I get borax at a place called Laun-Dry Supply in 30# bags, Three Elephants brand. I guess 3 elephants can outdo 20 mules.
Lime and boric acid are definitely far apart chemically with lime being a strong base vs the acid. I have only made one batch of pc with lime in it, and it got lost in the shuffle ten years ago, so I can't address this from personal experience. I remember one day watching an 8" long centipede crawl up on some wet pc that contained borax, and about a foot in he stopped, squirmed a bit, and seemed to fall apart. I think the chemical reaction may gave given him gas, and that's not so great with an exoskeleton. Maybe it blew all his gaskets.
I have varied pc's cement:paper from 0:1 to 2:1 depending on what I'm using it for. If it is just insulation, then all you need is fireproofing. If you need strength then add minerals to taste. Just paper with borax/boric acid is considered to be fireproof without added minerals, like cellulose blown insulation. Cellulose insulation makes great PC too, but it is pricey for me and the boric acid smells a bit like ammonia.
Is your application going to expose the pc directly to flame? The insulation value is inversely proportional to the mineral content, while the fireproofing is directly proportional to the mineral content. Someone made a fire pit with pc blocks and posted that it worked great. I don't remember seeing any followup later. An archive search might turn something up.
I predict that in the use of your power spray washer for mixing PC you will at least once get a mouthful of pc, hopefully before you add the cement. : )
When I'm mixing in a 55 gallon drum, as it gets about 2/3 full of pulp I float the cement and borax on top of the mix, then use the nozzle under the surface to suck the island under, mixing as it goes. That way I don't get a big cloud of caustic dust. At that point I get the long wand going up and down all the way to the bottom to make sure there aren't any lumps lurking in the corners. By the time this is done, the barrel is usually full and ready to go. A gate valve on the bottom of the side, or an elephant trunk, saves a lot of bucket work if your drum is elevated. It doesn't take much to seal pulp in a drum, it is pretty much self sealing up to a pretty good gap. If you have a pump, it can be plumbed directly into the bottom or side of the barrel.
Spaceman,consider using boric acid<<I am, 5% by weight. But all I can find at the moment is the 4lb boxes in the grocery store. I read somewhere that lime would serve the same purpose. Do you concur?use cement 1:1 <<I am. I just noted that elsewhere someone else had recommended 1:2 for the heavy duty jobs. Do you think 2:1 would be OK for use light duty applications?power spray washer <<I have one of those. Great idea! Thanks! Dan ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/papercreters/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/papercreters/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: papercreters-digest@yahoogroups.com papercreters-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: papercreters-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ ----- No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 2012.0.2180 / Virus Database: 2437/5100 - Release Date: 06/29/12
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