Cleaning Parts!

Not much done this week so far. Cleaning parts and got the head ready to go to the shop for cleanup. Valve job, etc...The top photo is the toolbox that sits on top of the bell housing. You can definitely see how clean the washing soda solution gets parts!!

Trying to get a good process for storing parts after cleanup. Need more shelves!!

First Part out of the Cooker

Got the valve cover out of the cooker... It was clean as a whistle! Sprayed it with etching primer, and WD-40 inside the cover to keep it from rusting...

Chemistry to the Rescue

So, I'm not liking the concept of using a wire wheel to clean all of the tractor parts. I dig around on the internet, and find this concept of electrolysis to clean the tractor parts...

My setup for the prototype was pretty simple. 23 gallon tub, a few bungee straps, battery charger, and a basketball hoop! You can see the F20 valve cover in the tub above...

Here's the unit in action... Doesn't look too exciting you say? Well, before I show you an updated photo, here's the key ingredient: sodium carbonate! Otherwise known as:

Yip! Simple washing soda is all you need! We dropped in 1 tablespoon per gallon of water, and wham! Super Washing Tractor Part rust killer!

So the battery charger is pulling about 2 amps. Not shabby! I intend to get more electrodes added to the tub to boost this up to 6-8Amps. More power!! Grunt grunt!

Here's the tub after 90 minutes. If you are wondering where the basketball hoop went, I pitched it in exchange for a rusty carpenter's square. You can see the nasty rust stuff around the square. The valve cover is completely submerged. Paint is literally falling off of it, and the little rust that was on the part is gone gone gone!!

So, for my tub 2.0, I plan on getting stainless parts for the sacrificial metal, and to create a metal RING around the inside of the tub. This should speed up the process!!