Electrolysis rust removal from fuel tank.

[Shadowdog500]

I am in the process of removing the rust from the inside of my tank using electrolysis, and have to say it is a pretty neat process. There are several youtube videos and websites on rust removal using this method, so I thought I would give it a try. A $2.50 box of Arm and Hammer washing soda was all I needed to buy. My tank has been hooked up to my battery charger for a little over 24 hours. And I had to clean allot of rust off the anode several times so far I changed the solution last night because it was getting kind of funky, and when I looked inside the tank I could not believe how good it started to look. Most of the rust was gone. I wiped rust off of the anode this morning, and will keep this setup going until no more rust plates onto the anode.

I’m sure someone here has done this before. Any idea how long this should take. I can only keep this going until Thursday morning because I am going out of town for the weekend.

I’m learning all kinds of neat stuff fixing up this bike.

Thanks,

Chris

[Jtrapass]

bump. let me know how it works.

[RcRacer]

Sounds very interesting.
I just hope that you do not "etch" too much material and created leaks. My recommendation would be to get a sealer kit and seal it after you are done. I used POR 15 tank sealer on my new peanut tank and it worked great. The kit comes with an etcher and wash that will clean out any imputies and cause a light flash rust to form. The POR 15 will bond with the rust and provide a hard epoxy seal that will not be effected by today's fuels.

Please let us know how it turns out. I have an extra tank with some light rust that could benefit from this method if it works well

[Jtrapass]

Originally Posted by RcRacer

Sounds very interesting.
I just hope that you do not "etch" too much material and created leaks.

Electrolysis is pretty neat because you can't "etch" anything away that isn't already rust. It only acts upon the rust, not the elemental iron or steel. Though if you put the battery charger on backward, you'll generate rust instead of getting rid of it.

Post a how to on this, including links, and maybe mick could make it a sticky. Sounds pretty useful. How many amps of a battery charger did you need? Did you just plug the bottom of the tank and do the inside, or did you submerge the entire thing in something? What'd you use for an electrode, and how did you keep it from touching the tank?

Just curious. Sounds like something I'd like to do on my spare tank (covered in rust).

[Shadowdog500]

Darn it , I should have taken before pictures!!! Here is a video from before the creme was removed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQHlpk43Ffw



When I get home tonight I will take a picture of the settup, and all of the rust that formed on the anode. Hopefully the tank will be clean enough to take after pictures tonight.

This method does not even remove one molicule of good metal so I dont have to worry about etching the tank. The one thing I am a little concerned about is hydrogen hardening. Supposedly the metal has to degass for a while because it becomes a little brittle from hydrogen getting into the metal. I understand you can let it sit for a week or two or bake it in the oven for a few hours. Since it is a fuel tank, I will probably let it sit for a while. This is usually only a concern when de-rusting springs, but this tank will be shook pretty hard when it is bolted back on.

Chris

[Rudy2]

Chris,
You should be fine. Hydrogen embrittlement occurs most frequently in hard or hi tensile strength steel, soft steels are not a worry. Your gas tank material is pretty ductile and soft. Things like steel connecting rods, springs, triple clamps etc. are much more likely to need a post-plating bake to let the hydrogen outgas and restore the materials strength.

Randy

[Shadowdog500]

Here are a few photos. My camera battery died so I only got a couple of shots. Yes, I know my bench is a mess right now! The board is held in my vise. The bottom shot shows the rust that was removed today. Much less rust on the anode than yesterday.

Chris

[tat2d2dope]

now can you explain this process step by step, and what all is needed.

[Campsurf]

Try this site... a real good step by step explanation... Jim

http://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/ru..._derusting.htm

[Shadowdog500]

I will explain what I did but I put a link and video below that probably explains it better.

I plugged the bottom of my fuel tank and propped it up so that the filler cap was at the highest point.

I mixed about a cup of Arm and hammer washing soda with about a gallon of water and put it in my tank.

Then I filled the tank the rest of the way with water.

I inserted a steel rod into the tank and positioned it in the tank so that it did not touch the tank.

I bent the rod so that every part of the inside of the tank is within line of sight of the rod. Supposedly this process only works line of sight, If I only put a straight rod into my tank some of the shadowed areas would not be de-rusted.

I connected the tank to the negative lead of a battery charger, and connected the metal rod to the positive lead of a battery charger.

Then I set the battery charger to 12V, 2AMP, manual mode.

I let it run and checked and cleaned the metal rod every 12 hours or so.

Supposedly the process will stop when all of the rust is gone.(I’m not there yet so we will see what happens)

Warning! The process puts off hydrogen and oxygen bubbles, so make sure the area is well ventilated. I popped a coupe of the hydrogen bubbles with a match. Sounds like a firecracker going off.

Chris

Here is a link to a better explanation.
http://www3.telus.net/public/aschoep...lyticrust.html

Here is a youtube video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhTZk...eature=related