# Electrolysis track cleaning



## rkenney (Aug 10, 2013)

I found a box full of old rusty track in the basement so I was intrigued by the mention of electrolysis in the thread about track resistance.

A little searching in the grocery store detergent aisle turned up the Arm & Hammer Washing Soda. For those of you who shop by package recognition like I do, here's what to look for:









When I got it all set up I just dumped some washing soda in cold water so I probably used way more than necessary. I'll have to experiment with that.

The positive electrode (anode) I used is an old S-K 3/8 extension with a screw welded to it. I'll never use that again. The picture shows the rust accumulated by the electrode and in the opposite corner where I first put the electrode. Because the rust was heavily deposited to the anode, I figure if you reverse the leads with the right cathode you could electroplate something. I'll leave that for someone else.









The result was a little disappointing. I guess I expected it to shine, but it did remove most of the rust. Experimenting with the positive electrode and a little more time might improve the finished product.









The black deposits are quite possibly the result of the type of galvinized metal used in the rails. Until the paper insulators dried completely all three rails were shorted together.


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## FM Trainmaster (Nov 13, 2013)

Red rust = ferrous oxide
black deposits = ferric oxide
Electrolysis converts one to the other. Scrub the track with a synthetic steel wool pad (eg ScotchBrite) to brighten. The big down side to electrolysis is that it will remove all the paint from your track ties.
Rebar makes an excellent (and cheaply disposable) sacrificial anode. I would avoid anything plated, or with high chromium, for the anode.


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## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

More cahoonas then me, but if it came out perfectly, I'd be trying it too. Post updates for us curious folks!


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## Dave Farquhar (Feb 20, 2013)

I tried it on a couple of pieces of O27 track but clean used O27 is so cheap I didn't think it was worth the effort. That said, I know tool restorers use electrolysis to clean rust off their treasures, so it's a valid treatment.

You know, it could be a cost-effective alternative to sandblasting when restoring tinplate trains.


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## TrainLarry (Jan 15, 2012)

Thanks for posting your photos and your experience. The anode material will dissolve and rust in time, so use any piece of scrap you can find. The closer you put the anode to your tracks, the faster and better the effect. Place the anode an inch away or so for best results.
As stated, washing and scrubbing with a ScotchBrite pad afterwards is all that is needed to get your track looking like new.

Larry


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## Howard1975 (Jan 6, 2014)

That is very interesting. Never knew that would happen.


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## cshabino (Jan 8, 2013)

Have found that in addition to placing the anode as close to the piece to be cleaned as possible, the larger the anode the more efficient the process---have used this to clean accessory parts, bridges, engine frames, etc---does take all the paint off in addition to rust

Vent area well as process does generate hydrogen gas


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## FM Trainmaster (Nov 13, 2013)

Electrolysis is most effective in the line-of-sight between anode and cathode, so best efficiency depends more on anode arrangement than distance to part. In fact, get anode and cathode too close, and your power supply (battery charger) may trip into overcurrent mode. Ensure all wiring to anode is above the water line, as wires to anode in the bath will quickly disolve, possibly destroying your good parts. As long as you maintain a current density above the threshold required for the reaction, increased current does not speed the cleaning proportionately.


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