My Science Project - Removing Rust by Electrolysis

Hey all - so I've seen this mentioned once or twice but I thought I would chime in with my 2 cents and testimonial. Having recently purchased my bike in dire need of some TLC, I moved to tackle the gas tank. With some help from friends and family, I was eventually pointed towards this site and decided to go for it. I spent about $4.25 on materials (the soda and a PVC cap from Home Depot) and went to work.

Here was the inside of the tank before I started. There were chips inside as well as some obvious surface rust. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't exactly good.



This is the first sacrificial anode before being used, stuck through the PVC cap.


Here's the full setup.


This is what the anode looked like after being in the tank and on the charger for just over an hour.


This is the electrolyte solution after being pumped out of the tank after about 2 and a half days of cooking. It was clear when it went in.


Moment of truth, the inside of the tank.


The last picture you can see where it was corroded, but most (all I can see at least) of the rust has been removed. The next step is to re-coat the inside. Between getting all of that rust out and the re-coat I think it should hold up just fine. Then the following step is to paint it something other than ugly gray.

If anyone else plans on doing this just a few suggestions. First I would recommend finding an anode with as much surface area as possible. The problem comes w/ shorting out the circuit from the hanger touching the tank. This was honestly the hardest part. With a bigger anode I could have changed it less (changed it about every 1.5-2 hours over the course of the few days). Also I would have changed the electrolyte solution once or twice, as you can see how much rust and dirt was just floating around in there. Thanks for checkin' it out.

Chris

ps - Sorry if some of the pictures aren't the best. Point and shoot in some badly lighted conditions.

 

Will do. After taking the borescope to it today there's still a few signs of rust. Might mix up another electrolyte bath and run the process again for another day or two. We'll see.

 

Or just fill it with a quart of oxalic acid and a handfull of 1/4 or smaller nuts (Steel BB's or bearings balls also work) and shake for a little time. Pour out and marvel at the clean tank! (1st stage of POR 15 treatment for RUSTY tanks.)

But, your method looks fun!