MY battery Charger !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Albert Hutchison]

Here is my problem. I keep burning out my chargers the more I spend on them the more the wife gets mad. First sign is that the cables start to get hot or they burn through at the clamps. Then one day I will go out to check my latest batch and the charger has stopped working. I love the results but not the chargers burning out. am i putting to many pcs in the 55 gallon stainless steal barrel,leaveing them in to long or what. Is there another way to set this up besides chargers ..???????? I normaly only hang 2-4 pcs in the barrel not touching in anyway ... :-/ >:( Should I give them a lye bath first , I normaly just put the straight in the electr.. bath and never use lye but if this will stop the chargers from burning out I will from now on .....PLease help.....

[Cheryl Watson]

Albert, a bit more information is needed:

1.  The Brand and Type of your Battery Charger.  (Must be Manual 12 V)

2.  What are you using for your electrolyte in the water? and how much are you mixing into the water. (Too much will run HOT)

3.  A picture of your Electro would sure help... that shows how you hang your pieces.  (Could be loose connections)

I always use a lye bath to remove the crud, before the electro.  Keeps my connections clean and easy to maintain. 

I only hang 2 pieces max... no more.
(note:  I am using a 2 plate system... waiting for my 360 SS to arrive from North Carolina... once I can arrange transport. :) )

[Duke Gilleland]

You are probably taxing the charger with too much iron. I never put in more than one piece at a time due to the "shadow" effect I have seen when multiple pieces are done.
The last 2 chargers (shelf type) Sears I used lasted less than 6 months. Had to go to the large one on wheels.
Like everything else today I figure it is a quality issue in manufacturing. Just my findings :-/

*****Wal Mart has a BIG Schumacher on sale for $89 in the paper this am. If I needed one this would be IT [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

[Albert Hutchison]

1= I Have been useing 12 volt  manual.

2= I use arm and hammer washing soda and I was told that it didn't matter if I over did it putting it in. ( maybe thats the problem )

3= I use a 55 gallon SS barrel with a rubber tube I cut to fit the rim all the way around the top except for a 1 inch space that I leave exsposed for my clamp so I can use a soild copper bar across the top and I use soild copper wire to hang my pcs with. The barrel is the anode in this case which I once a month I reverse this and hang some foreign pc of junk I will pick up at a auction and clean the inside of barrel... ;D Sorry no pic today of this because I would have to drive over 60 miles to my mothers to get them that is where this set up is located at and my excuss to go visit her every weekend ;)

[Eric Lawson]

Likely the battery charger's rating is for when it is used as a battery charger.  A battery's current demands will drop fairly quickly as the battery becomes charged...so the charger can be built less "strong" without any problem because the high current demands will only last a very short while.

A cleaning tank probably won't have the "current demand goes down as time goes on", so a charger operated a full capacity will eventually overheat. 

I try to operate a charger at no more than 2/3 of it's rated capacity.

You can go with less cast iron in the electrolyte, or reduce the strength of the electrolyte, or set the charger to 6 volts.

[Cheryl Watson]

I am using a Manual Schumacher, with a wider range of amp selections, so that when I run it at 20 amps, I am in the lower range of the settings that the charger was designed to handle.

I also use a lye bath, to reduce the run time in my Electro, and it also makes cleaning and maintenance of the electro easier.

I have not had any success with running a charger at 6V... the only switchable chargers I have, are Automatic chargers and they do not work well with electrolysis units.

When the concentration of Washing Soda is too high, it will cause my clamps to get VERY hot. I use less Washing Soda in Hot Weather, and more in Cold Weather.

My troubleshooting order, when charger clamps get too hot......
#1 -  Check ALL connectors to the CI AND to the anode, clean or replace the connection points and hardware if corrosion is present
#2 - reduce to one piece in the electro (which is the normal for me)
#3 -  reduce concentration of Washing soda
#4 -  then I worry about the Battery Charger....

[Chuck Rogers]

My biggest word of advise would be to keep the amps down to around 20. Of course if your charger is near maxxed out at 20, you gotta go bigger on the charger. You can load the 55 gallon drum, as long as a good line of site is maintained between each piece, and the SS. Of course that will push your amps higher.
Also, I use electro for rust, not for gunk. That can be handled with a lye bath. You'd be surprised just how good iron looks with lye bath alone. Even if the appear to be a bit rusty when you start.

[Russell Ware]

Cheryl. if the picture of the white barrel is your electro, where did you get the metal strips with the holes in them to bolt the pan to? I can only find zinc plated material like that, not stainless. Right now I have stainless all-thread that I bolt the pan to, but I have to cut that into specific lengths. I'm looking for an adjustable setup like yours.

[Cheryl Watson]

I ordered my stainless slotted strips from McMaster-Carr in New Jersey... a supplier recommended to me by my Machine Shop guys......

http://www.mcmaster.com/?orderview=new#slotted-stainless-steel/=pu3zmn

Ouch... the prices have gone sky high in two years!