recycling steel

Yup. With shipping to me, the two pounder goes for ~$9.00 a lb! Still, a much better deal than Lowe's.

Yes, I see it now. It's $12.24 for the two pounder here. Thanks!

It works a treat, even if you use plain washing soda.

--Winston

Have you tried plain washing soda with the carbon wand? Or are you referring to the tank-type treatment?

BTW, my "wand" is a little exotic. It's a slice of Poco 3 EDM electrode that I cut off with my hand miter saw. A carbon electrode for use in an arc torch is a lot cheaper, although you may have some trouble finding one that doesn't have the copper plating. I did, which is why I sliced into my Stirling-engine piston supply.

(...)

I see what you mean. I used scrap steel as my anode with a plain washing soda electrolyte. Ted warns against a metal anode but I don't understand why that is inadvisable.

I haven't run into any problem other than to protect the cleaned surface Very Quickly as it does tend to oxidize rapidly once clean.

That is almost Rocket Surgery!

I have a small box of 5/16 dia. carbon arc gouging electrodes. The copper plating would probably dissolve in an acid bath. They would probably work a treat in this application.

--Winston

[...]

Same reason as workers in explosive factories get headaches on Mondays or after holidays: One develops tolerance to nitroglycerine which is quickly lost. Same with metal fumes.

Michael Koblic, Campbell River, BC

I'm generally skeptical when I see formulas like Ted's. Ed's Red is another one. My suspicion is that the formula (ingredients used and proportions) is sufficient, but not necessary. I.e., it works, but it might work in much different proportions as well. I wonder how much experimentation went into it. Or, was just a bunch of stuff thrown together, TLAR fashion. (TLAR - That Looks About Right.)

I'm especially skeptical of Ted's because I have done _some_ electrolytic derusting using just TSP. Very little & no comparative tests, but it worked well enough with just TSP that I probably wouldn't bother trying anything else. I reported it on RCM; here is thread:

Bob

I suspect because of the consequences of making contact with the work. You'll probably blow a fuse or worse. I've worn through the pads a couple of times and got some amazing sparks, but, so far, the fuse in my little 4-amp battery charger hasn't blown.

I haven't tried this, but you might even be able to sand the copper off without much trouble.

Aha! That makes sense. I misread that statement the first time through.

I have tried copper, brass, aluminum, and steel. None worked, although I have no idea why not. My best guess is that there is an electrolytic action with these anodes that replaces or hides the one with the rust.

Bob

Try to find local soapmakers. They might sell some cheaper. Street faires and craft store employees are the best bet.

Looks like a powerful recipe. I'll have to try that.

-- Never trouble another for what you can do for yourself. -- Thomas Jefferson

Good point. I've just been lucky.

(...)

Yup. That's how I did the first one, with a belt sander. It went easily and quickly but the process lacked a certain Je ne sais pas ce que.

--Winston

I dunno. I think that $3.20 a lb from Essential Depot will be a hard deal to beat.

I found that plain washing powder in tap water worked quite well as an electrolyte.

Perhaps Ted's formula works much more quickly? I normally leave parts under power for an hour or so.

The difference in the appearance of the workpiece would have started a religion

200 years ago. :)

--Winston

If you need that much, probably. If not, the lack of shipping from a local vendor might be a much better deal.

Could Be! I will keep my eyes open for a local deal, too.

(...)

If you can find a cuneiform player, that is. :)

Here's evidence that the first operational amplifiers used one ox each:

--Winston

And "Man" is a dead guy full of arrows.

200 years is too recent, the scientific revolution had begun. had the French one-----

At 400 though you'd be burned as a witch.

jsw

I look for value, so I always look near and far before buying things. I try to support local vendors, but not when they ask twice what the thing's worth. When I find that, I tell them and ask what price they pay for the item. Many times, their wholesale price is higher than an eBay, Amazon, or other online vendor's retail price and they have a chance to source their goods more cheaply, allowing them to attract more local purchasers. Or they tell me to "GFY!" I win either way.

Verily.

Bwahahahaha! Good one. I wonder if that is an actual tidbit of info which played into the symbolism of our electronics heritage. Techies do have good, and finely honed, senses of ironic humor. I love it!

-- Never trouble another for what you can do for yourself. -- Thomas Jefferson

I had no idea Feminism had reared its ugly head that early on.

People really lost their heads celebrating that one.

Thus, true healers died and the beginnings of the AMA took root...

-- Never trouble another for what you can do for yourself. -- Thomas Jefferson

OMG! They had blown mountains onto their sides back in 3500BC and were burying radioactive waste under mountains in 700BC! Our history books are soooo revisionist.

-- Never trouble another for what you can do for yourself. -- Thomas Jefferson

It takes surprisingly little for us to start a new belief system:

I don't think it would have taken that much of a demonstration. :(

--Winston

Speaking of both, NH Mensa invited a local witch, or Wiccan, to talk at a dinner meeting. The lecture turned out to be a study in comparative religions as she had briefly been a member of most of them until she found one she could control herself.

jsw