I will show you how I do it,step 1,find a relic,clean the rust cacoon off,now your relic is clean,in this case powder had to be removed,and flushed out,I tap mine for a good connection,and hook up the ground wire with a ring connecter,I set the relic on bricks in a tub ,with steel or stainless anodes,hooking the positive lead of the power supply to the anodes,try to use low voltage,less than 6 volts,and low amperage,less than 1 if possible,cover with water,add a small amount of sodium hydroxide,big word for lye,check for current,check the next day to see if any bubbles have formed on the surface,change water often,and be patient,this shell will cook for about 2 years.Pull it out when it's done and boil it in a turkey cooker with rainwater or distilled water,pour off water and pour in some cold water,do this 3-10 times.The last boil you can do a salt test,if good do the boil and pour off the water,let the heat of the shell help to dry it.Dry for a few days,clean with scotchbrite and coat with 2 coats of gloss polyurethane and then 2 coats of satin polyurethane.Let dry,take in house and show your friends.
This advice is exceptional! Few folks have this amount of patience when dealing with electrolysis. I'm sure your results are outstanding. Could you post a few photos of your results here as well?
One word to everyone who reads this thread: This is the BEST way to clean relics with electrolysis! It takes lots and lots of TIME.
Regards,
Buckleboy
Spring 2012 CaneField Bandits Totals: TEN Half Reales:
1740, 1777, 1784, 1796, 1801, 180?, 1806, 1807, 1808, and 1814
1836 8 Reales
A 17?? One Real
1819 Token/Jeton
Two "Russian Blue" Trade Beads
Henry Clay Campaign Button, 1820s or 1830s FIVE Early New Orleans Seated Coins:
1838-O Dime (no stars), Two 1839-O Half Dimes, an 1840-O Dime, and an 1842-O Half Dime
1892 Barber Dime
1918 Walking Liberty Half
1866 and 18?? Shield Nickels, and some GawGag V's and Beefaloes. Military Relics: Possible Spanish Colonial Era Cap Badge
FOUR War of 1812 Artillery Buttons
1820s Pewter Militia "U.S." Button
CW Eagle Artillery Cuff Button
CW Eagle Infantry Officer's Coat Button
3-Ringers, Enfields, Musketballs, and Shell Fragments
Any relics, coins, or other items appearing in my finds posts were found on PRIVATE PROPERTY with total consent and permission from the owners of said property.
Thank you for your kind words.Just to clarify a bit,this set-up is for removal of salt from relics that came out of the ocean or marsh,it takes a long time.To clean one you would increase the voltage,amperage and the sodium hydroxide. This will clean the average relic overnight or in a few days,however if it has the big cacoon like a saltwater ball,you will still need to knock ogg some rust with a hammer.Here is a picture of some heavy artillery that has been through the process.
Buckleboy,if you want to see a good picture of a relic I just got finished with,go to the Civil War forum and look at the thread that says,"want to see a pretty Confederate 10 inch mortar ball" or something to that effect.
someone asked about how to do this so I thought I would look it up and repost. There is some fear about sodium hydroxide and stainless steel. You can use mild steel anodes or use soda ash and stainless anodes.
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,clean the rust cacoon off
,now your relic is clean
,in this case powder had to be removed
,and flushed out
,I tap mine for a good connection
,and hook up the ground wire with a ring connecter
,I set the relic on bricks in a tub 
,with steel or stainless anodes,hooking the positive lead of the power supply to the anodes,try to use low voltage,less than 6 volts,and low amperage,less than 1 if possible,cover with water,add a small amount of sodium hydroxide,big word for lye
,check for current
,check the next day to see if any bubbles have formed on the surface,change water often,and be patient,this shell will cook for about 2 years.Pull it out when it's done and boil it in a turkey cooker with rainwater or distilled water,pour off water and pour in some cold water,do this 3-10 times.The last boil you can do a salt test,if good do the boil and pour off the water,let the heat of the shell help to dry it.Dry for a few days,clean with scotchbrite and coat with 2 coats of gloss polyurethane and then 2 coats of satin polyurethane.Let dry,take in house and show your friends.
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