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Bharpring

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I have found these iron items recently and wanted to know if it may be a bad idea to use electrolysis on any of them?

2018-02-04 17.31.39.webp2018-02-04 17.32.10.webp2018-02-04 17.32.22.webp
 
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I've used electrolysis and had success. I now use an apple cider vinegar soak which is a less involved process and might take a little longer.
 
I've used electrolysis and had success. I now use an apple cider vinegar soak which is a less involved process and might take a little longer.

So you don't restore the iron, you just clean the rust off?

I was going to try electrolysis on these, but didn't know if some of them are to oxidized?

Thanks
 
A little electrolysis will work wonders! :occasion14:
 
So you don't restore the iron, you just clean the rust off?

I was going to try electrolysis on these, but didn't know if some of them are to oxidized?

Thanks

At some point down the road I will finish with electrolysis. For now it's AC vinegar and a brass brush to clean off heavy oxidation. Electolysis works great but i was going through alot of anodes, so I figure get the heavy stuff off and finish with electolysis, baking and wax. I just have to devote a weekend or two to that.
 
Nice hatchet head!!
 
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Electrolysis is the only sure-fire way to properly clean iron artifacts and these are no exception. I've heard people say you can "cook" them too long. That's not true, rust is rust and that's the only thing that you will ever "cook" off. Electrolysis will never hurt the actual base metal and that's what you want. If something crumbles from electrolysis, it was too foregone with the rust anyway. The only object I would be careful with is the spoon bowl. I would electrolysis and then use Evaporust after getting all I could with electrolysis. It could possibly be such deep rust inside the thin metal of the spoon bowl, you might just get what you feel comfortable with then finish it up. Small, hollow and thin artifacts sometimes you can never get all that really deep rust out. If it gets to that point, I'll use a fine tip on my Dremel to get all I possibly can, then use tanic acid or black spray paint and you can coat it with either wax or urethane. I prefer urethane, because wax limits how much you can actually handle the relic as it will wear off with too much handling.
 
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