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Question About E-Tanks
- Thread starter DonnaM
- Start date
Donna, I would think that the number of pieces would be determined by how big your tank is and how good you are at making electrical connections. Remember that each individual piece, must make an electrical connection with each other, leading back to your negative (-) black battery charger lead.
You might want to do a dry run, without actually firing up the charger, just to get an idea of how much tank & water it takes, let's say, just for one #8 skillet, or whatever. Suspend your sacrificial metal and hang your CI piece, placing them just as you want them to be, them fill with water to the necessary level, just to get an idea. Don't forget to measure your water so you will know exactly how much additive (Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda™) you'll need. I thought I could use a 5 gallon bucket, but it just wouldn't fit. I ended up using the five gallon bucket, and a 1 gallon jug, just to measure and fill my tank. For something small, maybe you could set-up in the 5 gal bucket. So, if all is good, and you decide it's a go, remove everything from the tank, so you can stir the water as you introduce the washing additive (sodium carbonate). I used a wire colander to sift mine through, due to the clumps, etc, and stirred with a board.
As I eluded to, I just did my first electrolysis project, a BSR #8, and I ended up using a large plastic garbage can. It took 13 gallons of water, just to cover everything, and only up to the very tip of the handle, where I attached the battery (-) lead. I had my sacrificial metal and my skillet, hanging about an inch off the bottom, so the can was actually less than half full, but still, it just takes more space than you might imagine.
As for hanging, I'm sure there may be other ways (?), but the CI piece does need to face the sacrificial metal, as closely as possible, without touching, and short of having two pieces of sacrificial metal (wired together), you need to be able to switch sides on the CI piece you are cleaning, hopefully just by disconnecting the charger (turn off), then lifting your CI, turning it around, and putting it back into the exact same position, only with the opposite side facing the sacrificial metal.
Multiple pieces in the tank, would make re-positioning a bit more difficult and time consuming, but it could be done. I would advise for a first run, do just one piece. Also, once you begin the electrolysis process, the water in your tank gets really gunked up, and you can't really see where things are, so you need to make note, before you start, exactly where things are, and will be hanging, so you'll know when you can't see them. Once into the process, after making a position change or just checking on progress, I used a wooden yard stick, to check down in the tank, making sure that things weren't touching, before turning the charger back on.
It does sound a bit complicated, but it is NOT, and the results are amazing. Pull it out, check your progress, and if you got a bunch of stuff hanging on the piece, take it out, hit it with a water hose, check to see if the remaining stuff will come off easily, then maybe a quick scrub with a stainless steel Chore Boy, and if there is stuff left, just put it back in the tank. I removed and hosed my skillet 2 or three times, did a little scrubbing a couple of those times, but just kept putting it back. Eventually, all was clean & just beautiful ! :razz:
http://www.castironcollector.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5068
Short answer, unless running a dedicated operation regularly cleaning and restoring multiple pans, most people find a one pan set up sufficient. Hanging the pan serves two purposes: the hanger can also serve as the connector for the power source, and without obstruction or touching some barrier, the electrolyte is free to circulate around the entire piece without leaving "shadows". Most are familiar with other the ins and outs of electro cleaning already explained on the main website: http://www.castironcollector.com/electrolysis.php
That didn't work for me, Doug, when it happened to me. It seemed to almost cause a "short" in the process. Didn't harm the battery charger, but the process was definitely adversely affected. Maybe that wasn't the cause, but it was the only thing I could find wrong (if it was wrong) and things went back to normal after I dumped the tank and cleaned out all the gunk.
Kevin, do you notice that when you initially begin the process, that the top of the water almost immediately covers with sludge / gunk, and then after a few hours, it kinda clears itself. I suppose that stuff does eventually settle to the bottom of the tank. I wonder if there is any way to get all that gunk out, without completely emptying the tank. Probably not worth the effort, though. After all, you're only out a little Arm & Hammer Washing Soda, should you empty and start over, and in my case, that's only 13 tablespoons.......:shootself:
I'll do two in a long rubbermaid whenever I have more than one to clean. I just take two pieces of rebar and form an X across the middle, which divides the tank into a pair of cube shaped sections. With rebar at both ends and across the middle I can clean two pans with anode coverage on both sides of both pans. Alternatively I'll run a 5-gallon bucket e-tank alongside the rubbermaid off the same battery charger.
Do the two pieces of rebar seem to be adequate ? Just wondering, I thought that you needed to sorta mirror the piece you were cleaning. I just did a #8 skillet, so I used an old baking sheet, that was 14" x 15". Just curious, because it ate that baking sheet up, and I'm going to need to find something else, if I run my tank again !
Nick, if I don't do it in the lye tank first that's pretty much what happens.
So, you do both ! I didn't realize that. I'm sure that really reduces your time in electrolysis ! :tongue:
Doug, I forgot to mention earlier that not only was the gunk touching the skillet I was cleaning, but it was also touching the bottom of my anodes (graphite plates).
So Kevin, is that a warning, NOT to put the CI piece, and the sacrificial metal, both, too close to the bottom of the tank, because I had tried to get both about an inch off the bottom ? Maybe to close ?
So, if that happens, is that a short ?
I wouldn't think the gunk would be anything conductive enough to short circuit it. My graphite anode rests on the bottom of my tank, as did my metal one before it.
I use 6. When I'm running two pans at once I form an X with two of them across the middle. The remaining pieces are arranged with two at each end standing vertically about 1/3 of the way in from the corner. I usually have the bottoms of the pans pointing toward the X in the center for that configuration. In my setup facing them the other way doesn't give the extrerior sidewalls a good line of sight to the rebar. I've probably cleaned two dozen pans with the same rebar. I've never measured but eyeballing it I'd say they've lost maybe 1/8 to 1/4 of their overall diameter in places. One thing to watch for is the tip of the rebar. It'll corrode down into a short needle and then for some reason stop. One punctured a 5-gallon plastic bucket when I was taking the tank apart. I always inspect them carefully and grind down the tips when they start to get sharp. I wouldn't be using rebar if I didn't have already a bunch of it taking up space in my garage. Too much maintenance. I'm hoping to find a few dirt cheap used lawnmower blades when outdoor flea market season starts back up. Other than washing soda I think I have a total of $10 invested in my e-tank, for a rubbermaid and some spring loaded clamps. Everything else is stuff I already had.
Ty, instead of buying used lawnmower blades at a flea market, go to a lawn and garden equipment dealer and ask if you can have some junk ones they took off a mower, they will probably gladly give you a handful. Trust me, we own a dealership, i'd give you an arm full!
Yep, I need to find something else myself. My baking sheet was nearly consumed on my first run - yuck ! I too, have very little invested in my set-up, actually, only the washing soda. I also had everything I needed, wire, plastic trash can with wheels, clamps, battery charger, etc. It's actually a pretty inexpensive project, especially considering the results. I was really surprised.......
RobHerrington
Member
Not understanding why the sacrificial metal can't be a second pan!