It's the PH stupid!

[Thomas_Callaway]

Now we're getting somewhere. And before I begin I must say Carol has mastered the electro soup!

Today I put a #6 skillet and lid in the Cookerator and fired up the Electro. 4V at 9A. Hmmmm, I think I'll try the BC. 12V at 30A! It's a boiling like crazy! And it cleans really, really fast!

So... you will remember I told you how I changed the soup over to PH+ and kept adding it until it made no difference. Thus I believe the PH of the soup itself is optimum. NOW the battery charger makes a real difference.

Conclusion: Get the PH of your electrolyte optimum and use the battery charger. The electro will be better for cleaning smaller pieces I'm sure so it's a keeper too.

A word of caution: In a small setup you might over load a 6 - 10A charger if your piece is too big or is too close the sacrificial piece. In that case it might pay to dilute the soup some especially if you can't move the piece further away.

TC

[C. Perry Rapier]

T.C. Thanks for the update. That makes a lot of sense and I kind of thought so as well. That Carol is somethin ain't she, she's got it. Now that she's got it she needs to leave it in and let it work. Carol, you're gonna have the handle wore off that skillet jerkin it in and out of the soup every five minutes. Fire off a shot every now and then T.C. so we know where you're at. I see you out behind the barn, lightnin flashin all around you, the ground on fire at your feet, your arms held high to the sky, the mighty Frankenrater in action shakin the earth, peasants lined up a country mile, bringing you gifts of cast iron in exchange for your services of cleaning their iron.

[Thomas_Callaway]

I see you out behind the barn, lightnin flashin all around you, the ground on fire at your feet, your arms held high to the sky, the mighty Frankenrater in action shakin the earth, peasants lined up a country mile, bringing you gifts of cast iron in exchange for your services of cleaning their iron.

Real close Perry, real close. Except for the lightning. It trips my ground fault circuit.

TC

[Carol]

LOL.  Appreciate both comments.  Perry, c'mon, I'm really not jerking it in and out of the soup every five minutes, I actually left it for 3 hours.  HOWEVER, I checked it after and amp meter read zero.  Still very low level activity (which is all I get) but I shut it off, brought both pieces in and cleaned them off.  It's definitely working.  I hooked it back up again, moved the pieces closer, and the amp meter was reading 4-1/2 amps, then after 1/2 hour, back down to 2.  Is that normal??

Tom, your concern about blowing a low amp charger... I read that after cutting my basket separator in half.  They're now two inches apart.  If the meter were reading 10 amps, hard and strong, after reading your message I'd be out there pulling it.  But it seems with that low of a reading it should be okay, yes?

Now, you're describing "boiling away" with a 4-volt, not a 12-volt?  Wuzzupwitdat?  I thought all battery chargers were 12 volt.  

Please elaborate on what you mean by "boiling away."  I can't describe anything I'm seeing as boiling.  At best it's like there's a pinhole sized air hole that puts out a very fine, trickle-speed, small activity.  It seems to be working, but these descriptions make me think I'm not getting a level of activity I should.  And does your water get warm?  Or hot even?  Mine doesn't.

[C. Perry Rapier]

Carol, now that you see how it works, and you can make it work, now you need to make it work better. Also remember, you asked in another post about the red cable side going into the water, think of it this way, everything on the red side, in the water, is going to be eaten up. Thats why I suggest leaving a little of the red side (sacrifice piece) sticking up so you can clamp on to it, put a c clamp on it and then hook the red clamp to the c clamp, or however you wanna do it. Now having said all that, since the new is still on your charger, and you probably still got the receipt, box it up, trade it in and get you a little bigger one, and it will work faster and harder and better, and you'll be settin the woods on fire.  

[Carol]

Perry, I've been pondering doing that.  Not to sound cheap, but I've been spending a ton of money lately, and I keep thinking two things.  One is, this is a very compact little box.  It was only $32 on sale.  It'll get there, it'll get there.  And besides I don't know whether the number of iron pieces I'll buy will warrant a further expense.

The second is, well, if I ever sell this huge house (which I will) and move to a smaller one (which I will) then yeah, space will be an issue, BUT the bigger charger on wheels wouldn't be THAT hard to store in a garage.  Besides, it would make me give something else up that I don't use.  And the little 10-amp ain't good for nothin much other than this.  Maybe slow-charging my lawn tractor.  Pfffft.  Can't jump start my car with it.  And if just one time more I haven't learned to manually shut off the lights because this car will NOT turn them off if you leave the keys in it (which I always do) then, just think.  If I have a larger charger, I wouldn't have to wait up to 45 minutes for Triple A.  And also, I figure it's quite possible I'll buy rustier iron as I go, because now I'm getting tired of eBay's shipping, and having much more fun rummaging in antique stores.  So that all counts for something, right???  So in the long run, the saved shipping will pay for it.  In fact, under some totally odd, weird circumstance, maybe a bigger battery charger will save someone's life someday.  I don't know how, but I'll think of something.

