Electro question from a newby

J

John S.

New member
Good morning.

I have now cleaned several pieces of cast iron in my electro set up (7 gal. plastic bucket) and after each use I have dumped the water with the arm-n- hammer soap out and I was wondering if a person needs to dispose of the water each time after cleaning a pan or can you use it again to do more pans? the reason I ask is because the water in the bucket seems sort of cruddy after one use. Thank You in advance for your response. John S.:bow:
 
I use mine to do lots of pans before emptying but I put them thru the lye bath first so I don't have to deal with a lot of crud. Only rust. I have to add water and washing soda due to evaporation and clean the buildup off the anode. Maybe someone who don't use lye will weigh in.
 
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During periods of frequent use, I found that I had to replace the sacrificial metal more often than the electrolyte. Much like the lye bath, the electrolyte will continue to work even after it gets murky from repeated usage. Frequency of refreshing the entire thing is up to personal preference.
 
Thank You Doug for your quick reply. I think I will use it at least twice before I replace the water/arm-n- hammer solution then. I also replaced my sacrificial iron plate with an stainless steel large platter I purchased at the Goodwill store for a buck now well see if it works better than the old piece of iron plate I had be using. John S.

---------- Post added at 11:57 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:23 AM ----------
John C. said:
I use mine to do lots of pans before emptying but I put them thru the lye bath first so I don't have to deal with a lot of crud. Only rust. I have to add water and washing soda due to evaporation and clean the buildup off the anode. Maybe someone who don't use lye will weigh in.
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Thank You John C. I have also started using a lye bath solution and boy does that lye get most of the crud off. I now have an Ebelskiver pan in the electro that went thru the lye sauna first and the crud that is in my electro bucket is much cleaner, I just went out to the garage to take a little peek at how things were coming along and turned the pan around to get the back side and it's looking good. I'm Happy as a Farmer with a New Combine. John S.
 
The subject of hexavalent chromium often arises in discussions of using stainless steel as an anode for cleaning cast iron with electrolysis. My understanding is that we would need to be using power sources supplying far greater current than that of a 12VDC/10 to 20A battery charger to reach the voltage and temperature required to break down the metal and release the compound known as Cr(VI) in a way that would pose a risk. Rather than engage in debate about it here, it is suggested that readers research the term on their own and make a determination with which they feel comfortable. My own take is that I probably would not spend extra money to use stainless, as it, too, will eventually rot and need to be replaced.
 
I absolutely agree that people should research it themselves and make a determination of there own. I have read more than a few articles on the subject and find arguments for each side, in the end I choose not to even if there is only a small risk and as Doug noted stainless is more expensive.
 
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