Practically Classics Forum

Nice bling wheels

Nice results on the wheel, at work i have a bucket of neat hydrochloric acid that i use for dipping parts in, very dangerous and smelly.
I think i might have a go with the electro method, is there a certain mix of soda/water to use and what if you use a higher quality steel rod like silver steel what voltage/amps.?

jimmyybob wrote:Nice results on the wheel, at work i have a bucket of neat hydrochloric acid that i use for dipping parts in, very dangerous and smelly.
I think i might have a go with the electro method, is there a certain mix of soda/water to use and what if you use a higher quality steel rod like silver steel what voltage/amps.?

Thanks Jimmy.

Mix of crystals - the greater the concentration the lower the resistance of the electrolyte, so the more current it will draw. This will make it work faster, but in my case I didn't want to overload the battery charger. The other variable is the size of the anode and the distance it is from the cathode (in my case the wheel)within the bath, so I varied both the distance and the concentration until it was reading a gentle 2 amps or so - that's the advantage of an old fashioned battery charger - it's got an ammeter on it!

As a guide, that's a large plasterer's bucket about 60-70% full of water, and I used maybe 2-thirds of a cupful of crystals, so not a lot.

I can't really say about what voltage/amps to use, bear in mind that the higher the voltage the more power will be going through it, and you'll get a LOT of bubbling, so I'd err on the gentle side. Bear in mind too the the gases given off are a perfect mix of oxygen and hydrogen, and thus HIGHLY explosive, so do it in a well ventilated area and try to avoid sparks. For that reason alone I personally would not go above 12v and around 2-3 amps.

HTH

Cheers!

Coo Thanks for info and pics

If only I could work out how to submerge a whole car and have a massive PV array to power it....

Otherwise I may just have to sort out the wheels....

megadethmaniac wrote:If only I could work out how to submerge a whole car and have a massive PV array to power it....

Yeah, that is one disadvantage.....