paulr1234
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Sodium wire press or similar required
I'm experimenting with some soft polymer mixtures. Composites containing suspensions of carbon nano-tubes and fine metallic powders.
I need to extrude some short pieces (25 - 75mm maybe) about the thickness of dry spaghetti (1 - 2mm).
These part-cured mixtures have a consistency and malleability similar to a soft alkali metal, and it occurred to be that something like a sodium press
might be ideal (I've already ruined my wife's expensive Williams Sonoma garlic press: she doesn't know yet 
I guess SPS systems are resigning solvent stills to the history books and I was wondering if anyone on the forum had one they are looking to get rid
of.
I've Googled around and found the high end options like: http://www.rotationsverdampfer.com/NPL01.htm Just looking at that I can see that it is going to cost $$$
Also happy to hear DIY ideas but I haven't got an elaborate work bench or tools. Honestly, even something like this is going to be hard for me to
fabricate although it looks like a good design: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ed004p918
Would rather buy an old one with a 1mm or 2mm die, even if it is on it's last legs.
Let me know inline or as a U2U. Have a small budget for this.
[Edited on 6-2-2011 by paulr1234]
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unionised
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I once made some indium wire with part of an old preparative scale HPLC column, a length of brass rod and a bench mounted vice.
Because indium isn't that soft I had to heat the system a bit.
I had the bits lying around so a budget wasn't the issue. It did take some time sawing the end off the column.
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peach
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Quote: Originally posted by paulr1234  | (I've already ruined my wife's expensive Williams Sonoma garlic press: she doesn't know yet
[Edited on 6-2-2011 by paulr1234] |
A cheap laboratory sodium press {and an article that's $35 for 48h worth of viewing time}
The stoners come through with not only a professional heavy duty press;
But a budget model also;
"THE ULTIMATE HASH {sodium / nanoparticle composite?} PRESS FOR UNDER 20 BUCKS !! {$15 cheaper than the article about how to make one out of plumbing
fittings}"
A guy on eBay was selling little discs with EDM drilled holes in them for ooooo I dunno, a year? I didn't see a single one of them sell. They'd
probably have gone in the end of those presses well, and now they've disappeared. But it wouldn't be harder to drill a similar hole with a fine drill
bit.
Not sure how well that aluminium would hold up, but there also seems to be a stainless clay extruder from makin's which costs $49.95.
The PieceMaker (137 euro) thing looks like this inside;
[Edited on 23-6-2011 by peach]
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plastics
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I have the stainless steel version of the Makin clay extruder and it can sure make some pretty sodium wire
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peach
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Brilliant!
Is it hard to get through the standard caps and does it feel like it stressing the extruder at all?
I'll probably pick one up if it's all okay with sodium.
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plastics
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Peach - I haven't filled the whole thing up. Just used individual 1cm3 blocks to make some wire to dry up a bit of diethyl ether. Didn't seem to blink
at these
I will try it on a small block of lithium in the next few days to make some lithium bronze. Wacking a lump with a hammer and then cutting the sheet
into strips and then tiny squares is a right PITA
Cleaning it up at the end was interesting 
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science4u
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Sodium wire
Hi there
I also need to make sodium wires...Please tell me your experience with the presses mentioned.
Rgds
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peach
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He just did didn't he, up there^
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science4u
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I dont know if you used the cheapest (20USD) or the other.
Someone used sodium? isnt it dangerous to work with sodium and with these presses?
Rgds
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peach
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He is using the second one, the Makin stainless steel clay extruder. Which is about $50.
Provided the press is dry and isn't dunked in water, the only thing that should happen is that the surface of the sodium will begin to oxidise.
Pushing it through the nozzle scrapes the surface clean just before it's dropped into some solvent that needs drying.
Using sodium wire like this is normal for drying solvents as much as is possible. Although universities are switching to a newer method as the sodium
+ solvent + heat presents a significant fire risk to staff and students; particularly those who aren't all that used to dealing with boiling,
flammable things.
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