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At this point, start sawing the casing lengthwise. When
through the casing, spread it open . . . and there’s our electrode.
The black mixture should still be in one piece around the rod,
and about 1” of rod should be exposed at the top. Carefully
wrap a napkin or paper towel around the electrode so that it
covers all the mixture. Then slip the wrapped electrode into
the nylon stocking. Tie some string around the stocking above
the mixture, and cut off the rest of the stocking. That takes
care of the carbon electrode. (The napkin and stocking simply
keep the mixture together.)
THE ZINC ELECTRODE. If you’ve managed to get a piece of zinc that is about 5” by 10”, form it into a cylinder that just fits into the container you plan to use. The top of the zinc should be about 2” below the top of the container. Also, the zinc should have about a 6” length of copper wire soldered to it. If you don’t have soldering equipment, pierce a hole in the zinc, thread the copper wire through it, and loop the wire around itself tightly. THE ELECTROLYTE. You’re probably wondering how that rock-hard sal ammoniac block is ever going to dissolve. The best way to handle this situation is to wrap the block in an old but sturdy rag. Then lay the block on cement, and break it up with a hammer. The smaller the pieces, the quicker the dissolving. |