the same charger.  The other half of the drum is for the lye soak.  I think we all look for the bigger is better.

Jerry

Offline Scott Sanders

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Re: Cleaning Electro
« Reply #37 on: July 26, 2006, 09:41:59 AM »
Joe.........I don't think too many of those using electrolysis are using a lye bath solution.  I believe they are using a PH+ type of solution (someone help here again with the scientific term for this stuff).  It is not as dangerous as lye and I think you can even put your hands in it (I'd turn off the charger first though).  I'm sure others will correct me if I am wrong.  The great procrastinator here hasn't got around to setting up a CPR electo system yet, but it's on my list of things to do in the near future.  Must be something about us SS's.  Anyway, be careful with lye in your electro.

Scott..........the other SS
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joetsou

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Re: Cleaning Electro
« Reply #38 on: July 26, 2006, 11:57:13 AM »
Dear Scott:

Thanks for the info. Yesterday I left the unit running and went out for lunch with my daughter. When I returned I told my daughter as I pulled up to the driveway that (1) The house is still standing (2) There is no outward bulge on the garage door, so I must still be doing OK.

I probably will set up a NaHCO3 bath for electrolysis in a larger unit. If you see me rounding up all the rusty old skillets on eBay then you know I've got myself a side business going....