Shop Tips and Tricks

[Scud]

Got a method of doing something that saves time, money, effort - or improves quality - or is just more fun? Post it up here.

 

I'll start with something I did yesterday in anticipation of getting into my LeMans clutch. The pressure plate, intermediate plate, and starter ring (from my parts bike) all had some mild surface rust - and there was some heavy rust on the exhaust flanges and whatever those semi-circle parts are called that go between the flanges and the pipes.

 

Given that it is morally wrong to re-install rusty parts on motorcycles, the rust had to be removed. I used electrolysis - which only took about 20 minutes of my time (but required overnight work for the battery charger).

 

Here are the parts last evening:

 

  

 

And the overnight soak with battery charger

• Solution: 1 tablespoon washing soda per gallon of water.
• Negative terminal of battery charger to wires that suspend parts in solution.
• Positive terminal of battery charger to anode (scrap steel)

 

 

Here are the parts this morning. No more rust on the parts; it's all clinging to the anode or still in the solution.

 

[Lucky Phil]

Nice one.

Ciao

[docc]

That's awesome! I would have never considered this method.

 

Yet, what is "washing soda?"

[Scud]

Washing soda is sodium carbonate. The guy in this video gives a good demonstration:

 

[fotoguzzi]

won't they just rust up again ?

[victor]

No if he send them to me

 

http://www.silga.com/en/galvanic-division/treatments/traditional-galvanic/description-2

 

:grin: :grin:

[Scud]

The parts will rust again if not coated in some way - and Victor, that's more ways of plating parts then I ever imagined.  

 

I've use electrolysis primarily to remove rust from things that I will paint - it's easier than grinding or scraping, removes all the rust, but none of the good material. It even removes rust from interior, or difficult to reach places, such as insides of springs or between teeth of gears. I probably did not need to remove the rust from the clutch parts, but rust is an abrasive and I feel good about assembling it without an abrasive between the gears and flywheel.

[victor]

Scud, as Elton John sings "it's just my job five days a week..."

(since 1994)

[Stick]

I bought a used Honda V45 Sabre a few years back, and I asked the gent, " How can a tank this old be this clean?"    And he told me about electrolysis.  I did a tank on an R80 about 6 years ago.  That rusty thing turned out much better on the inside.  

 

Things to remember:  

 

It only attacks the oxide, not clean steel.  

 

It is fairly "line of sight" from the electrode (anode) to the piece that you're doing.  I had to re-position my anode night after night to make sure it was getting the job done. 

 

If you use plain steel Anode, the used solution is environmentally safe.  Pour it on your lawn or in the woods.  

 

Don't use Stainless Anode.  The chromium content makes the used solution HAZMAT.

 

Anode and rusty part(s) cannot touch in the bath.  Short circuit = no action.

 

Consider using current limiting - like a brake light element.  I used this, a bike battery, and a charger/maintainer to keep the battery up.  If you DO short, the light lights up bright.

 

Have fun, U  chemical maniacs!

 

Oh, Washing Soda = water softener.  Arm and Hammer makes it.  Don't confuse it with laundry soap.

[Kiwi_Roy]

That's a great tip, I've often thought about trying to plate things like nuts and bolts (not chrome just something to mitigate rust), any ideas there?

 

 

Sent from my shoe phone!

[victor]

Zinc plating,10-15um will give you years and years of corrosion free.

[Kiwi_Roy]

Yes but are there any nasty chemicals involved?

I'm thinking about something easy to obtain like Scud's washing Soda. The plating metal should be ok since it is electroplated from the anode to cathode, it's what's in the bath that I am wondering about.

 

 

Sent from my shoe phone!

[Scud]

I looked at some videos on YouTube. Zinc plating looks pretty straightforward and non-toxic - you just need to find a bar/block of Zinc for the source material. Nickel plating looks like a lot of work and nasty chemicals.

 

I haven't tried any plate-at-home methods - but I learned electrolysis by watching YouTube videos and it worked for me.