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To: The Antiyuppie
I saw something similar in a magazine, prob Popular Science. I built a salt water resistor in series with the carbon rods from old batteries inserted into one of Mom's clay flower pots to make a carbon arc furnace.

I also saw how you could build an arc welder by using nichrome wire coiled up as a wire wound resistor in series with the welding rods. I didn't have any nichrome. I did have some shiny wire. Why not. I wound some up and fabbed a rod holder and ground clamp. Didn't weld worth a damn. Blew the breaker over and over. So I gave up on that project. Gave up on electricity and started on Chemistry. Began buying up jar after jar of Salt Peter and sulfur from the drug store.

33 posted on 04/20/2016 5:51:46 PM PDT by Elderberry
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To: Elderberry

“Began buying up jar after jar of Salt Peter and sulfur from the drug store. “

You and me both. Thought I’d hit the jackpot when I found you could buy saltpeter at the feed store for .50/lb.


57 posted on 04/20/2016 7:14:55 PM PDT by Rebelbase
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To: Elderberry

“Began buying up jar after jar of Salt Peter and sulfur from the drug store.”

Ha, ha, that brings back memories too. I found out that the drug store in my neighborhood (at that time a near-exurb of Chicago) sold saltpeter which supposedly (?) controlled heat in horses and other farm animals. So, I bought a little bit, and made Dangerous Stuff with it. My friend was interested in where I got it from. I told him and reminded him to only buy a little so that the druggist wouldn’t wonder what we were doing with it. So, he goes and asks for the COLOSSAL sized container. The druggist asked “What are you going to do with it?” My friend panicked, and he said “I don’t know - it’s for my mother!” The druggist told him to get the #$@$# out of there and that was the end of our chemistry career.


61 posted on 04/20/2016 7:29:28 PM PDT by The Antiyuppie ("When small men cast long shadows, then it is very late in the day".)
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