The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Question on electrolysis & need container suggestions

I was wondering if the distance between the part & rebar makes much difference? I have been looking at all the Christmas storage containers on sale, but will probably end up getting a garbage can type container. I want to do my bed sill crossmembers, bumper brackets and maybe the bumpers even. Bed sills are 55" long. Any container suggestions?

Rubbermaid livestock water tanks. They aint cheap but you'll only have to buy one. I used one of the plastic storage containers and it disintegrated after a couple of years. (stored outside)

why buy something for such limited use?
rig up a wood [or even heavy cardboard] box from scrapo stuff and line it with 6 mil poly - can be made whatever size/shape suits the parts you're doing ... you don't want a large distance between the part and electrode, and with bigger parts it's faster to have multiple electrodes spaced around the part

Bill

Just what Bill said.

how about the little plastic frogs or fish pond deals folks put in their yard. Should be good in all kinds of weather but I don't know what they cost?

You can usually find used 55 gallon polyethylene drums on Craigslist in most areas. They go for $25 around here. They are usually sold as rain barrels but they are great for something like this.

check out your local water company ...they have lottsa plastic drums ..they get ALL there chemicals in them ..an they are happy to give em away after empty , lottsa sizes to choose from .
I know this as my Big Brother runs the local water treatment plant.
Tim

I have done a lot of electrolysis on my truck and I have used every thing from a bucket to a kiddie pool. I have heard of others using wood frames and plastic sheeting for liners which I am sure work quite well. You can also use PVC pipe for long narrow pieces or clean half of a large object at a time and then turn it around in the container to clean the other half.

The amount and proximity of anode are important, and it is pretty much line of sight from the annode that gets the best results. I have used multiple pieces of rebar wired together to cover larger parts. I supose you could even make an anode out of chicken wire and surround a small part suspended in the bath.

The only thing to be wary of is using stainless steel for an anode. It will not be consumed like regular mild steel and therefore will last much longer, but it will make the contents of your bath toxic which requires special disposal. If you use regular iron you can just pour the left over water on your lawn or down a drain.

Rich