I'm new to the forum but I have been lurking around a little bit picking up some info.
I have recently built a 25 plate series cell for TSA (Technology Students association). It works great. I built an acrylic container, that was 6x3x3. The acrylic was a quarter inch thick. So I glued it all together and made a little compartment for a bubbler. I then cut (with a grinder) 25, .036"x3"x2.5" 316 stainless steel plates and epoxied 4, 3/8" in daimeter 1/8" thick acrylic circles on each plate. I glued 2 little spacer pieces together then put 4 on both sides on the end. I attached a little piece of 316 stainless steel (like a little wire) i had cut off to act as a electrodes to both endplates. I glued a lid on, and tapped 3 holes in the top (one for filling, one with a hosebarb to the bubbler, and one more for the bubbler output.) I then drilled and tapped a 1/4" hosebarb (with an extension tube epoxied in to push bubbles out further) and the cell was done. I sealed everything up. I then went to radio shack and bought a full wave bridge rectifier (25a, 50 volts) and some 10 gauge wire. I cut the end off of an extension cord and soldered the 2 ac outputs to the 2 ac inputs and soldered some 10 gauge wire to the 2 outputs.
The voltage on the output is way to high, so that is my first question, it comes out as 110 volts, how can i lower it before it comes in or on the way out. (I tried a modified europeon transformer, but it was either broken or I shorted it, becuase it was only giving me 5 volts on the ac out side of it before the bridge rectifier).
How can I lower the voltage down to 50 volts from 110 DC @25a, or 120 AC @15a?
I then filled it completly with distilled water and NaOH (lab grade) (about 30 pellets for like 10 fluid oz). I did this outside and I got my dad to watch it while i plugged it in, and instantly it sprayed out about half the bubbler and about three fourths of the cell resivour. I thought about putting a filter the whole to pop the bubbles, but i was unsure, so that is my second question.
How can I prevent the cell from over bubbling?
I removed about half of the electolyte and distilled water solution so it wouldn't bubble over. I ran it for a little bit and found it was overheating to the point were watervapor would come from the bubbler. I know lowering the voltage will keep the heat down.
What should the concentration of NaOH be to distilled water?
How Can I help prevent over heating?
And finnally my water is getting an orange brown color, with dark brownish orange chunks that float around. I don't think that it is the plates corroding but it could be. I was thinking it could be the epoxy.
I was wondering what it (the orange brown stuff) was and how I could prevent it from happening? Sometimes the cell will smell when i run it.
I just got a great idea to mill the spot accepting the lid flat with my drillpress (old shopsmith works GREAT) and crosssliding vice. next time. I'm gonna mill the sides flush.
Thanks alot.

Heres a pic of the plates i cut (that took forever with a 4 and a half inch grinder)
http://i2.tinypic.com/vcqujn.jpg
The Bridge Rectifier (still needs a switch so i don't have to unplug it to stop it) The second one is the project box its housed in. It has heatsink grease on the bottom to transfer heat better.
http://i2.tinypic.com/vcqurt.jpg
http://i2.tinypic.com/vcqxaq.jpg
This is the orangy brown liquid and plates.
http://i2.tinypic.com/vcqxlg.jpg
These are 2 pics of the entire Cell
http://i2.tinypic.com/vcrm1x.jpg
http://i2.tinypic.com/vcrm1i.jpg