With the huge harvest from T-Cell Junior (over 4 kg dry potassium chlorate) I now have about 15 pounds of this oxidizer, and I am ready to move on to the Lead dioxide experiments that really got me interested in the (per)chlorate process in the first place. There is a particular U.S. patent (4038170) that goes into tremendous detail on plating this substance, which is an ideal material for the electrochemical oxidation of chlorate to perchlorate, with one glaring problem... it doesn't stick wor
This is going to be the LAST "Harvest" blog I do, because it is getting repetitious. This one is worth detailing a bit because it has gone up to a scale where new and different techniques are required to successfully gather and clean the chlorate crop. It will also show portions of the T-Cell that succeeded, and failed, spectacularly. Subsequent blog entries will deal more with specifics, and with perchlorate conversion. I've got enough KClO3 to feed a perchlorate cell for a long time! Fro
The last three days have been very, very busy for me with regards to this project. I had hoped to have the system running Monday. Instead, it was Wednesday before I finally had everything put together, and ready to plug in. The odd thing is this - I don't have any pictures of the entire system once it was running! Just individual pictures, snippets here and there. The lead-up to this was pretty lengthy, work-intensive, and frankly, expensive. One of the reasons I waited was the delivery
I've finally got some days off, and on Monday, 3 Nov 2008, I'm going to launch this monster! With the end in sight, I've started final plumbing, anode work, and what is turning into an amazing amount of pneumatic tubing for agitation AND venting. I've got two sealed containers... both of them need to be vented, and both of them need to be agitated, or stirred, for proper function. Thanks to TheSidewinder, I can now pretty much flood this blog with photos! Photos are always more interestin
This is going to be a boring blog entry... the main purpose is to show that yes, the project is still underway, and progress is being made. The scope and complexity of this project has really grown. I'm looking at a potential rat's nest of tubes, wires, cables, etc, many of which, if they leak, could be disastrous. I think of myself as an organized guy. My wife would call me obsessed with order, and she's probably right. My chemicals are incredibly tidy, labeled with a Dymo "Letra-tag", an
It's been too long since my last blog. Most of the stuff I've been doing hasn't been worthy of note. Even worse, I couldn't find my camera! I've been using a Sony CD Mavica for years, and it has a great lense that does good macro work. Scouring the house for days, I was totally frustrated. Then, for some odd reason, I entered my teenage son's room, despite the mess. Young APC'ers, enlighten me, why does a teen not mind living in filth? It baffles me. How can your soul find peace when sur
Before this thing can get wet, there are a lot of fiddly things to take care of, one of the primary being a secure, well-sealed anode. In a previous blog, I mentioned how chemically resistant hardened "Sculpey" type clays are to the electrolyte in a (per)chlorate cell. These clays come in a variety of shades, brand names, firmness, etc. When I first thought about this, I bought three or four small samples from a local art and craft store. Of the samples, Fimo soft polymer clay was the easies
If you haven't been reading this blog, you may want to go back a few days to put it all into context. The entries are coming fast and furious! I've had a few days off from work, so I was able to put some focused effort into this beast. The placement of the electrodes really had me stymied. The cathode is necessarily massive... two 25mm wide titanium strips had to enter a 4" cylinder, AND it had to be air and water-tight. Ditto for the anode, although its shank was much smaller. In additio
I knew the electrodes would be a PITA and I have been putting the task off a bit. Today I decided to apply a bit of effort and get this critical task done. One think I learned from previous runs is that pure titanium is a crappy conductor. It works, but not as good as copper, and tends to heat quite a bit if the amperage is high. The typical titanium cathode from suppliers like Nothstar has a 1/2" X 1/16" shank, and above 20 amps, will heat badly; enough to boil water. I decided to try a
As usual, I underestimated the time and effort such a new system would entail. The good news - it is coming along very well, and I do enjoy this sort of hands-on work, so rather than being a chore, it is enjoyable. While the T-Cell is underway, I decided to run a last chlorate batch in my old acrylic tower cell. Three distinct purposes: Acquire another kilo of stock Take detailed notes on voltage, time, and chloride ion concentration Test my roll of Tygon tubing for chemical compatibilit
After setting up overnight, there were just a few improvements I made to the cell before testing it with water. The first was the installation of "feet" to stabilize it and to give me room to get my fingers underneath it for lifting when full, if needed. This was simply sections of 3/4" PVC sheet, cut and beveled. By now I was getting pretty good at the cementing process. One of the things I learned is that the prime is especially critical. Heavy prime, with a quality primer, is best, and m
I start with the Collection Chamber, the CC. The sheer quantity of material needed to pull off the "T-Cell" is greater than one might think. Over the last week or two, I have been doing drawings, conceptualizing, and making a list of materials needed, because once I start, I hate having to pause in the middle of the process and order some forgotten component. The first major component is a good pump for circulation of the electrolyte. This is a peristaltic pump on steroids from Cole Palmer,
