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
Been busy the last few weeks, gathering all the chems I will need for a few months. Got a sack (25 Kg's) of Kno3 for 2 €/kg, thats as cheap as I could find around here and I've been rolling stars like a mad-man for the last couple of nights. Anyway, I'm trying to get my wood-lathe up and running so I can start making formers for italian-shell casings as a little sideproject that doesn't involve burning stuff up, or so I tell my girlfriend atleast. The main reason for the lathe is to make graphit
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
In my chlorate adventures so far, all has gone relatively smoothly with one exception... not knowing when to halt the chlorate cell production. When using KCl as the electrolyte, the less soluble KClO3 begins to fall out of the solution once it has become saturated. The KCl is consumed, and as the chloride ion concentration drops, the rate of production rapidly falls. Worse, the electrodes, specifically the anode, begins to take a real beating. Per Wouter, as the chloride concentration appro
Where is everyone? This is my third blog entry, and only Frozentech has started another? I must not have a life... I'm more interested, I guess, in babbling on about Pyro stuff. Come on, let's see some pics! Having them accompanied by pyro ramblings is a bonus! http://www.5bears.com/bmk/tbmk01.jpg A while back on the forum, I started a thread called "The Ultimate Ball Mill" or something along those lines. I solicited input from experienced Pyros on what they'd like to see in a qualit
And a fine crop it is. For those unaware, I have been experimenting with chlorate and perchlorate cells for a short time now, on two fronts - the first is the well-known and understood production of both of these salts using an electrochemical cell. Just a few short years ago, the only way to make chlorates and perchlorates (the latter being almost essential in fireworks) was to make your own electrode set, and anyone who has attempted to do so understands the magnitude of the problem. The an
How odd... I was writing away, and something happened that wiped out my original text.... ANYhow... maybe the idea of pyro blogs is a good one. Since blogging is the darling of the internet these days, perhaps if a lot of dedicated pyro's wrote them, the word would filter out via the "blogosphere" that pyrotechnics is NOT the same as pyromania. That fireworks are not only traditional, but a beautiful art, not to mention exciting. This is more or less just a test blog post, and I am not a
With the new software fully installed, we now have the option to BLOG! How cool is that? Now, I have a proper destination for my verbose ramblings related to all things pyrotechnic, and also for, perhaps, other topics not necessarily related to Pyro. Note the title. Be sure to mentally overlay your best nagging Mom voice... "WHAT is THAT??!! WHAT are you doing! You'll PUT YOUR EYE OUT!" Note that it is almost always "eye", singular, not "eyes." I guess Moms in general cannot even concei
There are two bothersome problems when you use a traditional strap of titanium to deliver current to either the anode or the cathode in a (per)chlorate cell. The first, and most troublesome, is the cutting and sealing of an appropriate slot in the lid of your cell for a strap that measures perhaps 1mm x 25mm. In thin plastic, it is not too much of an issue. In 1/2" thick PVC plastic, it is frankly a bitch, and regardless of your cell lid thickness, ultimately, the electrode strap will be flop
