Author Topic: Sodium Silicate, aka. water glass. - Fast setting?  (Read 7111 times)

Offline NeoTech

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Sodium Silicate, aka. water glass. - Fast setting?
« on: September 24, 2016, 03:46:59 PM »
I have seen waterglass being used quite often in different casting application for making up sand molds. But is there a way of having it fast setting in air - without the need to introducera Co2. Mainly because getting Co2 here in a bottle is a really hard..
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Offline awemawson

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Re: Sodium Silicate, aka. water glass. - Fast setting?
« Reply #1 on: September 24, 2016, 04:20:58 PM »
Make you own with Bicarbonate of Soda - baking powder. I seem to remember NormanV did such a thing when I sent him some sodium silicate.
Andrew Mawson
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Offline P.J

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Re: Sodium Silicate, aka. water glass. - Fast setting?
« Reply #2 on: September 24, 2016, 05:39:35 PM »
Hi!

@NeoTech
I live is Sweden too and I bought a SodaStream Co2 cylinder to harden waterglass mixed sand. They can be found in most well sorted super markets. ClasOhlson has them for 80 SEK, only sold in shops, not online due to shipping hazzard or some such overprotective babysitting nonsense. I think most ICA SuperMarkets sell them too.
The thread on the cylinder is a rather course affair, a 4mm pitch if I remember correctly, and about 14mm diameter.
A simple tool to bleed the bottle can be turned from aluminium round, threaded in one end to fit the cylinder and the other end to fit a m6 plunger that pushes down on the valve.
Drill and thread a perpendicular hole for a hose fitting in the middle of the tool, attach a hose and Bobs your uncle.

A suitable o-ring will take care of any exessive leakage between the cylinder and the tool, but do NOT make the tool gas tight. Do NOT add a second valve at the hose fitting.
If the plunger malfunctions and bleeds the bottle at full throttle you want it to gas out to atmosphere without building up preassure inside the tool.

Offline tom osselton

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Re: Sodium Silicate, aka. water glass. - Fast setting?
« Reply #3 on: September 24, 2016, 08:35:14 PM »
You should be able to use a plastic container with small vent holes using baking soda and vinegar.

Offline nrml

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Re: Sodium Silicate, aka. water glass. - Fast setting?
« Reply #4 on: September 25, 2016, 03:07:38 AM »
How about a CO2 fire extinguisher? They are usually very widely available and sold at subsidised rates in a lot of countries.

Offline PekkaNF

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Re: Sodium Silicate, aka. water glass. - Fast setting?
« Reply #5 on: September 25, 2016, 05:18:48 AM »
There probably are other adapters for CO2 supermarket botles:
http://eng.co2adapt.mycashflow.fi/
http://www.co2adapt.fi/


Also beer and vine making community uses some...
http://www.shop.brewcat.fi/co2-pullo-2kg-p-1608.html

Apparently some extinguisher depots say that they are illegal to fill. It's BS. If the bottle is EU/TUV approved and has standard fitting there is no excuse,

Ofcource we don't want to mix gas bottles get back to food industry, they should have the neck pained with corresponding color and used only at home workshop.

Pekka

Offline PK

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Re: Sodium Silicate, aka. water glass. - Fast setting?
« Reply #6 on: September 25, 2016, 08:27:26 AM »
The paintball industry has a heap of CO2 bottles, fittings, valves etc.. and its all findable online for not much money.

Offline Will_D

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Re: Sodium Silicate, aka. water glass. - Fast setting?
« Reply #7 on: September 25, 2016, 06:07:10 PM »
For once in Dublin, Ireland we have a great value supplier:

For €10 they will refill almost any CO2 bottle (from 1 kg to 8 kg)!

For €40 they supply a brand new 6 kg FeX bottle without the dip tube!

Note to CO2 newbee users:

Fire extinguishers have a dip tube to the bottom of the tank. This way liquid CO2 is squirted onto the fire.

For beer dispense and hardening silicate loaded molding sand you don't need that much CO2. If you only have a regular CO2 FeX then just turn it upside down and then it will act like a normal pub-type CO2 bottle

Fex bottles have the same thread as pub gas CO2 cylinders (Male thread) and so CO2 pub regs fit no problem.

Don't confuse CO2 with pub mixed gas bottles that have a female POL fitting like Argon and Oxygen bottles
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Offline doubleboost

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Re: Sodium Silicate, aka. water glass. - Fast setting?
« Reply #8 on: September 25, 2016, 06:41:57 PM »
MIG welding gas 10 % co2 will set off sodium silicate no problem
It just takes a bit longer
John

Offline NeoTech

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Re: Sodium Silicate, aka. water glass. - Fast setting?
« Reply #9 on: September 27, 2016, 10:18:30 AM »
Ok, i think i was a bit unclear. =)
And forgot i posted this.. *mindless buffon*

I was looking to basicly bind sand like in a 3D printer with silica instead.. sure it could be printed in a gas filled enviroment but would be easier to just use a binder that sets off on a chemical level.
I remembered i have a old powder printer i could test this with based on another thread in here. And see if i could make it work. =)
Machinery: Optimum D320x920, Optimum BF20L, Aciera F3. -- I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work. http://www.roughedge.se/blogg/

Offline PekkaNF

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Re: Sodium Silicate, aka. water glass. - Fast setting?
« Reply #10 on: September 27, 2016, 01:55:50 PM »
That's interesting...

Least for testing you could use a tub where you toss a piece of dry ice....CO2 will stay on the bottom. Lid on for the printting and it should work.

I don't want to sound nanny, but avoid dunking your head there or collapsing on the floor....you will not notice anything in time. Adequate ventilation is needed. Best to avoid doing this on the basement.


Pekka