# sand bath or steam bath



## goldnugget77 (May 25, 2009)

I am at page 44 of the Hoke book
In 1 chapter he talks about using a sand bath or steam bath 
he says these were already discussed before
I try to find it and i couldn't
can someone help
Thanks


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## Lou (May 25, 2009)

What's to discuss?


A sand bath means you get a metal pan, fill it with sand, and then nestle in your apparatus and heat it with flame or electrically.

A steam bath means you make/obtain a steam source and use that for heating.


Or you could just use a hot plate.

By the way, Hoke was a she.


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## 4metals (May 25, 2009)

First of all before someone jumps all over you, C.M. Hoke is a woman.

Sand baths and steam baths are very cost effective ways of heating a beaker or a flask, especially round bottom flasks. Modern heating mantles are quite expensive and you will need one for every size flask that you use. Hot plates only work on flat bottom beakers and they often cause localized overheating and break the glass. Both sand and steam baths do a great job of spreading the heat across the bottom of either a flat bottomed or round bottomed flask. I prefer sand baths because they allow you to form the sand around the base of the flask to support it. When you're done level out the sand and start again on another size flask. Steam baths require rings to support the flasks in a pool of hot water. 

For the home refiner the sand bath wins hands down in my opinion. I have built many for different refiners over the years, if you are interested in building one say so and I'll post a method to build one.


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## goldnugget77 (May 25, 2009)

Hi Guys
Thanks for your help
She must have been a tough women


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## goldnugget77 (May 25, 2009)

Hi 4metals



> if you are interested in building one say so and I'll post a method to build one.



If you can post that method for building a sand bath I would appreciate that
Thanks


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## Buzz (May 25, 2009)

Me too,

I'm definately interested in learning more about sand baths.

Regards
Buzz


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## qst42know (May 25, 2009)

An electric skillet full of dry sand is about as simple as it gets. Your beaker is then settled into the sand but not all the way to the bottom.


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## 4metals (May 25, 2009)

An electric skillet is the easiest way to go, but unfortunately most skillets are only 2 inches deep, that doesn't leave a-lot of room for sand and if the glass gets too close to the skillet it will overheat and break the glass. For flat bottom beakers the electric skillet is fine. Most of the sand baths I've put into service were for heating multiple flasks of 5,12 and 22 liter capacity. All of these are round bottom flasks. To heat a 22 liter flask in a sand bath you will need the sand to be at least 6 inches deep around the flask and I like to see 2 or 3 inches of sand between the heat and the bottom of the flask. That meant I always wanted to see at least a 9 inch deep sand bed, not something you put on a shelf and take off when you need it, especially when it's a 4 burner model.

Because I always used gas flame to heat these things, I liked to start with a 4 burner gas range top, this obviously couldn't be in the hood so shops I've set up have 2" PVC exhaust drops over all reactors. The stove would have 4 drops over the sand bed. The sand bed was a welded steel plate with 9 to 10" sides which sat on the stove-top and was filled with play sand. A flask was set up in a depression made in the sand and the burner under that area was turned on. As many as 4 flasks could be run together on a standard 4 burner top. The heat was even and was controlled by adjusting the flame. The down side was no thermostats, but the up side was simpler is better. 

For a small setup in a hood you could cut down a 15 gallon drum to 10 inches and place it on an electric hot plate. The cut down drum shouldn't be too heavy when filled with sand. Just remember that the vessel shouldn't come too close to the sides of the sand container, because just like too little sand under the bottom, it can get too hot and break the glass. 

Sand baths are also excellent if boiling down the aqua regia to drive off the nitric for dropping PGM's, just use a porcelain evaporating dish in a depression in the sand. It's much more forgiving than a hot plate.


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## goldnugget77 (May 26, 2009)

Hi 4metals





> 15 gallon drum to 10 inches and place it on an electric hot plate.



I don't understand 
Wont the drum melt.


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## goldnugget77 (May 26, 2009)

Do you any pictures of these things
Thanks



> porcelain evaporating dish


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## goldnugget77 (May 26, 2009)

I would also like to see how a steam bath looks
I went on google for this and they are baths for people
I do have a steam used by jewelers
maybe I can do something with that


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## 4metals (May 26, 2009)

Nugget

You're over thinking this, this isn't rocket science. A sand bath is to gently warm a solution safely, it doesn't get too hot, certainly not hot enough to melt a steel drum. Hoke actually had a drawing of a steam bath in her book, as well as a shallow tray for a sand bath.


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## goldnugget77 (May 26, 2009)

Hi 4metals
Thanks very much
You are really a patient person


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## 4metals (May 26, 2009)

this is an evaporating dish


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## lazersteve (May 26, 2009)

Here's an old post by a great guy that frequents the forum.


Sand Bath Photo

Read the whole thread and you'll learn a lot.

Steve


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