Blog

How to Build an Electrolysis Tank for Cast Iron Restoration

July 19, 2024

660

Video diy electrolysis tank

One of the great things about cast-iron cookware is that it is nearly indestructible. Short of dropping one on the floor and cracking it or breaking off a handle, a cast-iron pan in just about any condition can be restored to better-than-new condition with some work.

How much work? Quite a bit if you try to scrub away the rust, and a little less if you use oven cleaner and let the pan set in a garbage bag for a few days. But who has time to scrub a layer of rust away, and who wants to mess with caustic chemicals if you don’t have to?

Making and using an electrolysis tank (E-tank for short) is much easier. An E-tank will clean even the rustiest and most neglected pan in a matter of days without any work on your end. An E-tank works by using electrical current to transfer the rust from the pan to a sacrificial piece of metal submerged in water. The electrical current comes from a battery charger. The positive clamp gets clamped to the sacrificial piece of metal, while the negative clamp gets clamped to the piece of cast iron you are trying to restore. The current flows through water, pulling the rust particles from the negatively charged cast iron to the positively charged sacrificial metal.

The list of materials needed to build the tank is simple. You probably have most of them laying around the garage already.

You’ll need:

A plastic 20- to 25-gallon tote
A 12-volt battery charger
Water
A sacrificial piece of metal. Stainless steel works best, but any scrap steel or iron will work. It could be piece of angle iron, an old brake hub, a piece of sheet metal, or an old lawnmower blade, as long as it’s metal. The larger the surface area of the sacrificial metal, the faster the tank will work.
Sodium Carbonate: The easiest source for this is Arm and Hammer Washing Soda (not baking soda) found in the laundry detergent section of your local grocery.
String
A clamp
A stick or section of pvc pipe to extend over the tote to suspend the cast iron with string

See also 6.5mm Creedmoor for Black Bear Hunting? Best Ammo (Round, Load, Cartridge) for a Successful Black Bear Hunt Hunting Calibers 04 Apr, 2020 Posted By: Foundry Outdoors Is the 6.5mm Creedmoor a viable caliber/load/round/cartridge for black bear hunting? The accurate answer is “it depends”. However, the goal of this article is simply to address the question of whether the 6.5mm Creedmoor is within the ideal range of suitable calibers to harvest black bear. As with anything, the devil is in the details. To answer the question completely, we would need to evaluate the downrange distance to the black bear, the bullet type, the grain weight of the bullet, the physical condition of the firearm, the size of the black bear in question, the shot placement, the local wind conditions, the expected accuracy of the shooter, the ethics of the ideal maximum number of shots – the list goes on. [Click Here to Shop 6.5mm Creedmoor Ammo]What we can do is provide a framework to understand what average conditions might look like, and whether those are reasonably viable for a shot from the average shooter to harvest a black bear in the fewest number of shots possible, i.e., ethically. Let’s dive right in. In the question of “Is the 6.5mm Creedmoor within the ideal range of suitable calibers for black bear hunting?” our answer is: Yes, the 6.5mm Creedmoor is A GOOD CHOICE for black bear hunting, under average conditions, from a mid-range distance, with a medium grain expanding bullet, and with correct shot placement.Let’s look at those assumptions a bit closer in the following table. Assumption Value Caliber 6.5mm Creedmoor Animal Species Black Bear Muzzle Energy 2300 foot-pounds Animal Weight 340 lbs Shot Distance 150 yardsWhat is the average muzzle energy for a 6.5mm Creedmoor? In this case, we have assumed the average muzzle energy for a 6.5mm Creedmoor round is approximately 2300 foot-pounds. What is the average weight of an adult male black bear? Here we have leaned conservative by taking the average weight of a male individual of the species, since females generally weigh less and require less stopping power. In this case, the average weight of an adult male black bear is approximately 340 lbs. [Click Here to Shop 6.5mm Creedmoor Ammo]What is the distance this species is typically hunted from? Distance, of course, plays an important role in the viability of a given caliber in black bear hunting. The kinetic energy of the projectile drops dramatically the further downrange it travels primarily due to energy lost in the form of heat generated by friction against the air itself. This phenonemon is known as drag or air resistance. Thus, a caliber that is effective from 50 yards may not have enough stopping power from 200 yards. With that said, we have assumed the average hunting distance for black bear to be approximately 150 yards. What about the other assumptions? We have three other primary assumptions being made here. First, the average bullet weight is encapsulated in the average muzzle energy for the 6.5mm Creedmoor. The second important assumption is ‘slightly-suboptimal’ to ‘optimal’ shot placement. That is to say, we assume the black bear being harvested is shot directly or nearly directly in the vitals (heart and/or lungs). The third assumption is that a projectile with appropriate terminal ballistics is being used, which for hunting usually means an expanding bullet.Various calibersA common thread you may encounter in online forums is anecdote after anecdote of large animals being brought down by small caliber bullets, or small animals surviving large caliber bullets. Of course those stories exist, and they are not disputed here. A 22LR cartridge can fell a bull elephant under the right conditions, and a newborn squirrel can survive a 50 BMG round under other specific conditions. Again, the goal of this article is simply to address the question of whether 6.5mm Creedmoor is within the ideal range of suitable calibers to harvest black bear - and to this question, the response again is yes, the 6.5mm Creedmoor is A GOOD CHOICE for black bear hunting. [Click Here to Shop 6.5mm Creedmoor Ammo]This article does not serve as the final say, but simply as a starting point for beginner hunters, as well as a venue for further discussion. Please feel free to agree, disagree, and share stories from your own experience in the comments section below. Disclaimer: the information above is purely for illustrative purposes and should not be taken as permission to use a particular caliber, a statement of the legality or safety of using certain calibers, or legal advice in any way. You must read and understand your own local laws before hunting black bear to know whether your caliber of choice is a legal option.Foundry Outdoors is your trusted home for buying archery, camping, fishing, hunting, shooting sports, and outdoor gear online.We offer cheap ammo and bulk ammo deals on the most popular ammo calibers. We have a variety of deals on Rifle Ammo, Handgun Ammo, Shotgun Ammo & Rimfire Ammo, as well as ammo for target practice, plinking, hunting, or shooting competitions. Our website lists special deals on 9mm Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 45-70 Ammo, 6.5 Creedmoor ammo, 300 Blackout Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 5.56 Ammo, Underwood Ammo, Buffalo Bore Ammo and more special deals on bulk ammo.We offer a 100% Authenticity Guarantee on all products sold on our website. Please email us if you have questions about any of our product listings. Leave a commentComments have to be approved before showing up Your Name * Your Email * Your Comment * Post Comment

