# Fittings for a stainless steel drum.



## justinhcase (Jan 19, 2017)

I found a nice little 35L 316 S.S. drum for my nitric acid store ,it only has one opening so no vent hole..
Put in a liter of 72% nitric and left if for a week,shaking every day.
Once retrieved the acid was still clear as a bell so I think it is good to go.
Except for the tap Fitting.
I have expended a good half a day in communication with several suppliers.
One can do one that is self venting but is not rated for acid and will not fit a trisure thread.one can fit every thing except self venting.
And most respond to my request for a self venting acid resistant pouring tap to fit a 60mm female barrel as if the idea had never occurred to them.
It is a trisure thread which I can find adapters for to bring down to a smaller standard thread but this would seem to present a week point which is not rated for the purpose.
Any ideas.Much thanks 
Justin


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## 4metals (Jan 19, 2017)

I have had similar issues dealing with a drum of chemicals but having it hooked up to a feed reservoir. So I devised a trap that uses water to effectively seal in the fumes but allow pressure to equalize. Using the trap I have pictured you can connect the tube which goes to the bottom of the drum to a reservoir which allows you to pull a vacuum on the jug to draw up acid from the drum without having an open drum of chemical or having a sealed drum that can implode from the vacuum. 

Maybe something of this type can work for you. In nitric I have seen CPVC last for 2 years before it shows signs of brittleness and requires replacement. 




By varying the type of Plastic to make these and selecting the appropriate tubing, I have successfully built hoods to keep sulfuric acid, nitric acid, and hydrochloric acid on tap and available for immediate and easy usage.


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## justinhcase (Jan 19, 2017)

Thanks 4metals.
That look's like a great solution to the problem.
I am considering installing my vacuum pump with a reservoir and pressure control unit in some free out side space.
It would make decanting to the small work bottles some what more complicated if it has to have a two way air tight fitting to fill.
Might be able to find a ground glass two way adapter for the glass bottles but the screw top plastic bottles would be a pain.
It would be a very good way to minimize fumes when filling larger reaction vessels.
Thanks
J


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## 4metals (Jan 19, 2017)

This is what the reservoir jugs look like in a hood. The line out the top of the 5 gallon jug is to the acid drum outside of the hood, The neck of the reservoir goes to the vacuum source piping, and the spigot is on the bottom.


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## justinhcase (Jan 19, 2017)

Wow
You actual found a jug with a vacuum take off spigot.
Very nice I will try to find a small one.
Thanks


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## Topher_osAUrus (Jan 19, 2017)

4metals, What is that coming out of the gloryhole on the wall there? Is that to a scrubber system?


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## Refining Rick (Jan 19, 2017)

Topher_osAUrus said:


> 4metals, What is that coming out of the gloryhole on the wall there? Is that to a scrubber system?


Oh Dam. That is some funny stuff. I straight lost it on that one! :lol:


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## 4metals (Jan 19, 2017)

That is a corrugated teflon hose that connects a reactor to the permanently mounted condensers on the back of the hood. This is the back of the same hood showing all the condensers.






> You actually found a jug with a vacuum take off spigot.



The jugs, all sizes, 4 liter , 20 liter, and 50 liter are easy to find with the vacuum take off on the neck, it's the teflon drain spout that gets pricey.


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## Topher_osAUrus (Jan 19, 2017)

Very cool!

Thank you for sharing that... I never grow tired of seeing the inner workings and equipment of large, well established refineries.

Without you kindly sharing your photo's, I doubt that would ever happen.


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## FrugalRefiner (Jan 19, 2017)

That's a very nifty air lock 4metals! It's like the airlocks used to homebrew except for the tube going down to the bottom of the drum. Another future project.

Dave


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## snoman701 (Jan 19, 2017)

Got a supplier for the corrugated teflon tubing by chance?

I've seen you use it a couple of times, it's pretty slick.


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## 4metals (Jan 19, 2017)

it's pricey but it lasts;
https://www.mcmaster.com/#corrugated-tubing/=15zi497


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## FrugalRefiner (Jan 19, 2017)

I love McMaster-Carr! If you can think of anything you might use to build something, they probably have it.

Dave


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## Topher_osAUrus (Jan 19, 2017)

FrugalRefiner said:


> I love McMaster-Carr! If you can think of anything you might use to build something, they probably have it.
> 
> Dave



That's no joke! I've been looking through their site since 4metals posted the link...and wow... I think I could spend $10,000 and still want more.. ..now I just need to make that kind of money..... :roll:


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## FrugalRefiner (Jan 19, 2017)

Topher_osAUrus said:


> That's no joke! I've been looking through their site since 4metals posted the link...and wow... I think I could spend $10,000 and still want more.. ..now I just need to make that kind of money..... :roll:


That would be easy to do. They aren't the cheapest place to find things, but they'll have it. 

Their web site can be a chore to navigate. I used to have one of their printed catalogs. They were difficult to get because they were something like 1,200 pages and not cheap to produce. But it was so much fun to just flip through the pages.  

Dave


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## 4metals (Jan 19, 2017)

I keep a current copy of their catalog in my office. Handy when you have an idea to rig something but can't put your finger on the hardware to use to get it done. 

They have huge warehouses near big cities (4 I think) and they inventory 90+% of everything in the catalog. So delivery is PDQ.


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## snoman701 (Jan 19, 2017)

I can't believe I didn't check there before asking.

Their paper catalogs are quite hard to come by unless you have an open account with them.

The old ones are also quite collectible. I sold catalog no 77 earlier in the year for $110.

Great company though, every order I've ever placed shows up the next day, with affordable ground shipping, as long as I place my order by 6:30.


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## 4metals (Jan 19, 2017)

> I sold catalog no 77 earlier in the year for $110.



Wow I wouldn't have believed it, I just checked and I have catalog 121 and a pile of older ones. The damn things are precious!!!

You don't need a new catalog every year anymore with the internet, just look up the part number on the website for current pricing.


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## mls26cwru (Jan 20, 2017)

If you think McMaster-carr is a fun website, try hgrinc.com... It's a huge industrial surplus warehouse right down the road from me here in Cleveland...the showroom in 13 ACRES!!! It's a tinkerers/machinists/fabricators dream, and I have picked up a bunch of stuff for my recycling/refining side business!

They had a couple tube furnaces when I was there this past weekend...


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## snoman701 (Jan 20, 2017)

4metals said:


> > I sold catalog no 77 earlier in the year for $110.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Yup...my paper copy is 110. Part numbers haven't changed.

For a few years, the paper catalogs were bringing up to $30 ea on Ebay (for current volumes). Now I guess people are getting used to their website. I've loved the web from the start.


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