Diablo - 24-6-2012 at 21:04
Glass retorts made from aqua globes are cheap but do they work well? also if made like in this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDpVEX5SZzg
could the holles with epoxy be left out and liquid fed in through the stem?
[Edited on 25-6-2012 by Diablo]
cyanureeves - 25-6-2012 at 03:32
if you're doing nitric you could pour sulfuric acid and wash down your potassium nitrate through the spout and get minimal contamination . the tricky
part would be letting the glass cool down slowly so it wont break. i would keep the glass on the torch after shaping and gradually move it further
away until it cools.i know that the distilling method right out of the can works because i did it.
[Edited on 25-6-2012 by cyanureeves]
[Edited on 25-6-2012 by cyanureeves]
Endimion17 - 25-6-2012 at 05:35
After shaping, shut down the air supply and bathe the stuff in the yellow safety flame (it's way colder than the oxidizing blue flame) until it's
covered in soot and has established the new thermal equilibrium with it. Then gradually move it upwards, constantly rotating it.
Set aside on a plate made of poor thermal conductor, or just suspend it in the air until it cools.
Diablo - 25-6-2012 at 13:43
Thank you, hopefully everything will go well.
chemrox - 25-6-2012 at 17:46
Jesus! As much cheap borosilicate glassware as gets sold on ebay making nitric with home made glassware sounds a bit like making a hang glider out of
bed sheets and jumping off the Dover cliffs to test it.
Diablo - 25-6-2012 at 17:49
That would be foolish, you should use a test dummy.
Edit: I was only going to distill some solvents with it, making Nitric with a soda lime retort would be quite dangerous and need some extra safety
precautions.
[Edited on 26-6-2012 by Diablo]
[Edited on 26-6-2012 by Diablo]
Mildronate - 26-6-2012 at 00:06
that retort is shitt. Epoxy will burning in nitric acid. And you can use teflon tape with rubber stoppers if you hadnt money for normal glasware. Any
glassblower can make retort for you from round bottomed flask.
Diablo - 26-6-2012 at 01:39
@Mildronate I wasn't going to use it for nitric acid, only solvents, and I will be leaving out the hole where the epoxy was used. Also thank you for
the suggestions but I want to make it for the experience as well as to see how well it works as a basic glass distillation apparatus.
dann2 - 26-6-2012 at 06:23
What is the advantages of a retort over a round bottom flask + distilling head + stopper + condenser?
You can use an air condenser (no water jacket) if you want to save money.
Is a retort much cheaper.
I think myself a retort seems to appeal to some sort of primeval instinct that a distillation apparatus ('too modern') just does not do.
When making the retort as per the video you would need to attach a pipe the the retort end so that you can
put some pressure into the retort (blow air into it as a glass blower would do). This will stop the soft
part that you are bending from collapsing into ugly crinkles.
You should also cover the hot bend with black suit obtained from a good orange flame. This will slow down
the cooling and give a better annealing (less liable to break). You could also wrap the joint in
fiber glass when still hot.
Aldi stores are going to be selling a 40cm by 50cm flat piece of teflon next week as an oven liner.
I hope there are no holes in it. If two of these are sewn together using plumbers teflon tape
it should be possible to make a teflon retort (how's THAT). This retort will be the ultimate report.
(Much better that 'take a hike'). It will be easily transportable accross international borders,
unbreakable, everlasting etc etc.
Stay tuned for more.
Dann2
Diablo - 26-6-2012 at 09:26
@dann2 There are no advantages except the cost, and the fun of making a working piece of glassware. A retort made from a generic plant watering globe
would run me 1 dollar excluding fuel for the torch.
Thanks for the glass working tips.
The problem with sewing the teflon together is that no matter how good of a seam you can make, it won't be water tight. You would likely have to
sinter them together at the seams or find another heat and chemical proof plastic that can be set on the seams.
dann2 - 26-6-2012 at 12:15
Firstly I forgot to include in the discription of my retort is that it will be the worlds first flat pack retort.
When finsihed you can simply sit on it and off you go. You blow it back up when it is needed for action again.
I am hoping that the seams will not need to be water tight. Just tight enough to stop vapor from escaping too much. The piece of teflon 40cm by 50 cm
will be big enough so that it can be (whats the word) 'pulled up at the corners' so that the bottom of the retort is all teflon and no joints. Then
some sewing and place a pipe made from a second teflon sheet and you are done.
Another way to describe it is, to rap a ball in the teflon sheet, then remove the ball and sew on the spout after some clipping etc.
If the teflon is not a continous sheet (if it is a perforated sheet in the shop) then it's not going to work.
I look forward to going shopping in Aldi next week...................
Diablo - 26-6-2012 at 12:44
That makes a lot more sense. Well if it works out it could be a really useful retort.
Mildronate - 26-6-2012 at 23:08
aldrich had custom glasblowing service and there is chinise companys in alibaba for custom glassblowing.