How to Remove Rust with Electricity - Electrolysis Rust Removal - Restoration Tutorial

In this video I show one of the easiest ways to remove rust. It doesn't require a lot of special tools. Only any method of using DC current. I will restore a rusty wrench to show how to do it.
Step 1. Find rusty object and some scrap steel for anode
Step 2. Attach wires to object to be cleaned and the anode
Step 3. Submerge both in water with salt of some kind (any compound with ions will do)
Step 4. Turn on your power supply
Step 5. Wait for few hours
Step 6. Turn off the power and rub the piece clean
Tools:
Car battery charger: amzn.to/36zrm8s
OR Variable lab power source: amzn.to/3f1b9wP
Chuck Norris' tooth brush (mini wire brush): amzn.to/3njy9d8

[@dd884e5d8a]

What’s the most responsible way of disposing of the water after electrolysis?

[@xxPenjoxx]

I wondered this too. This method looks much gentler than acid but where to put the used water?

[@Odd_Experiments]

Yes there are no chemicals involved. You should concider two things, whether your cleaned item had significant amount of paint on it and if you do this a lot. I wouldn't dump this in my garden on a weekly basis but once or twice is fine because solution only has salt and iron in it. You can also just dry or filter it and throw it in dumpster (if putting dried paint in dumpster is ok where you live)

[@dd884e5d8a]

@@Odd_Experiments Awesome! Thank you for the answer and for the wonderful videos.

[@gwenhope9931]

You wouldn't want to dump it in the garden. The salt would kill any plants nearby. The most responsible way I can think of is probably just setting the tub outside to evaporate the water. The remaining salt and iron after evaporation could just be scraped off and thrown away

[@Baerchenization]

@@xxPenjoxx It is salt water... put it down the drain, like your spaghetti cooking water ;)

[@MrJozza65]

Thanks for a nice and clear demonstration and explanation of the technique. Looks like a really effective and gentle way to de-rust things.

[@Odd_Experiments]

Yes, I' d say it's very good especially for thin parts and parts that are hard to access e.g. insides of motorcycle tank are cleaned like this. In that case the anode is suspended in the middle of the tank and it's filled with salty water and power is connected to the tank and the anode

[@agustinfigueroa2516]

Love to see more content in this channel!

[@lidet19]

Science is amazing! Thanks for sharing 😊

[@semininey]

this is EXACTLY what i needed to watch today.

[@mikeoxmall6442]

This was a cool experiment. As Jesse Pinkman would say: "Yea Science!"

[@americansmark]

I restored several thousand dollars in Craftsman hand tools like this. I've also used a solution of distilled white vinegar and salt. Both work well, so long as you cost the tools in something that stops oxidation immediately after cleaning them.

[@pablomonsalve3911]

Did you use the lab power source he uses? Or does a normal plug work for you?

[@JohnDoe-pv2iu]

@@pablomonsalve3911 I use a car battery charger. AC from the wall is too much.

[@gan314159]

@@pablomonsalve3911 a normal wall socket is AC, so it would push the rust off, then reverse and pull it back 50 or 60 times a second, to the thing you wanted to clean. you need a DC source for electrolysis.

[@toxic9282]

Very interesting to know and too see. 😊👍 I also became hungry 😉

[@amilcarmoncada1801]

Muy bueno este video tutorial sobre restauracion usando electrolisis para eliminación de óxido , excelente resultado, mis respetos y saludos desde Venezuela.

[@edwinsalisbury83]

Tip if you use sodium hydroxide you can use nickel as an anode and it will not corrode. Or you could buy a platinized titanium electrode. Or if you don’t want to work with corrosive chemicals or buy an expensive anode use a graphite or carbon anode. This prevents having that rust in the water.

[@ma1p140]

How long did it take to remove the rust off the wrench? Very nice video.👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽

[@nbctcp3450]

what do u mean with more power to speed up process. is that mean add voltage or ampere?

