Wolverine Posted October 17, 2013 Posted October 17, 2013 So the other day i decided to ball mill some of my stocked chemicals into fine powders, namely my KNO3 and my sulfer. I made quick work of the Potassium Nitrate and returned it to it's storage jar.The problem occurred with the sulfur, after about an hour of milling I decided to check on it and found that it had become a solid mass of pretty yellow concrete around the inside of the ball mill.My question is why did this happen, is it maybe due to the low melting point of sulfur and too much friction caused by too high a rotation on the mill? Moisture in the sulfur making it act like concrete? or what?In any case I'm sure to have a fun time chiseling that mess out of there. Thanks in advance for any input on the isssue.
Wolverine Posted October 19, 2013 Author Posted October 19, 2013 Thank you, Algenco.I spread it out on a large tray (I made this morning for drying stars) and let it set all day and plan to test mill some tomorrow to see if it's dried enough.
Col Posted October 19, 2013 Posted October 19, 2013 You could weigh the tray periodically and when it stops getting lighter, you`ll know its bone dry
Wolverine Posted October 22, 2013 Author Posted October 22, 2013 You could weigh the tray periodically and when it stops getting lighter, you`ll know its bone dry Thats a good idea, Col. Hey while we're on the subject of moisture. Is there a moisture meter that would be well suited for checking the moisture content of ones sulfer, KNO3, etc. upon arrival (within reasonable budget constraints). Would say for instance something like this work? http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/251105049547?lpid=82
Col Posted October 22, 2013 Posted October 22, 2013 It would be cheaper to dry a small amount of the material, say 50-100ml in volume and then compare the dry weight to 50-100ml (volume) of the undried material.
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