In a pinch, you can convert baking soda (Sodium Bicarbonate) to washing soda (Sodium Carbonate), by spreading it thinly on a cookie sheet, at no more than about 1/2″ deep, and baking it at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, stirring it every 10. Also washing soda is sometimes hard to find.
At 8 lbs per gallon, it will bend most thin-walled vessels and eventually topple the vessel. Regarding the bin, it is important to note that water is HEAVY.
To build an electrolysis tank, you need a STURDY bin (read: not a clothes bin / Rubbermaid), a few clamps, some scrap metal (Crappy old steel baking sheets are great here), washing soda, and a manual charger (such as one made by Schumacher). Many of the parts needed for an electrolysis tank are household items, so that is another way to keep costs down.Įlectrolysis tanks are single-handedly the best tool for restoring cast-iron pans as they low-maintenance, safe enough to use on cast-iron which is of collector quality, can clean both crud and rust, and requires very little actual manual work. While you can get crazy with an electrolysis tank, a very basic setup requires not much more than about 40-50 dollars in parts. You can periodically rotate the pan to clean it or use multiple anodes to surround the pan on all side. Electrolysis is a directional process, and only the side of the pan facing the anode will get cleaned. (As shown by the lovely arrows in my illustration). The rust that is on your pan (or other item being cleaned) will be attracted to the anode. Next, you apply current to begin the process. Next, you connect the negative (-) lead to the item being cleaned. Usually plain steel or graphite are used for the anode. In an electrolysis tank, you submerge a piece of metal (known as the sacrificial anode) in your tank (which is a solution of water and washing soda) and connect it to the positive (+) lead of a manual battery charger.
Effectively, you immerse cast iron in an electrolytic solution and pass electricity through it, removing rust by attracting it to a piece of disposable metal. ElectrolysisĮlectrolysis is a process by which electricity is used to remove rust. Rust, a buildup of iron oxide (Fe₂O₃) happens when cast iron pans are exposed to water or humidity without being dried properly. A number of methods have been devised over the years, and this article aims to help with selecting an appropriate method to restore your pans. There are two major items that can make a cast iron pan less than usable: Rust and crud. At some point, whether through inheritance, shopping, or neglect, you are going to need to restore a cast iron pan so that it is usable again.