Random
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Homemade hydrogen burner
I was doing some experiments and I saw that magnesium makes a nice amount of hydrogen with 9% vinegar, but it can be used for very long time. One
magnesium ribbon filled a ballon of hydrogen and wasn't even corroded very much. So I was thinking about making hydrogen burner like alcohol burner.
It would be in one small jam jar, I would put the ribbon in it along with vinegar (I would fill it almost to the top). After that I would make a 5mm
hole in the cap of the jar. After that it should look like alcohol burner fueled with hydrogen. Also I know that alcohol is cheap, but I would like to
try this.
I would like to know if this is enough safe to do it, also could this explode as the hydrogen would be instantly burned as it's made?
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zed
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A man's gotta do, what a man's gotta do.
But, if you really have to generate gas for a burner....Acetylene might be easier to generate.
You could just obtain an old "miners lamp", modify it to your needs, and fuel it with calcium carbide.
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gnitseretni
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Well, I made a HHO cell once. Apparently it was leaking. I accidentally hit the alligator clip of the positive lead which caused a spark and
BOOOOOM!!! Pieces of the container all over the place, I still can't believe I didn't get hit by any of it as I was leaning right over the cell. I
guess I got lucky 
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bbartlog
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Yes, it could explode. Given the scale you're describing you might be able to address this by use of an explosion failsafe mechanism - for example, a
not-too-tight rubber stopper in a second hole in the lid of the jam jar, which would hopefully blow out rather than the jam jar being shattered. Also
limiting the space for gas to accumulate would be a good idea, e.g. by filling the jar fairly full of liquid. But more professional would be some sort
of flashback suppressor.
5mm is likely too large a hole. People have made minitorches using hydrogen gas and a syringe. I think you will have to go a lot smaller in order to
sustain a flame, given the scale of your hydrogen source.
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Random
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Thanks for replies, but I am not sure if I will try this soon again. 
I made 0.5mm hole in the cap, put NaOH and aluminium in the jar and closed that. It was almost full (1cm under the cap was air). I put on the cap and
fired the hydrogen ... After that I am happy to have only ears that are hurting now. Thanks to cap that exploded so the glass jar didn't break. I
just hope that I didn't damage my hearing a lot 
[Edited on 12-7-2010 by Random]
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Contrabasso
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Wherever you live a small camping stove will provide all the heat you could possible need, be tested and much safer and more reliable than anything
home made. Don't bring official attention to your lab by blowing it up with a "bunsen" burner!
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Sedit
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Yikes. This sounds abit scary.
I use to make a hydrogen burner from electrolysis and I would not go any other way with this else your asking for trouble here. As long as the cell
was purged and under positive pressure it was no problem. However if the cell was slowed down a small explosion could be made at will just as it was
turning itself off. The flame would backfire and with a load pop would blow the cap off the cell. It was a small cell and I know I would want to
respect this fuel by all means.
Take care when generating the H2 thru anyother means because you have way less control when your reaction is speed up by the heat generated leading to
an almost guarenteed runaway.
Knowledge is useless to useless people...
"I see a lot of patterns in our behavior as a nation that parallel a lot of other historical processes. The fall of Rome, the fall of Germany — the
fall of the ruling country, the people who think they can do whatever they want without anybody else's consent. I've seen this story
before."~Maynard James Keenan
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