Electrolysis Help!

Loco-Digger

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Jun 16, 2014
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F75 LTD, 1280X Aquanaut, & a Patriot (back-up/loaner)
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Going forward just type a keyword for what interests you up in the "enter search phrase" box

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It's so easy and that's how I mined topics that interested me when I first became a member and mainly lurked.
 

Mudflap

Bronze Member
Mar 31, 2012
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Wallingford, Connecticut 1667
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Whites MXT, Dual Field, CZ-21, Vaquero, Home Brewed (3).
Detecting since 1972.
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I made my own, over the holidays, by simply taking an old cell phone charger (remember when we didn't use USB cords?), and cutting the plug end off. It's a 5-volt charger that plugs directly into the wall.

With it UNPLUGGED, strip the ends of the cord back about 1.5 inches, and then separate the two wires.

Attach one wire to a stainless steel object (an old silverware knife or something works fine... I just went to the garage and grabbed one I found while I was metal detecting). Just wrap it around the end, and bend it. I used a piece of electrical tape on the end of it to hold it in place.

Take the other wire and attach it to the object you want to clean with electrolysis. I did this with silver rings.

Get a small glass jar (I used an old jam jar), and fill it about 4/5ths full of water. Add a tablespoon or two of salt OR Baking Soda (either will work fine). Put the stainless steel on one side (I just balanced the knife against the glass jar in the water), and drop the object on the other sides. Position both so they are NOT touching. The wires bend easily, so you can "hang" the object off the side.

At this point Plug in the charger. Bubbles will start to appear on both, but a LOT more on one. that's the one that it's cleaning. If you have lots of bubbles coming off the stainless steel, it's the wrong side. Unplug the charger and switch the attachment cords, then replug in.

It's only 5-volts, so you're not likely to ZAP yourself... but safety first. :)

At this point, you can mark the side you want with a piece of tape, so you know for the future.


I think the whole setup took less than 4 minutes, including stripping it, and getting it in the glass.

Electrolysis takes longer. It'll immediately start breaking down the black garbage, but it'll take a while. I left the worst of the rings in for almost 10 minutes. They cam out still black, but the difference was the black RUBBED OFF, after electrolysis. I was able to run it under water, and rub it with my fingers (which then got all black, LOL). After that, I took it out to the polishing cloth and they came out super nice!

The only thing I can really say you need to watch out for, is the SMELL. It's gonna stink like rotten eggs wherever you do this. Badly. I eventually settled for under the microwave hood on high. LOL

Cheers,

Skippy

The stainless will break down into hexavalent chromium. Nasty stuff for your health. Don't use stainless.


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