The downfalls of conventional electrolysis - and how to fix them

[oswaldonfire]

Slapper, if you use one of your nice induction lamps for this project, it can never be used as a lamp again.

When I get my lamp, I am going to have to smash the glass to free the induction coil.

(make sure you wear gloves, work in a well-ventilated place, and put the mercury amalgam pellet and all the glass shards into a sealed container and bring it to a center that accepts hazardous waste)

The idea is to simply take the coil from the lamp and slide it down around a container, with the solution inside. No extra wire will be necessary.

You can get sodium hydroxide all over. It is the main ingredient in some drain cleaners - Red Devil lye is the most popular one. I scored 10 pounds of sodium hydroxide from ebay for only 34 bucks with free shipping. It's 99.9999% pure technical grade, and it should last me for quite a long time... several years at the very least. The seller was "Essential Depot".

The solution did get  slightly warm... but it's the coil that produces most of the heat. In high-power experiments, I had to submerge the coil in ice-water, or else it would have started to boil the solution and melt the plastic. However, this could be alleviated by using thicker wire. I used 28 gauge magnet wire.

The NaOH will last practically the whole life of the cell. The NaOH is not used up - only the water is. The only thing you need to do is add pure water as the level drops.

This is as good a time as any to warn you about the dangers of working with concentrated NaOH. We are dealing with concentrations high enough that one micro-pindrop will burn through your skin. If it gets in your eyes - prepare to be blind for life. It will turn your eyes into jelly. If you breathe in the fumes - prepare for severe Pulmonary edema and drowning in your own blood.

Read up on how to handle it safely. Read the MSDS sheets on sodium hydroxide.

Keep a bottle of strong vinegar close by the help neutralize spills if they occur.

Wear proper safety gear and work carefully, and you're fine.

Hope I didn't scare anyone off, but you need to know if there are potential dangers involved.

[slapper]

my induction coil is the outie kind.

i'm thinking i'd like to avoid drowning in my own blood and having my eyes turn into jelly.

thought this stuff was supposed to be safe.

is it less scary to use the off shelf drain cleaners or lye?

don't have a fan vented hood available to me in any practical way at this time.

take care.

nap

[oswaldonfire]

Are you able to remove it from the lamp without breaking anything?

Sorry if my last post was a little.. extreme. But I want everyone to know what could happen if they don't use their brains. To avoid what I just warned you about - wear goggles. When I work with the stuff, I wear goggles and then a face shield over that. I also wear gloves, a long-sleeve shirt, long pants, and closed-toe shoes that will shed liquids.

Anything can be dangerous if used improperly.

I don't have access to a fume hood or anything like that either - my solution is to simply mix the stuff outside, where there is plenty of ventilation. I once caught a small whiff of the fumes.. that was not fun. Mixing it is the most dangerous part, because when it dissolves, it produces heat. This creates steam - but steam laced with NaOH. The heat creates a lot of vapors.

I believe that as long as you don't mix this stuff up in a closet with your head directly over it, breathing deeply, with no safety gear, standing in flip-flops, you're fine. Just use your head.

Another thing - this may work with other chemicals - I just haven't tested any of them. It may very well work with chemicals (sodium or potassium salts) that aren't strong bases and are simply neutral salts - which would be nice because it would eliminate almost all of the possible danger. Try them out if you want.

[jikwan]

exciting times!
im very pissed off at a time that a fairly simple and
effective method can be put into practice
been backpacking india/thailand for 3 years now
i have an adjustable spanner and screwdrivers
no chance for me

alaskastar is one hell of a mechanic. if you could
get his help on this it would accelerate things in
every way
his experience with mixing hho+ diesel engines
could save people from wrecking their cylinders/heads

oswald, you mentioned running a 5hp motor
was this 100% hho?
i hope you or someone else points out that the more
hho is used, a corresponding adjustment to the
timing is required. is critical. must be retarded
quite a lot or else pay for new pistons/head

i dont think i could contribute much else
wishing you guys full power on this

death to big oil and the new world order!

[slapper]

Are you able to remove it from the lamp without breaking anything?