Using Electrolysis to ease the cleaning process of the David Brown 990
So I sometimes use electrolysis to help clean some parts, this uses electricity to break down the rust (fe2o3)and transmit it to the sacrificial anode in my case a piece of thread bar
I use a PC power pack which give me an out put of 19Volts and 3.4amps, you cut the plug off the end and attach crocodile clips,
you attach the positive cable to the sacrificial anode and place it in the container so that it will not contact the cathode
you attach the negative lead to the component to be cleaned, I place mine in the bath on a couple of blocks of wood just to aid circulation,
you then add water with sodium bicardonate (washing powder) in it, as this won't work with clean water or water only.
I would also advise you to do this in a well ventilated area, as the by-products of the process are oxygen and hydrogen
not good in a closed space.
All parts to be cleaned have to be electrically conected, Cover the parts to be cleaned in water, and switch on, if you've got everything right you will see small bubbles starting to rise
from your component, after a couple of hours you should see the beginning of the rust moving to your anode.
Inspect you component after you've switched off the electricity, your component should start to turn black, this is Magnetite forming from the FE2O3 as it's converted
to sound metal