Get Started

First some safety notes. It goes without saying that you need to take care when working with electricity around water. Don’t place the charger above the tote so that it might accidently get knocked into the water. Never touch the water without unplugging the charger first.

The gas that escapes from the tank is flammable. Do this outdoors or in a garage with great ventilation. Don’t set your tank up next to a pilot light or any other possible ignition sources.

Fill the tote 2/3 or so with water, making sure the water level is deep enough to submerge your cast iron.
Add 1/2 cup of the washing soda per 5 gallons of water. This isn’t a crucial measurement. Just get close. Mix well to dissolve.
Place the sacrificial metal into the tank. I like to leave a corner up out of the water to clamp the charger to, but it can be submerged if you like. I use the clamp to hold the metal in position to one side of the tank.
Extend the stick or pvc pipe across the tote, and tie a section of string to the center of it. Attach your rusty pot to the string and let it sink into the water with only a small amount of metal exposed above the water level.
Clamp the negative clamp from your battery charger to the piece of cast iron you are cleaning just above the water’s surface. Clamp the positive clamp to the sacrificial metal.
Set your charger to a manual, 12-volt setting. (Don’t use the quick-start setting if your charger has one; just the standard 12-volt setting.)
Plug in the charger and go about your daily business. In a day or two, depending on the rust level, your pan will be cleaned and ready to season. You should see tiny foam bubbles start to form around your cast iron after a bit. Foamy rust will rise to the surface after several hours.

See also ALEXANDER THE GREAT: Is This Ohio's New State Record Typical?

If you are like me, you are probably going to be curious about the progress and want to check on your pot from time to time. Always remember to unplug the charger before touching the water. The 12-volt current won’t hurt you, but you don’t want to take a chance on the charger falling into the tank while you are contacting the water.

Once the pan has soaked for 24 to 48 hours, remove it from the tank and and check to see if the rust has loosened to the point that you can wipe it away with your finger. If so, wash well with soapy water. If the pan still looks and feels rusty, return it to the tank for another 24 hours or so.Once washed, immediately dry the pan (a bare iron pan will rust if you look at it wrong) and begin the seasoning process using this method or one of the newer cast-iron seasoning products on the market like Crisbeepuck, Buzzywax or Lodge Seasoning Spray.

The water in the tank may look nasty after a use or two, but it never goes bad. Simply refill your water level when you need to due to evaporation loss. If the water gets to the point that it looks too funky to use, just dump it and start fresh.

You’ll need:

Get Started

Popular Posts