Matt Ryder and i were talking about worse case scenarios last night and what would we do if we ran out of shielding gas. I brought up about a CO2 generator but then i thought of mosquito traps and they use yeast and water. Then i remembered about vinegar and baking soda. So i looked it up and sure enough CO2 is pretty easy enough to make. This morning i thought maybe someone’s done this already and sure enough. Here a great video but i think a well pressure tank would be better for bigger projects.
We make our own apple cider vinegar. What’s the easiest/best way to make a base?
Let’s discuss!
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Lye is an extreme base. Hardwood ash is the best sources for lye. You could make a concentrate of lye and then evaporate down to lye crystals perhaps.
Edit: Best to use rainwater or soft water in the process to reduce mineral contamination.
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Another option I plan to explore is to build some sort of smoker or charcoal chamber where you feed just enough oxygen under a charcoal bed like a BBQ. The oxygen will get used up and converted as it flows up through the charcoal. Then a small low presure pump to pull from the top chamber to feed to the welder.
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Heck we might be able to just use our Charcoal gasifiers. If we are just pulling a low volume they should just make Co2.
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I looked at it. CO2 isn’t hard to make. getting it at the volume and pressure you need can be more of a hassle.
I was also looking if you could get to argon with various media, and you can get kind of close. I can’t remember if I posted it here or not.
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I can not stop smiling…
You guy’s are great…
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I agree, great thread, if one looks up people building oxygen generators on youtube, a lot of good ideas how to use cheap air-compressors to store gasses under higher pressure.
This would probably work good with co2 also.
Argon is something im really interested in to “extract” on my own, haven’t looked really much into it yet.
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I’m thinking the CO2 could be pumped with a fish tank air pump through the regulator?
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Yeah that would probably be plenty. I looked into the nitrogen and apperently its a good thing to have in the mix.
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I would have figured nitrogen would be fine since it’s another inert gas. Guess as long as it isn’t oxygen it’s fine.
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I remember a discussion once about old school stick welders turning the exhaust of their welder/generators onto their work to shield it. Not sure what the result would be though not something I’ve tried.
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Whew, self made shielding gas. Reminds me of the acetylene generator and carbide lamp I lost in the fire.
The chemical reaction of mixing baking soda and vinegar would possibly produce sufficient pressure to push the gas through the controls and whip. If more pressure is needed - then a compressor would be needed. I’d use a diaphragm compressor or oil-less piston to prevent contamination of the gas.
I’m not a fan of typically short lived piston compressors so would likely look at a Gast style. Many of the low cost regulators provided with a MIG welder are simply pressure regulators - not flow meters. The operator simply adjusts pressure to obtain the flow needed through the torch whip.
I’d think that for safety of the compressor, welding controls and whip that one would want to pass the gas through an acid and moisture reduction filter utilizing something like lime.
Acetylene generators would likely be a good model to use for the actual gas producer if using a chemical reaction of powder to liquid. Over and under production of gas is a challenge that the generators had some utilization of control methodology.
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Ron I was exactly thinking of a carbide acetylene generator when I mentioned homemade crystallized lye. Have a needle valve to drip distilled vinegar onto the lye crystals bed.
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I think if you make really good lye, you wouldn’t get CO2 since the lye is an hydroxide, not a carbonate like soda. Would be great for soap, though 
Kent
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Update. I got up this morning wondering about lye, ashes and CO2. I scooped up some ashes from the woodstove in a little bottle, and added some vinegar. It fizzed…hmmm. When I stuck a sliver of burning wood in the bottle, it went out. Hmmm, again. I haven’t checked, but I’m betting ashes have a lot of carbonates in them, so this will produce CO2. Time out.
First hit from Google:
" The major components of wood ashes are potassium carbonate (potash) and sodium carbonate (soda ash)."
Two points for Cody, Kent, minus one. It also explains why my lye-from-ashed didn’t work for making soap when I tried it years ago. The carbonates, I think, make a softer soap, and probably require more than if it were lye. But then, I was wrong the last time
Kent
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Kent how did you make your lye from the ashes is important . Read up how they did this the old fashion way.
The ash being put in a V trough on top of hay and letting the lye slowly come out of the ashes. This was done outside. Not done by washing down with water in a minute or two. It was better to let the rain wash it out a little at a time, collecting it in a wooden bowl or bucket that was covered. When they had collect the lye then they could make soap from the rendered grease they had collected.
Bob
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Potash soap is a lot softer, you usually need to add some sodium to harden it up. Allegedly you can use just table salt but I have never tried.
I prefer soap in a tub, I can just get a dab of it for washing my hands.
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It also works if you use hot hot water, but it’s better to soak the ashes for a week or so in soft water to let it properly leech out, then throw some hot water over to flush the rest.
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It’s been quite a while since my attempt at lye. I think I used a gallon plastic bottle with a small hole in the cap, and the bottom cut out. Maybe some dried grass under the ashes to keep most of the solids in. Started with warm water, and ran the same water through several times over a period of hours. I can’t remember now whether I boiled off most of the water, or let it evaporate. I heated the solids on a hotplate, enough to oxidize the fine char that was mixed with the minerals. I wound up as a very light grey powder, but only a few teaspoons. Part of the problem with trying to make soap from it, was trying to get the measurements right with such small quantities. We have made plenty of soap with commercial lye, but I haven’t made time to try again from ashes, though nowdays with the woodstoves, we have plenty to work with.
Kent
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Did you test the lyewater to see if it was strong? You should be able to float an egg or potato with some of it peeking through the water.
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