Electrolytic Rust Removal aka Magic

Step 9 Final Rust proofing

If you are not going to paint the tool then it will require immediate rust proofing.

I use this spray T-9 stuff that Highland Hardware sells

– but I think there are some less noxious easier to clean up products out there like Camellia oil

Comments

[peich1]

I have set this up using the same car charger and one piece of rebar. After about 30 minutes black stuff is falling off the rebar but nothing has happened to the piece of metal that I am trying to derust. Red to the rebar and black to the rusted metal..any ideas.

[ToolNut]

Did you ever get this going? My set up usually ran much longer than 30 minutes - overnight or for a day depending on how much rust. pcooper2 is probably right that rebar isnt a great conductor, but it worked fine for me and others, and is cheaper to set up than other things. I dont know how other electrodes like copper, etc would work out. The other thing to remember is that the process needs line of sight (more or less) between the electrode and the rusty object. If you only have one rebar, its not going to work well on the opposite side of the rusty steel you are trying to clean up. Good luck!

[pcooper2]

Rebar isn't good choice of electrode. It is typically covered with a thick coating of mill scale (the "black stuff"), which is non-conductive. You'd probably have to try to get some of the mill scale off with a chipping hammer to expose the bare steel.

[finbar galdeep]

can you use a tool when it has the t 9 stuff on it, because i got the impression from the website that it was for protecting tools when that were not in use.

[ToolNut]

It depends on how long its been on there, and the type of tool.  Once it dries (weeks, or months maybe), it takes solvent to get if off.  So for example if you had a chisel that had T9 dried, on, you could sharpen the edge and use away.  Other things like saws and moving parts would get gummy.  A good protective to use for tools that will see frequent use is the Japanses camellia oil

[Roninofthewest]

Camellia oil sounds like great stuff, but it might be a little pricey or hard to find. An old shop teacher I knew used to store his lathe by first going over the ways and exposed metal surfaces with diesel.
It may sound silly, but diesel has a really low flash point and is essentially a light oil anyway. Just don't drown the part in it, and properly dispose of the rag when you're done.

[Nitrato]

Great instructable. Have anyone tried linseed oil diluted with thinner or similair mixtures to protect the metal after electrolytic process?
Thanks

[KronoNaut]

Thanks for posting this important tip. I've done this before, but the instructions didn't tell me that the metal would begin to rust immediately. Thanks for telling us to rustproof right away.

[naftalisus]

What a great idea! Thank you so much for sharing it! Have you ever done such a thing with a large object? I want to restore some old 'shell back' steel chairs. They're not rusted everywhere- mostly under the seat and the bottom rails where they sat on a lawn. The rest of the chairs are coated heavily with paint. I'd rather not kill myself with noxious fumes so am tempted to just prime and paint over those areas. Any ideas?

[Golem100]

This is a great instructable. I have several rusted items that I found when we cleaned out my Father-in-Law's old shop and this technique is just what I was looking for. The pictures are excellent as is the narrative. Thanks!