Rebar "grid" for e tank ?

J

Jeffrey F

New member
Setting up my first e tank and would like to use rebar from local HD. Its already cut to a useable length and would last a while I think. So rather than use a bar or two I was going to make a wired together grid for each side. Having put rebar in foundations before I have a great easy wrap wiring tool to wrap them tight at intersections. Three horizontal and three vertical in an equal grid. One for each side and then wired together. As I've never done this before just wanted to check. Thanks for any input.

This is the charger I have and plan to use...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009IBJBM?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00

I hope to start cleaning up some CI items I have and putting them into service !
 
Jeffery F
Rebar will work but be aware that you will need to clean it occasionally. If you make it into a grid it will be harder to clean.

Jack
 
JMoss said:
Jeffery F
Rebar will work but be aware that you will need to clean it occasionally. If you make it into a grid it will be harder to clean.

Jack
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Jack my plan for that was to pull grids out and power wash once in a while as needed.
I just thought that the "line of sight" issue might be helped quite a bit by this method. But again, I am learning :)
 
X2 what Jack posted.

I am using 2 very heavy brush hog blades. Large surface area, easy to clean. The other thing is will all the intersections keep a good connections. I do not think all will.

If you want to go with the grid pattern, weld all the intersections. But then you have still deal with the cleaning.
 
Jeffrey F said:
Jack my plan for that was to pull grids out and power wash once in a while as needed.
I just thought that the "line of sight" issue might be helped quite a bit by this method. But again, I am learning :)
Click to expand...

power washing will not take the rust off, they need to be ground down with a disk or wire wheel. since there sacrificial metal they will get flakey rust all over them like they came from the ocean floor. carbon plates are the best thing. ive used lawnmower blades for quite some time and it becomes a endless task trying to keep them clean to increase the amps due to the rust. try these http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-4x4x12-Gr...378585?hash=item4648942319:g:DjAAAOSw--1Ws99k . I wish I would have done this sooner.
 
I think I should make a full disclosure of my eTank.

My electrolyte is lye, and not washing soda. I have not had to brush my anode with a wire brush, or do I have any pitting of the metal.

etank_0581.jpg
 
I didn't do the lye electrolysis, one less thing to worry about getting on me. what ratio are you using for the lye?
 
KevM said:
I didn't do the lye electrolysis, one less thing to worry about getting on me. what ratio are you using for the lye?
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Till it works fast.:chuckle:

---------- Post added at 02:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:39 PM ----------
Mark H said:
Bush hog blades were mentioned a few months ago. I had a couple so I put one to work. It works perfect.
Click to expand...

That just might have been me.
 
You'll only clean one large or two small pieces before you need to scrape off the rebar. All it takes is a few scrapes with a stainless steel wire brush. There's no need to get it perfect, just get the loose flaky chunks of rust off and you're good to go. I'm not sure how useful it is to weld pieces of rebar together. I just use spring clamps to secure whatever number of sticks I feel is necessary to get the job done. The upside is I can configure them for whatever size and shape the piece I'm trying to clean needs them to be, even if that means laying an anode on the bottom or ganging a whole bunch on one side to get at the stubborn stuff. All that being said, I'm always on the lookout for dirt cheap upgrades due to how messy scraping the rebar can be.
 
Ty L. said:
You'll only clean one large or two small pieces before you need to scrape off the rebar. All it takes is a few scrapes with a stainless steel wire brush. There's no need to get it perfect, just get the loose flaky chunks of rust off and you're good to go. I'm not sure how useful it is to weld pieces of rebar together. I just use spring clamps to secure whatever number of sticks I feel is necessary to get the job done. The upside is I can configure them for whatever size and shape the piece I'm trying to clean needs them to be, even if that means laying an anode on the bottom or ganging a whole bunch on one side to get at the stubborn stuff. All that being said, I'm always on the lookout for dirt cheap upgrades due to how messy scraping the rebar can be.
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The purpose of welding the rebar is for the best electrical connection.

I only use 2 or 3 anodes and have cleaned every type of cast iron cookware and other antiques and have yet had to clean my anodes or move them around. I move the piece around. Secret is, the closer you are to your anode the faster and better it all works. Just not to close, you have to find the sweet spot. I will not need to spend time looking for cheap upgrades, instead I look for more iron.
 
