[ARC5] More -Whink and crystals.

[Bob Macklin]

What will it do in a plastic jar with a plastic lid. Like a peanut butter 
jar?

Bob Macklin
K5MYJ
Seattle, Wa.
"Real Radios Glow In The Dark"
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kenneth G. Gordon" <kgordon2006 at frontier.com>
To: "David Stinson" <arc5 at ix.netcom.com>
Cc: "ARC-5 List" <arc5 at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Sunday, August 04, 2013 3:03 PM
Subject: Re: [ARC5] More -Whink and crystals.


> On 4 Aug 2013 at 6:20, David Stinson wrote:
>
>> You've probably said this before, but I missed it.
>> How do you mount or hold the crystal in the solution?
>> Just it just lay in the bottom of the container?
>
> At the moment, I simply let the blank sit in the bottom of the container 
> of Whink. I will "swirl" it
> a few times (carefully) , if I happen to think of it.
>
> The container I am using is a short section off the bottom of a "foam" 
> plastic drinking cup. I
> have marked it all around with skull-and-crossbones, and am very careful 
> to keep it tightly
> covered with a piece of sheet-plastic with a weight on it. The stuff 
> evaporates very quickly
> and is hard on the sinuses.
>
> I am planning to build or buy an all-plastic very tiny "aquarium" or 
> possibly a small clear-
> plastic jewelery box. I have a very small air-pump which we have used with 
> an atomizer. I
> plan to connect the air pump to the box through some plastic tubing so the 
> air bubbles can
> agitate the solution.
>
> I also plan to mount a small plastic mesh screen above the bottom of the 
> box so the crystal
> blank can be reached more easily on both sides with the solution.
>
> What I have been wracking my brain about is some sort of small plastic 
> container that can be
> closed and opened, with a bunch of holes drilled in it, and of a size that 
> will take one crystal
> blank. That way I can mark the container, and etch several crystals at 
> once. However, I have
> not yet come up with a suitable container.
>
> I will repeat: the Whink Rust Remover contains only 2% of HF, and 
> therefore it is a bit "slow".
> However, that slowness makes it easier to not overshoot. Also, the Whink 
> does lose its
> effectiveness after a while and must be replenished. But another couple of 
> advantages to it
> are 1) it is cheap, and 2) you can buy it in grocery stores. Lastly the 
> fact that the solution is
> only 2% HF makes it far less dangerous to handle than a high concentration 
> would be. Even
> so, you do have to be careful with it.
>
> When it is "new" the Whink Rust Remover etches the crystal about 70 cycles 
> per minute. For
> instance, it took about 90 minutes to etch a crystal from 7000.410 KHz, to 
> 7006.65 KHz. As it
> gets used, it takes longer, but I have not plotted that out.
>
> In fact, the solution I used to move the above crystal was the same 
> solution I had stupidly left
> another 7000 KHz rock in for over a day and ruined. As I said, it is now a 
> 7070 KHz rock.
> Rats! I am NOT pleased! :-(
>
> I counted up the crystals I have here that I can etch up into the 40 meter 
> band: I have 92
> crystals for that band. The lowest frequency one I have is 5235 KHz. I 
> also have some
> crystals which are above the 40 meter band. Some of those I can etch to 
> cover 30 meters,
> and some I can etch to cover 17 meters by doubling.
>
> I have not yet decided how far apart I need to make these crystals. I 
> don't see the need for
> having them 1 KHz apart, but maybe I should do that. Maybe someone here 
> will suggest
> something.
>
> The nice thing about 40 meter rocks is that they can also be used on 20, 
> 15 and 10 meters.
>
> I know I have another, larger, batch of FT-243 crystals, but can't find 
> that batch at this point.
> For a while, before they became popular, I was buying batches of "non-ham 
> band" FT-243s
> for peanuts. Now they have all gone up.
>
> What I really want to find are 80 meter rocks or some that can be etched 
> up to 80 meters. I
> also want rocks which are on frequencies below 5 MHz to use for 30 meters. 
> And 160 meter
> rocks are the most difficult to find of all.
>
> I suppose I have given you too much information...but I have more yet. :-)
>
> Ken W7EKB
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