Yet More Electrolysis

We snaffled the tanks from the closed factory, and one is going to Arthur G and the other is coming home with me for some experimentation on the subject.

Both have a row of fixed bars across the top connected to a huge chunk of copper bus-bar on the side, this was the power supply to the copper anodes which were suspended in the copper sulphate solution. The PCB's were suspended on a moving frame between the anodes and they were gently agitated backwards and forwards while the plating went on.

If a large enough piece of steel or whatever was laid in the bottom of the tank and also around the edges, the whole area of the tank should be available for working items.

I want to try graphite anodes, as they are highly recommended for keeping the electrolyte clear and for being non-toxic themselves. Anyone know a source of graphite over here? It is used a lot in big steel reduction furnaces, but doesn't seem to be used a lot in other applications where we could nab a bar or two.

There was a small bonus in the form of a smaller caustic tank which I loaded on, that may well be useful for small items where the big tank would be unnecessarily big to use.

I have to go to Chester tomorrow on a service call, so Arthur will have his tank rather earlier than expected!

Peter

-- Peter & Rita Forbes Email Address: snipped-for-privacy@easynet.co.uk Web Pages for Engine Preservation:

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Peter A Forbes
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Many thanks for that Peter, I have a whole Lister A bottom end which can't wait to receive the treatment :-).

There is also a queue of grotty pieces of metal in engine form which will get a dip.

I suspect I'd better get that copper out or I'll end up with copper bottomed engines! Does anyone here present know the effect of using copper electrodes?

I've only used ferrous as that's what all the experts advise.

Regards, Arthur G

Reply to
Arthur Griffin & Jeni Stanton

to receive the treatment :-).

engines! Does anyone here present know the

There's a huge 'tail' of blank lines on my original post, watch out if anyone else replies.

Peter

-- Peter & Rita Forbes Email Address: snipped-for-privacy@easynet.co.uk Web Pages for Engine Preservation:

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Peter A Forbes

to receive the treatment :-).

engines! Does anyone here present know the

The copper bits are outside the electrolyte, the busbar is outside the tank altogether, the overhead bars are above the electrolyte.

Peter

-- Peter & Rita Forbes Email Address: snipped-for-privacy@easynet.co.uk Web Pages for Engine Preservation:

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Reply to
Peter A Forbes

You need graphite, and pretty solid graphite at that. Arc _lamp_ carbons will do (although the middles may fall out and leave hollow tubes). Arc welder gouging carbons, or those copper-sheathed carbons used for the old arc brazing sets, are made from some cruddy sort of compressed soot ! If you try and use those as electrodes they soon crumble to powder and disintegrate.

You can also use artist's pencils, you can find the right sort. There are some (German?) of about 6B that are solid graphite hex bar, about

1/2" across. Bit small for machining rocket nozzles though...

At some point I plan to try lead peroxide (car battery plates)

If you use copper, they'll dissolve. I don't think you'll see visible copper deposited on the cathode, but they won't last long.

Reply to
Andy Dingley

I have a source for those, we used to use them in the arc lights that the lighting gennies ran back in the 1970's. I bet if I went back to Morgan Crucible now, they would still have the rods on the shelf!

Peter

-- Peter & Rita Forbes Email Address: snipped-for-privacy@easynet.co.uk Web Pages for Engine Preservation:

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Peter A Forbes

Found a UK source:

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Peter

-- Peter & Rita Forbes Email Address: snipped-for-privacy@easynet.co.uk Web Pages for Engine Preservation:

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Reply to
Peter A Forbes

An alternative to a plastic vat, do not overlook the usefulness of a length of PVC roofing gutter for long objects, such as shafting, rods or tubing.

Jack in Oz

Reply to
Jack Watson

Peter / Arthur,

I promise this is not meant as it sounds, but can I ask what the reasons are for you making such a complicated set up?

We have been using electrolysis for ages now, with 100% success using just steel reinforcing bar, an old water butt and an old car batt charger, per the RC method.

To me, anything more than this appears to be over complicating the issue. - Or am I missing something ?

As I say, we have used this method on bits large and small, from flywheels and cranckcases to pistons etc, for both steam and IC. It works very well.

Regards

Chris Bedo Kent UK

Reply to
Chris Bedo

The other day I made my own electrolysis setup using a £6 tub from Homebase, a car battery charger, some very old jump leads and the leaves from an old land rover leaf spring, it works really well! Just clean the top of the electrodes well where the wires clamp on. There are three leaves around the outside held there with some copper wire twisted through some holes I drilled in the tub at the top, and one leaf sits over the top to hang the piece from. Total cost £6 (found some washing soda under the sink...), looks naff but works!

Reply to
Endacy

Just using what is basically free equipment, Chris.

The use of graphite is a personal preference, I am sure that Arthur will be playing with various anodes as I will.

We will end up with effectively just what you have got.

Peter

-- Peter & Rita Forbes Email Address: snipped-for-privacy@easynet.co.uk Web Pages for Engine Preservation:

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Peter A Forbes

Reply to
CHARLES HAMILTON

Appalling ! Spending money on electrolysis? That's not really cricket.

If you need a really biq square, but shallow tank, Ikea do some underbed storage trays for £7.

Reply to
Andy Dingley

Thanks Peter,

I was not sure if I was missing a better method or something! For those who have not tried it, its well worth it.

Regards

Chris Bedo Kent UK

Reply to
Chris Bedo

But what was the electrolyte, and what pH was it ? If you did this with a lot of copper in a small acidic bath I wouldn''t be surprised. In a large vat of sodium carbonate, then I would be.

Reply to
Andy Dingley

There's no hidden agenda here, I was getting interested a while back, and when the other factory of ours closed, they had no buyers for a lot of the stuff, including the plating tanks, so 'naturally' I thought of using one for electrolysis.

The graphite anodes comes from Orrin Eiseminger's website details on electrolysis, the url of which I haven't got at work but I'll post it later. He tried and recommended graphite rather than steel and made strong recommendations about NOT using Stainless due to Chromates being thrown out into the electrolyte.

I have been told that 316 grade Stainless doesn't exhibit this or does it to a lesser degree, but I haven't tried it yet.

What I would like to do is to carry out some proper experiments to try and get something down on paper in the way of results that is supported by actual results on differing materials, rather than just a lot of useful but random setups which don't seem to give any firm recommendations but do show that the process works.

Peter

-- Peter A Forbes Prepair Ltd, Luton, UK snipped-for-privacy@easynet.co.uk

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Prepair Ltd

There was a reference on one of the links - I've read around so much of this stuff now, I couldn't say where! - about using aluminium foil as a cathode. When it had dissolved away, the object was done.

Any thoughts on that??

Regards,

Kim Siddorn

Reply to
Kim Siddorn

Reply to
CHARLES HAMILTON

Hi Charles, I would have thought that that was impossible as distilled water doesn't conduct electricity. Dave Croft

Reply to
Dave Croft

Never heard of that. Composition of an ideal cathode will have no bearing on the object being reduced. Only purpose is to get the electrons into the electrolyte. Electrolyte only conducts the electrons. Just about any salt, acid or base will work.

I use scrap steel for electrodes. Low carbon iron is probably best. Vinegar would work for electrolyte. Also, sodium carbonate, Liquid drain cleaner. Battery acid. Around 10 percent concentration is fine. Current is controlled by changing distance of cathode to work piece/anode. Or if you have variable voltage supply.

Only time and current matter in electrolysis.

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bw

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