Making Headway.....

[Jim Becker]

How quickly the paint comes off depends on how well it was applied. I have had a few things come out of the tank with the repaint job removed and the original paint still in place.

[Northdm]

And this is why I asked the question. Electrolysis is a nice method, but if I have to blast to get the original paint off to boot, I'd rather blast to begin with. However, I am interested in the process all together regardless as there is more rust than paint to begin with....

[Rudi]

I have yet to sandblast anything except the castings on some plow parts, and that was strictly because the twisted wire cup brush would not fit into the nooks and crannies...... Everything else has come out ready to peel.. As far as I am concerned, my experience to date, has indicated that if I leave it in for an extended period of time.. EVERYTHING comes off..

This isn't rocket science.. it is just a good tool to make restoring our Cubs easier...

[Northdm]

Got to tell ya Rudi, after many hours of blasting and dealing with the "mess" that it leaves, I'm ready to make the jump to Electrolysis. I have a lead on a 55 gallon plastic barrel with the top already removed. I have 2 chargers, one of which will make a perfect candidate and plenty of scrap steel. Funny how restoring a cub will lead to building steel tables, blast cabinets, parts washers and electrolysis tank. O' what a shop I got going NOW...........

[Rudi]

Well, since I got me Cubs, my shop has increased substantially as has my tool chests and my fabrication skills. I am learning..

If you can get a 55gal barrel with the the top still on, that will be much much better.. then you can actually install the drain and all. Plus you will be able to support the re-bar nicely. And re-bar is available at any construction site for nada... I like it.

[Northdm]

Rudi,

I think you'll be impressed..... I had 2 plastic barrels dropped of from a friend tonight. One is 55 gal with a cover and the other a half barrel but good for smaller pieces. I already have the charger and am picking up the baking soda tomorrow. I'm looking to light this off as soon as possible and am looking to do it out side the shop of course. Have you had any problems with cold weather effecting the process any

All,

Engine gasket kit and piston rings showed up today and I'm anicipating the replacement fan pulley and valve set to arrive tomorrow.

I did take alot of peoples advice and ordered the engine bearings and hoses/clamps from TMTractor today. Not sure who I talked to, but this guy was great and when I told him, the "FORUM" sent me, he chuckled and said "Those guys are great, they're my biggest fans".

Thanks for the lead fellas.....

NorthDM

[Rudi]

The guy you talked to was Tom and his is the TM in TM Tractor Parts... hehe

Cool, glad you got barrels..

Try not to use baking soda ok... use TSP.. check the Where to get it in the US thread over on the How To forum..

Get some pics, even with a regualar camera.. they can get scanned at some point..

[Northdm]

Rudi,

Tank is up and running and here's the proof. Running between 6-8 amps......looks good so far but results are yet to come.....We will see....





NorthDM

[Rudi]

NorthDM:

Now that is a different setup.. I am curious to see how it works. How good are the contacts at the re-bar. That single twist of the wire -- is it tight? Makes good contact???

I want to see the results.. interesting..

[Northdm]

Rudi,

Well, I left that fender in the tank from 2 pm yesterday until 8 am this morning and with a steady 6-8 amps showing on the charger, the fender was approxiamately 75% paint and rust free. The areas that didn't come clean was definitely areas that had more paint than normal on them. IE runs, drops, sags of paint. Overall, I'm quite impressed and any reduction in blasting is a good thing to me.

I have the seat post & spring in there now and we'll let that cook for the rest of the day. I added some TSP, stirred it up good, checked the connections and left with the charger showing 7 amps................

NorthDM

[Rudi]

NorthDM:

As I indicated, interesting setup. Sounds like it is working for you as well, and that is pretty good. You might find that the rest of the fender may only require a bit of power washing and a little judicious use of a twisted wire cup brush on your 4-1/2" angle grinder.

One suggestion would be to put wire-nuts (acorns) or some other device which would give you a more solid contact at the re-bar. Your setup will work, but you will find that it will give you problems as that is the weak point of your tank.... just a thought..

[Donny M]

A small hose clamp on those twisted connections and it's cool, very cool.

[Rudi]

There you go

A simple elegant fix for a simple problem... good idea Donny

['Country' Elliott]

Hey Northdm...You can also have a lot of success using NEVERDULL wadding to shine up your headlight reflectors (no abrassives, so no scratches)

[Northdm]

I will have to try the wire nuts/hose clamp idea. The fender section cooked for about 10-12 hours at a pretty steady 6-8 amps with about 70% success overall. I will modify before my next attempt.

I received my engine back from the machinists today. New valves, guides, springs & keepers..........Honed cylinders, new piston rings and bearing but not installed as of yet. All looks good, however, I guess when I dropped the bearings and rings off I assumed that they were going to install. I must have misinterpreted them. No prob.....with the manuals and my handy dandy DVD, I should be able to pull this off. At some point in time, I hope to be headed the other way on this restoration. Ya know, putting stuff together instead of taking stuff apart.....

Thanks again all for the feedback. As intimidating this can be to a non-motor type like myself, I sure feel at ease with ya all backing me.....

NorthDM