Power Supply for Electrolysis

[tq60]

Amp meters are cheap, aftermarket automotive ones can be found for a couple bucks.

More amps is good, trashcanworks, the simple home made, transformer and bridge is good.

Ours is all of those things!

30 gallon trash can on something like a pallet with a stand on one side to hold a couple large buss bars.

External shunt type ammeter in series with the buss bars.

Home made supply from large transformer and bridge rectifier.

Had some 12 volt batteries, places 3 in series and added connector for golf car charger.

Has a timer switch so it can run high voltage then switch to low.

Use lye as it attacks anything organic, so decreases, de-paints and de-rusts.

The water will get warm over time as the current flow does heat the water.

The higher voltage helps get things started when very little conductive metal is exposed.

The current will start slow, then rise as rust or other things blocking conductivity are worked from the material.

The electrodes will collect a bunch of stuff and look like crap, lift VERY CAREFULLY to get them out for cleaning.

This I'll be indicated by the current dropping back to small amounts.

For tall things, just flip them over.

Or, get a cheap tarp from HF, build a simple frame or dig a trench in the ground, think above ground swimming pool.

Place the tarp down, then your post, then fill with water.

Lay a chunk of rebar next to it and get it done.


Sent from my SM-G781V using Tapatalk

 

[great white]

I use an old school battery charger. The new “smart” ones won’t turn on if they don’t see the right load, or something like that.

If you touch the clamps and they spark, probably good to go…

 

[Inferno]

I bought something like this one

https://www.amazon.com/Vlifree-Adjustable-Switching-Adjustments-Alligator/dp/B09GKXG1KR/ref=sxin_16_pa_sp_search_thematic_sspa?content-id=amzn1.sym.9aaeff48-3310-46df-94ec-ea59eda4c869%3Aamzn1.sym.9aaeff48-3310-46df-94ec-ea59eda4c869&crid=SM0G2NQ8SJXX&cv_ct_cx=variable%2Bpower%2Bsupply&keywords=variable%2Bpower%2Bsupply&pd_rd_i=B09GKV2YR2&pd_rd_r=40772fa6-76c9-4a38-894c-eea5cb21ba2c&pd_rd_w=Lw0SQ&pd_rd_wg=Kff7j&pf_rd_p=9aaeff48-3310-46df-94ec-ea59eda4c869&pf_rd_r=1CXZ06CDJ00CRDQAP2PF&qid=1683853577&sbo=RZvfv%2F%2FHxDF%2BO5021pAnSA%3D%3D&sprefix=variable%2Bpower%2Bsupply%2Caps%2C167&sr=1-3-2b34d040-5c83-4b7f-ba01-15975dfb8828-spons&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExMFBSV1ozMVE1Vzg1JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMTc0MDkxMUg5UzRHU1pCTkRQSCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNzEyMTEyM04zUlQ5T0U2SjcyQyZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX3NlYXJjaF90aGVtYXRpYyZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU&th=1

For Evaporust, buy it Harbor Freight if you can. Best price I've found in retail

 

[wildcatter]

If you want to use stuff you already have, just hook up a 12v battery and a battery charger. simple fast cheap and effective.

 

[Jake M]

I was wondering about that Jake - I've read that electrolysis is a line of sight type process so maybe I would need to lay it down suspended in a trough or as you said adjust anodes
Rick

It's not right, but I'm thinking that that the line of sight is a good way to think of it. In practice, electricity doesn't follow the easiest path, but EVERY possible path, which means, in geological timescales, you can put the anode anywhere you want. In practice, electricity follows every path inversely proportionally to the resistance, which in this case is the travel path through the electrolyte fortified water that wasn't ever measured to any scientific degree, there's bubbles in the way of the best current paths, trying to (bollix) up your Greek letters before you ever do enough calculus to get to the event horizon lives in the gap between the quantum realm and black magic. I don't think that analogy will ever let you down, you just might get some unexpected, unpredictable results in the shadows, but I'm not coming up with a way that analogy would ever let you down. I'd go with it. OOoooh- Did anybody safety police this post yet with the obligitory "keep it outdoors" stuff? Those bubbles I mentioned- The ones on your part (if you did it right) are hydrogen. The ones on your sacraficial anode are oxygen. Remember how Nasa fueled the space shuttles? Remember how well it went for Challenger when they weren't properly contained and all went off at once? Outdoors is good. Dont' let that stuff build up. Safety police episode over. It smells funny anyhow, I don't know why anybody would do it indoors......

Anyhow, in the pipe, I've never done one. I've done some weird stuff that fought me, rune anodes through holes in things that just wouldn't clean up for anything less, but never pipe. I'm expecting (not knowing) that you're going to get some weirdness, but i'm not 100 percent positive. I would expect (not knowing) that it's gonna work best with two anodes outside the pipe, kinda sorta opposite of each other, one, maybe two setups. Then a third trip with the anode inside. I'd think one anode right down the center would probably work fine. On the other hand, I'm only half joking about the black magic part.... You might get lucky and it works out really well on less setups.

 

[Rick_B]

So a positive development - I was finally able to convert a automobile battery charger I had laying around into an old school manual charger. Previously I couldn't get it to work with electrolysis because it was "smart" - wouldn't work without a battery that needed charging. Long story short I was able to remove the smart circuitry and make it work manually. Of course it is no longer very useful for charging a battery (unless you carefully watch it to not overload the battery) but I knew that going in. So I"m going to send the power supply I ordered from amazon back.

Thanks for your thoughts and ideas

Rick

 

[graham-xrf]

On the subject of plating, did you notice that @celsoari glaringly did not use a copper strike coat before nickel? I was surprised it worked at all.

The go-to initial strike material in the industry is nickel, usually electroless nickel solution. Nickel can be deposited from solution onto nearly anything - up to a certain thickness, when the little chemical voltage that drives it becomes useless because it can no longer see the other metal.

This layer is fractional microns, only enough to cover the base, and is known as "strike". Then, typically, thicker layers of the next metal are laid over that. Robust chrome plating, such as for (say) a motorcycle exhaust, start with strike, and then a thick layer of copper is plated on after. The solutions, temperatures, and current density recipe are controlled to make a highly adherent low stress covering, which is not necessarily the shiniest (yet).

Then it is cleaned, and the copper buffed up to the final surface finish desired. Then we are back to nickel, but this time, it is the real intended thicker nickel layer, usually plated on using the help of a current. This layer is strong and harder, and made to ensure total coverage with no "pinholes" down to the copper. Finally, the very thin layer of chrome is plated over the nickel. Typically, it has organic "brighteners" added, and many feature a surface that is "micro-cracked". The surface stress cracks are not visible to the eye, and if any do extend as far as the nickel, all is still OK. You have a shiny plating that can take knocks, is robust, and won't peel up or rot from moisture reaching the copper.

 

[mattress44]