11 replies to this topic

[digger]

Well after just emptying the mill after processing some Sulphur chips I have come to the conclusion it is the worst possible chemical to have to turn into fine powder. What a pain it is to sieve with all that static trying to hold it together.

The first time I processed it I cleaned out the jar and cleaned the media, what a chore that was. I now have a dedicated jar and media for Sulphur, it has to be the only way to deal with it.

So what are your pet hates when milling?

[chris17]

How about charcoal? Emptying a mill jar with few kgs of airfloat charcoal is close to a nightmare.

Edited by chris17, 23 June 2008 - 06:41 PM.

[digger]

How about charcoal? Emptying a mill jar with few kgs of airfloat charcoal is close to a nightmare.

I agree very dusty and if done inside everything gets a nice thin coating of black on it. But if done outside with a mask on it isn't too bad and it is a comparative cinch to clean the jar and the media afterwards.

[Bonny]

I'd have to agree with digger on the sulfur. I hate milling the chips and it flies all over when trying to screen it. I usually only do a half-assed job of cleaning the media and then just mill some "general purpose" BP to use in fountains/slurry for priming etc.. to finish the cleaning.

[Arthur Brown]

A Kitchen blender from Asda saves the breaking of large chips in the mill so you can blend rocks of charcoal and granules of... and pellets of ... separately to pass a kitchen sieve then ball mill that to x00 mesh

[digger]

A Kitchen blender from Asda saves the breaking of large chips in the mill so you can blend rocks of charcoal and granules of... and pellets of ... separately to pass a kitchen sieve then ball mill that to x00 mesh

It only takes a few minutes for my mill to get the chips down to size, before is goes on to grind it to fine powder over the next hour or two. It is the fact it is a pain to sieve the power to a fine mesh afterwards without it sticking to everything in sight and nigh on impossible to clean the media easily (hence the dedicated mill jar and media for no cleaning).

[Bonny]

It only takes a few minutes for my mill to get the chips down to size, before is goes on to grind it to fine powder over the next hour or two. It is the fact it is a pain to sieve the power to a fine mesh afterwards without it sticking to everything in sight and nigh on impossible to clean the media easily (hence the dedicated mill jar and media for no cleaning).

I mill my sulfur in the plastic container I buy it in. My media is for BP and like comps only so no problems there. I just seive through a kitchen strainer...maybe 30 mesh. The ball mill finishes it off once it's part of a comp.

Edited by Bonny, 16 July 2008 - 12:13 PM.

[MDH]

Magnesium.

Because, well, you might die. Or go blind.

[YT2095]

Diphenyl Carbonate has to be the worst, it`s not used in pyro as far as I know, but as chemicals go it`s Murder to deal with after it`s been blitzed up, the static is just amazing, even at reasonably large distances.
there`s just no way you can get it to come back out and into another vessel without making a complete and utter mess!

DPC is the monomer used in making Polycarbonate (poly carb) plastic, and that stuff`s pretty static happy too.

[digger]

Diphenyl Carbonate has to be the worst, it`s not used in pyro as far as I know, but as chemicals go it`s Murder to deal with after it`s been blitzed up, the static is just amazing, even at reasonably large distances.
there`s just no way you can get it to come back out and into another vessel without making a complete and utter mess!

DPC is the monomer used in making Polycarbonate (poly carb) plastic, and that stuff`s pretty static happy too.

Nice to see you back YT.

That certainly sounds like nasty stuff to deal with.

I now have a new pet hate Rhodamine B. mmmm pink let me see, on everything I touch, for what seems like forever more.

[dr thrust]

ahhhhhggggg! which chemical do i hate milling? easy.. bleedin.. potassium benzoate, chips/prills? there very waxy and stick to the media, and also the blades/ inside of my coffee grinder, so much that now, my poor old coffee grinder as become a dedicated k benz grinder,theres just no way of cleaning it, so i'll just have to get another one now for other fuels ahh good old ebay

[StarScream]

Sodium benzoate! I have never worked with potassium benzoate, but I imagine it's probably very similar. They're both waxy substances that just love to stick to the milling media. Trying to run benzoate through a fairly fine screen is also a lot of fun. One thing that helps the milling of benzoate is to heat it up in the oven for at least an hour or more, then mill it right afterwards.