How to make Sodium Silicate (water glass) - DIY Refractory cement - PART 1

This is part 1 of a 2 video set on how to make refractory cement for high temperature applications. This video will go over the chemistry portion to make the main ingredient for the cement.
Be sure to check out PART 2 where I show you how to make he cement itself, and how to work with it, and how to cure it
You can find part 2 here! kzbin.info/www/bejne/maPbn36fn9iDl9U

[@timtelemark907]

Hi nilamotk, l appreciate your vids on sodium silicate and its use in refractory bricks etc elsewhere. Keep up your testing and sharing with us. Thanks. Regarding your comments elsewhere about the sodium silicate foaming when heated. This happen in my experience, but its foaming can be avoided by controlled removal of water by ramping the temperature carefully. I have also read that mixing fine particles wtth the silicate also reduces foaming. I thinly coat metal surfaces on ultra light weight wood burning stoves with a sodium silicate render with talc and mix if metal oxides. I also 'glue' or bond zirconia felt to surfaces for insulation and heat protection. The silicate render does a great job, but I need to carefully cure the render at about 110 degree C for some time and then ramp up to 200- 250 degree C to drive off extra water before finally firing to 500+ degree C. This firing makes it really tough and in the hottest parts of my stoves the changed colour of the render gives you a temperature map. I also use the foaming to advantage in my spot welded tab joins in SS and titanium foil construction. I coat the joints with a light coating of render and skip the 110-200 degree C ramp and hit it with the gas flame and it puffs and fills all the tiny gaps. Then l sand off with aluminium oxide paper and finish off with a dense over coat of ramp cured render. Thinking of coating my bricks with the same render to give a nice smooth tough finish. Hope my comment might be helpful. Sorry if you know it already. Regarding comments about buying or making your own silicate or fire bricks it I think we are on the best track for innovation by making our own. As you have pointed out you can make almost any shape exactly as you want it. Try doing that at a shop!I am new to these posts so forgive me if I have done the wrong thing.Thanks again,Tim

[@nilamotk]

Tim Telemark thanks for the tips Tim. Ill give that a shot next time. Thanks for watching!

[@SteveCarlson03]

Great video 👍 Just watched your other video and to increase the strength of your geopolymer blocks you need to use clay instead of sand, mixed with the sodium silicate. That’s what geopolymer concrete is usually made from, clay(aluminum silicate) and sodium silicate.

[@Leon-wz1js]

Another very useful video (considering the second video is what I saw first which makes this video critical to watching, 'natch). In this video, you mentioned that this solution can be used for concrete too. I am heavily looking into earthbags which uses sand, clay and concrete as a stabilizer. So, I have to ask, as an additive, do you think this would be useful in solidifying the mix? From what I've read, the mix should generally be about 20-25% clay, 65% sand and 10-15% concrete (using as small amount of water as possible). The drawback to adding this solution to the mix is that the longer it takes concrete to dry out, the harder the end product will be. My original intend was to use your instructional video to making refractory bricks for a specialized kiln, but it tickles my curiosity if this could be used with normal concrete too.

[@nilamotk]

Haha yes this video is important if you plan to use the second video. I think you missunderstood, I meant to say that sodium silicate is a binding agent, kinda like the cement that holds concrete together. I'm sure you could add it to comcrete, but it will not be firebrick. Regular concrete is full of quarts, quarts explodes at high heat and breaks the brick. This is why you SHOULD use silica sand if you make this silicate based brick for fire use. I used play sand without issues, but according to the "book" silica sand should be used instead for its heat resistant properties.

[@Leon-wz1js]

nilamotk Oh, okay. Well, I'm sure I could add sh'mores to the mix too, but I was curious if you felt this solution would ADD any significant binding properties to the earth brick or if it was just plain redundant. My gut feeling after I posted the question is that it's redundant. Felt kinda silly for asking, but it was already posted. Rest assured, I didn't intend to use earthbags as refractory bricks. heh I intend to use your exact mix (or the silica sand) when I make them, the earthbags was another project. I don't have any experience for this to start experimenting right out of the gate (that's why I ask questions of people who are more experienced or just more knowledgeable). Thanks for the prompt reply.