OK so will rebar work at all? Or should I move to another piece. There is the link above and also flat pieces of steel at HD. I just thought more would be better so that the "action" is coming from all angles. The line of site thing Ive read about. I don't have access to much used, but could possibly get some old lawn mower blades.
 
I do not know how many pieces that you are planning to clean, but I clean a LOT. I want to do it with less work, and faster.

Tools for every job need maintenance. My two largest tools are my Lye Tank, and eTank

The maintenance for my lye tank is add water and a little lye in the summer months. Replace it once a year.

The maintenance for my eTank tank is add water and a little lye year round. Check my electrical connections often. Replace it once a year.

One other thing feed them iron.

I like to work smarter not harder.

Just remember that electrical connections do fail and will. That is why I said to weld the rebar. Also remember what was said about cleaning the anodes. I think that flat stock would be the fastest.

I have restored a lot of metal in my eTank so I know it works. Here is a wood stove that went in my eTank in pieces

Before
stove_9079.jpeg


After
wood%25252Cstove_0594.jpg


You just need to find what works best for you.:icon_thumbsup:
 
Wow that stove looks GREAT -
As far as how many I plan to do.. It will be sporadic. I have a handful of pieces I'm going to do as time allows this spring. But after that just as I find one. I hope to find a pair of nice Griswold #8 skillets like the one I just bought, and restore them for my daughters. I have a few to do for my mom.. So 12 a year maybe...
Might buy some flat plate steel at HD and mount four pieces, tied together like you did the wire to the bush hog blade and go with that. The flat bar stock will be easier to clean too :)
Glad I found this forum... Look forward to sharing pictures of my inventory and cleaning projects.
Now what to do with this new bottle of flax oil when this group favors crisco :)
 
Jeffrey F said:
Wow that stove looks GREAT -
As far as how many I plan to do.. It will be sporadic. I have a handful of pieces I'm going to do as time allows this spring. But after that just as I find one. I hope to find a pair of nice Griswold #8 skillets like the one I just bought, and restore them for my daughters. I have a few to do for my mom.. So 12 a year maybe...
Might buy some flat plate steel at HD and mount four pieces, tied together like you did the wire to the bush hog blade and go with that. The flat bar stock will be easier to clean too :)
Glad I found this forum... Look forward to sharing pictures of my inventory and cleaning projects.
Now what to do with this new bottle of flax oil when this group favors crisco :)
Click to expand...

Thank you, on the stove.

What ever you do just work smarter not harder, and safety first.

I am not part of "this group favors crisco"

You will not find Crisco in my kitchen or shop. :icon_thumbsup:
 
Although Crisco has been a staple manual seasoning choice in the collecting community for years, there are as many that prefer canola, grapeseed, or even PAM over flaxseed. The blog article written about its "scientific" superiority has been proven lacking when it comes to real world usage, and most who try it end up going back to the old stand-bys. As a manually applied seasoning, it's pretty, but too many report it doesn't hold up under use. And since flaxseed oil is not used as a cooking fat, seasoning with it seems counterintuitive. It's a shame that outfits like ATK read the article and then write about it like it's CI gospel when they haven't really done any long term, in-depth assessment of it.

IIRC, someone here uses multiple pieces of rebar and just wires them together above the water line, and it works fine. A rebar grid sounds like a lot of work and trouble when there are several other cheap solutions that don't require fabrication or welding.
 
I would bet that's the blog article I read. Ok so what I DO know is I'll think about which way I want to go as far as a seasoning oil, and scout about for some steel (free) ? to use for my e-tank. I might lean towards canola? That I have - Crisco I don't. Thanks for all the input so far !
 
I tried rebar when I started. I quickly changed to some scrap ss. The rebar didnt seem to work near as well and cleaning it while its wet was way too messy
 
JustinR said:
I tried rebar when I started. I quickly changed to some scrap ss. The rebar didnt seem to work near as well and cleaning it while its wet was way too messy
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I thought using Stainless steel was taboo ? I have a nice long rod of stainless about 3/8 diameter...
 
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