Rust Removal - Electrolysis vs. Vinegar #310 Pt 2 tubalcain

In this 2 part video, I explore the advantages & disadvantages of 2 rust removal procedures.
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#rustremoval#electrolysis#evaporust#molassesrust removal

[roleic]

the black color is not caused by "carbon" it is Fe3O4 a black version of iron oxide. The electrolysis does not remove the rust. It converts Fe2O3, the red version of iron oxide called rust, into black Fe3O4. Fe3O4 does not continue to rust if soaked with oil. So it could be left on. Or it can be removed by tedious scrubbing to uncover the bare metal. But when the scrubbing is done why not do it on the rust directly and skip the electrolysis? Why use the electrolysis at all? There is one reason: vinegar and all other methods remove metal but electrolysis adds metal from the anodes to the work slightly healing the corrosion losses. Therefore electrolysis is the better choice for restoring toleranced, machined surfaces. For everything else use any available method you like best.

[visionintegrations]

Great video, I must say I actually prefer the electrolysis version better. As for what happened to the rust in the vinegar, it is still there, by the reaction, you created Iron Acetate. If you neutralize the vinegar with the baking soda, the rust will precipitate out as Iron (iii) Oxide.

[RGSABloke]

Mr. Pete, the US Government should be paying you for the educational videos which you produce!!! The content of your work is superb. I say this in the context of having been in the Scottish Education System for almost 40years. I would consider it a privilege to 'back to school' with you as a workshop teacher/physics/chemistry Many thanks for sharing your wealth of knowledge young man. Kindest regards. Joe.

[bluedevil]

Mr. Pete, I've only seen just a few of your Videos. But being the kind of person who likes to work in the home shop (when I have one ) I think it would be fun to work with you on things like this. My Grandfather always taught me to be curious about things, and always said...." If you don't learn something new everyday, it was a wasted day." I am now 56, and thanks to my Grandfather, I've spent my life Tinkering and Learning all I can. Keep up the Good work, and have fun doing it.

[DEtchells]

Another very useful video, and the reader comments were great in terms of explaining what the actual reaction is and why it produces the black material. 👍

[batchrocketproject]

Excellent demonstration Mr Pete, and not the result I expected from part 1 where the washing soda electrolysis was impressively vigorous. Regarding the black coating - it's not carbon, it's ferrous iron oxide (FeO) one of the two common oxides of iron (the other being ferric iron oxide - Fe2O3 - the orange form we see in rust). The black ferrous oxide is soluble in acid so a quick dip in the vinegar bath might well bring it to clean metal quickly.

[evelynmurphy]

Hello Mr. Pete, i use the vinegar often, but I want to caution you, do not leave machine tools ( for example: 5 C collets) in for an extended period. Vinegar removes a lot of metal, especially if left for a week( don't ask me how I know this). I have found it effective to put rusty parts in vinegar for a few hours, wipe them off and then put in Evaporust, where you do not worry about eating the mental. This procedure works well and saves the cost of wasting Evaporust on dirty, overly rusty parts. Thanks Jim Murphy

[TSODInc]

I live in an environment where you can watch metal rust, so saying that, I use both methods, I have 2 5 gallon buckets (Electrolysis) for the bigger parts and a 1 gal (Vinegar) for the smalls. Anything that comes out of the big tanks get parkerized!

I run my two tanks on 6VDC, there are for large 6VDC batteries, I charge them during the day and let them work there magic at night, after a few days I remove the parts and Scotch-brite them then prep an parkerize them.

One complaint about Electrolysis is the mess and the need to deal with the water/sludge, not an issue, use Carbon rod stock, the water stays clean, I have been using my rods for 6 month and there in need of replacement, 4 rods $5 each Amazon. just once a week you need to pour off the water into a clean container and depose metal/rust that collect in the bottom (it starts to short out the rods to the work), metal cross bar, and I hang the work on copper household wire.

I do use a $100 DI water filter and mix the Soda to water 1cup to 2 gallons, I get a better mixing with the filtered water.

I have done everything from my tool table tops, 1-2-3 blocks, sine-vise, to my insert screw bits, I am currently thinking about doing my compound and cross slide on the lathe.

Don't really like Vinegar, but I am not going to hook up every Little part to the Electrolysis tank.

Well there is my two cents!

[champion]

I'm a long time user of electrolysis and love it but it does have some drawbacks like trying to clean multiple jobs at a time. Things that I have learnt are clean your anodes daily, use HEAVY wire between anodes. Just hit em with the pressure cleaner is often enough. Drawing big amperage is good as it means your anodes are working well, the more amps the better.
I have never used any other method so thats why I am here, , to learn about vinegar and molasses for multiple small jobs. Thanks mate.

[dougbourdo]

Try soaking the "electrolysis" tool in vinegar now to see it the same finish is achieved.

[DoRC]

The black is black oxide. It's actually a corrosion prevented and whereas it's not as pretty looking as the vinegar one it's functionally a better finish.

[tedsimpson]

I've used both methods on railroad spikes as a test. Electrolysis does not eat into the surface of the spike like vinegar does. The spikes that go through electrolysis can be cleaned up to look like new, while the spikes from the vinegar bath are too rough and pitted to maintain their original appearance.

[bluedeath]

The vinegar turns the rust into iron ethanoate salts which are soluble. This is why you don't see much rust in the solution. I would think the quickest way to de-rust an item is to use electrolysis for 2-3 hours to remove the majority of the rust and then vinegar over night to get the matt finish you like.

[thebear]

Have you considered that the two items are of different materials? thanks.

[fredferd]

We've done electrolysis ourselves. The most important thing, after you've cleaned the black off, is to OIL the surface completely, or else the rust will come back very red and very fast.

[lrstaf]

Thanks for this straight forward, down to earth video that we non-chemists can understand. I think both processes work well, but for a motorcycle tank I think I would go with electrolysis, because it doesn't rust again after the process.

[sergio]

Mr pete the black color is because the reaction of the washing soda that tend to black the metals something similar to black oxide process I working in a black oxide company and is kind of similar process that's why you get the black color now for future projects if you want it to make some parts black all you have to do is putting it in that bucket and then oil it and you got your self a black oxide part great video and thanks for shearing this great knowledge.

[awldune]

Interesting to me that you prefer the vinegar result, I much prefer the appearance of the electrolysis piece.

[wmcrash]

I used Evaporust on a few handplanes and it works well. I also used it on some old japanese handplane irons, and while it removed the rust, it also removed the patina the metal had developed over time.

[rosebud]

Has anyone ever told you, you sound like Jimmy Stewart ? And I mean that in a kind way He was one of my favorite film stars.