Any dangers with Electrolisis and a live shell?

[dandan]

I've been cleaning (electrolisis w/ baking soda) shell fragments with some nice results but havent the nerve to drop a live, armed Parrot Shell in for cleaning since I dont know if the process might in some odd way explode the shell. From what I have read so far, Im thinking it can be done...???? Any warnings or suggestions are more than welcome. (My first post... hope an expert will weigh in...)... Thanks, dandan

[CWArtillery]

Hello,

The danger would come from drilling it. If you attach the wire with a screw by drilling and taping then you are in danger of drilling into the powder chamber. Drilling is what sets them off. Why it does is debated but not that the ones that have exploded did so while being drilled. If you attach the wire in some other fashion (clamp, etc.) then there should be no danger.

All that said, FortDonelsonRelics.com and others can safely disarm it for you and that's your safest route.

Best,
Carl

[PCGeorge]

I've been doing Electrolysis on non-emptied civil war shells for almost 35 years (meaning, I've done it to hundreds of them). No boom has resulted. In those 35 years I've never heard of a boom resulting from somebody using Electrolysis on a civil war shell. Take that evidence for whatever you think it's worth.

CivilWarArtillery's caution-note about drilling into shells is correct. That having been said... on the few occasions when a hole needs to be drilled for the purpose of good electrical contact, I use a very small drillbit (3/32-inch) ...and all that is needed is a 1/4-inch deep drillhole. ABSOLUTELY NO DEEPER. That depth doesn't penetrate into the shell's powder-cavity.

After I've drilled my 1/4"-deep hole for good electrical contact, I remove the drillbit from the drill, and stick the tiny drillbit's BASE (not the grooved end) into the hole I've made ..and then put the battery charger's alligator-clamp onto the drillbit's tip.

But whenever possible, I greatly prefer to simply clip the battery-charger's clamp onto the shell's sabot or fuze. I use a small file to make a TINY spot of "shiny-clean" metal on the sabot or fuze's edge (for "good" electrical contact), and then I put the alligator-clamp's jaw precisely on that shiny-clean spot.

The reason I said "whenever possible" in the paragraph above is:
Unfortunately, unlike cylindrical projectiles, some spherical projectiles (cannonballs) such as a solid-shot or wood-fuzed ball don't have a place on them that the alligator-clamp can grip ...so, making an electrical-contact drillhole tends to be the best option in those cases.

Obligatory safety-warning:
Of course, NEVER tinker with an electrical device's connections while it is plugged in! Always confirm with your own eyes that it is unplugged.

Regards,
Pete [P.C. George]

[dandan]

Thanks Carl..... Thanks P.C.George .....Thanks for taking the time to reply... very, very helpful!!! When I finish with the fragments, I will try the big-boy! I'm going to just wrap my copper wire aroung the whole shell and make sure I have a couple of contact points.... Then, I plan to turn the breaker on from the house with my shell hooked up far away in the shed! LOL ...from what I'm reading, I think maybe I should leave the tip top of the zinc fuse (10lb U.S. parrot) out of the water ? .... or, do I leave the brass sabot out of the water so as not to discolor it? Thanks again!!

[CWArtillery]

Just a few quick comments:

Don't put anything in the solution that you want to keep the patina on. Rust is patina specific to iron and electrolysis removes all patina. Most people cleaning will not typically try to save the patina on copper or brass (sabots and fuses) but they do on lead. Also, for a pewter fuse, it's often quite brittle and electrolysis may remove a good bit of it.

If you have a lot of exposed copper, i.e. have wapped a shell in it for contact, you'll find it might give an odd hue to the item being cleaned. I recommend attaching an insulated wire with a clamp as Pete suggested or screw.

[dandan]

Thanks ... The Shell came out looking beautiful (partly due to the fact it was found on the side of a mountain and never really sat in stagnant water over the years)... the light rust covering came off like breaking away an egg shell revealing a gorgeous non-pitted shell... On the base it has three deliberate scratches made with maybe a pocket knife... All I can think of is maybe this indicated the shell had a timed-fuse of 3 seconds? Any other ideas?

[cwbullet]

Can you post some pictures?

[dandan]

Here are some photos of the shell I cleaned -- no preservative coat applied! What do the 3 "strikes" on the bottom mean? What sort of shell is this one? Thanks.

[dandan]

[dandan]

Notice the 3 deliberate marks on the base! How does it look for my first full shell cleaned (no preservative coat)?