Building my lab today

[mlgdave]

starting with enclosing the room and insulating it, man winter has stretched out. I tad chilly and I am avoiding going and doing a batch.............so necessity is the mother of all invention and hence the walls go up today.
I would like to either buy a better double burner hotplate than the ones im finding (burned out 2 already) or looking at a built in 220V range top, I would of course make sure all acid containers are inside a catch container.

Any thoughts on this instead of the hotplate method?

mlgdave

 

[Barren Realms 007]

You can try a used resteraunt supply store for a n electric cook top or a steam table that heats water up like you see in a serving line.

 

[mlgdave]

Ahh yea. Thanks! Going to a used place now!

Mlgdave

 

[glorycloud]

I have successfully been using an old Goodwill purchased electric
fry pan as my "hot plate". I put the coffe pot in the fry pan and
it boils well and if I have a problem (which thankfully I have not
had so far), the walls of the fry pan will catch whatever comes
from the coffee pot breakage.

Works for me and the teflon coating hasn't been marred yet
but then I am not a big AR user. I use it mainly to do the
cleaning of the gold powder that comes from fingers, etc.

 

[mlgdave]

thankGlory, thats a good idea too. I am pretty darned excited about this new venture, I have dedicated 8X11 in my garage and enclosing it and insulating it today, I will build the scrubber and hood this week and will take pictures as I go.

mlgdave

 

[mlgdave]

I welcome any comments good or bad, I bought a black and deker resin cabinet to use for a "hood" i used galvanized ductinig and fan but not before I painted it with automotive acrylic enamel high heat engine paint inside. I am venting outside through 6 layers of 1" furnace filter. The fan is 400 CFM and it seems to be working well. The whole shebang cost less that 3/4" ply, paint etc etc. I also have a sheet of plexiglass I will use as a door. I will cut a big viewport this week and put it in.

the walls are up and insulated as well and im ready to work/play!

mlgdave

 

[nickvc]

I think your one problem will be the metal piping to vent your system, I suspect that's it's life expectancy is going to be very short. Plastic pipes last much longer depending on the type used and can last years but you can try your set up and see how long it lasts.
One other point that isn't clear but is your hood just fixed to the wall or does it have a stand beneath it? If it's just bracketed to the wall I would seriously suggest putting a stand under it unless you want to be trying to collect your gold solutions from the floor.

 

[mlgdave]

yea nick I know that even with the enamel paint they will probably go fast, and yes I am putting 4 shelf brackets underneath it today, I have 24 screws that I have caulked over (so the acid doesnt eat them) and will be using another 24 SS screws today, I used it al day yesterday and it worked like a champ

mlgdave

 

[Barren Realms 007]

yea nick I know that even with the enamel paint they will probably go fast, and yes I am putting 4 shelf brackets underneath it today, I have 24 screws that I have caulked over (so the acid doesnt eat them) and will be using another 24 SS screws today, I used it al day yesterday and it worked like a champ

mlgdave

They make a paintable ceramic coating that I have used on pump impeller's and housing's that we used to pump acids with, that would work better than the epoxy paint.

 

[stihl88]

And perhaps investigate (PTFE) Teflon Paint.

 

[4metals]

this stuff holds up pretty well. http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/it...catid=699&clickid=partnumber&partnumber=38089

 

[mlgdave]

SCORE! I just found this great storage cabinet for $65.00!!

mlgdave

 

[SilverNitrate]

remember any exposed metal surfaces, i.e. iron steel, aluminum will quickly corrode. and as for a hotplate, they last me an average 4 months. A cheap single burner made of plastic works well, just that I takes them apart, bypass the switches, lights and use an insulating tape and put back together.
When a hot plate 'burns out' I take apart and reattach the corroded copper wires and good to go for a few more weeks. At somepoint that re-rigging won't be enough and time for another one.

 

[nickvc]

yea nick I know that even with the enamel paint they will probably go fast, and yes I am putting 4 shelf brackets underneath it today, I have 24 screws that I have caulked over (so the acid doesnt eat them) and will be using another 24 SS screws today, I used it al day yesterday and it worked like a champ

mlgdave

Don't want to harp on but don't trust anything made of metal to support your hood the acids will eventually get to them,put a wooden bench underneath to support your hood because if the metals are going to fail it'll be at the worst possible moment....
Hot AR with your gold dissolved in it all over the garage floor isn't a pleasant thought :shock:

 

[mlgdave]

yea nick, I agree, that is NOT a pleasant thought. I have added powder coated brackets underneath the hood, the legs on my cabinet are powder coated and I know it wont be long before I wind up moving things around again as I know the layout of my shop isnt allowing for a sink.

Im trying to figure out how to plumb water out to the shop, I dont currently have water or a drain, it gets VERY cold here so I think I will have to dig the pipes in when the ground thaws.

MLGdave