So I figured I'd give it a shot while I'm building my blasting cabinet. Well now it looks like I might not need the blasting cabinet .
I'll post pictures of before and after parts as I do them.
The trick is to have a decent power supply and a multimeter to measure the amps. I fried an old 2amp battery charger and am now using my TrippLite 10amp 13.8v power supply.
Using a 5 gallon bucket, 2 pieces of steel sheet formed around the inside of the bucket, 1 piece of wood to suspend the part, and 1 coat hanger. Using the multimeter in 20amp onprotected mode I measure the amps going through the part. Shoot for about 66% current handling of your charger/power supply if you want to get the parts done fast. You want to be careful, the more washing soda you add the higher the amps (better conductivity). So if you've only got a small charger, add about 1 spoon per gallon. If you've got a big charger like 60amps and a big container then you can probably get away with 2 spoon fulls per gallon.
This method is so easy it's not even funny. Just hook it up, wait, remove and rinse/scrub.
This first picture is of the motor mount after a couple hours at 5amps. I didn't do any cleaning, just straight into the bucket. The second picture is just a different angle. Notice the shine! Sprayed some WD-40 to protect it from rusting up and later will wash, degrease, prime and paint or powder coat.

2nd picture

I've been using that method for about a year now and it does work great. Except I'm using a battery charger and it takes mine a couple of days. I'm also using Red Devil brand lye. Here's where I learned it... http://www.fboerger.com/Restoration%...m#Electrolysis

Newer battery chargers don't work too well for the process. I noticed this when I hooked up my newer charger (plastic case). It shuts down into a trickle mode or something with low amps which then takes days to clean a part. The older battery chargers that don't have any fancy components work best (so long as not overloading it with high current).
I was going to use lye but I didn't like the hazard. I have 2 younger brothers and 2 small dogs... it just wouldn't be safe enough. I might try it when I try the lye as paint remover but I think the washing sode is working so well that I won't need to change the mix.

Apparently the washing soda is working well for you if it works that quick.... but I guess it is time that I change my solution since it must be nearly a year old now. I think I ended up with the lye because I couln't find any place that had washing soda... all I could find was baking soda.

will this take paint off too or just rust?

Paint too. Although powder coating is another story.

would this be an effective method to use on wheels?

Steel wheels. Not aluminum/mag... unless you're looking to make the wheels disappear!

Yea, I tried it with aluminized exhaust pipe before I knew. Result.... bare pipe.... no more aluminizing.

our wheels are all magnesium alloy arent they (stock wheels i mean) so we would not be able to do this to them...

will we? can anyone confirm that, it took me an hour to do ONE wheel with a brillo pad and it still looks like crap

I dont think the wheels are magnesium at all. It is very expensive and very porous so you have to paint the inside of the wheel to make it hold air. As far as I know most of the wheels are aluminum.

I've been using this. Best method every.
Just get a big container, and the sky's the limit.


Automatic battery chargers won't like it, normal old manual ones work fine. 10amp setting is best.


I used lye, 'cuz I couldn't find washing soda... Degreases too then

It doesn't do squat to aluminum. I tried my intake manifold, then realized it's aluminum.... nothing happened at all. It bubbled, but just got ugly.

The trick is the line of sight between your sacrificial steel and your part. If you can line your bucket with sheet metal, it'll work better then one single chunk of rebar in the bucket.

LCA's, panhard, brackets of any type, this works amazingly well.

Aluminum will be be lost! Steel will not and if you use stainless steel as the anode you won't have any sacrificial parts to the whole setup

apparently the SS gives off some dangerous fumes...? Just what I heard, not quite sure if it's right... I'm using my old control arms now, and i'll probably build up a bigger/better setup in a large plastic square container to use, with more rebar and sheet metal.... (my setup is in an indoor garage, so if there are fumes, I want to limit it...)

