Because it seemed like that ditty was related to my new stocking stuffer…
I saw this stuff lying by the side of the road a couple of days ago, and it reminded me of the sock stuffing discussions we’ve had (see: Search results for 'Socks' - Future4200)
If you pack your socks IN a tube, you can get more IN…
Last time I played with socks I was only getting 1/2 the nominal loading (20-24lb in four 6”x48” columns).
I went and purchased 5 feet of something similar, and it looks pretty good.
The ID is slightly smaller than a 6” sanitary tube (see gasket shot above), and there looks to be enough meat to machine a triclamp flange on there so you can clamp it to your rig and push the bag out.
But what about static?!?
How will PVC interact with the nylon bags?
Is this a terrible idea? Asking for trouble?!?
Turns out I don’t have enough headroom in the booth to implement, but even if I did, I don’t think it’s a game I’d want to play (that was my take on the sweater song remake the voices provided this morning).
I’m hopping that packing my socks in the PVC tubes and sliding them out in the packing room will work instead.
I’m thinking there will be a good chance at developing static, and possibly a spark to go along with it. Great idea so far! Maybe a slightly undersized spool could be found or fabbed to accomplish the same goal without the risk of static, especially if the metal tube is grounded.
I’ve just pulled still dripping socks from my -50C columns and want to reload as fast as possible, I don’t have the head room to push the bag out of the pvc with my arm, so I do in pneumatically.
Now I have the trifecta: fuel, oxygen, ignition…
I did also purchase a metal tube, but ID is not right. @Roguelab had mentioned (I’ll link eventually) using metric tubes AS socks.
If the plastic tube is the item that gains electrons, will they not jump to the grounded material columns?
How about if it’s the plastic sock that ends up positively exhausted?
Same thing right? (Spark to grounded column)
I did suggest using vac (from the collection pot) to suck rather than blow the sock in, but rejected that as too much work (I’d need a bigger pump; dairy farm sized).
Certainly the fuel availability could be mitigated in SOP, but I don’t trust that “vac and hold” before loading , then vac and hold again is gonna last once I turn my back.
I don’t think grounding the rest of the system or vacuuming the material column would make any difference in the amount of charge that a non conductive plastic may or may not hold. If it does build a charge, it will tend to make a spark when coming in contact with a grounded and conductive item, like a closed loop system.
I feel the best answer is going to be using a conductive material that can be grounded. Better safe than sorry.
Perhaps a column identical to the material column could be coated on the inside with an epoxy to reduce the inner diameter, allowing for a slightly undersized diameter of the packed sock. It would make attaching to the material column a breeze, since it already has the flanges built in.
Clamping the material column, quick vac. Then push remaining solvent into collection. Now your columns are empty and you can load puddle free. Won’t stop your static issue, even though a bonded system won’t spark. That’s the point of it. Have any of you had to be grounded when you’re doing solder work on a circuit board? The ground is meant so there isn’t a spark or you’ll fry board. Same concept. But, the sock and the pvc can definitely cause a static charge, for sure. As the sock would be sliding out the same direction and over time that would cause a charge
I did think about this further and the issue of static but never wrote it up because I thought people weren’t interested lol.
My answer was a piece of stainless guttering down pipe with an " earthing strap / crocodile clip " you can just clip onto the system or an earthing point somewhere.
This is a link to electrically conductive plastic used in the gas industry.
If someone fancies it and wants to phone and ask what they have to offer ?
( I would but I don’t sound anywhere near professional and no one can understand my accent )
When I’ve worked with explosive powders in the past - we just used semi-rigid grounded tubing. Seems to me that if you can do it with those, why could you not do it with other stuff.
I’m replying to you so you can shed some light on this. Most of my career I’ve been worried about ignition sources… but some of the stuff that I’ve been doing for decades people discuss on here like I’m getting ready to blow up my lab.
Someone said why not switch to SS Mesh bags (they be heavy you know…and depending on MOC bring contaminates.
But using a rigid vac-hose to pack socks has been working for me. Am I smoking the wrong kind of stuff? Don’t want to be blowing anyone up - but I like being able to pack things faster.
Its the same kind of rigid hose that’s used for loading things like granulator and used for vacuuming up explosive dusts.
