6.04.2010

Locks of Love...some tears...then smiles

Hazel has been planning to cut her hair and donate it for a couple months. She wanted to wait until her birthday. That was last week. She wasn't quite ready last week. But today was the day. She really wanted it cut outside. So we sat on the front porch. After I cut off the braid, she decided that it was too short. She cried the entire time I cut her hair. I felt horrible. I've been there...a haircut too short and not what I was expecting. But we got through it. Aspen took her in and gave her a bath. Then showed her the mirror. After she saw it, Hazel decided that she did like it. And it was cute. Then she took me up on my earlier peace offering of a BIG treat at the store with her friend who had stopped by. When Nate saw it, he gushed with adoration. That made her feel better too. So it all ended up okay. Just a little drama for the end of the day.

Here's the before:
And here's the after:

6.02.2010

Thermite, Part 1

Cr2O3 + 2Al ----> 2Cr + Al2O3 + Heat

The guys on Mythbusters tried to cut a car in half using thermite. Our experiment was on a slightly smaller scale.

Last Friday we finally had all of the materials assembled for our thermite experiment, which we have been planning for some time. We had some friends and uncle Axel over, which made it even more fun. Note the materials--propane torch, graphite crucible, assorted chemicals sourced from United Nuclear, . . .


We started with Chromium Oxide. Why? Because chromium is cool, and chromium oxide is an awesome green color.


This glow is from the magnesium ribbon that we used to ignite the thermite in the graphite crucible. The graphite can handle 5,000 degrees F, which is good, because the molten chromium is around 4,500 degrees F. Chromium thermite burns very slowly, leaving a pool of glowing orange molten chromium in the center of the powder. The graphite crucible got so hot it left burn marks on the 2 by 4's it was sitting on.


Here is the melted chromium we pulled out at the end of the experiment. It worked, but the slow reaction was a little disappointing.

Next up, iron oxide. . . Stay tuned.