PotatoSamurai
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My work on the Lead Electrode
Used a balance of sodium borate, sodium chloride, and citric acid, on a filtered sand basin (golf course leftover sand) with crushed eggshell. I
believe that citric acid is less likely to form compounds with stray lead that might break off during the tin->tin(ii)chloride process which I am
exploiting to turn this cast lump of soldering metal (60/40 tin/lead) into a lead dioxide-plated electrode. The trick is getting the
borate<->citrate buffer right, because the chloride can always be zapped out. Also, as this is uncovered, the cell tends to generate its own
structure through radial deposition of salts (moved by the fan), as well as the adsorption of materials to surfaces such as the eggshell, which serve
as another balancing mechanism favoring reactions to occur within the four Z-cells.
[Edited on 18-8-2015 by PotatoSamurai]
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papaya
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what?
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PotatoSamurai
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Design schematics:
http://imgur.com/a/kdFap#0
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aga
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I like the handle : PotatoSamurai
Brilliant name !
What is the silvery toad turd thing ?
i can see 'air circulation' in the photo, but that could easily be a hallucination.
What is the nasty Lasagne made out of ?
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PotatoSamurai
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If someone wants to move this thread to reagents/app acquisition that'd be fine.
http://imgur.com/a/Xm5Kz
Closeup of day 6 electrode, has not been recast yet retains a very limited area where the brine electrolyte managed to erode the tin sufficiently to
create either tin or, on the anterior, a three-point array of contacts where a crater of lead dioxide may have formed in direct contact with the
highly reactive Z3 cell's solution.
[Edited on 18-8-2015 by PotatoSamurai]
[Edited on 18-8-2015 by PotatoSamurai]
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aga
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Please explain exactly what you are doing.
Edit:
It might be boring to type it all out, but we do not know what you're doing, and just look at the photos and see some metal thing.
[Edited on 18-8-2015 by aga]
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PotatoSamurai
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Do you have a standard lab format I could use as a template? I'll look around and then see what I can whip up that'll be to an acceptable standard for
this forum.
In brief, I'm using a saline/organic acid bath to degrade this 60/40 tin solder ingot into a greater proportion of lead, for use as an electrolyzer
anode in a more powerful device. This is currently using a 4.5v 400mA input.
[Edited on 18-8-2015 by PotatoSamurai]
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j_sum1
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Quote: Originally posted by PotatoSamurai  |
In brief, I'm using a saline/organic acid bath to degrade this 60/40 tin solder ingot into a greater proportion of lead, for use as an electrolyzer
anode in a more powerful device. This is currently using a 4.5v 400mA input. |
This should have been your opening sentence -- it explains what you are attempting to do.
Optional, but often important -- explain why you are trying to do it.
Then some how -- enough detail on the chemical processes involved and the equipment set-up so that we have half a chance of
understanding how the thing works (or doesn't).
Some more how/why. A bit of chemical rationalisation based on established theory that lets us know why you believe your process will
work.
Then you can go into photos and observations and solicit comments.
There isn't really an established format for this kind of thing on a message board but anything with greater explanatory power is likely to be
received better, be more useful, and will enable you to get feedback that is useful for achieving your aims. You could browse the boards for a while
and see what is common. For a high standard, dip into the prepublication forum.
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PotatoSamurai
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Here's my next plan: to add a hard drive magnet, still attached to the bracket, cemented/pressed to the bottom of an Altoids tin. Then, add the other
parts of the previous basin design: aluminium foil, eggshell, and filtered sand.
Alnico 5 cast
Realized it'd be better if I flipped the plastic separator
Duct tape, one piece, sealing magnet to surface (except one little knob of the bracket which pokes out, and lines up the plastic)
[Edited on 19-8-2015 by PotatoSamurai]
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PotatoSamurai
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Model 2: sealed space between bracket and alufoil with duct tape, then poured in the previous model's fill.
