Electrolysis question and discovery

[mattthemuppet2]

I use 2 pieces of rebar bent into U-shapes and tied togeter at the top, which is also where one of the cables attaches. Brush the crap off them with a wire brush when you're done. I found a desktop powersupply to work better. You can set the volts and watch as they drop over time until the process is finished. If you do alot of electrolysis, syphon off the liquid at the top of the tank and throw out the sludge at the bottom, then put the liquid back in. Then you can use the liquid over and over again.

 

[hman]

Chromium III is not harmful in small amounts. In fact, it is an essential nutrient in our diet with a MDR of 47 mg.

Correction - that's 47 mcg (micrograms), not mg (milligrams). Not many pharmaceuticals are measured in mcg, so it's an easy error to make. The main reason I'm aware of the difference is that my thyroid meds are in microgram doses.

 

[RJSakowski]

Correction - that's 47 mcg (micrograms), not mg (milligrams). Not many pharmaceuticals are measured in mcg, so it's an easy error to make. The main reason I'm aware of the difference is that my thyroid meds are in microgram doses.

John, thanks for the correction. I'll blame it on poor lighting and my failing eyesight. I edited my post to correct the error.

 

[astjp2]

Carbon rods are available at any good welding supply shop and are not expensive. They are used like a welding rod for a carbon arc...Tim

 

[john.k]

Ive got some carbon rod gland packings from big compressor.......I must try them.......I wonder if charcoal in a basket would work.....we used to have big variable resistrs that were carbon in a box compressed with a handscrew.............all the carbon arc electrodes I have are copper coated ......but I have heaps ,so must try them.

 

[MontanaLon]

I wonder if carbon arrows would work? Seriously, I have a lot of old carbon arrows floating around. I will let everyone know how it turns out.

 

[RJSakowski]

I wonder if carbon arrows would work? Seriously, I have a lot of old carbon arrows floating around. I will let everyone know how it turns out.

Carbon arrows would be non-conductive. The carbon fibers are embedded in epoxy resin.

 

[MontanaLon]

Carbon arrows would be non-conductive. The carbon fibers are embedded in epoxy resin.

I was wondering if that would be the case. But I hooked it up and it is bubbling every bit as vigorously as when I was using steel. And it has only been running a little while but the crud attracted to the carbon arrow just sloughs off when the arrow is agitated. It looks very much like the steel did, but the stuff isn't fused to it like it was with steel.

I have a window weight soaking right now. Interested to see what the morning brings.

 

[RJSakowski]

I was wondering if that would be the case. But I hooked it up and it is bubbling every bit as vigorously as when I was using steel. And it has only been running a little while but the crud attracted to the carbon arrow just sloughs off when the arrow is agitated. It looks very much like the steel did, but the stuff isn't fused to it like it was with steel.

I have a window weight soaking right now. Interested to see what the morning brings.

Interesting! Definitely not what I would expect.

 

[MontanaLon]

Interesting! Definitely not what I would expect.

OK talk about unexpected. As I was doing some cleaning last night I found an old muzzleloader derringer kit I had forgotten about having. As I recall I picked it up for $1 at a flea market some years ago. It had been put together poorly by the PO as it came out of the box and fired it a handful of times, lost interest and didn't clean it before storing it somewhere humid and without temperature control. At the time I cleaned it enough to stop the copious rusting and then promptly forgot about it myself. So when I found it last night I decided to see what I could do to derust it. Disassembled it completely, seriously, 2 screw, 2 pins, 2 springs, brass receiver, 2 spring guides, hammer, trigger and barrel is all there is to it. The barrel had the worst of the rust so it went into the bath first. And soaked overnight. This morning it was rust free, though pitted and discolored so I put the hammer and trigger into the bath. Let them soak a couple of hours and went to check them.

No bubbling going on. Hmmm. Checked the connection to the parts and it looked good. So I went to check the arrow connection and when I touched it, it fell into 2 pieces right at the waterline. When I dunked the part of the arrow still connected to the power back into the bucket the steel parts started fizzing right away. Where it broke was right at the waterline and coincidentally I think right where the arrow had printed on it what it was before. The area surrounding the break was tissue thin and none of the breakdown happened on the outside of the shaft, the painted parts would have made that pretty obvious. And the rest of the arrow that was submerged is as structurally sound as the end that wasn't in the water/washing soda mix.

I am fairly certain the problem with that arrow was a split at the nock end, result of a near Robin Hood shot. I didn't detect any damage elsewhere in the shaft so I am really curious why the damage done by the electrolysis right at the water line only. Very curious so I set it back to brew some more and will see if any breakdown of the carbon happens at the new water line.

So in short, carbon arrows will work and work well for electrolysis but has the unexpected result of dissolving the carbon fiber/epoxy bonds.