See how the female mind works??

[Carol]

Hey, I got it.  I talked to my own mechanic and to one guy in Sears who sounded like a mechanic, and neither of them knew anything about this process.  Aren't there collectors of things like chrome hood ornaments or something?  I could stick an ad up on the market's bulletin board and say I can safely clean such things for a small fee.  And then hide the whole setup, and act all scientific and answer the door in a lab coat.  And have tons of fun watching all those things get shiny again.  And justify its cost that way.  

See how the female mind works??    

[C. Perry Rapier]

Carol,     [smiley=censored2.gif]amazing, absolutely amazing.

[Carol]

Carol,     [smiley=censored2.gif]amazing, absolutely amazing.

[smiley=angel.gif]

[Thomas_Callaway]

Tom, your concern about blowing a low amp charger... I read that after cutting my basket separator in half.  They're now two inches apart.  If the meter were reading 10 amps, hard and strong, after reading your message I'd be out there pulling it.  But it seems with that low of a reading it should be okay, yes?

You can pull 10A on your charger without any damage, but it will get warm to the touch. If you had conditions that pulled more amps than the rating of your charger you might blow it. (You will know. The amp meter will peg out and there will be an unusual buzzing sound.)

Now, you're describing "boiling away" with a 4-volt, not a 12-volt?  Wuzzupwitdat?  I thought all battery chargers were 12 volt.

Here's what I said:

Today I put a #6 skillet and lid in the Cookerator and fired up the Electro. 4V at 9A. This is the Electro[/b]

Hmmmm, I think I'll try the BC. 12V at 30A! It's a boiling like crazy! And it cleans really, really fast! This is the battery charger[/b]

The Electro is a variable voltage power supply. It only took 4V to get 9A of current running through the electrolyte. The battery charger is regulated at 12V so the amperage increases as the load increases. It was bubbling nicely with the Electro, but it was bubbling real hard with the BC due to the extra amps. It really did look like it was boiling.

A setup is a setup is a setup. Yours will work just fine. Some of us like to push the envelope. Really push it. The peasants love it.

TC

PS: Thinking about adding a filtration system. Stay tuned.

[Carol]

Tom writes...
A setup is a setup is a setup. Yours will work just fine. Some of us like to push the envelope. Really push it. The peasants love it.

Well, I went to Pep Boys and unfortunately no return policy so passed on their rebate-to-$70, 35-amp charger.  I have 2 weeks returnability on the 10 amp from Sears, so will play with it and take really good care of it in case I decide to switch to a bigger unit.

I admit to being jealous of all the 35-amp talk about "boiling," but with only 2 pans under my belt, they didn't take as long as I feared.  Now, true, I don't get to watch the impressive bubbles (envious, envious) and there's zero heat in the water.  Yet the thing seems to be working.  Even tho the meter always registers something like 2 amps.  (Doh??)  I'll know more after fiddling with it more.

You also wrote...

PS: Thinking about adding a filtration system. Stay tuned.

Ooooo, now I for one WILL stay tuned on that!  I have a feeling there's already a floor of really yukky sediment in my wastebasket.  And the water looks like a swamp.  It would be great to think of it as "filtered."  Let alone actually being able to see down into it.  

[Thomas_Callaway]

My PH doesn't seem so PeacHy now. I'm trying to clean a #8 skillet and the BC is pulling 40A. It's hot! I tried several adjustments and the cleaner it gets the more it pulls.

I guess this means I can't load it up anymore unless I add water. Which is what I am going to do tomorrow. The piece is really stubborn so I've got it on the Electro for tonight at 9A.

So... I guess you want to stay below optimum so you can clean more iron at once and sacrifice a little time if you only have the one piece.

The peasants are dissapointed.

TC

[C. Perry Rapier]

TC, since the peasants are disappointed, in the morning there will be no cover of rose petals in your yard for your bare feet to tread upon.

[moosejaw]

[smiley=hysterical.gif] [smiley=hysterical.gif] [smiley=hysterical.gif] [smiley=hysterical.gif] [smiley=hysterical.gif] [smiley=hysterical.gif] Oh, that Perry!

[Thomas_Callaway]

TC, since the peasants are disappointed, in the morning there will be no cover of rose petals in your yard for your bare feet to tread upon.

Nay, Perry and I missed them sorely. However, I did remove 8.67 gallons of soup into another container which I shall setup as a mini-cooker seeing as I have a scrap of stainless steel that is perfect for the container.

I added back the water and the amps dropped on the battery charger from 40 to 29. An acceptable reading I must say. This tells me I still need to reduce it more if I really load up the Cookerator.

The peasants are encourgaged.

TC

[C. Perry Rapier]

The peasants are encourgaged.

