electrolysis - 2 amp or 10??

JMoss

Member
I just set up my electrolysis tub and the first skillet is bubbling away. I bought the manual Sears charger that can be switched between 2 and 10 amps. I have it set on 2 amps and it is creating the fine bubble plume shown in Doug's video. My question is what setting should it be set on, 2 or 10 amps or does it make any difference? The meter on the charger shows just over 2 amps, no where near the high end of the scale.

Jack
 
I use the 10 amp setting. The meter will vary with how well the clamps are making metal-to-metal contact. You may need to use your stainless steel wire brush or scrubber to remove some rust or crud at the attachment point for best results. Wiggle the clamp on your sacrificial anode as well so it "digs in" and makes good contact.
 
Thanks.

I just took my first completely cleaned skillet out of the electrolysis bath. The lye had done a great job on it and the electro bath took only 90 minutes on 2 amps. The second skillet is in the bath now. It needs more work so I'll try the 10 amp setting

Jack
 
How the process works is described here:

http://www.castironcollector.com/cleani ... ectrolysis

Pictured is my 20-gallon Husky container I use with a 2/10 amp battery charger and a piece of sheet metal clamped to one side. Pans are hung on coat hanger wire from a wood cross-piece. You can use any similar container sturdy enough to hold water, deep enough to allow the piece to be submerged, and wide enough to be able to keep the piece and the sacrificial metal anode from touching.
 
Thank you so much Doug I was reading about this but you just described it so I can picture it! Thanks again !, :D
 
Something I've discovered as I've set up my electrolysis bath, is the more surface area you have, the better your battery charger will work. I have a Schumacker I use, for instance, and when I first started I only have one anode (a rusty saw). So even though I had it set to ten amps, it was delivering three to four to the water.

Then I went to Dollar Tree and bought some dollar cookie pans. Using 12-2 gauge wire, I hooked the saw to a pan and sit it up on opposite sides of a trashcan. That increased the ampage to about 4-5. Finally, I switched over to two dollar pans, bringing the ampage up to the full 10, which based on its setting was what it was supposed to be delivering in the first place.

Lesson learned (for me at least) is the best metal for electrolysis is not necessarily the thickest, but one that covers the most area. These sheets are super thin, but take up a lot of room. I sand them down to remove the coating.

I also learned that just because you have a battery charger set to a certain ampage, doesn't necessarily mean that's what you're getting in the water. You have to play with your system, and see what works for you.

Hope that helps!

Mike M.
 
I'm lucky in that my neighbor is an HVAC contractor, and the one piece of unpainted steel panel he never uses, but seems to come with most of the units he installs, fits my electro tank perfectly.
 
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