MTFCA Forum

So = I'm watching a lot of youtube lately. Here is a pretty good video showing how to use electrolysis for rust removal.
I've also been watching the restoration of that planing machine shown in the background in this video.

I hope you like it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKZv14-K71g

I have used that process alot over the past few years. Saves me money from paying someone to sand blast stuff and is less stressful to metal. BUT don't put aluminum or soft metals in there and don't do springs of any kind.

Getting rust off of wood spoke wheels is a pain because of all the details of getting the rust off from around the wood spokes. Would it work and perhaps not damage the wheel/spokes to put the whole wheel into the bath wood spokes and all? Has anyone ever tried this? -- IV

Maybe molasses bath rust removal would be a better fit for wood wheels? Would that work? Has anyone tried it?

I don't think I would want Molasses soaking in to the wood even painted, draw fly's and might get real smelly in warm weather.

Ignacious,

I had a car with a zillion coats of bright yellow paint on the wheels. Whatever the paint was, it was like porcelain and nothing mechanical would even begin to break the surface.

Figuring nothing ventured, nothing gained, nothing to lose I had them hot lye bath dipped. Then moved directly from the lye bath to a vat of neutralizer (this was at a high end furniture restore place that was local). They were then air dried completely and the spokes covered with a coat of Tung Oil.

I hand primed the fellows and then finished them up over a winter of Saturday’s, both finish paint to fellows and maybe three more coats of Tung Oil on the wood as they looked good natural over that same winter (that stuff takes forever to dry). That was in 1980. Those wheels were driven hard and sometimes put away wet! Now 40 years later they look as good as they did in 1980 and appear to be as sound as can be.

I know, 100 other folks will say a lye bath will punk the spokes but I’d wonder how many actually tried? Mine is a single example, but it worked for me.

I also used Tung oil on my spokes. After 10 years I wiped them down and gave them another two coats. Takes about 5 minutes per wheel, no scraping, sanding or masking, and they look great!

Molasses will not remove paint, but it does an excellent job on steel. Cast iron needs to be watched, as it seems to get into the carbon content and will really erode the piece. As for the smell, you are working with an organic material, and as such, even my wife does not object to the smell. If I even think about using lacquer, her sensors sound the alarm.

Allan from down under.

Make sure to do your electrolysis outside!

Along with Keith's note. I hope Mr Rucker mentions to NEVER use stainless steel anodes or cathodes as it gives off a deadly gas while cooking. IF I remember correctly.
I LOVE his videos but he gives too much fluff instead of the meat and potatoes of the job at hand. Much like my typing.
George, count me as opposite 101. My dad bought out a business in another town that used the same principles when I was young when construction tanked and kept him busy for some years.
Hot bath solution took the old finish off and then into the neutralizer tank. The chairs/furniture looked amazing after drying and refinishing.
Never hear of any "punking" of the wood to this day.
Ya, molasses will smell a bit after a time.