TC

The peasants stand in awe and electriyfing anticipation of their once mighty Cleaning King attempting to once again lay claim to his position. Each one hoping they will gain favor and have their pieces of iron subjected to the royal process. The barn door opens, an erie silence falls upon the crowd as their leader emerges from his selfimposed seclusion. Stay tuned. Will the once mighty King regain his standing among his following, or will another step forward to claim what was once his?

[Thomas_Callaway]

Perry,

You and I need to get together and write a book.




The Lord of the Heat Rings

The alien Marty has been sent to Slightly Left of Middle Earth to find and destroy the last remaining mold of a skillet with a heat ring. The peasants are being unwittingly held captive by their awe of the Mighty ElectroFrankenCookerator and the evil operator.

Only by destroying all skillets with heat rings and the ability to produce them will the peasants finally be free of the cast iron master El Goto Grande and return to their miserable lives.


TC

[Duke Gilleland]

 [smiley=alc.gif]Thomas ol' friend, have you & Perry  been hittin' the Cookerator Juice again ??? [smiley=Drunk.gif]

[C. Perry Rapier]

TC, about that book, I hear you talkin.

In our last episode TC, AKA King Electro, was about to make his appearance before the peasants. He was attempting to regain what was once his and only his, trust and admiration of poor lowly masses. However, if his failed attempts to reconstruct the secret connoction were not problem enough, in actuality, his problems were only begining. For unbeknown to King Electro there is a new player. One who aspires to dethrone him and claim that to which he has devoted his entire life. How soon the masses forget. They had evidently forgotten their sorry state of affairs before the stranger came to town. Their small country of CASTIRON had been frequently invaded by neighboring barbaric tribes. After years of invasions from the Carbonites and the Rustics the country had been reduced to ruins. Disease and famine had reduced the population to all but a mere handful. You see, the Carbonites and the Rustics had reduced the cooking vessels of the people to such degradation that they were ashamed to cook with them. Even though the people could still use the vessels they were a proud people. They couldn't buy new vessels of the same type and quality because the great factories across the vast waters had long ceased operation. In actuality they were spoiled. Pride goeth before the fall. As a result the people stopped cooking and began living off the land as best they could. The population truly suffered. That was the lot of the people of CASTIRON. And then one day the man who would be King came to town. He didn't look like much. In fact he just looked like a muleskinner since he was riding a mule and leading several other heavily laden mules. But there was something about him. He had a big wide hat and a big wide smile to go with it. He told the people that he had come to help them with their cooking vessels. They were desperate. But they had heard this line before. They were tired of the same old LYE. But the man said I can prove it, "help me unload my mules and I will show you". They unloaded the mules and their eyes opened wide in amazement as they saw the beautiful cooking vessels the stranger had. He told them to use his and begin cooking. He told them to bring their worst cooking items, the ones that had been repeatedly assaulted by the Carbonites and the Rustics. He set up shop in a big old barn and worked behind closed doors. He cleaned the cooking vessels of the peasants and saved the country. They made him their King and up until now everything was going fine. With the results not being what the peasants had become accustomed to the Kings future is in doubt. And now as he tirelessly works to recreate the connoction we will talk about his other unknown problem. As a young man TC had devoted his entire life to the study of Science and since that time his calling had not changed. One day a pretty lady came to town. She had heard about the results of King Electro, for his work was now known far and wide. She was riding a black stallion and was a very impressive sight. All the men in the town, except King Electro, gazed upon her beauty. Truth be told anyone of them would gladly trade a Griswold Spider just to hold her hand. However, she would not give any of them a glance, for her eyes were upon the King. She introduced herself as CAROLa from FOXworthy, a neighboring country of no harm to the country of CASTIRON. The King was not impressed with her beauty. His entire lifes devotion to the study of Science had not given him the time nor the desire to have knowledge of the ways of the world when it came to women. But CAROLa was undaunted. She quickly recognized where the Kings interest lay. She began asking questions. How do you spell electrolysis? Can you explain how it works? What is the PH mixture? Will a 10 amp do what a 35 amp will do? What can I use for an anode? Is stainless steel good to use? And a thousand other questions too. The King was impressed with CAROLa's quest for knowledge of his electro setup. He shared his information with her and told her everything that she wanted to know. She even set up her own electro and began getting good results. She steadily improved. Unknown to the King and on the sly she began cleaning the peasants cooking vessels for them. Just to be in her presence the men would come to get their cooking vessels cleaned. All the while as her strength with the peasants was increasing the Kings strength and influence was waning. It was just as CAROLa had planned. You see, it is no coincedence that this is happening. All the while encouraging King Electro to change his connoction CAROLa was using his own tried and true method to gain the peasants favor. In her way of thinking King Electro had been there long enough, in fact too long, it is now time for Queen CAROLa Electro. Will King Electro regain his place and favor with the peasants or is the damage too great to repair? In his attempt to "push the envelope" has he pushed it too far? When will CAROLa from FOXworthy make her move? Stay Tuned.

[Carol]

Perry, what brand and vintage of grape is it?  LOL.