Admiral T102 scored

[bandersen]

The paint is coming off the main cabinet nicely too

[CurtisMathes]

For those of us not well versed in electrolysis (me) could you explain what you've done and what the various pieces do during the process please?

[bandersen]

I've only used it to remove rust before and was surprised at how well it lifted the paint off. Here's what I did.

* Fill a tub with water and sodium carbonate.

* Connect the negative lead of a battery charger to your rusty/painted item. Any power supply that puts out 10-15 volts at 1-2 amps should work OK.

* connect the positive to a piece of iron or steel. Don't use anything with Chromium in it. That might produce toxic compounds.

* Submerge them both in the tub, but DO NOT allow them to touch.

* Kick back and wait a few hours.

If you're removing rust, it should turn black. If you're removing paint, hopefully it's lifting off. I've heard it doesn't always work.
Use a wire brush or scouring pad to remove the black stuff / paint.

Clean the bare metal thoroughly and get some primer on it before it's starts rusting again.

If you search the web for "rust removal electrolysis" , you'll find a lot more info and tips.

[CurtisMathes]

I apologize beforehand, but I'm a details kind of guy.

Does it matter the ratio of water to sodium?

What does the chunk of steel do? Is it some kind of catalyst, or is it used up somehow in the process?

If I come up with anything else I'll check your provided sources.

[bandersen]

Something like 1 tablespoon per gallon. The chunk of steel will get eaten away in the process.

[bandersen]

I finally got all the paint off the main cabinet body and sprayed it with primer.

[Phil Nelson]

How hard was it to remove the paint after the electrolysis loosened it?

Phil Nelson

[bandersen]

Not hard at all. A little wire brushing took 95+% off. I used some citrus based stripper to loosen up the rest.

[Phil Nelson]

The stripped chassis sure looks nice. I'm curious how the overall mess/work equation compares to using plain old stripper. Also, we live in the sort-of country and have to be careful about what goes into our septic system. Dumping big tubs of chemical gack down the toilet isn't always a good idea.

Phil Nelson

[bandersen]

I scrubbed the paint off outside of the tub. So what's left in it is mild soapy water and some fine rust particles. I let it settle for a couple days and poured the soapy water down the drain. I poured/scooped the rusty sludge into a coffee can and disposed of it.

[Eric H]

That's really neat! I soaked mine in a 5 gallon bucket of carburetor dip, talk about toxic!

If you stuck some Chrome (or Gold) in the tub and reversed to polarity what would happen?

A chrome TV might be kind of cool.

[bandersen]

Originally Posted by Eric H

That's really neat! I soaked mine in a 5 gallon bucket of carburetor dip, talk about toxic!

If you stuck some Chrome (or Gold) in the tub and reversed to polarity what would happen?

A chrome TV might be kind of cool.

I think it might work if you used the right electrolyte. I've heard chrome compounds are pretty nasty though.

-
I sprayed on a couple light coats of the Ivory Bisque then let it dry and sanded. Then another two coats and sanding.


Here's a preview before I sprayed the bottom. I think it's gonna look pretty sweet


Next, I masked off the white top and sides and sprayed a few light coats of orange.


After it set up about an hour, I carefully removed the blue tape. The orange bled through in a couple spots, but it's not too bad.
I think a little careful sanding will take care of it. Then, I'll put on some clear coat and let it cure for a week or so.

[DaveWM]

buddy of mine picked up one of these, took the back off, noticed a black wire that comes from the brightness pot looks like it was maybe soldered to the chassis ground, does that sound right?

[bandersen]

Yes, one side of the brightness pot is grounded. You can download the Sams here.

Here's how the cabinet turned out.

[zenith2134]

Hey!
Just read this entire thread and wow, what a phenomenal job you did! The cab came out great