MacTech's Salt Series Corrosion test #2

[MacTech]

I've just set up my 2.5 gallon tank for the second run of the MacTech Corrosion Test....

This test is the Fog test (no salt fog this time, as i don't want to prematurely wreck my fogger)

testing chamber is once again the 2.5 gallon tank
the fogger is one of those cheapo Discovery Channel $20 self-contained foggers with LED illumination

test knives are my Pacific and the Salt 1

6:00 PM 7/15/06...
tank set up, fogger in place, and knives in the chamber
http://homepage.mac.com/mactechg4/.Pictures/Salttest2.jpg
6:30 PM, thick fog fills the chamber, knives are coated with a thin layer of condensation... (http://homepage.mac.com/mactechg4/.Movies/Salttest.MOV)(Dialup warning, 8MB)

[MacTech]

8:30 PM, first problem with test....

the fogger's starting to fail due to it being inside the tank, it's not meant to be submerged or have water anywhere but inside the fog chamber.....

so, with a little good ol' Yankee Ingenuity (and some duct tape ;) ), i fixed the issue *and* made the test more effective to boot

I strapped the cone of an old aquarium siphon onto the top of the fogger with duct tape, took some siphon tubing, cut a short length of it (with the Salt 1), and ran the hose into the tank, the fogger now pumps fog into the tank while it stays dry

while i was going crazy with the duct tape, i used some more to *seal* the tank, insuring no fog escapes

here's the revised setup, ain't pretty, but it *works*
http://homepage.mac.com/mactechg4/.Pictures/Fogtest.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/mactechg4/.Pictures/Fogtest2.jpg

[zenheretic]

Good old duct tape! You can jury rig just about anything with duct tape. ;)

[greencobra]

MacTech, this is a noble undertaking. You probably have some pretty dense fog rolling in every day living so close to the coast. Could you not just set your test control knives out on a porch or window ledge for a while and let the real Maine coastal fog embrace them.

No flame intended here, I'm seriously interested in your results. :)

[dedguy]

MacTech, this is a noble undertaking. You probably have some pretty dense fog rolling in every day living so close to the coast. Could you not just set your test control knives out on a porch or window ledge for a while and let the real Maine coastal fog embrace them.

No flame intended here, I'm seriously interested in your results. :)
that would make consistant controlled results impossible ;)

[MacTech]

that would make consistant controlled results impossible ;)
Not to mention that the beach is a 10 minute drive away, there'd be a very real risk of my test subjects "walking away".....

besides, the advantage of the fog chamber is that the knives will be immersed in fog constantly, using natural fog is dependent on environmental conditions

[seaman]

Just wondering is your ps like mine with a blank blade (sans the name)?

[MacTech]

yep, the only writing is on the tang, the standard Spyderco, Seki and H-1 marks

[MacTech]

Well, since i can't sleep anyway, how about some 2 AM pictures?

fog density in test chamber as of 2 AM
http://homepage.mac.com/mactechg4/.Pictures/Fogtest4.jpg

just to clarify things, let me shine my 3 milliwatt green laser pointer in as well
http://homepage.mac.com/mactechg4/.Pictures/Fogtest3.jpg
normally the beam itself is just barely visible in a dark room or outside on a humid night, but this time it's visible in the tank even in a room lit by a 60 watt incandescent bulb

and with the room light off...
http://homepage.mac.com/mactechg4/.Pictures/Fogtest5.jpg

[zenheretic]

Hey cooooolll. Are you sure you don't have a pocket light saber?

[jaislandboy]

Torture test #2 for the Salts....the results should be interesting to see...thanks for the pics Mactech, but in truth I preferred your pictures of the Salts in the tidal pools better! :p

[MacTech]

Time for some more images of the fog chamber with my greenie laser (QuickTime movie files actually)

I found that by removing the splash guard on the fogger and running it with *just* the cap, that fog production was *dramatically* increased.....

this morning, when i checked the fogger, it had run low on water and had shut down to prevent thermal overload, the test chamber was free of fog, this time after I refilled the water resivoir, I put just the cap on the fogger.....

normally, with the splash guard in place, it takes about 3 minutes to get an appreciable fog density in the chamber, with the spash guard removed, it took 3 *seconds* to fill the chamber to the point where fog was seeping out of gaps in the duct tape

i took some QuickTime videos of the fog, and couldn't resist adding my green laser pointer, this time, the fog was thick enough for the 3 milliwatt beam (relatively low powered) to be visible in *daylight*
Movie #1 (http://homepage.mac.com/mactechg4/.Movies/Fogtest.MOV)
Movie #2 (http://homepage.mac.com/mactechg4/.Movies/Fogtest2.MOV)
Movie #3 (with reflected beam action) (http://homepage.mac.com/mactechg4/.Movies/Fogtest3.MOV)