Belgian 1889 Project

[browningautorifle]

Bake them? For the electrolysis? It just goes into the bath out in the shop... Only thing goes in the oven should be a Pizza...

[Aragorn243]

There is a big warning on the link Hooked posted about baking them to prevent them from becoming brittle due to hydrogen infiltration. In any case, I believe I had a successful quest. Look this stuff over and let me know. Only manual charger I could locate, nearly all are automatic these days. Lowest setting is 2 amp. Is that too much? I think most guys were using 1.5 amps, not a huge difference but wanted to check. Also, is there any inherent dangers here, gasses, small children or pets being electrocuted, etc? I can return what I bought, the wire and rebar I had here at the house.

[browningautorifle]

There is a big warning on the link Hooked posted about baking them to prevent them from becoming brittle

We have guys here that have done this very thing, I'm surprised they haven't come along. I'm going to have to find the thread so you can PM some people...I think.

[browningautorifle]

Here's the thread I was looking for... https://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=48590

[Aragorn243]

Only one other fellow mentioned the metal becoming brittle, says not to use on barrels and receivers. Frankly, not being a metallurgist but being kind of common sensecal, I don't see how hydrogen could get deep enough into the metal to make anything but the surface brittle if even that. It would seem to me that the fellow writing the advice may have confused the initial creation of the steel rather than electrolysis. I followed the links through to the Surplusrifle forum and seems lots of fellows have done this to barrels and receivers and none mention baking afterwards.

[cipherk98]

Ah, the Christiana Mall Cabelas... I thought it was the worst store I'd been in until I bought a gun at the Hamburg location. Is the SL8 still sitting there in the Gun Library?

Good thing you got to this gun before me. With the 1916 cleaned up I need something else

[Patrick Chadwick]

Only one other fellow mentioned the metal becoming brittle, says not to use on barrels and receivers. Frankly, not being a metallurgist but being kind of common sensecal, I don't see how hydrogen could get deep enough into the metal to make anything but the surface brittle if even that.

I agree, and electrolyse all metal parts except springs, where any embrittlement could cause an early failure. For springs, I use 0000 wire wool, oil and elbow grease.

As for electrolysis, the link provided above by BAR pretty well covers it all.

[Aragorn243]

I can't answer on the SL8. I never even would have seen that gun. If it doesn't have wood on it, it's invisible to me. I've never had a problem at Hamburg. I've bought a lot from them. Wasn't really a huge problem at Christiana either other than they had 2 people doing the paperwork and had 15 guys in line waiting.

[#1oilman]

Hydrogen does penetrate the metal, we see this in pressure vessels, it can cause blisters in the steel and lead to separations, we use what is referred to as a "Hydrogen Bake Out" much like a stress relieving process although I can't picture this occurring during the electrolysis procedure

[Aragorn243]

I have it in the bath this morning. Been in for 45 minutes. Wasn't seeing much action so turned up the charger to 12 volts, 6 amps and it's making more bubbles now. I put almost everything in there so might have put too much in for the lower setting. Small parts were bubbling but not the barrel or action. First setting was 6 volts, 2 amps.