[@stabilini]

Thanks man, came here from yout other channel

[@santiagocejas3914]

Hey there! One question, is it necessary a big amount of water to do the process? In comparison to the video, I'm thinking on using a smaller container with less water, but I don't wanna mess up the process. Thanks a lot for the clear demonstration! Greetings from Argentina

[@bk8]

Not an issue, I did it successfully in a 35cL yoghurt cup on small objects. You just need to make sure the electrodes don't short because they will be very close. Also if you put a lot of current, the foam can overspill more easily. I suggest you put a bigger container under you electrolysis container just in case...

[@santiagocejas3914]

@@bk8 Thanks!! I also heard the distance between the anode and catode speeds up the reaction or something like that, just if anyone has the same doubt as me

[@i_-am_windows]

@@santiagocejas3914 yes, just. Keep them near and not shorting with each ither

[@markhenry5294]

Good job.

[@sillidill5227]

Excellent!

[@michaellennon13]

Love to see you back! Please hold the texts a little longer. It's difficult to keep watching and reading the same time when the text is 2-3 full lines 😝 Take care, stay safe 🙏

[@aliasmari]

Thank you very much for your great video

[@Jere1515]

Thanks a lot for the video. I wanted to know how to stop it from fast rusting after the electrolysis? Is drying it enough? I tried, and my piece of metal start to fast rust anyway

[@doludeli]

you may apply mineral oil and keep it oily, or paint it

[@Andi_0429]

Can you make a video explaining how to remove water damage from slip covers?

[@really-quite-exhausted]

Learning about electrolysis would have been so much more interesting if only we had followed this recipe for making forbidden pasta sauce in our chemistry lessons. ...

[@windowsxpprofessional]

Thanks a lot for making the video on my request ☺️!!!!!

[@ajtheanomaly9764]

Sorry if you’ve answered this a hundred times but what kind of voltage should I be applying to the metals to most effectively get this working

[@trysam]

5 DC

[@claytoniusdoesthings9598]

If any of you have trouble finding bare copper wire like I did, you could do like I did and go to your local Tractor supply and get a spool of steel wire used in electric fencing. I can tell you from first hand experience that the stuff most certainly will conduct electricity. I just wouldn't touch it after hooking the cables to it.

[@calebhenry3601]

Theoretically speaking, how large of a piece of steel could one use electrolysis on, and would the time needed to "soak" scale? Also, from what I've read in some comments below, it seems that pouring this down a regular drain would be... practical?

[@PaigeCrawler]

What do you do with the gross brown water afterwords? Is it safe to dump?

[@bk8]

It is just iron and table salt ions in water so you can dump it down the drain but not in the garden because your plants would not like it. An even better way would be to let the water evaporate and dump the remaining crust in the garbage. NB : do not use stainless steel for the anode because it will make chromium VI, which is very very toxic.

[@Lyclah]

Can I do do this to a painted but rusty steel bicycle frame? Does it affect the painting? It says it is carbon steel on the frame. Is it matter if there is aluminium or plastic parts in the water? (There's some decals on the frame) I'm planning to do this with a local electrician not by myself. As you see from my questions I have no idea about electricity :,) Many thanks for the video sir 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏 I'm restoring my childhood bicycle that's why those silly questions :)

[@Lemeilleurchemin]

Could this work on a car? I mean, as a preventive measure or as a corrective measure? Here in Quebec, we use salt on the roads heavily in winter and cars rust in a few years.

