Thread: Rust Removal via Electrolysis

Originally Posted by Philadelph

I don't really see the point of doing this if you are going to restore the blade at all. Is it just for removing rust on a blade that you weren't planning on sanding? Looks like this method removes metal anyway, so wouldn't you have to restore it afterwards? Honestly, when you sand a blade to begin restoring it, it takes any rust away immediately. I'm not putting this method down, it just seems like a lot goes into this to take rust away.

If you look at the chemistry involved, you'll see that metal is actually being re-formed rather than taken away. When steel rusts, the iron in it reacts with oxygen to form iron oxide. When it reacts, iron loses an electron. With electrolysis, you're using electrical power to 'push' those electrons back into the iron. The solutions are just there to provide positive and negative ions, all of the work is being done by the electrical current. That's why the other piece of metal rusts, you're 'stealing' it's electrons to give them back to the razor. So if you have a really badly corroded blade or rust in an area you can't reach with sandpaper (say down inside of really fine grooves), you can actually save some of that corroded metal by converting it back to steel.

Originally Posted by Roadrunner

If you look at the chemistry involved, you'll see that metal is actually being re-formed rather than taken away. When steel rusts, the iron in it reacts with oxygen to form iron oxide. When it reacts, iron loses an electron. With electrolysis, you're using electrical power to 'push' those electrons back into the iron. The solutions are just there to provide positive and negative ions, all of the work is being done by the electrical current. That's why the other piece of metal rusts, you're 'stealing' it's electrons to give them back to the razor. So if you have a really badly corroded blade or rust in an area you can't reach with sandpaper (say down inside of really fine grooves), you can actually save some of that corroded metal by converting it back to steel.

Rust is made up of larger molecules than the iron/steel it came from. This is why rust puffs up and out from the material it is formed on. So when the rust is converted back to iron, it is no longer attached to the base material, and can be simply brushed off. It does save a lot of steel in so much as nothing is removed in this process except the rust itself.

Very cool information here!

No one has mentioned gold wash!
This method would remove the rust leaving the gold in tact.
Mmmm wish I had known earlier!
Tony H

Yeah, and getting rust out of the Jimps is nearly impossible with sandpaper (if your razor has jimps that is).

I don't think the dissolved pin material would plate the razor, the current would plate the anode if anything, if I'm not mistaken.

I tried this process last night, my main goal was to protect the gold wash.

1) it does remove probably all the rust but leaves a tough tarnish. MAAS can get the darkest part of the tarnish off, but if the blade was bad enough for rust to form you probably still need to sand it.

2) If you think that rust has formed on top of the goldwash then this process will remove the surface rust and reveal that the rust didn't form on top of the goldwash, but rather that the integrity of the goldwash was compromised and the rust rust is actually on the steel of the blade-even if 99% of the gold was looks perfect, the speckled rust you see translates to a speckling of compromised gold wash.

This should be obvious because gold never rusts. Unfortunately I didn't think about this when I recently purchased a slightly rusted razor because I really liked the near perfect (but slightly speckled) goldwash. (Luckily the razor is still a winner and has attractive etching!)

3) Left the celluloid scales on-no damage

4) Summary: Easy and cheap to do. Basically accomplishes removing surface rust with no effort and little time-this was the only benefit to me.

Luke

I have used this electrolysis to clean everything from large tractor parts to very small gun parts and have always had a great deal of success. I would only use a soda solution with a razor (as opposed to some of the lye or vinegar based recipes out there). I have never had any problems with brass or bronze degrading in an electrolysis bath.

The folks who have pointed out that rust=pitting=grinding are absolutely correct, however its a fantastic way to see exactly what you have to work with before you start and you can be fairly certain that all the rust is gone with none hiding in nooks and crannies and the walls and bottoms of the pits. It is great for tight spots and fine textures like knurling.

It is imperative that the steel be protected with an rust inhibitor after electrolysis as the metal is totally "naked" and will begin to rust immediately and aggressively once it is removed from the bath. You cant leave this on the work bench over night and forget to oil it or you will find it covered in rust the next morning... ask me and my 1911A1 how I know.

(for those 1911A1 lovers out the who are tying up a noose and checking my location on the googlemap to come lynch me... don't worry, it cleaned up just fine)

Among other courses, I failed basic electronics in high school thirty years ago. To this very day I close my eyes whenever I plug something into a socket! That being said, can someone please literally draw a picture of this process? I'm having a hard time visualizing.... I'm seeing clamping a razor and dropping it into a bucket full of baking soda and water with another ss clamp soaking in it! I fully accept all responsibility!

I'm in agreement that some pictures of ppl's setup would be cool. Plus maybe a shopping list for the next time I head to Lowe's, Wally World, etc....

TIA!