[Edited on 19-8-2015 by PotatoSamurai]
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phlogiston
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Didn't we already have threads called "absolutely random thoughts" and "random pictures"?
| Quote: | | Here's my next plan: to add a hard drive magnet, still |
Please, first begin by stating what the goal is of this plan, and your theory on how you hope it will work.
Your first plan seems to have been intended to purify lead. There have been threads about this already, you could find a lot with the search engine.
[Edited on 19-8-2015 by phlogiston]
-----
"If a rocket goes up, who cares where it comes down, that's not my concern said Wernher von Braun" - Tom Lehrer |
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PotatoSamurai
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| Quote: Originally posted by phlogiston | Didn't we already have threads called "absolutely random thoughts" and "random pictures"?
| Quote: | | Here's my next plan: to add a hard drive magnet, still |
Please, first begin by stating what the goal is of this plan, and your theory on how you hope it will work.
Your first plan seems to have been intended to purify lead. There have been threads about this already, you could find a lot with the search engine.
[Edited on 19-8-2015 by phlogiston] |
If I'm being an annoyance, I won't take any insult if you move or REmove this thread. I figured "sciencemadness.org" might be more tolerant of
drug-addled autistic tinkerers 
I'm not looking for the shortest, most efficient path in developing my technique; it's more about learning to intuit the chemistry and physics
involved, so that as I learn the hard math and methods I can analogize to my own personal experiments. I know that this is TOTALLY contrary to the
scientific method, but as an autistic person this is the best way for me to learn. I was hoping the community would be able to guess my intent, and
evaluate my choices against likely more effective options that I might have at hand. I don't intend to spend any money in this process, so that's a
significant limitation I've placed on myself.
The speculative advantage of the basin magnet is using the magnetic field to "bend" the reaction zone towards it.
When the plastic cartridge is in place, the magnet's body intersects the outer edge of Z 2-3 and a bit of 4, as below:
My hope is that with the magnet in place, reactive flow will be channeled from cell Z1 underneath the cartridge to the other cells.
After cleaning out the previous cartridge in model 1, which had a significant amount of borate in cell 3, I added borate to cells 2 and 3 in model 2.
The cells had a roughly even borate distribution, but in an hour or so the only borate remaining was in the half of the cells that was nearest the
magnet. I'm not really familiar enough with magnetodynamics to say whether this was coincidence or not, especially since the fan is also contributing
potentially to accumulation patterns.
P.S. Thank you all for your patience with this humble nub!
[Edited on 19-8-2015 by PotatoSamurai]
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aga
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Don't take too many of the remarks too seriously.
A mod will move this to Beginnings where it belongs at some point.
Nice to see some experimentation happening.
What are you trying to get as an End Result again ?
An electrode ?
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Bert
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Thread Moved
19-8-2015 at 09:57 |
Pumukli
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Refining lead from 60/40 solder seems too much work for me. I mean there is too much effort involved, good, pure lead can be useful at times to have.
Anyway, if I had a choice (and I don't know your circumstances) I would definitely try to start from a cleaner metal.
Fishing leads come to mind first.
Then electrodes from a vandalized lead acid battery maybe.
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aga
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Simplest way is to just melt it, skim off any crap and cast much purer lead bars, rods or whatever you want.
If you need 99.9% pure lead, there are ways to chemically purify it.
Edit :
You can melt lead in a tin can on a fire.
Use a long handled spoon to skim the crap out.
Need a mould ? Make some sand slightly damp and poke a stick in it.
The resulting hole will be OK for lead casting.
Obviously you can make more complex shapes if you like.
The trick is to have the sand just slightly moist, and NOT Wet.
When molten lead meets Wet sand it can explode due to the steam created..
[Edited on 19-8-2015 by aga]
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hissingnoise
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| Quote: | | If I'm being an annoyance, I won't take any insult if you move or REmove this thread. I figured "sciencemadness.org" might be more tolerant of
drug-addled autistic tinkerers |
What you're being is a mysterious enigmatic and you've presented us a riddle in your rather unique, er, electrocell . . .
But hey, you're hardly the only drug-addled autistic tinkerer among this particular gaggle of misfits?
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