Dead car battery

[Akragon]

Akragon, The short answer to your question is yes, dead batteries have a decent amount of acid that can be filtered then heated to increase strength. It is even possible to get it to white fuming level. Be careful this stuff will mess you up at higher concentrations and hot. Do it outside as the fumes will ruin your day. I have done this and have a few clean litres of high concentration acid. On a side note, I do this since its almost impossible here in Aus to buy it easily or cheaply (we cant be trusted in Aus)​

i can buy it here, but its very pricy... nitric is even worse

 

[Akragon]

What do you want to use the Sulfuric for?

specifically... I've noticed sreetips always uses a small squirt of sulfuric when hes refining gold in AR... and apparently its to disolve any lead that might be in solution.... since that is ultimately my goal (though im quite far from it) i figured i should have some

 

[Akragon]

You don’t want to reduce or concentrate sulfuric acid inside. If you do it out side you will need a cut off to the power at a distance from the heat source. 50 foot minimum. If it gets to the point you see white smoke you do not want to go near it. This smoke is such that one breath of it will reform into sulfuric acid upon contact with moisture. Think of the moisture in your lungs and sinus passages or eyes.

As for using battery acid over drain cleaners there is not much difference they are both impure acids. Be it from the additives in drain cleaners or some chemical additive to help the battery’s power or longevity. With drain cleaners the MSDS sheet will tell you what the additive is. With an old, used car battery it’s just a shot in the dark. Even if you have had the battery since it was new there is no sure way of knowing how it started out.

Best bet is buy chemically pure sulfuric acid. Second best would be a drain cleaner (with MSDS sheet) and last used battery acid.

If you try to heat sulfuric acid. Do not get the wind into your face. As well, do not have it blowing directly at your back, it will cause a swirl effect that will pull it back in your face. You want the wind blowing at a 90* angle to your body, causing it to sweep more fumes away from you. Fume hoods do a great job of protecting you over working out side.

I have heated sulfuric acid to 125F and dripped it on to dry wood. The burning effect was immediate and severe enough turn the wood black instantly about 1/8 inch deep. It was so thorough and quick it was the last time I tried to “clean up” sulfuric acid. Sometimes the cost is worth the few dollars saved. Saving your health (or life) is worth how many dollars?

well i don't believe it needs to be super powerful anyways... i'll settle for clean

 

[Shark]

specifically... I've noticed sreetips always uses a small squirt of sulfuric when hes refining gold in AR... and apparently its to disolve any lead that might be in solution.... since that is ultimately my goal (though im quite far from it) i figured i should have some

It is NOT to dissolve lead. It IS to reduce the lead to a form that can be filtered out. Have you read the book “Refining Precious Metal Wastes”by C.M.Hoke? It is free and found all over the forum. It can help you use the terminology that helps us understand better your goals.

 

[Akragon]

It is NOT to dissolve lead. It IS to reduce the lead to a form that can be filtered out. Have you read the book “Refining Precious Metal Wastes”by C.M.Hoke? It is free and found all over the forum. It can help you use the terminology that helps us understand better your goals.

i have it actually... and i've been reading it... also... good to know
thats actually what i figured.... why would he need to dissolve lead thats already in solution... but thats what he says "to dissolve any remaining lead that might be in solution"

 

[Yggdrasil]

specifically... I've noticed sreetips always uses a small squirt of sulfuric when hes refining gold in AR... and apparently its to disolve any lead that might be in solution.... since that is ultimately my goal (though im quite far from it) i figured i should have some

No, it is to drop the Lead as sulfate so it can be filtered out. And any quality and strength are good enough for that.
How are your study of Hokes book going?

 

[Akragon]

No, it is to drop the Lead as sulfate so it can be filtered out. And any quality and strength are good enough for that.
How are your study of Hokes book going?

I've been through most of it... Its certainly not a thrilling read but useful... Currently im working on a model for a fume hood... got one in mind but finding the right exhaust fan might be tricky so i may have to build around whatever i can find that will do the job... Opened a bottle of HCL a few months back and got a bit too close... got a pretty good zap from a whisp that came from just opening it.... that freaked me out a bit because i know the by products of refining... so needless to say i'll be taking my time

 

[Martijn]

C.M. Hoke was a Lady. not a Man.

