ELECTROLYSIS TANK

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im thinking about making an electrolysis parts tank

i have this ancient power inverter and i was wondering if it would work

it is an Antronic Regulated DC Power Supply Model PS-135

and it says it has an output of 13.8 Volts VDC 5 AMPS

from what ive read anywhere from .5-10 amps will work for 12 volt application

now if i weld together a cage that goes on the inside of the tank can i use just one point to hook up the + lead? or should i have multiple points to hook to the cage?

and should i go bigger than just a 5 gal bucket?

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also at what amperage can i coat parts in other metals like if i throw some nickel nuggets in or some copper chunks in then the part it seems it should work just like an electrolysis plating setup

[linen beige 14]

That power supply should work, but you may want to wire an inline fuse or circuit breaker to make sure you don't overload it.

You're wasting your time to weld together a cage as a sacrificial electrode. They degrade quickly and need to be pulled out and cleaned. It's much easier to do that with ones that can be taken out individually. Pieces of plain old rebar, connected together electrically with wire, work great. Keep ALL copper wire out of the liquid in the tank.

Your leads need only one attachment point.

As for tank size, that depends on the size of the parts being cleaned. The sacrificial electrodes should be as close as possible, without touching, to the part being cleaned. That is another reason to use movable electrodes. Given this, it is best to use a tank that will handle the largest parts you anticipate cleaning. Just move your electrodes closer to the small parts when cleaning them.

Read up on the subject of electroplating. Although the process is very similar to a reverse rust taker-offer tank, the chemicals are vastly different and potentially MUCH more dangerous.

[stevasaurus 23,107]

Jim's right about no copper...google "electrolysis" great info on how, what, and why. The process works on line of sight, that is why people use more electrodes.

You might search on this forum...there have been many discussions with pictures.

good luck

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well i took a square piece of plate steel and welded 1ft long pieces of rebar to each corner. then wraped steel bailing wire around the rebar in a cage like shape.

and sofar its worked better than expected.

is it ok to use baking soda for the cleaning soda as everyone calls it?

ive used my tank only once and i tryed it with baking soda.

i used 6 table spoons of baking soda for 4 gal of water