Cleaning engine parts using Electrolysis...
- Imazdanation1
- Regular Member
- Posts: 40
- Joined: May 12th, 2006, 5:18 am
- Location: Johnson City, Tennessee
Cleaning engine parts using Electrolysis...
I have been cleaning some parts i have and a friend of mine suggested that i use Electrolysis i tried this and i was amazed on how clean it got alot of the parts that had hard to reach areas. After i used the electroysis to clean the parts i polished them a few times and they look almost like new now. So if you guys look into this method of cleaning parts i think you would be more than happy using it and it isn't that hard to do. I just did a search and learned the basics on Electrolysis it was pretty simple. If anyone has any further questions on how to do it post here or PM me i will try and get some pics up of some parts i did next week.
Keith
Keith
Electrolysis is generally not recommended for parts that have aluminium - like blocks, heads etc.
94 Mx-3 Precidia
1.8L 4Cyl DOHC newGen BP (used to be B6DE) ATX
http://www.mx-3.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=54032
http://www.cardomain.com/id/ariesdude
1.8L 4Cyl DOHC newGen BP (used to be B6DE) ATX
http://www.mx-3.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=54032
http://www.cardomain.com/id/ariesdude
i've been using it for months.. on some light, but mostly 14guage and under steel..
My Electrolysis Page
My Electroplating page
My WebGallery with many more pics then are shown on the Cdomain pages
My Electrolysis Page
My Electroplating page
My WebGallery with many more pics then are shown on the Cdomain pages
Seems more like a messy pain.
I took 2 IM's (curved and stock probe) front and back valve covers, all my brackets and little pieces to a machine shop who dunked them in the hot tank for 2 days and cleaned them all up nice...cost me $20 for all of it.
Last wknd i changed a wheel bearing and while appart i took the steering knuckle to a sandblasting shop who cleaned it better than new in 10 min for $20 on a Friday at 4:30.
As much as this technique may work, it just seems to me that the time and mess to be cleaned would make it not worth it.
**How do you dispose of that bubling frothy crap when your done?
** Does it create any harmful gasses?
Ever try using COKE?
I took 2 IM's (curved and stock probe) front and back valve covers, all my brackets and little pieces to a machine shop who dunked them in the hot tank for 2 days and cleaned them all up nice...cost me $20 for all of it.
Last wknd i changed a wheel bearing and while appart i took the steering knuckle to a sandblasting shop who cleaned it better than new in 10 min for $20 on a Friday at 4:30.
As much as this technique may work, it just seems to me that the time and mess to be cleaned would make it not worth it.
**How do you dispose of that bubling frothy crap when your done?
** Does it create any harmful gasses?
Ever try using COKE?
Ever try using COKE?
yeah there are easier ways... a gritblast gun for the compressor only costs $20
check my car domain
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2144443
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2144443
K so this is the earth..ROUND...
-Hot tanks are good and cheap but can and will eat small parts or light metal..
-Sandblasters are great but aren't always cheap, especially if it's a detailed part and needs a small grain media(and aluminum usually needs plastic media)
-** I just sturred the froth back into the liquid.
-** The gasses created will depend on the chemicals you use...
I use H2O+NaCl+Na3PO4·12H2O = roughly Cl+Na4PO4·36H20
I did this in my workroom in my basement and only got an indoor public pool type smell.. .but not even close to as strong..Outside of the room, with the door open, you could not smell it...
I did add some bleach to it later and that created an eye-watering amount of chorline gas.. so I aired out the room and went back to NaCl·H20...
I've used concentrated Phosphoric Acid and dipped the metal into it... Doesn't take off enough of the rust on it's own and it's more expensive..
My setup cost about $12 in material + $0.03/hr in electricity...and it's reusable..
Proper Disposal of the chemicals is simply use a fan to evaporate the water over a couple days then mix baking soda into the sludge.. it's nuetralized @ that point and as harmless as a rusting car...
-Hot tanks are good and cheap but can and will eat small parts or light metal..
-Sandblasters are great but aren't always cheap, especially if it's a detailed part and needs a small grain media(and aluminum usually needs plastic media)
-** I just sturred the froth back into the liquid.
-** The gasses created will depend on the chemicals you use...
I use H2O+NaCl+Na3PO4·12H2O = roughly Cl+Na4PO4·36H20
I did this in my workroom in my basement and only got an indoor public pool type smell.. .but not even close to as strong..Outside of the room, with the door open, you could not smell it...
I did add some bleach to it later and that created an eye-watering amount of chorline gas.. so I aired out the room and went back to NaCl·H20...
I've used concentrated Phosphoric Acid and dipped the metal into it... Doesn't take off enough of the rust on it's own and it's more expensive..
My setup cost about $12 in material + $0.03/hr in electricity...and it's reusable..
Proper Disposal of the chemicals is simply use a fan to evaporate the water over a couple days then mix baking soda into the sludge.. it's nuetralized @ that point and as harmless as a rusting car...
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- Senior Member
- Posts: 6451
- Joined: June 19th, 2004, 2:01 am
- Location: El Paso Tx U.S
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Nothing like good old kitchen stove oven cleaner.
-hec
MX-3 w/ curved neck millenia klde, boosted @ 5 psi. /bov and wastegate are good!/ nitto drag radial/ gutted interior/ millenia red top injectors, vortech fmu/aem wideband/ all bolts ons/ Car put together 100% by me. Mechanic? who needs a mechanic? ew.. real men work on their own cars!
MX-3 w/ curved neck millenia klde, boosted @ 5 psi. /bov and wastegate are good!/ nitto drag radial/ gutted interior/ millenia red top injectors, vortech fmu/aem wideband/ all bolts ons/ Car put together 100% by me. Mechanic? who needs a mechanic? ew.. real men work on their own cars!
you have to realize that those products simply dissolve the stuff off the surface of the metal.. which doesn't take it all off... and the rust will still be there for the most part...hgallegos915 wrote:Nothing like good old kitchen stove oven cleaner.
Electrolysis takes the FeO and releases the O atom.. effectively saving a bit of the metal..
Also... the oxygen released from the rust and from the water itself helps to remove EVERYTHING on the surface of the metal...
Yes i too use the electrolysis cleaning method on some small parts. I use almost the same setup as CYC uses. It is a very good method of cleaning parts and like CYC said it is reusable. Good job on bringing this to the attention of others i thought i was unique in using this method lol. Low cost and a reusable method to all that have not tried it i recommend it.
KJ
KJ