More Fun with Chemistry

[gfish]

I've continued the electrostripping. Tonight I started on the final (and largest) section of the legvise.



I'm using a much larger tub now, and I still can't fit the entire part inside. I was forced to upgrade to a large power supply after the previous one melted down. Literally -- it got very hot after a few hours and started to blow fuses. I took it apart and found a solder trace that had melted, shorting itself out. So I went down to Fry's one night and bought a nice, big, actively cooled replacement.


This is what it looks like after maybe 10 hours of use in 15 gallons of water. Thick, slimy, and really quite disgusting. It bubbles occasionally. This is the primordial soup from which Daleks would evolve¹. And I get to stick my hand (now my entire forearm) into it regularly. Yeech.

1: Yes, I know that Daleks were created by Davros as a superweapon in the war between the Kaleds and Thals. Duh.

Comments

[vixyish.livejournal.com]

...and I get to clean spatters of it off the sink. And the dishes. And the counters. And the walls. :)

The price we pay for progress...

[sistawendy.livejournal.com]

Just out of curiousity, how much was that power supply and what are its specs? I don't need one, but.

[gfish.livejournal.com]

12 volts at 10 amps for $70. Not the best price, but that's what I get for running down to Fry's to buy something at 21:00 on a Saturday.

[sistawendy.livejournal.com]

Sometimes you just have to have a power supply. I know how it is.

[randomdreams.livejournal.com]

the surplus market and ebay are both good for power supplies. Jameco has some really good deals sometimes, if you don't mind it being a lot of very exposed electronics. If you can find a fixed, single-voltage supply, they're particularly cheap.

[randomdreams.livejournal.com]

You inspired me: I just set one up. It's running right beside my foot: the workpiece is a rusty horseshoe and the anode is a piece of galvanized sheet from . It's in a round Tupperware.
0.6A @ 12V, evolving lots of bubbles.

I'm told, by the way, that using a stainless steel sacrificial anode is a Bad Idea because you make an even more toxic sludge, chock-full of molybdenum and chromium salts.

[randomdreams.livejournal.com]

I take it back. I got the connections tighter and now it's drawing ... way more than 6 amps, which is the most this PS can supply. It's in constant-current limit at about 3 volts, so I'll have to hook up the 5v@80A one next.

bubbles aplenty.