[@nilamotk]

I don't think it would hurt to have water glass in the earth bag mix at all, I don't know if it would add any strength to it or not because I have not personally tried it. The main real use for water glass is for making sand moulds. If you take the mix that I make in these videos, and purge it with CO2 for a few minutes, it will completely solidify into whatever shape your mould is. The sand moulds are used to cast aluminum parts in, so they can withstand some serious heat. This is not "real" firebrick, but it is cheap and easy to make, and will work for the purpose. If you wanted to make this mix stronger you could try to add porcelain cement to the mix to possible add some strength. Porcelain cement resists higher temperatures then standard motor mix. As for the earth bags, I can't give you a definite answer and to be honest with you, I read your question wrong the first time and probably answered in the wee early hours of the morning. Lol and no question is a stupid question, also I'm not a master with this stuff, but I have tried 10 different "refractory mixes" and this was by far the best one.. Don't use plaster.... It sucks... Don't use regular cement, for reasons I stated before, and don't use "fire cement" because it will cost you an arm and a leg... Lol (personal experience) Good luck with your projects.

[@Leon-wz1js]

nilamotk No worries. Everyone has those "wee hours-sitting in front of the 'puter" moments. Understood. Frankly, I remember reading somewhere that Ferrari used a special sand especially for their aluminum castings. It was probably a similar process to this, but they used a very fine (expensive) particle sand (or silica is probably the proper term). This allows their castings to come out less rough and needing less machining because the finer sand conforms itself to the positive mold better. Thought you might find that useful... Something else you might agree with is that since the above solution is water-based, then getting water on the mold after it hardens would probably soften it? Also, don't sell yourself short. A "master" is simply a person who learns a feat or process and can not only repeat it, but reiterate what they learned in a simply stated form in order to teach another. That you are analytical in your approach to using different materials (systematically testing various alternate methods) reaffirms this again. Actually I think a "master" simply states how adept a person is at something they learned. In martial arts, I believe it can be argued that a master is someone who, if you put a sheet of rice paper on the floor, and they were to redo the same form in a daily process on the same sheet of rice paper, there would be no blurring of their footprints. My vice during the wee hours is I tend to babble a lot. Thanks again for the help and advice.

[@nilamotk]

Yes real aluminum castings use "green sand" it's a mix of fine silica sand, and sodium silicate like you said. It's usually black... So I don't know why they call it green sand... Lol And yes because this is water based, it does not like water... It will soak it p like a sponge, and the brick will turn back into sand.... You might be able to make it a little more water resistant by adding either porcelain cement to the mix, or some fire clay. And I appreciate the words, I try my best and am always happy to teach others. I had a tough time in school because their methods of teaching didn't work for me... So when I teach something I try to help you visualize to better understand what's going on.. A squared plus b squared = c squared meant nothing to me in school until I see a triangle with side a as a square, and side b as a square equaling the size of side c's square.. Haha

[@neopholis]

You seem pretty bright. I think we'd get along really well. Keep tinkering!

[@ToolReviewZone]

Thanks for the video. Can this be used like an epoxy resin for wood?

[@randallmarsh446]

Yes you can

[@mariexichen1136]

Excellent video! Kudos to you for actually giving the appropriate ratio of sodium hydroxide : silica. Others out there are using ratios that won't produce the silica concentration needed for foundry use. I'm very curious about use of an external heat source. Obviously, you didn't need it, but others say it's necessary to dissolve the silica. Some made water glass that was dark amber, not clear. I want to make clear water glass to make fire bricks, crucibles, and such. I also want to tint the water glass with pigments to add color to certain things. Do you have any idea why the water glass might turn dark? I was planning on crushing the silica beads. Do you think that would help it dissolve?

[@nilamotk]

The reason i didnt need to heat it is because its a relatively high ratio of sodium hydtoxide to water. After dumping the hydroxide relatively quickly, the water gets very hot.. if you work quickly that heat is "enough" to dissolve the silica gel. Extra heat definitely doesnt hurt tho.

