Stainless Steel

[hkyle]

Does it matter what gage of Stainless Steel you use? So far I have been using 16 gage but ss is getting pretty expensive so I was thinking about going to 22 gage or 24 gage . Does anyone know if this will really matter

[Bob Boyce]

No, thinner is better as far as I'm concerned. As long as it can hold the shape required. Any distortion that causes the plates to be closer together at any particular spot (uneven plate spacing) will cause only that portion to react heavilly at poor efficiency, the the rest of the plate will hardy do anything.

This is actually the reason many homebrew units perform so poorly. You look at the electrodes of units pictured and see uneven spacing, warped electrodes, then you see why so many people get discouraged and give up when they get 30% efficiency or less.

Of course I have said these things many times before, but maybe people just don't understand what they mean. Construction accuracy is critical to performance and efficiency. Do not forget to sand the hell out of those plates in a crosshatch pattern with the coarsest sandpaper you can find. It makes a world of difference, just ask those that have built the replications and actually experienced what a difference proper sanding can make. Electrode conditioning also makes a big difference in performance and efficiency.

Bob

[truckdoctor]

don't worry hykle , use the thinest shimstock it'll work fine.

[hkyle]

Thanks...

[GreenEggs]

I just read the part about even spaced electrodes. That does make sense. I have couple of questions regarding that. I have really only messed with electrolysis to remove rust from sheetmetal for autobody work. Would the spacing affect the efficiency of taking the rust off as well?

I was toying with electrolysis the past couple of days as far as creating a cell. I took a brushed stainless steel trashcan, cut the lips off, and made 2 10x14" plates. This stuff is very thin. I "attempted" to wrap one electrode around the other, keeping them separated with surgical tubing, kinda like you would with a dry battery cell. Stuck it in a schedule 40 PVC joint, and hooked it up to the battery charger. Its completely sealed with a combo pressure gauge, safety release valve, and output.

It bubbles, but no pressure. My spacing is all uneven obviously.

I have been reading that many use numerous plates compared to just 2 big ones. Why is that?

[Bob Boyce]

[GreenEggs]

Thanks! I have a couple more questions, but I'll ask in a new thread so not to hijack this one. Thanks again.

[Rich SAS]

[Hybrid]