Back in 2023, I cleaned out an old barn for an elderly friend. It took me about 2 months to get it cleaned out & somewhat organized. There was a lot of stuff. There were a few old rusted antiques that I thought would be worth trying to restore so I started gathrering the hardware I would need to do this. I figured it would take me a few weeks to get this done. However, once I got started, weeks turned into months. Anyway, they are done now & I’m mostly pleased with the results.

I used an electrolytic bath to induce reverse electrolysis to the components. I wanted to stay away from toxic chemicals so I used water & sodium carbonate for the submersible liquid. Lye can be used & would be faster but I didn’t want to deal with the harsh chemical & disposal.

I used 1/4” & 1/2” stainless steel threaded rods for the anodes.

Years ago, when I was treasure hunting in the Bahamas & the Caribbean, I studied artifact preservation. I read many books on the subject. I managed to hold onto a few artifacts that I salvaged during this period of my life & when I settled down in Houston, TX, I set up an electrolytic bath to preserve them. So that is how I got started on this venture.

Anyway, these photos show how I set up this procedure for preserving these antiques.