[@nilamotk]

Crushing / grinding the silica will 100% help the reaction take place faster. But add powdered silica slowly or it will clump up into 1 big mass and take 10x as long to disolve vs if you left it peletized. The discoluration is likely from the cobalt additives in the blue beads in most gels. The blue turns pink when they're hydrated indicating they wont absorb moisture anymore. If you pick all the blue bits out, or start with strait clear silica beads without the inidcator beads (blue or pink) then it shouldnt discolour.

[@mariexichen1136]

@@nilamotk Thanks for the tip!

[@rickstav9024]

@nilamotk - thank you for a detailed video, Loved it. The bag of sand you used, how many Kg's was it? I wish to make sufficient glue to make your bricks for a 44 gallon drum and need to calculate how much of the silica gel and hydroxide I need to accomplish this.

[@abdallahafifi4552]

Great video. Thank you for sharing. If left uncovered, will sodium silicate solidify? Regards

[@koningbolo4700]

It will form a film on top as it reacts with carbon dioxide in the air. The cured sodium silicate is waterproof and will prevent the rest of the liquid from curing. But if you disturb the liquid the film breaks and the forming of a new surface layer will occur.

[@mechmania8450]

Thanks for this, I saw a guy boiling the stuff in a stainless steel pan, I read somewhere that caustic can disolve glass.

[@nilamotk]

Stainless steel is better molten sodium hydroxide in its pure form can dissolve class, a dilute solution of it I've never had issues with although it will ask the glass Sobe where you might ruin your glassware

[@ElGatoLoco698]

Can you use sodium silicate mixed with graphite powder to make a high temperature mold for casting? The graphite particles are so small they tend to make a much cleaner looking casting.

[@koningbolo4700]

Only one way to find out... but if your mould is supportive of your graphite/silicate mixture (since it will most likely be more of a slurry approaching a paste) you will be fine...

[@a1930ford]

Where is a good and cheap source to locate larger amounts of silica jel than what you find in just the packets? I am wanting to make the inside barrel of a rocket stove with this material. It will be essentially a large L-shaped tube and I may also make two separate tubes of different lengths to try that as a diy experiment, as well. How much of the final water glass would be necessary in a mold for say, two cylinder pieces which are maybe 8" long at one end (the smoke stack) and 6" at the other end (the fire burner side)?The aluminum plate does not get hot enough to melt your plastic mold container when you sit it on it to harden?Thanks for posting this video. I love diy projects and always find something more out there to learn from.

[@zombieprinting2670]

+a1930ford If you go to Walmart in the cat litter section, you can find a product called "Special Kitty" It is 100% pure silica beads and cost $19.00 Canadian for a 5.4 Kg tub. Hope this helps

[@urflofit2010]

+Green Zombie I looked it up and it says it's 100% natural clay. That is not the same as silica gel is it?

[@zombieprinting2670]

No, you are looking at the wrong kind, The kind I but is special kitty from walmart and it says 100% pure silica on back.

[@urflofit2010]

There is a different one? Can you send a picture? Thanks for responding so quickly www.walmart.com/ip/Special-Kitty-Natural-Cat-Litter-25-Lb-Cats/10293705

[@zombieprinting2670]

+onetwothree57 Hello, I just tried a search, and I am being led to think that it may have been taken off the shelf because of a conflict with arguments that silica dust may be harmful if inhaled. I may have got my tub just in time as it is very useful. I would go into the stores and look on the ingredient lists on the back of the tubs to make sure it says 100% silica gel. Sorry for any confusion. It;s deffinately weird to say the least.

[@idarusskie]

Use cat litter cyristal said as you silica gel. Read label to make sure it pure.

[@misterawesome1743]

no

[@aamirrkhannn]

nice helpful video thanks for sharing . i have a idea or you can say question about sand with sodium silicate .i mean if we direct take play sand+sodium hydroxide and water so can we take good result for make bricks tiles etc?

[@michaelvaughn7137]

What happens if you add brax to this now until it starts to become saturated will it hurt anything ?

[@highbridgepottery8251]

Great video, I want to make some of this stuff. Lots of uses for pottery.