It get's more and more thrilling once you understand better what she is writing about.

Try to get the details right. They matter a lot in Chemistry.

Like your statement:

right but it disolves lead...

They use lead in sulphuric batteries, is because lead does not dissolve in sulphuric.

Look up reactivity series and solubility charts. Try to understand that.
Good to hear you're cautious with acids and are building a fume hood.

 

[Martijn]

i have it actually... and i've been reading it... also... good to know
thats actually what i figured.... why would he need to dissolve lead thats already in solution... but thats what he says "to dissolve any remaining lead that might be in solution"

No, he always says: "Add a drop of sulphuric acid to precipitate out any lead as insoluble lead sulphate'
Which can be quite dilute by the way, batterie acid is more than fine. You only need concentrated sulfuric for some processes. Where copper is not allowed to dissolve e.g.
Again, try to get the details right. And understand why, in stead of "monkey see monkey do"... not saying you do things without thinking, but that's an effect of you tube, so it's also written for other new members.

be safe and have fun!

 

[goldshark]

I've been through most of it... Its certainly not a thrilling read but useful... Currently im working on a model for a fume hood... got one in mind but finding the right exhaust fan might be tricky so i may have to build around whatever i can find that will do the job... Opened a bottle of HCL a few months back and got a bit too close... got a pretty good zap from a whisp that came from just opening it.... that freaked me out a bit because i know the by products of refining... so needless to say i'll be taking my time

Do not suck or blow the fumes through the fan. Incorporate a high pressure stream of air in a Y configuration, to create a Venturi effect. Much like how a suction dredge works, if you are not familiar with the Venturi principle. This will isolate the blower from the fumes, and give considerable life to the fan. A small blower with paddle fins, will give higher pressure than a squirrel cage blower. A small blower of this type will give more air through the main vent pipe, so a smaller one can be used. If somebody else recalls where this is mentioned on the forum, please feel free to give Akragon the place to find it. Maybe do a search?

 

[FrugalRefiner]

There are several good threads on fume hoods and ventilation in the Build Your Own Equipment section of The Library.

Dave

 

[butcher]

Some fumes are lighter than air and go up others are dense and flow down or to the bottom.
Baffle panels on the sides and or back, where the exhaust can pull toxic or acidic gases from both the top and bottom of the hood.

The air or exhaust out can also be changed by how much air can enter the hood (you can only suck so much air outa Coca-Cola bottle til it will suck your tongue back into the bottle, the too-wide opening may not work well a completely closed door the fan would not have the sucking power to remove gases...
Lab or room also if there is no fresh air to enter (even cold winter air) or too little air can get into the room, then no exhaust fan is going to pull the toxic air through your hood and outside, you need as much fresh air from the outside (not recirculated from the building) coming into the room or lab as the CFM the fan is to pull out, you can calculate the square footage of a window or other opening to ensure your hood will work properly...

As with most of what we do the more you research it the better it goes as you begin to understand the principles...

 

[goldshark]

Some fumes are lighter than air and go up others are dense and flow down or to the bottom.
Baffle panels on the sides and or back, where the exhaust can pull toxic or acidic gases from both the top and bottom of the hood.

The air or exhaust out can also be changed by how much air can enter the hood (you can only suck so much air outa Coca-Cola bottle til it will suck your tongue back into the bottle, the too-wide opening may not work well a completely closed door the fan would not have the sucking power to remove gases...
Lab or room also if there is no fresh air to enter (even cold winter air) or too little air can get into the room, then no exhaust fan is going to pull the toxic air through your hood and outside, you need as much fresh air from the outside (not recirculated from the building) coming into the room or lab as the CFM the fan is to pull out, you can calculate the square footage of a window or other opening to ensure your hood will work properly...

As with most of what we do the more you research it the better it goes as you begin to understand the principles...

Butcher always has the best analogies!