[krukster86]

Hey all, there was some interest in electrolysis from a previous post that I did for my CB360 Cafe Seat thread. Here is what I did. It is probably not the BEST way to do it, but I am getting some great results after just 20 hours out of the recommended 48 hours!

1. Get a rusty part in your possession. In my case, I have a crusty rusty seat pan, but for a trial purpose, I am using 1/2 of a old fuel tank that I am using for the "hump cowling" with rust all over the inside of it.

2. You need a battery charger with 12V and at least 2 amps of current. You also need a sacrificial steel part so that the rust from your bike part can attach onto this steel component.

2a. If you have a battery TENDER you may need to add a battery into the mix to trick the tender into charging the entire time. In my case when the leads were attached from the tender to the part, it would display that it was plugged in without charging at all.

3. You need a large basin to hold your part and the solution. In my case I used a big old rubbermaid tub. You put in a mixture of water and Washing Soda (Sodium Carbonate!!!). I put in 1 gallon of water + 8 teaspoons of the washing soda, and mixed it around. Now put your part in the solution.

3. You attach the POSITIVE (+) lead to the sacrificial electrode (steel part). You attach the NEGATIVE (-) lead to the motorcycle rusty part.

4. Plug that baby in, and when you see bubbles forming, your are in business!

5. Now wait a few hours and you can take a sneak peek at your progress. What will happen is the rust will be replaced by a black buildup which is good. You just brush that stuff off easy at the end. Here is a progress pic after 20 hours:

 

[GAMD5]

Hi there,
Glad you found the rust removal video helpful and thanks for posting here for others to see.Always reminds me of my old home beer brewing days,must be all that old brown froth.Anyway when process is complete make sure you rinse & dry thoroughly otherwise you'll get a very fine surface rust again pretty quickly.I always dry and give a liberal coating of wd40 until ready to paint when I spirit wipe all surface,alternatively I use curust virtually straight away for extra protection.Even completely clean white metal blasted to swedish standard SA2.5 will start to rust in the atmosphere after only about twenty minutes from being blasted so hope youv'e given that seat pan some protection.Regards Chris.

 

[krukster86]

UPDATE:
I took out the makeshift "seat cowl" after 32 hours of the process, and after just about 5 minutes of sanding with 100 grit, the rust on the inside is completely gone except for some of that black residue built up in some of the pitting. I doused the part in WD40 and I am going to prep for primer tomorrow.

 

[chubbs899]

ok i know this is a little old but im just now getting into this site so many i missed something somewhere. but would this be something to use on surface rust on like my exhuast pipes or chrome fenders?? ive also heard you can use steel wool and some other products that work pretty good specifically on surface rust.

 

[Sharkmonkey]

ok i know this is a little old but im just now getting into this site so many i missed something somewhere. but would this be something to use on surface rust on like my exhuast pipes or chrome fenders?? ive also heard you can use steel wool and some other products that work pretty good specifically on surface rust.

For rusty chrome brass wool works best. Steel wool will scratch it, but brass wool is less abrasive and will still clean the rust off. Electrolysis will remove the chrome as well, which you probably don't want to do.

 

[chubbs899]

For rusty chrome brass wool works best. Steel wool will scratch it, but brass wool is less abrasive and will still clean the rust off. Electrolysis will remove the chrome as well, which you probably don't want to do.

so just rub it off with brass wool??? is there any type of "solvent" or somethin that helps to get it off?

 

[Bird76Mojo]

Brass wool and WD40.


GB :mrgreen:

 

[66Sprint]

....I was going to say "elbow grease"....LMAO! :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[chubbs899]

interestinggggg.. ill try that. i just got off the back fender and the wiring. i had some trouble getting the forks off but im gonna hit it again on saturday

 

[Haoleman]

Rust removal. Interesting? How about copper plating. Have any of you tried that? I'm thinking exhaust system. The colors caused by the heat would be awsome!

 

[Bird76Mojo]

It'd be such a thin layer that I'd think it'd rub off with normal cleaning eventually.. BUT I'm not a metallurgist or a plater.


GB :mrgreen:

 

[Sharkmonkey]

For rusty chrome brass wool works best. Steel wool will scratch it, but brass wool is less abrasive and will still clean the rust off. Electrolysis will remove the chrome as well, which you probably don't want to do.

so just rub it off with brass wool??? is there any type of "solvent" or somethin that helps to get it off?

Yep, unless it has penetrated the chrome and the rust is on the underlying metal. Normal rust on chrome is just oxidized iron that's clung to the surface. A little WD40 or some other lubricant is a good thing, too. Pushing hard can scratch the chrome, so be gentle until you get the hang of it.

I've done my wheels, exhaust and shocks and it comes right off.