[@stephaneneron]

Mazda sell their new car with an electronic antirust device option that cost 500$ based on the same technique. But its not very a good solution cause the current need to go through the tire and we all know what tire are made of.... Rubber... lol

[@PersonausdemAll]

@@stephaneneron I have a Mazdaspeed from 2010 ;O

[@Coresco333]

Forbidden marinara sauce

[@Doldskoolshuffler]

What is the polarity of the DC? - Negative to the rusty tool? + Positive to the Anode

[@FartyMcSmelly]

You are correct. Think of the tool losing rust (-) and the scrap taking it (+)

[@ToxoRetro]

Can I assume that the cathode (-) sheds it's layer of corrosion (ie rust), whereas the anode (+) is essentially speeding up the corrosion process by attracting oxidation? I apologise if I'm asking a daft question. When we were "taught" electrolysis at school we had the world's most incompetent teacher - I was in the top group for Science (only one of two topics I was good at) but nearly failed my Science GCSE (GCSEs are the exams before leaving school at the age of 16, for those not from the UK) because of her during the most vital 2 years. 😔 We were told at different voltages to and record the currents (amperage) of a complete circuit of the metal before being in the electrolysis pool to "set the amperage" - my friends and I got detection and marked down in our coursework for expressing that the current changes depending on it's load and therefore would give a false readings as the current would reduce via the acid pool (hydrochloric if my memory recalls correctly, from nearly half my life ago....). I see you tested resistance (ohms) between catalyst and non-catalyst pools, which makes far more sense to me, as this would change the operating current and therefore wattage (volts times amps).

[@dangerousdave5076]

I too had utterly useless/uninterested teachers (also top sets) so I feel your pain.

[@ToxoRetro]

Cheers for the reassurance@@dangerousdave5076. 🤝 You'd hope after spending 2 years in 6th Form/College then forking out a fortune in University fees and choosing a specialised field for at least 3 years, they'd be at least knowledgeable and passionate about their topic area. 🤦‍♂️ Crazy world.

[@TangledLion]

Heh. I'm used to seeing Electrolysis discussed in the context of removing something else entirely. Fascinating video though!

[@chrisgriffin3374]

Pretty slick,but is the wrench still nominal size

[@alexandercrowell5111]

Thank you very much.

[@youtube.commentator]

Pretty neat! Thanks

[@Baerchenization]

You can't use just any car charger, the modern ones with their 9-step programmes etc are no good, you have to ask your grandpa for his 1950s no-nonsense one ;) Most people also do not have a spare car battery handy. It is probably best to get one of them cheap Chinese workbench power supplies.

[@KimchiiKnight]

I'm hoping to restore a tambourine with metal discs on a plastic body and am considering this method over sandblasting. Would the electricity damage plastic if the plastic bin itself isn't being affected? I know most plastic is porous too, and I'm concerned about the rust water sinking in and staining the body. I'm not sure if electrical tape would work to cover the plastic.

[@StealthDonut1]

I've seen you and many others use this method repeatedly, and I know it must be a lot cheaper than purchasing an equivalent amount of Evaporust or MC-51, but gawd...that nasty brown curd floating at the top looks really gross. I'm afraid to ask...what does it smell like?

[@williamv0242]

Probbally worth the rust lasagna at least it's cheap

[@bk8]

It is completely odorless. If you put your nose just above the container it smells like rust.

[@beachedBread]

Would this work to remove barnacles from oyster cages?

[@robertgibson7716]

amazing

[@Rock-hb1mg]

Omg very very very good

[@anonymouscreep236]

I have a feeling that I need to learn these skillz 🤔

[@solondarville1020]

I have a wire basket to a bicycle I’m trying to remove the paint off off and citri strip and a heat gun aren’t doing the job. Got any tips and tricks or science experiments to get all of paint off of a wired basket?

[@metaldiabolos86]

one question here, ive done this a couple of times and for some reason after two hours my dc converter dies, ive used 12v 1amp dc converter. In the video you say you can use a cellphone charger even, what am i missing here? help please

[@aniljadhav1141]

Do we need to give home socket power supply or dc power supply?

[@RestoredChannel]

Well explained👌

[@soulshinobi]

I didn't realize you could just use salt water, I will have to try

[@johninman7545]

What about copper oxide? Less voltage?

[@jacktar5867]

As i live next to the ocean, Can i use sea water instead of adding salt to fresh water??