One of the most critical things you can do when you manufacture perchlorates is to ensure that your product is, in fact, free of chlorate contamination. There's no reason to bother converting your chlorate to perchlorate if you are not going to clean it up... you may as well use the chlorate itself. There are a few methods to test for chlorate. I am not going to go into them in detail, except for one. Suffice it to say that none of them is totally simple AND sensitive. It's not like dippin
Since I have already named a cell the "Super Cell", I need a name for the next generation of (per)chlorate system. Pretty presumptuous, but all in good fun. An online thesaurus brought up transcendent, a pretty cool word, since I can shorten it to "T-Cell." T-Cell it is. I've learned a lot about production in the weeks I've been at this, and this cell is going to take some effort. When it is complete, I think the only limiting factor will be power. It'll have many of the bells and whistle
Houston, we have perchlorate. I've been finding this blog, for me, has become a source for easily accessible notes. For example, a while back I made an entry where I did a bit of math to determine expected yields, and investigated costs and efficiencies... THAT particular entry, I have referred to a few times for data and information. This is probably going to be another one like that. Online note-taking. The situation in the War Room - the perchlorate cell has amazed me with its clea
While awaiting massive PVC sheets and such for an industrial-styled cell, I decided to try a budget electrode I had found for perchlorate production using some of the KClO3 that I had so far produced. I must say, I am sick of chicken-shit setups like the one you are about to see. Food bins, blobby silicone, poor electrical contact, messy, haphazard in a way. But by doing this, I learn a few things, such as heat generation, byproducts, venting, temperature, current, and voltage control. Most
The blog entries have been coming fast and furious. If you haven't seen the one from yesterday, well, it's still there. I've come a ways, from a crummy, claptrap cell, to a decently performing system... http://www.5bears.com/perc/tp03.jpg It works well, but... it's too small, and too labor-intensive. I want to execute an awesome homemade cell, one that probably replicates many of the features found industrially but on a smaller scale. I have some ideas, but I'd really like some outsid
Chlorate production continues. While I am mentally preparing for the next step (perchlorates), I simply can't let a good cell sit there and be idle. Get to work, damn you! I feel that I have a fairly good grasp of producing KClO3 at this point. I went through many of the typical noob pitfalls, especially underestimating just how harsh a cell environment really is. I've learned how to process used electrolyte to maximum advantage... how to identify the end point, how to purify crystals
With four excellent KClO3 batches under my belt, I figured it was time to move on to additional processing. Those apparently "in the know" on various forums claim that a good MMO anode will make KClO3 that really doesn't need further refinement. The first and simplest test was to take some of the raw crystals from the cell, and test them for residual chloride, as KCl salt. These rough crystals have had only the lightest of washings when harvested, as I did not want to dissolve too much of the
This is going to be a fast entry. I've only got a few minutes before I have to leave for work. Work sucks. Remember a brilliant axiom, courtesy of Dilbert. The next time a coworker says anything remotely like "This is a blast!" immediately ask him or her "So you'd do it for free?" "Well, no..." "Then it's not fun." That's the definition of something fun; you'd seek it out and do it free of charge. Therefore, paid work, with rare exception, is not fun. But we do seek out experiments in
I posted previously about a lot of work that went to waste... a new acrylic lid for a proposed "super-cell." With the homemade lid cracked to hell, I was forced to modify the original lid to this device. The slots went well, and the three threaded ports were either plugged, or put to use. Liberally glued with silicone sealant, the lid is just about ready: http://www.5bears.com/perc/scell01.jpg http://www.5bears.com/perc/scell02.jpg One of the lessons learned from the previous cell is
Amazing... this is the second project in a few days to fail in a spectacular fashion. The first was the experimental "cage" electrode mentioned in a previous blog. It was a lot of work with expensive materials (Ti wire and virgin PTFE stock), and the outcome was definitely less than satisfactory. I'll take the blame on that one, because simple internet research would have shown me that Ti wire, in the cross-section that I used, was not adequate to handle 20 to 40 amps. This one is different
So much attention in internet literature related to (per)chlorate production is paid to the electrodes, while very little research material focuses on the cell itself. If you google "electrolytic cell" or "chemical cell" you'll find very little, certainly nothing like "Wild Bob's Chlorate Cells, BUY NOW online!" The electrodes are there, but you have to make the cell yourself. I've used the Lock & Lock containers with great success, but I am almost always on the lookout for something big
I am a typical experimenter who tends to mess with things even if they are not broken. Such was the case with my MMO anode / Titanium cathode electrode set. The original cell, made from a "Lock & Lock" plastic container, had a pretty healthy spacing of the anode and cathode, and required about 7 volts to push 20 amps through the system. I've got a killer power supply, capable of 80 amps, but it only goes to 10 volts. I thought by decreasing the spacing, and surrounding the anode with cat
He MUST be a druggie... I think we've all become a bit frustrated trying to acquire legal chemicals and supplies both for Pyrotechnics, and for legitimate research at home. There is a powerful prejudice against ANYTHING smacking of home chemistry. We are forced to tip-toe, speak quietly, and behave ourselves lest we be accused of being a druggie or a k3wl bomber. The scenario: I have a legitimate, Texas-based corporation. I work out of a detached metal building. I don't have a giant res
