Electrolysis- Anyone do this at home?

[nnnnnate]

I just bought an old bench vise and want to clean it up. The internet says that I should use electrolysis to get the goo off the vise before priming and painting. I wondered if there was anyone here that is set up to do it at home.

Anyone here have experience with this?

 

[rholbrook]

I was expecting this thread to be about cleaning up the back, crack and sac excess fur problems. My BIL has a man sweater he wants to get removed and with all the knowledge this group has I am sure someone has been through it and my BIL could get educated quickly. I got nothing on cleaning up your vise

 

[frieed]

Will remove rust, but not grease or "goo".
Washing soda(sodium carbonate not baking soda which is sodium bicarbonate), battery charger, a large plastic bucket, and water.

 

[Kevin B.]

I'm relatively certain that voltage and soda solutions are not the recommended method for manscaping.

 

[Hickey]

I'm relatively certain that voltage and soda solutions are not the recommended method for manscaping.

It does sound invigorating though.

 

[frieed]

I'm relatively certain that voltage and soda solutions are not the recommended method for manscaping.

wimp

 

[Kevin B.]

wimp

I found washing soda at Winco. I have a battery charger. Why don't you bring your hair-encumbered dangly bits over here and let's see how manly you are?

 

[Gravy]

I did the washing soda electrolysis on some parts. Fair to middling results.

 

[Hickey]

Maybe hit it with a can of engine decrease, then pressure washer/car wash. I've done that with old transfer cases. You could also soak it in diesel for a while.

 

[Kevin B.]

You people need to stay on topic. Nobody wants to talk about degreasing a silly vise, we're talking electrolysis now.

I have a piece of cast iron that's been needing some love, so here we go. Random tote that was full of Christmas crap this morning, battery charger, ten gallons of water with a couple healthy shakes of Arm&Hammer washing soda, and a rusty dutch oven.

Three hours later. I think it's working.

 

[Tonkaman]

Oh dang! Nic demonstration professor Kev

 

[Hickey]

So, did you dip your fur bits as well? Results?

 

[nnnnnate]

I guess there really isn't rust that needs to be converted. I decided what I need is to use the wire brush on a grinder like Brent says. I'm in the middle of another project though finishing a train table so I probably need to wait until that is done in the garage before I throw cross contamination around.

I guess we could bolt the vise down at Kevins place and clamp down Russ' BIL before using the tank, soda, and battery charger on him.

 

[Hickey]

I'd just soak that in a solvent or stripper. The paint isn't worth saving. That would drastically reduce the time spent wire wheeling it.

 

[Kevin B.]

That is a really cool vise. I'm jelly.

Here's the anode this morning:

I cleaned it off and stuck it back in there. The pan isn't clean yet, so I rotated it and added a little more soda.

 

[Gravy]

That's the reason I said I had middling results. It's that it never got all of the rust off; just most of it, even after cleaning the anode multiple times. For the effort: I'm much more likely to pickup an angle grinder with a wire wheel.

 

[Kevin B.]

Yah. I have a bum shoulder so leaning on an angle grinder isn't really an option for me right now, and I was hoping this would be an easy shortcut. I'm going to pull it out of the bath this afternoon and see how much it accomplished.

 

[nnnnnate]

I have to give Brent (UT410) the credit for the vise. He is a total tool nerd and after working on my timing belt I asked his opinion on some tools that I decided I needed to upgrade and then mentioned wanting a decent vise in passing. When I started looking for one a month ago I sent him a few links to ask what he thought. After checking KSL for a while and not finding anything suitable I complained at what I was finding. It was only like 2 minutes later he sent me the link to this one that he had found. The seller still had it and the rest is history.

That paint is for sure going to get stripped, I'm wanting to make it real pretty. I'm not expecting it to come out this well but I'm going for something like this. (www.mivise.com)
mivise.com

 

[nnnnnate]

I was able to work on the vise earlier this week for a few minutes. I clamped it to a saw horse and hit it with a wire wheel on my grinder. The paint and hard goo came off really easy and it cleaned up nice. I was also able to get it disassembled, there are 2 fasteners, 1 clip, and 4 other parts is all. I had planned to try and take it to a radiator shop to get dipped in a "hot tank" but just called J-Mac and they said they'd give it a try but that it would cost $45. I think thats more than I want to pay since if it was warm out I'd have already taken it to the car wash so I'll hold off. I guess I'm thinking I'll just use it like it is until summer then I'll wash it and perhaps give it some paint then.

 

[BlueWolfFab]

Throw it in the dishwasher