Thread: Rust removal with molasses.

Originally Posted by incisor

anyone else been stupid enough to try it?

No, but seeing the results ...........

Thanks Inc.

Originally Posted by incisor

i was feeling a little adventerous this morning and had been reading all the stories about molasses and then about washing soda and 12v chargers...

hmmmm

why not combine the molasses and the 12v i thought.

so off i went...

used an old laptop power supply that punches out a whopping 2a @ 12v dc and wired up the solex carby arm i had in my little molasses tank

the arm had been in the tank 2 days already and the molasses only mixture had barely eaten thru the rusty surface, it was still dark brown and had a heavy coat of surface rust.

well turned the switch on and in 2 or three minutes i had what looked like a lovely head on a pint of stout!



obviously it's working i thought.

off i went to do some work...

about half an hour later i wander out to have a look... still a big head

hmmmm

lets have a bopeep.

turned the power off pulled it out of the bath and it is almost gleaming



whoa! that sped the process up a bit

anyone else been stupid enough to try it?

My high school chemistry that I remember tells me pH is a measure of the concentration hydroxide ions OH, these ions can carry current therefore allows the electrolosis process to work just like the lectric soda crystals in water do.

hello incisor,

when you say, "used an old laptop power supply that punches out a whopping 2a @ 12v dc and wired up the solex carby arm i had in my little molasses tank", did you attached both wires or only one to the piece you were cleaning?

cheers,

pasi

Originally Posted by pasi

hello incisor,

when you say, "used an old laptop power supply that punches out a whopping 2a @ 12v dc and wired up the solex carby arm i had in my little molasses tank", did you attached both wires or only one to the piece you were cleaning?

cheers,

pasi

You only put one wire onto the piece you are cleaning, you need to put the other wire onto another piece of metal in the bath, the rust then travels off the piece you're cleaning to the other.

I've so far managed to blow one power source. Question I have is which wire to part and which to the sacrificial bit + or - ? Assume + to part being cleaned but wasn't sure.

Cheers
Lakey

Originally Posted by Lakey

I've so far managed to blow one power source. Question I have is which wire to part and which to the sacrificial bit + or - ? Assume + to part being cleaned but wasn't sure.

Cheers
Lakey

Negative on the article to be cleaned. This is not related to cleaning with molasses but electrolysis rust removal, usually using lectric soda crystals in the water to provide the conductive medium. Molasses produces a mild acid that performs the cleaning. However electrolysis works with an acid as well.

The follow up Q of course is... one one removes all the rust from old tools (as I'm planning) how then do you prevent the tools from rusting again?

They will rust again, quickly.
I'd spray them with RP7, CRC or something similar.