[@bu11dog13795]

Just an update you can in fact make Sodium Silicate from fumed silica. I was able to dissolve around 50g of fumed silica in 100 grams of sodium hydroxide with 200 ml of distilled water. It is extremely messy and no clean or good way of going about it as fumed silica floats rather than sinks which causes airborne particles. So proper PPE is a must. Another note, using pyrex and a propane torch is a good way to get a catastrophic failure. ill stick with Stainless Steel for now on.

[@nilamotk]

glad it worked out for you, and Pyrex should be fine with propane, just not at a focused point.

[@robertbartlett7799]

what is the mixer you are using? it looks like a steel ball being moved by a magnet under the surface top. Is it shop built or commercially available?

[@nilamotk]

It's a (heated) magnetic stirrer. Or a stirring hot plate. They're widely available, there's a Teflon coated magnet in the flask and a spinning magnet mounted under the hot plate. You do get what you pay for though. This ones junk for anything that requires any real amount of heat.

[@cutsofnews8546]

hi bro can you tell me what we can use or cooling roof in summer . can we use sodium silicate with white paint on roof to keep cool our roof in hot sun ? or there anything else please share a video if u have any idea ???

[@joeestes8114]

Great video but how do you clean your glass ware?

[@robertcece6972]

Very cool. This worked perfectly except I used 61gms of silica for any extra lye then after 45 mins of heating, stirring, repleting with water I had a small clump of silica I had to take out. The final product is really weird and cool. If you put a brush in it ... its almost like super semen cement. It locks on the brush, strings and hardens. I had to dilute it with a bit of water to work with it. But this should work perfectly for sealing my steel pipe furnace. Plumbers tape does not keep it air tight at the seals (when heated it melts off) but I'm hoping this stuff will.

[@sunilkumararickattu1845]

Appreciated if you provide procedure and chemical combination & ratio used for making sodium silicate for those who have lacking English knowledge The required chemical are sodium hydroxide, silica , water and what else?

[@malquezare]

Obrigado por compartilhar seu conhecimento

[@Jambivids]

Good video , cant wait to see how it terns out

[@nilamotk]

Check out part 2 it's in the description.

[@billylogan1121]

nilamotk, I have used your recipe for water glass and made some refractory panels for my prefab fireplace. I have not removed them from the mold i made for them but they seem pretty firm to the touch. Do the have to be fired or will the hot gulf coast sun be good enough for them to be strong. Thanks, Billy Jack

[@nilamotk]

You kind of need to fire it. Letting it air-dry it will get crispy on the Outer Edge but the inside will stay soft and it will never get the full strength shown in the video

[@billylogan1121]

@@nilamotk Sir. My patterns are on wood and I have a large grill that will get to 500 degrees or higher if the wood does not catch fire will that heat do? My first experiment with refractory brick as 67 . the fireplace co. wants $850 plus shipping for these panels that are only 36" by 14" is the largest. HELP!!! I am Lost.

[@billylogan1121]

@@nilamotk nilamotk, is there a time limit of how long you can wait before you fire it?

[@dharvinar.k4750]

Hello can we use pure silicone dioxide ( pure sand ) instead of silica gel to make the water glass ?

[@noahd8673]

Can you show how to make alumina silicate brick? And you should be able to cut the alumina brick with supple hand saw easily

[@shexdensmore]

Just watched the second one, the comments are disabled. I was wondering if you have ever used saw dust in the mix? Let it dry out completely, then fire it completely? I know that is done to soft fire bricks, and the saw dust just burns off.

[@nilamotk]

I personally have not tried it, sounds like a good idea for a nice airy mix. Thanks for the tip. I might try that in my next batch.

[@3daypriest]

A mechanical stirrer makes this much easier. But I would be careful about adding NaOH to rapidly. You have a round bottom flask and a magnetic stirrer. No heating mantle?

[@themonkeydrunken]

Thus sayeth AvE

[@mrelectron6220]

Im working on a project using ceramic fiber blanket and need to join several parts of it together could you use this for that and how would you apply it to ceramic fiber?

