Electrolysis setup question

[Mark Zizzi]

So my #9 Griswold DO arrived today and I'm thinking electro is the way to go for this piece as it does have a little surface rust. I had it in a vinegar bath for a few hours and that did help, but too much scrubbing involved trying to get rust out of the little recesses in the grain of the cast iron, tiny pits etc,  and I don't want to miss any.
 This might be a silly question, but I have a round steel container that this DO fits in perfectly with about 2 inches clearance all around. Why couldn't I fill it with electrolyte, suspend the DO inside, and use IT as the anode, just clamp the pos charger cable to the top of the steel tank. The whole thing would be energized, all around the DO and the bottom too.
 So what do you think? Am I missing something? Of course I would unplug the charger before touching anything. Thanks.

[Cheryl Watson]

Mark, before putting a piece  in the vinegar bath, you need to strip off the old seasoning first.

This can be done using oven cleaner that contains Sodium Hydroxide, or a lye bath.

I always use a lye bath first, then electrolysis to derust (or vinegar bath).

Electrolysis would also clean & derust, but it requires much longer run times in the electro, and more wear and tear on the anode (s).

Now the round steel container idea would work for a 360° electro.... BUT... depending on the type of steel, etc., the container may well breach very quickly.  Stainless steel is the best anode.

Also, the battery charger must be a 12V, totally manual charger. Automatic chargers (table top)do not work well, if at all, for electrolysis units.

[Mark Zizzi]

Hi Cheryl, Yeah I'm finding that out about stripping the seasoning first. I think the seller gave it a coat before shipping, because there was much less visible rust when it got here than in her ebay pics. That thin coat comes off easily with steel wool and there's the rust underneath. So into the lye bath it goes. The lye water I have from doing my skillet is black as ink. How many times can it be used? Should I add more lye? 

[Cheryl Watson]

Pretty much forever.. well, maybe not THAT long,,, if the strength weakens, just add more lye.  One container, depending on size, can clean many, many pieces. 

I'd put down the steel wool for good.  Depending on the grade of steel wool, you may end up polishing the top layer of iron which will make it harder to season.  There are other, gentler methods, that will preserve the iron and it's history.

[Mark Zizzi]

Ok. It was a very fine steel wool and seemed to work better than the SS scrubbie, especially in tight areas. How bout one of those green scotch-brite pads?

[Cheryl Watson]

No... worse... scotchbrite pads not good.

The SS scrubbies will work fine when used in the proper sequence.
DeGunk with lye, scrub with Blue Dawn and SS scrubbies under running water...this is the ONLY time I use HOT water, at the beginning.

Derust using one of the recommended methods.
Final scrub down... COLD running water only & Dawn and SS Scrubbie.
If rust still remains, extend the rust treatment until gone. Re scrub.

[Mark Zizzi]

Ok..scotchbrite out. But I'm going to have to get into places scrubbie won't go...like inside the o's and p's and e's in Tite Top for example. Wire toothbrush? I have one but it's brass i think.

[Cheryl Watson]

Brass will discolor CI.  Stainless Steel bristle brush.  Check Sticky at top of this board, Where to Buy Lye and OTHER supplies......  :)

[Cheryl Watson]

When using stainless steel bristle brushes for lettering, logo areas, etc, I use a very light touch, and brush in one direction, with soap and running water. 

[Mark Zizzi]

Ok ..adding ss brush to shopping list. This is an expensive hobby!  :D ;D
....as I'm sure you've found out!  8-)

[Ken Davis]

No... worse... scotchbrite pads not good.

Ok. Why are ScotchBrite pads out?

[Cheryl Watson]

They are very abrasive.

[Mark Zizzi]

Quite a surprise today..the whole underside of the lid is orange with light surface rust now that the seasoning is gone. This was not visible at all before going into the lye. "Somebody" just seasoned over it to make it look good.  >:(
Not seeing any deep rust anywhere and the carbon has come out of the lettering on the base and looks like new. Seasoning on cooking surface being stubborn ..I'll give it one more day. Gotta get busy on that electro...

[Ken Davis]

More abrasive than steel wool?    :o

[Cheryl Watson]

Yes.

[Mark Zizzi]

Ok...more electro questions..
How close should the CI be to the anode...is it the closer the better?
    and
Has anyone ever heard of an actual hydrogen explosion ever happening?   :o I'm going to have to do this in the basement and I've taken great pains to make it non-ventilated down there. I could run a fan over the electro tank to disperse any gas and keep the air circulating. There are no pilot lights down there. What are your thoughts on that...thanks.

[Cheryl Watson]

The closer the better, regarding the anode, BUT not close enough for accidental contact with. 4 -5 inches is the closest I have used...

Trust me, ARCING in the electro is NOT a pretty sight,,, very scary,,, like an arc welder, and will damage the CI piece too....

And yes, Sam R. had a big boom with his electro.  There was some talk about the 'pants' he was wearing incurring some damage, but no other serious damage to surrounding area.

Tom N. got some snap crackle pops and pretty blue colors with his blow torch over the electro experiment....

Chuck R. operates his electro in his basement, as do others, so maybe they will weigh in.

Mine is in my self ventilating garage, unheated.

Not sure if I would put mine in the basement even if I had the space... I am a coward...
afraid of the dark cloud over my head gremlins that seem to delight in making sure I enjoy the life experiences of things like , fire engulfed dryers, bat colonies in my house, and many other bizarre happenings........

 8-)

[Mark Zizzi]

 ;D I've got that same cloud too..thats why I'm a little nervous about it. Tom N sounds a lot like me also. But I don't have a garage and it's 2 degrees outside..below zero at night.. and I don't want to spring 70 bucks for a heated tub like you have. I just won't use it enough to justify the cost. 
How could the piece get damaged if it's submerged in the soup..does the whole tub blow up..or just the escaped hydrogen?

[Cheryl Watson]

Arcing in the electro is like an welding rod in the solution.

Now the arcing I had, was caused by a loose connection under the surface.  It damaged a super heavy duty S hook where it was thru the slotted stainless hanger.  Ate into the Stainless, pretty powerful stuff!  No booms, or anything like that. 

One safety precaution with electrolysis, is to always turn the Charger OFF before disconnecting the positive or negative clamps.  (to prevent errant sparks over the electro... :)

In Sam's case, it was just the accumulated hydrogen inside the rubbermaid storage shed, if memory serves me correctly...

Never place an electro in a confined space.......... for sure.

[Mark Zizzi]

Ah..I see. It wasn't the hydrogen, it was a loose connection. Yes, the first thing I'll do if I go anywhere near it is turn off the charger. DO fits kind of tight inside the tub I have..will only be 1 1/2 inches from the anode on the sides..more on the ends. I couldn't go with my steel tank idea afterall.. it's an old mop bucket on wheels like a janitor would use...but it looks to be galvanized.  :-[ So I went and bought some scrap SS at a scrap yard and I'm putting it all together now.
 It seems like a DO is a little trickier than a skillet or griddle. Since it works "line of sight", do you suspend an anode inside the DO to get inside rust out? There's a little light rust on the inner sidewalls I need to get. How do you do a DO...thanks.  :)