Week 4

Hey everyone!

This week, I researched where to find the rest of the materials needed to create the device, which included the containers and the sealings.

For the container I searched online to see if I could find one that is airtight and would therefore prevent the Hydrogen gas from escaping. I immediately thought of food containers that were advertised to be airtight.

 

The container pictured above is called a Snapware container, and is commonly used to store food. The lids have sides that snap shut over the rest of the container and have a rubber band in between to ensure an airtight seal. I’m not completely sure how effective this container will be, but so far it has been the best that I could find that is both affordable and suits the needs of the device. I sent the order information for the containers to my mentor and was notified when they had arrived.

For the sealings, initially I had thought to use a rubber stopper to seal the hole between the container and collection tube. I bought a couple from the Home Depot of two different sizes and drilled a small hole through one, making sure that the hole was neither too tight so that the tube would not fit, nor too loose that it would not seal properly, and then inserted the tube through the stopper as shown below.

 

However, after discussing my plans with Mr.Ray, my school advisor, he brought up the possibility of using caulk as a sealant as well. Caulk, is a flexible material used to seal air leaks through gaps between building materials and would dry to fill the space between the collection tube and the container to prevent the escape of gas.  I went to Walmart and talked to an associate about which brand would work best for my project and was shown a couple of the products they had that might work. I ended up purchasing the Liquid Nails Clear Seal All-Purpose Sealant.

Next week, I will have the opportunity to talk to my mentor about both options and determine what to do. Looking forward to beginning to build my device!