Help for our newbies

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[Beshires1]

[kevinsatterfield]

Here is a brief lesson about electricity and magnetism
http://www.trifield.com/magnetic_fields.htm

[glenn_aircooled]

Often people dont know how to find the projects page.....
- Hey I was one.
Just go to the top of the page.
Click on the BIG header " O U Power. com ".
You will need to drag the page down!
then you click on the project you would like to look at.
[ You may need to " drill down " , that means to click on the particular part
you want ]. Again you may need to drag the page down.
----------------------------
Now if you get time, have a look at some of my projects
glenn_aircooled - they worked fairly well
But
I made a mistake that you should be aware of. Rich warned me about this,
Even though my units worked ok at first I thought that " Glued together "
construction would be fine.
They certainly are easier / cheaper.
Fact is they dont last. None of the glues that I used were adequate, they
all leaked. I am saving to build a better unit " one with machined slots "
and using special solvent bonding { yeah like Bob's }.
-
Good news is you can use the glue method to do some short term tests
but remember that is all they will be good for. Some say Goop glue is
good, I dont know, havent tried that.
Glenn.
p.s. have fun and do it safely.

[kd7twf]

[kevinsatterfield]

[kd7twf]

[glenn_aircooled]

[kd7twf]

[Looking In]

I received an e-mail form a forum member, who happen to lose all of his KOH. He had purchase a 30 lb bag and he pulled about a cup full out, and didn't put the remainder a sealed approved container. He had just folded the bag and figured it would be OK.. He came back to the bag and notice it had water in the KOH , Very warm, and the bag was solid as a rock. He called the fire department. The fire department call Hasmat, and they took the remainder of the bag ((It's temperature was at 135 degrees and getting hotter))) He didn't read the warnings on the msds sheet or the warnings on oupower. I listed the warning again at the bottom of this post. And please when using KOH or NaOH, Read the warning labels and the msds sheets.



* Always store NaOH and KOH in air tight, sturdy plastic containers, clearly and VISIBLY labelled "DANGER! - Potassium Hydroxide", or "DANGER! - Sodium Hydroxide" (adding skull and crossbones won't hurt :-)
* Keep your NaOH and KOH containers in a safe place, where they cannot be reached by kids, pets or people who can't read (or won't take any notice of the label)
* If you are buying dry lye (NaOH flakes or pellets, KOH flakes) in large amounts, chances are they will be delivered in thick plastic bags. Once you open the bag, it is highly recommended to transfer all its contents to sturdy, air tight, Tested or Approved plastic storage containers, which you can open and close without risking to spill the contents (which happens very easily with the bags...). Hardware stores sell large plastic buckets with air tight lids that can be used for this purpose. Also, you can talk a local deli/restaurant/hamburger or fish & chips store, and ask them if they happen to throw away plastic drums that could be washed and reused. Don't forget to label your storage containers, as explained above!
* Whenever you are working with the dry alkali, you'll need to wear safety equipment. In particular, you'll always wear the following:
1. safety goggles
2. rubber gloves
3. long sleeved shirt
4. sock, shoes and long pants
* When I repack my alkali, and every time I make solutions (which requires using KOH), I also wear a "bandit mask" to protect my mouth and nose, made by folding in half diagonally an old teatowel, or some other thick cotton rag.
* It is however prudent to always wear a mask every time you work with lye, and while you are preparing the caustic solution.
* To make in water or some other liquid. Remember to always add the alkali to the water, and not viceversa.
* Choose the "right" containers for both the dry alkali, and the liquid you will dissolve it in. Both containers will have a nicely fitting lid that you can remove easily, without spilling the contents. I find plastic is best: the plastic container for the dry alkali can be a clean "take-away type" tub, while the container for the liquid must be made of sturdy plastic, and must have a capacity of at least twice the amount of liquid you are using.
* The caustic solution is best prepared in an area that is well ventilated, and yet protected from drafts. The kitchen sink is OK is you have plenty of air circulating in the kitchen. I prefer to mix the caustic solution outside, next to the garden faucet - and I make sure there are no winds or drafts that could blow the dry alkali around.
* The water for the caustic solution must be cool (<20�C / 68�F). Never use warm water to dissolve the alkali!
* When you add the alkali to the water, a chemical reaction occurs, which generates heat... and quite a lot of heat, for that matter! The temperature of a standard strenght caustic solution Box (27% sodium hydroxide, 73% water) will easily reach 80�C / 176�F or more.
* KOH (potassium hydroxide), heats the liquid up even hotter and quicker than NaOH, and has an amazing tendency to "boil over". When diluting KOH, it is recommended to always keep the container with the liquid inside a larger container filled with cold water, and add the KOH a little bit at a time, stirring without interruption. Also remember that diluting KOH usually requires more liquid than diluting NaOH.
* The dry alkali is best added to the water in a slow continuous flow, while stirring with the other hand. If the solution gets too hot too quickly, stop pouring the dry alkali and let the solution cool down slightly before adding the rest. While waiting for the temperature to go down, cover both containers with their lids.
* While preparing the caustic solution, avoid breathing in the vapours. If you can't get the alkali to pour in a slow continuous flow, prepare the solution by mixing in a little bit of alkali at a time, stirring well to dissolve it completely and covering the containers until the next "go".
* If, in spite of all precautions, you get some caustic solution on your skin, wash with plenty of cold water and apply some vinegar to the skin. Vinegar is acidic, and will help balance out the alkalinity. You can use lemon juice if you don't have vinegar on hand - but it is always recommended to keep a bottle of vinegar handy.

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[weggl]

[weggl]

[weggl]

Thanks for that info Bob, very kind of you, its good to have a good teacher.
Warren Eggleton
Weggl

[weggl]

Help! I think I have stuffed up somewhere along the line. I built a 7 series cell 6x6 inch and I used neoprene 3mm for gaskets between the plates. I checked to find if neoprene would stand 26% sodium hydroxide and was advised that it was ok. However I did not check on the conductivity of neoprene. The cell during the cleaning and conditioning ran with small gas production evenly from each cell and with a pretty even voltage of around 1.9 v per cell on 10% solution. But it only drew about 1.5 amps. When I ran it on a full strength solution it only produced gas from the outer cells and very little at that and still only dragged around 2 amps.
Could it be that the neoprene being black contains carbon and the current is leaking through the gaskets.
The reason I used neoprene is that I could not find any 3mm thick PVC.
So I’m wondering if those out there with more experience could tell me if my assumption is correct.

Warren Eggleton