Saturday, October 25, 2014

Tall De-rust Bucket


 I have some long thin Items which need derusting, tools, etc. but won't fit in a standard 5 gallon mud bucket I used before.  I hunted all over for a tall waste basket or something like it.  I didn't want something as big as a 55 gallon drum, just to much water to deal with.  My neighbor had a piece of 8" Schedule 40 PVC pipe which I cut to 36".  Free is not always cheap.  The cap cost me $45 even after the guy at the plumbing supply had pity on me and took off $10.  Still I think it is perfect for what I'm doing and will last for ever.

 For sacrificial iron (anode) I decided to use re-bar since it's cheap and easy to get.  I bent it to an "L" shape to work better on the bottom end of the part.  The process supposedly works better on Line of Sight between the part and the Anode.

My brother-in-law has a re-bar bender/cutter but a stout vise and large hammer will do.

In the long end of the bars I drilled a hole to bolt the bars in place and provide electrical connection.  I also ground the area around the holes flat to get better contact.  If needed I'll use star washers to improve the contact.


 I wanted the 6 bars evenly spaced around the inside of the bucket.  A quick measurement and the holes need to be 4 15/16" apart.  I placed them 1 1/4" down so the ends of the bars would not stick up past the top.  I'll cover the top to keep the rain out while cleaning the parts.

 A support stand made drilling the bolt holes easy enough.

 The rod are bolted in place with washers to space them from the flared end so they hang parallel to the wall of the tube.

The current is low but the wire end with a 1/4" hole are for 10/12 gauge wire so I used a scrap of 10 gauge wire to connect them together and make a pigtail for attaching the battery charger.  I used the red insulated wire to remind me the positive lead connects to the anodes,

 For a stand I used a mud bucket filled with concrete.  I positioned the tube in the middle of the bucket and poured in dry concrete mix, settling in down with gentile taps of the mallet on the sides of the bucket.  I left it down about 2" and poured in about a quart of water.  Concrete doesn't need much water to make the chemical reaction work.  The water is now trapped in the bucket so it will slowly cause all the concrete to react and harden.

After it set a day I mixed a little of the concrete with water to cap the the top of the bucket.  I want it to shed water when I have it outdoors for use.
I think we're ready for some water, soda and parts cleaning.

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