Battery Charger?

[rtde3]

Does anyone know of a good battery charger I can use for electrolysis? I want one with 6volts, low & high amps. Make, Model, Brand, store name, any info. would help. Also how does electrolysis work on brass bullet shells? Good or bad? Thanks!

[jeff of pa]

I can't / Wont recomend any particular one, But any 6 amp charger is good. On Brass, it realy isn't necessary, unless its encrusted with Barnicles or something. You don't want to remove the Patina or risk it turning colors. Why would you want to clean Bullet Shells ? whatever you do, Don't clean Live ones ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! you may cause an Explosion. The main Advantage of electrolysis is on Iron objects, and those with Frozen moveing parts. If done right you can Stop & in some cases reverse the Rusting Process. and get moving parts moving again. If used on Coins. you have to be extremely carefull to prevent going too far, especially copper. I usually Dip for a quick few seconds, just till I see it Bubbling , then remove & use a tooth brush. And Repeat this process the same way, till I'v removed all the Encrustation. I hope this helps some, even tho I really didn't answer your Main Question

[rtde3]

Thanks Jeff, Don`t worry, I would never do that to a live shell! I just have a cartilage from about a 30cal. I found that is encrusted with hard dirt & thought it might work good on it. I guess I should just use a tooth brush or something like that. I also found a old horse shoe that still has parts of the nails in it. I am using a old trickle charger on it now & it is working but the charger gets very hot & smells!

[jeff of pa]

The size of the object is the reason for the "Heating Up" . You won't hurt the shell with Electrolysis & it should help loosen it up. Just keep after it.? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? "SMELL ?" Wire or the Eletrolisys ? If the Unit is Giving off the oder, you do need a heavier unit. May I suggest one of those Yellow? Battery Jumpers & a Car Cigarette Lighter type Charger. or connect 2 6V chargers to it, one at each end, to distribute the process easier

[rtde3]

Thanks again Jeff! I will try that because I have one of those jumper Batterys. The smell was coming from the charger.

[Monty]

I have a 12 volt 15 amp charger. Will that work?

Also if you want to clean brass or cpper or just about any clad metal use a brass tumbler commonly used by reloaders. I reload and routinely tumble brass in corncob or walnut media. You can run it for hours and remove most of the crud but barely scratch the original surface of the metal. JIM

[jeff of pa]

should work great for large items. don't know, but sounds like a bit much for small ones. most home made ones , altho 12 V? only put out 4.5 to 6 Volt & about 350 mA . of course I'm only quoting numbers here. I'm no expert on electronics / electricity

[divedigger]

for cleaning items a 2 amp is plenty.The more amperage you throw on it the more likely you are to screw it up.Particularly with old iron.For long term,such as salt water items, I like 3-6 volts and 1 amp or less.Those little chargers for motorcyle batteries are great and they outlast fancy chargers because they are very simple and have less things to go wrong.I get mine from Walmart or Auto parts stores for 16-18 bucks

[Monty]

I found one of those universal electric adapters that you can turn up to 12 volts...don't now how many amps. Tried it and it doesn't seem to have enough zip. Also, the positive wire keeps dissolving and is now a bit shorter than the negative! I've tried baking soda and salt. I saw one article that said to use soda made for washing laundry instead of baking soda, Also saw one that claimed vinegar would work well so who knows? JIM

[kenb]

I use a 6 volt 500mA ac/dc adaptor fitted with white and green alligator clips (+ & -) works like a charm in a salt water solution for coins and other small items.

[divedigger]

Your positive wire is getting shorter because it is in the water.You need to keep the red wire connection to the anode dry,or it will go away.I use red devil lye for the electrolite,and watch the bubbles.Small bubbles,not too aggressive or it will attack the relic.

[GunFarce]

AND, it's always smart to keep in mind, that those bubbles rising from the negative lead, are 'Hydrogen Gas' don't keep a lid on your cleaning tank or you may be in for a big surprise when you open it.. Particularly if you are a smoker..

[Copper]

I've been cleaning ancient and shipwreck coins for many years. I just use a regular car battery charger. The charger one uses isn't the big issue, it's how one uses it that matters.

Go easy with electrolysis. Only use it if you have to and then for only short periods of time checking the object often.

Good luck,

Copper

[divedigger]

some items I treat are in process for years

[Copper]

some items I treat are in process for years

May I ask what you clean? I know some use olive oil and soak items for months or even years.

Copper

[divedigger]

mostly artillery projectiles,some tools ,cannon truks,etc.

[BULL]

Could someone EXPLAIN how you actually use a charger to clean things? I have a 12 volt charger and it reduces down to 2 amps. but I am confused on how or what you hook it up to.

[jeff of pa]

Get a Glass or Ceremic Bowl, Big enouth to hold the object. Fill the Bowl with Water, Ad Salt. Stick both ends of the Battery charger in the Water & see Which one Bubbles (DON'T TUCH THEM TOGETHER) the one that Bubbles go's on the Object to be Cleaned, The other Gets a Spoon attached. Place Bothe in the water, Being careful they still dont touch. CHECK PROGRESS OFTEN.? ?12V may be too much for Small objects, so you may wanna check the item, Every 30 seconds on them. SINCE YOU NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE, TRY A PICE OF IRON YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT FIRST

[Jim Cal]

Here are the instructions that came with my coin cleaner (1st half)along with some good safety tips. Jim Cal

[jeff of pa]

here is an EXCELLENT TUTORIAL, if you havn't found it yet www.ighunters.net/metal/electrolysis/equip.htm