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Thread: Cutting aluminum the Easy way

  1. #11
    Modders block rendermandan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Cutting aluminum the Easy way

    Quote Originally Posted by Slug Toy View Post
    not completely necessary, the full reaction goes like this:

    Al + 3NaOH ---> Al(OH)3 + 3Na

    3Na + 3H2O ---> 3NaOH + 3H2

    its going to make hydrogen gas, but at the scale this is being done at... its not really a problem. i do way more dangerous stuff quite regularly in the chem lab. of course... you can solve this issue by putting an open flame near it so the gas burns off steadily instead of filling a room. thats always fun... you might have intermittent bangs happening, kind of like in shop class when the idiots are fiddling with the oxy-acetylene torches.

    "NOT COMPLETELY NECESSARY" How can you say that when you are refering to a chemical reaction that will cause Aluminum to dissolve. Above all Saftey should be #1 If you are a chemist, you should know that!

    I was just commenting for anybody else out there that may not know exactly the chemical reaction that is taking place and not fully understand the dangers of what they are doing. It should go without saying but as usually most people disregard the usuall. and then you talk about setting a flame to it? GIVE ME A BREAK!

  2. #12
    Life is like an analogy...
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    Default Re: Cutting aluminum the Easy way

    "NOT COMPLETELY NECESSARY" How can you say that when you are refering to a chemical reaction that will cause Aluminum to dissolve. Above all Saftey should be #1 If you are a chemist, you should know that!

    I was just commenting for anybody else out there that may not know exactly the chemical reaction that is taking place and not fully understand the dangers of what they are doing. It should go without saying but as usually most people disregard the usuall. and then you talk about setting a flame to it? GIVE ME A BREAK!
    you know what, i should have known better. i completely forgot another part of the reaction! that one thing i didnt factor in changes everything.

    new reaction:

    6NaOH + 2Al ---> 3H2 + 2Na2AlO3

    the reaction is intended to produce a complex salt, doesnt do anything to change the amount of hydrogen though.

    not to get all up tight, but do YOU know your chemistry? think about whats going on here. at most, you're dissolving away a 120mm diameter hole in sheet aluminum in one sitting. thats 10 grams worth at most. 10 grams translates to .37 moles Al. 3 moles H2 are produced per 2 moles Al meaning that 10 grams of Al will produce .556 moles H2. .556 moles Al, through the ideal gas law (assuming standard conditions) translates to about... the volume of a grapefruit. that is pretty much nothing when you consider the fact that gases diffuse very rapidly. assuming you just ended up with that much hydrogen instantly, the worst that would happen is a loud bang. no damage. its not even as bad as a coffee cup full of acetylene. further to that, you WONT end up with that volume instantly. im sure the makers of drano know not to use something like 15 M NaOH in it, its probably more like 1 M at best, and that doent really get you a violent reaction, meaning you wont evolve gas very fast. its no faster than putting magnesium in hydrochloric acid of a similar concentration.

    i dont necessarily say these things as a chemist. i say them as a person who has done this stuff before, and has the chemistry knowledge to explain whats going on. ive dealt with bromine and chlorine gas (meaning breathed it by accident), direct exposure to nitric acid and potassium oxalate (touching that stuff by accident), and many MANY fireballs and exploding beakers while making sugar based rocket fuel. i also willfully dipped my hands in bleach to demonstrate that it isnt instantly dangerous. im still here. if you set up an open flame near a grapefruit's worth of free hydrogen and put your face near it... you might lose your eyebrows, but not much more damage will ensue. if you spill drano on yourself, its not a good thing, but you have time to wash it off. it definitely wont feel as bad as concentrated nitric acid.

    besides... progbuddy knows what hes doing. hes in chemistry too. he knows not to put his face near an open flame, or to drink drano... i hope.


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  3. #13
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    Default Re: Cutting aluminum the Easy way

    for the most part i think safety is common sense. don't drink poison,don't get caustic stuff on your skin, etc. but there are those times you just don't know what will happen. such as what happened to me while i was drilling a hole in the bottem of a aerosol can (it was empty and open to the atmosphere when i did it. here is a link to see what it was for http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/f...t=5743&page=14). there was a chemical called "Allyl Isothiocyanate" aka mustard oil inside the can and i wasn't sure what was inside. so i shook the can around a bit and i got some on my hand and neck. man did it satart to burn fast, so i ran to the sink and washed it off with cool water and aside from a little redness for an hour or 2 after i'm fine. anyway when and if my parents every get some drano i will try it with out protection as i will only use a small amount outside.
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  4. #14
    Post count? Get over it. Drew's Avatar
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    Default Re: Cutting aluminum the Easy way

    ^^^ best piece of advice I've heard yet...

    Does seem a bit extreme.... tried thermite? That'd sort it.

    Actually, don't try thermite... that'd be bad.

    +rep for not actually killing yourself, and finding quite a 'unique' modding method.

  5. #15
    Case Modding MoFo Crimson Sky's Avatar
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    Default Re: Cutting aluminum the Easy way

    Quote Originally Posted by Slug Toy View Post
    if you spill drano on yourself, its not a good thing, but you have time to wash it off. it definitely wont feel as bad as concentrated nitric acid.

    This part is misleading. Sure if you get a little on your hands, you could wash it off and go have a Pop Tart® and watch TV. Get some in the eyes, and it reacts with the salts instantly. Unless you had an eyebath station nearby and someone to lead you to it and help you flush, you would be flailing around your bathroom screaming like a banshee, unable to open your eyes against the pain. It would begin causing irreparable damage in seconds.
    Last edited by Crimson Sky; 04-02-2007 at 10:52 AM.
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  6. #16
    Post count? Get over it. Drew's Avatar
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    Default Re: Cutting aluminum the Easy way

    Quote Originally Posted by Crimson Sky View Post
    you would be flailing around your bathroom screaming like a banshee, unable to open your eyes against the pain. It would begin causing irrebarable damage in seconds.
    So it would be bad then?

  7. #17
    Paradox Sausage DaveW's Avatar
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    Default Re: Cutting aluminum the Easy way

    So it would be bad then?
    Unless you're an extreme masochist, then that would be a yes.

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  8. #18
    azminisk8r
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    Default Re: Cutting aluminum the Easy way

    so if theres one thing we've learned in this post its to never try to pour drano while upside down

  9. #19
    Blunt Master 5000 CanaBalistic's Avatar
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    Default Re: Cutting aluminum the Easy way

    Still, i'd rather use a good-ol dremmel.
    You Dont Spread Democracy Through The Barrel Of A Gun.

  10. #20

    Default Re: Cutting aluminum the Easy way

    Sounds kinda dodgy to me. How would it react to anodized aluminum? Also, I would imagine that it would take quite a long time. If it's a flat sheet of aluminum, or even something almost flat, I'm gonna stick with an industrial laser cutter . If you have any experience with CAD, you can easily have almost any design cut at a local fabrication shop for a decent price (about $100 for an hour of cutting, which is way more than you should need.)

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