I have been wanting to try this for a while. In restoring my T/A I will need to remove rust from a lot of small to medium sized parts. So I thought this was the perfect opportunity to try it out.
First let me say there is some conflicting information on the web about this process so always do your home work. I won’t go into great detail because there are plenty of sites that do. However I didn’t find many sites that showed the results and the process well.
My first parts are some hood hinges for my T/A. I have a series of videos discussing the process.
WARNING! There are some safety concerns for doing this that I feel are worth repeating more than once so here is the first time:
- Do this outdoors only! The process releases significant amounts of hydrogen gas. It is lighter than air and can find pockets to collect around the ceiling, then something like a garage door opener is just what it needs to light off!
- Use this process for iron or carbon steel only. NEVER use a stainless anode, as some sites suggest. It will create a chromium laden solution and it is toxic and illegal to dump. Look up affects of heavy metal poisoning.
- Hydrogen Embrittlement: Any part you use the process to remove the rust, will be affected by the process. This affect is called Hydrogen Embrittlement. Basically it will make the parts slightly more prone to break. Therefore it should not be used for load bearing or strength critical applications. For example, this could make my springs to brittle and they may break.
Here is the video series of the first hinge.
When the audio drops out I put my finger over the mic 🙁 What I was saying is, the solution is water and sodium carbonate. You can get it anywhere they sell chemicals for spas or pools. Also you can take baking soda and put it in a oven at 400 deg F, until it changes color and consistency, you will then have sodium carbonate instead of sodium bicarbonate.
Here is the video series of the first hinge.
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