The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop De-Rusting Tank

I copied the design from a fellow Stovebolter. It is an electrolytic de-rusting tank using the system described here in the forums. I built it 75 inches long by 32 inches wide by 24 inches deep. With just about 18 inches of water it is about 250 gallons. My only variation from the design I found here in the forums is I banded the outside 2 X 4's and added rollers and a drain. So far it works wonderfully!!!!

Please see the tank at: http://community.webshots.com/album/567635107oqoDNd

Thanks,

Martin

Wow,thats a nice tank you built. Post some pictures of the final derusting of your sheet metal.

Thanks,Tim

Hmmm, looks awfully familiar!

Just so you know, you shouldnt do it inside as it releases hydrogen which is very explosive should it see a spark.

Hello Rustednuts,

It should look familiar as I took it from pictures posted here on Stovebolt. As far as the hydrogen is concerned, here is a quote from the original article.

"No noxious fumes are produced. The method is self limiting: it is impossible to over clean an object. Small amounts of hydrogen are emitted in the electrolysis process. Good ventilation or an outdoor work site is all that is needed".

I have great ventilation, with a 16 foot ceiling and a 14 foot overhead door, which I leave open. A lot of the time I use a fan also.

I really appreciate your words of caution. Sometimes we either get lazy or don't know enough about stuff that we get ourselves in trouble (usually ME.) It's words of caution from others, if we heed them, which really help us all. Again, I appreciate your words of wisdom.

Martin

Martin,
You read a lott of Popular Mechanics magazine as Kid didnt ya?...lol that is one perfect tank!
cant wait to see the fender when it comes out of the tank.
Tim

Martin,
Yep, Thats a nice looking tank and the white C4 looks good also,what I can see of it.
What did you use for the chemical in the tank, I remember there was two types one could use or find for it.
Dan

Hi Dan,

What I used was just regular laundry washing soda. 1 tablespoon per gallon. You can also use baking soda, but since I was going to use a lot of it, I went with the washing soda because it comes in larger boxes

I used 1/4 inch sheet PVC and then sealed it with silicone as I did not have access to a plastic welder.

I have also used this on a much smaller scale doing small parts in a 5 gallon bucket.

Here is the link to the original article.

http://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/rust/electrolytic_derusting.htm

Thanks,

Martin

What have you guys used as the electrode? I'm thinking of trying this method and wonder how a piece of re-bar, like used in concrete, will work....or will most anything work as long as it is metal.
When you say WASHING SODA I believe around here Arm and Hammer is the only one that says SODA. The others are washing POWDER. So, am I correct in saying that any washing POWDER will not do...it must say SODA.
All this sounds childish I know but I don't want to waste my money and I don't want to do something stupid safety wise!

Achipmunk, the washing soda is sodium carbonate while regular baking soda is sodium bicarbonate. You should be able to go into your local grocery store and request Arm n Hammer Washing Soda. Just make sure they know its NOT baking soda. I picked up a case of the stuff for about $35. Its normally used as an addition to soap used in a washing machine.

As far as electrodes go, my favorite is to use old seat frames. You can use anything, but the seat frames have a lot of surface area. Every few weeks just take it out and smack it on the ground to remove the built up rust. After about three times it will shatter and start on another.

Sheet metal works alright, but youll be taking it out and wire wheeling the crap off it a bit more to keep it clean.

Hope that helps!

Jeff

Yes! It must be soda, not washing powder. I used Arm & Hammer myself.

As far as the electrode or donor metal, I made a frame to fit inside with about 1 inch of clearance on the sides and bottom. I used 1/2 rebar and square tubing putting it about 10 inches apart. The seat thing seems to work good also but I wanted something on both sides and on the bottom.

No questions are childish foolish. Better to ask than to mess up and then ask.

Martin

Thanks guys. For the "sample run" today I decided to try a small piece in a plastic gallon size coffee container. I used a tablespoon of baking soda since some was on the self. I put a piece of iron in it and when I got it all hooked up to a small rusty piece I took off for about 4 hours. When I came back I couldn't believe the nasty stuff that came of the piece. This was just a trial. The contacts were not the best in the world or the entire setup!! BUT I see it does work so now I'll move on up to the BIG plastic container!!

Its a pretty neat process. I went from a small rubbermaid tub, to a garbage can, to a 7'6" long plywood tank. One other thing to mention, if your using any type of waterproofing material thats soft enough to poke a hole in, toss in an old piece of carpet to line the bottom and you wont have to worry so much about poking holes in the bottom.