Electrolysis bath charging

Is a battery needed between a 12volt charger and the clamps going to the items in the electrolysis tank? I don't want to ruin the clamps connected to the charger by getting it wet. Second, I am only getting 1-4 amps power. So do I need to buy and 12 volt battery and a set of cheapy (eventually disposable cables) to make a better connections? No, I do not have the charger set to trickle. Is it on full power. Using a very heavy clunky non-descript skillet for positive and have been careful to not let them touch. Any ideas appreciated to help get the amps up to hours instead of days in the bath will be appreciated.:icon_scratchchin:

A battery inserted in the circuit in parallel can overcome the problem of an automatic battery charger seeing the electro tank as a charged battery and shutting down. Jumpers are also helpful in keeping from having to do maintenance on charger clamps that have been left submerged. A low amp reading of 1-4 amps using a 10 amp charger, for example, can most likely be traced to poor metal-to-metal contact at the piece being cleaned. Often you will need to wire brush a somewhat clean spot where you want to connect the charger clamp.

Thank you so much! This is a GREAT website. Doug, you are so kind and informative. CI people just must be special "folks!"