Unless they've got some kind of chemistry to back it up I wouldn't listen. SS doesn't break down so what chemical/fumes is it producing? Seriously. The only thing I try and avoid is chrome. That stuff isn't good so go with a "gold" coat hanger for hanging parts or some steel/ss wire, avoid those chrome versions.
This hole process is breaking down 2H2O into 2H2 and O2 gases. The H2 is the visible bubbles coming off of the cathode (your part if you've hooked up the power correctly) and O2 comes off of your anode! Tell me where washing soda and Oxygen don't mix with stainless steel . In industry SS is the preferred metal as the anode because it lasts practically forever. There isn't much magic going on, nothing nasty is being produced and the only time you might get into some trouble is if the lye starts reacting with the gases or contaminents on your part. Lye isn't too safe so I avoid it and it really isn't needed for anything except maybe heavily painted parts. Even then it's best to use some kind of paint stripper to get the majority of paint off before sticking it "in the bucket."
A few friends thought it was amazing and came over to take pictures. I'm waiting for them to be e-mailed and I'll post them up here. I did sway bar brackets, the rest of the engine mounts, some tools that were rusted shut (work like new now), and my brake pedal bracket. All came out looking new except for some of the really rusted stuff. There was some pitting but you can't replace what is lost... nothing serious and there are pictures to show it.

yea, I did my sway bar, and lower shock brackets too...
actually I got a bolt seized in my panhard rod brace, and it didn't come out in the solution... guess it wasn't rusted in...

yep, I know how it works, and the whole iron oxide conversion process.... I just *heard* that SS gives off something... seeing as how it contains chromium, and you disagree with using chrome....?
I dunno, I just had scrap steel laying around, thick stuff, so i'm using it... I may but some SS sheet metal, cheap, and make a better setup.

i think im going to try this...
between me and some of my friends, we have alot of tools, parts and misc stuff that could use it.

I'm not a chemist but how is pure oxygen going to react with chromium if it's already bonded to the nickel in the stainless? If chromium was somehow being lost to the water solution then the stainless wouldn't remain "stainless". Does that make sense? I just don't see how it's dangerous and chrome plating seems to only be an issue when it's on the cathode side, not the anode.
If some chemist could come in here and prove it either way I'd REALLY appreciate it because as of right now I'm hesitent to use SS. Not worried, just a little hesitent and the reason I'm using normal 22g steel sheet as my anode.

When I first started doing this, I googled it, and red a few pages on it. I think two different pages listed that they used SS, and a few other listed why you shouldn't. Rather vague, and farmer type of logic behind it, so I dunno...?
I just use steel 'cuz I have it, and SS is more expensive. I have yet to use this method enough to lose some of my sacrificial element, at least enough to affect the methods performance.

but yea, any chemists in the bunch? Where's that darn RB83 now??

To JPrevost,

A couple of questions for you regarding this subject.

1.) What type/gauge of sheet metal are you using to line your plastic 5 gal bucket?

2.) Where do you purchase the soda from and how much does it generally cost...what size/weight container do they sell it in (oz, lb, etc)?


Thanks,
CWH

1.) I'm using 22 gauge, I'm pretty sure I said that in my last reply
2.) The washing sode should be easy to find in any large grocery store that has a laundry/cleaning isle. Arm & Hammor seems to be the cheapest against what appears to be no-name's. Cost was under $4 for enough soda to do a whole car. The washing soda and water solution don't need to be replaced. Skim the top if it gets too nasty but there is no need for replacing, just top it off.

Using a dedicated power supply and adding just enough soda to the solution to get the amps between 4-8 is how I've been doing it. Any good multimeter should be able to measure amps up to 20, even the crappy ones do it like my $5 meter.

I know this thread is old, but I figured I should post since it looks like the question was unanswered. There wont be any dangerous fumes produced if using stainless steel. The chromium can still react, since it is not chemically bonded to the steel. Thus, chromium compounds can still be formed, but they wont be gasses. Since all chromium compounds are suspected carcinogens, you should avoid coming into contact with the solution (which is a given for those using sodium hydroxide 'lye') There is very little risk though, so don't worry if you get a little splash on yourself.