Rusty drill press column

Oct 03, 2017 74 Replies

Best to check that, the common electrolyte is sulfuric acid. That would quickly eat away the metal too and very quickly. ;~)

Not for rust removal...

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That! was what I was trying to convey.

But you left this part out.

That would quickly eat away the metal too and very quickly. ;~)

A hunk of 6" or 8" PVC drain pipe doesn't seem unreasonable. It may take some time with a dinky car charger, though.

Derusting "electrolyte" is NEVER acid. Washing soda IS one of the most common

You also need a full length electrode - - - -

From

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What you need: A non-conducting container - a large plastic bucket works really well. Battery charger - big is better, however even one able to produce 6 to

10 amps should do. A student recently used my site as the basis for a school project and used a computer power supply in place of battery charger. Sacrificial electrodes. Concrete reinforcing rod works well (rebar) cut into lengths about 4" taller than your bucket or container. Do not use stainless steel! The results are a health hazard and illegal (more on that later) Arm and Hammer LAUNDRY soda, also called washing soda. (see below for details) Wire and/or cables for connecting electrodes together. Water. Small lengths of small chain (used to suspend the rusty parts in solution) or some other means to suspend the part to clean into the solution.

After watching a TV program of Alaskans bending wood (for a dog sled) using nothing but a kitchen range and some wood stove exhaust piping to steam the wood, I think most anything can be figured out. Putting the DP column in a hacked up PVC pipe seems quite doable. Throw in some rebar, "washing soda", and a old batter charger and you've got it! ;)

nb

Yes, you would not want to use the sulfuric acid, a very common electrolyte.

I seem to recall we had a small electro-polish tub filled with a diluted sulfuric acid mixture. This was strictly for "polishing" brand new metal parts (no rust removal). ;)

nb

For half a million, you could buy a heck of a lot of drill press columns. ;-)

belongs to the neighbor of a friend to your cousin

a very stiff wire brush and water first then some emory cloth and water and then when it is how you like it coat with mineral oil and wipe down

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