Re: Electrode Tips

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Nick Andrews by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <nicothefabulous-at-hotmail-dot-com>

Sulfuric acid is what's in battery acid.  Fairly weak, depending on what you 
need.  Also, muriatic acid is about 28% sulfuric acid, with hydrochloric 
acid, if I remember right.  It's sold just about anywhere in gallon jugs, 
used for swimming pools to lower pH and for cleaning concrete surfaces.

Nick Andrews


>From: "Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
>To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
>Subject: Re: Electrode Tips
>Date: Sun, 12 Aug 2001 16:51:24 -0600
>
>Original poster: "by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" 
><Hollmike-at-aol-dot-com>
>
>In a message dated 8/12/01 2:04:20 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
>tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
>writes:
>
>
> >
> > I think copper sulfate is used for home/garden stuff.  Maybe ponds?  I 
>have
> > no idea were to get sulfuric acid.  We have fuming sulfuric at work but
> > that is darn nasty stuff.  I don't know if there is an easy source for 
>it
> > or a substitute?
> >
> > Cheers,
> >
> >    Terry
> >
>
>
>
>   Yes, copper sulfate is a commonly used algicide.   Although all the
>plating baths I have ever used contained sulfuric acid, I don't know that 
>it
>is really necessary.  I think it merely adds to the conductivity of the
>solution and increases the efficiency.  That probably doesn't really matter
>if one is just plating a small piece or two.
>   Actually,  if you want to take the time to do it, you can make a 
>saturated
>solution of copper sulfate and use a lead anode(+ electrode for anyone
>unfamiliar with the term).  You will deposit copper metal on the cathode,
>release oxygen bubbles from the lead anode and generate sulfuric acid.  The
>hydrogen ions (from splitting water molecules) replace the copper ions in 
>the
>solution.  Once you have generated a bit of sulfuric acid, you can replace
>the lead anode with a hunk of copper to continue plating forever with that
>solution.  You might want to add a bit more copper sulfate crystals if the
>concentration get very low from the acid generation.
>Mike
>
>
>
>


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