Electrolysis question...

[Spiritof77]

Hey guys, I'm trying to remove the rust from my grandpa's old 1941 Marlin 81.

 

I thoroughly removed surface rust from most of it with oil and copper wool, but can't seem to get the rust out of some of the pitting, so I've decided to set up an electrolysis tank i the next few days. I figure I should have gone with electrolysis to begin with, but that's neither here nor there.

My question is, can I keep all the metal parts together and remove the rust from all of them in one fell swoop by using this method? Or would I have to take every part off the barrel and do it individually?

 

My first instinct would be, obviously, that if kept together that the current would run efficiently through the whole piece of metal, but seeing as this takes awhile and it's my first time, figured I'd ask.

 

A secondary question would be, how long should I leave that sucker in there? I get conflicting reports ranging from 12 hours to multiple days. The rust at this point is just in nooks and crannies, and the rear sight is seized up from internal rust on the screw. Should I try to unseize this, first?

 

First post and all, so let me say thanks in advance, and I love this forum already!

[peejman]

You'll have to take it apart for best results.  How long?  Dunno, check it periodically to see how fast it's progressing.

 

Do you intend to have it refinished?  If someone else (a pro) is going to refinish it, I'd say don't waste your time as they'll already have everything they need.

[Dolomite_supafly]

It depends on the amps.

 

If you use a low amp trickle charger I would say several hours but check every 30 minutes. If you use a welder it can be done in as little as 10 minutes. Problem with using a big power source is it can eat things such as springs pretty quickly.

 

Make sure to use about a tablespoon of washing soda, not baking soda, for each 5 gallons of water. The more washing soda you use the less it seems to work. One tablespoon seems to be about the right ratio for 5 gallons. I would also suggest using HOT water. It seems to help the process along as well as helping dissolve the washing soda.

 

When I did mine I used a trickle battery charger on 6 amps and checked it ever 30 minutes. Also, do not do it inside as the mixture gives off hydrogen gas which is very explosive.