[@i_-am_windows]

Yep

[@fruitydudexD]

Science rules 🤘

[@Ice_2192]

3:18 Clayface after Batman kicked his ass

[@chaoselites3636]

Doesn't using steel as the anode lead to hexavalent chromium being released? That stuff is very carcinogenic

[@bk8]

It does not, unless you are using *stainless* steel. Too bad he did not stressed this point in the video.

[@chaoselites3636]

@@bk8 thanks for letting me know. I've been freaked out about using electrolysis because I was worried about the byproducts. Thankfully, I found two iron rods so I might give it a go again

[@ZioNello_]

How to prevent rust? I've derusted a wrench with acid, but after a week it rusted again.

[@Odd_Experiments]

You need to watch the parts with a lot of water to neutralize the acid and then dry it quickly and oil it well. You could also add some kind of coating like blueing or nickel plating to it. But oiling will be enough if you keep them dry

[@ZioNello_]

Thank you so much.

[@Artem_Klopov]

Good tutorial, there's some misprints in text but it's no important))

[@coopasdad]

What if i just wired to car battery?

[@subhashmehta5257]

Osmmm

[@markhenry5294]

Hi

[@wylanvallotton4462]

Hello!

[@Odd_Experiments]

Hello! It's much easier to be first on this channel :D Especially since it's been a long time since my last update but hopefully I can now find more time to make video also here too. I have many great ideas.

[@markhenry5294]

@@Odd_Experiments I just want to say that you have done great work, and I wanted to show my support though nice words saying how much I appreciate you work, and how much it sparked my interest in restoring/rebuilding/building things.

[@asmircar1]

I wonder how can i remove rust from bottom of car doors, where water drains...my bmw e39 is dying 😭

[@Denis-vk4vg]

I think you could go with products like Rustol / Owatrol or Frameto. You apply it like paint but it fixes corrosion. Depends how bad the rust is but this should help.

[@byMDRM]

Imagine someone taste that rust cream...

[@wylanvallotton4462]

Good source of iron

[@markhenry5294]

How much money for you to try a spoonful?

[@wylanvallotton4462]

@@markhenry5294 $3000

[@Odd_Experiments]

I dare you

[@wylanvallotton4462]

@@Odd_Experiments I mean if someone is actually willing to give me $3000 to do it then I would. I'd film and upload it.

[@gggabo9706]

Soy ese tipo de gente que no muestra atención en la escuela, pero si en youtube xD.

[@michaelsalem2816]

Hi 2

[@Odd_Experiments]

Hello!

[@TildAbuse]

0:52 - I hate to say it, but I'm guessing that warning wouldn't be thre if somone hadn't tried that XD

[@wylanvallotton4462]

I got here within a minute of upload!

[@Odd_Experiments]

Great to hear. I haven't uploaded here in ages but hopefully I can find more time to make content here too in near future.

[@wylanvallotton4462]

@@Odd_Experiments it's always a good day whenever you upload a new video on either channel, but I love these because I get to learn things. 😊 thank you for making amazing content!

[@DA7545]

Scrape the rust off those steel plates. All that rust is more resistance.

[@TheAxeGrinder]

Now nickel plate it.

[@chhoc]

you could have skipped the electrolysis and gone straight to the brush, no?

[@doludeli]

... you can use an angle grinder with a circular metal brush, and brush it to the fresh metal

[@Omahamaho]

I can't even imagine what that must smell like

[@coenraadloubser5768]

Like a pool that just had chlorine added... and like "Will it blend" recommends... "Don't inhale"

[@CaptainNim]

Damn, I forgot to remove my heirloom porcelain before I started.

[@zbigniewrichard8291]

It is stupid to add the salt AFTER you put the parts into the water. Put it after adding water and stir freely with any object without having the parts in the way.

[@dennisborn1382]

Too bad can't talk

[@fireworxz]

Thanks