[NewCandle] punch bucket

[Nick Reiter]

Good afternoon, all,

Ah, the permutations never end (as long as the price of aluminum foil doesn't rise 300%).  The past two weeks, I started another variant, on the heels of the distilled water - no salt hydrolysis bucket.

Sam Faile and I were both curious as to whether radically changing the liquid medium would influence both the onset of hydrolysis with rolled aluminum, as well as the still somewhat peculiar Geiger counter background drop during the cavity wetting / capillary period.

One mini-test was started about 10 days ago - a small partial roll of foil in a poly beaker of silicone diffusion pump fluid (DC705).  So far, no response of any sort there.

The other was a full sized (6 half rolls - 600squ ft total area) bucket arrangement with no salts again, but this time 1:1 H2O : ethanol.  I had been a bit nervous about full ethanol (especially since the only climate controlled place I can keep it in the winter season is in my kitchen!)  But I went with the 50% blend.

When I added the liquid, there was a very brief - maybe 2 minute - period of Geiger counter background drop (as opposed to a similar effect but about 8 to 10 minute period of suppression with the distilled H2O only).  Possibly a result of faster wetting, lower viscosity, faster capillary motion into the turn cavities.

However, the bucket then just sat there.  Vaguely perfumed of alcohol, but inert.  I allowed it to sit undisturbed and loosely covered.  Suddenly, after 12 hours short of a full week, within a short period of 6 to 8 hours, spontaneous bubbling began, and moved up to a plateau of (guesstimate) 30 to 40 sccm.  It is slowly chewing through alcohol-water, but interestingly no apparent oxidizing of the foil roll surfaces.  To the eye at least.

All in all, rather curious!

Best to all,

nr