[@koningbolo4700]

In my experience waterglass will not act as a glue like contact cement or caulk. It is no very flexible and will break and most likely flake away if the blanket is moved even slightly during use. I guess the waterglass can be used to glue the blanket to a hard surface since the likelihood of mechanical stresses exerted to the waterglass layer is minimal...

[@jihadkotob1142]

Can I use the sodium silicate as a binder for charcoal powder

[@AlexJordanRealOG]

a buddy of mine says i could add head and shoulders shampoo a quarter cup to the water mix and that would do the job. What do you say?

[@BrianWerner]

I found a 37% sodium silicate solution for $35 per 3.8 liters. seems like it would be worth it to just buy it rather than make it. Is a 37% good for making refractory or would it need to be reduced to a stronger solution?

[@nilamotk]

if you can find a supplier it will be cheaper. It can be tricky to find locally or even to have it shipped so some peoples only option is to make it. Im not sure the concentration of what I make in the video but you want it to ideally be like syrup, maybe a bit thicker. so if its to thin, heat it up to raise concentration, if its to thick add a little water (with heat) and mix it well.

[@BrianWerner]

Thanks!

[@doubleooh7337]

Price wise fish tank white sand is best 30 for 25KG! its pretty much pure silicate , 2kg of sodium silicate is a little bit cheaper.

[@buddyblankenship4186]

Could you spray this on ceramic insulation to stiffin it up & put like a hard outer shell on it ?

[@nilamotk]

I belive this is exactly what that "hardener" is. Just watered down a substantial amount..

[@karimrazak3798]

Is this silica material used to melt metals

[@thedailyintelligence4097]

So how do I do this without the mixer thing you are using? can it be done on a stove top?

[@Spooky_Dooky]

Just stir it by hand with either a metal spoon or preferably a glass rod or other inert material. If your stove top has a fan that vents outside of your house then it should be okay. Otherwise do it outside in a well ventilated area.

[@aranalan4199]

I think that we can make sodium silicate by mixing sodium bicarbonate( backing soda) and sand( silicone oxide) .

[@Timebanditxxx]

Says on the information bug that you can buy a gallon for about 30 bucks from The Ceramic Shop.

[@nilamotk]

There are no ceramic shops near me. and you can make 5 gallons easily for 30$ if you go the kitty litter route. if you can buy it local it will be easier and less time consuming. if not it's cheap and easy to make yourself.

[@robertcook7769]

I used 180 grams of Pure LYE brand drain cleaner and 240 grams of Mother Nature Preserves powdered silica gel, with 400 milliliters of distilled water, hot. Adding the lye made it boil, as did adding the silica gel, but less so as the reaction went on. At the last I had to heat it. The result was a thick blue liquid. A few days later, it had crystallized, and was warm! What happened, and is it reusable?

[@nilamotk]

You have a highly concentrated form of sodium silicate, use twice as much water at least. To save what you have, add around 4-500 ml of water and heat slowly. As the sodium silicate starts to melt, mix it thoroughly with the water to dilute the solution, It's actually not bad to have it in that form, if you don't plan to use it all you can store it as a solid, and dilute it with water when you need it. It takes up less space this way.

[@robertcook7769]

Thanks!

[@FixAllFixer62]

robert were get the mother stuff at

[@nilamotk]

+donald laisure (73SuperGlide62) arts and craft store, for drying plants, some kitty litter for your cat to shit in, auto store for paint booths, and air drying.. you just have to look...

[@barodrinksbeer7484]

Hi can I use pure silica gel catlitter, instead of buying packs of silica gels.

[@nilamotk]

Yes, they're the same thing.

[@GuyBrown]

can you use silica crystals?

[@nilamotk]

yes. it should work fine. you may need to heat it a bit.

[@GuyBrown]

+Jason D thank you. going to attempt today.

[@ClownWhisper]

that's funny that you say that I do the same thing I just now got done making up some water glass then I did the same thing exothermic qualities to my advantage. I also had the silica gel as fast as I can to

[@JamesAveyInTheShop]

I don't know about chemistry equipment so I have to ask about the stirrer. How does that work?

[@nilamotk]

its basically a simple hot plate, as for the stirring function.. its just a magnet on a motor. the stir bar itself is another magnet coated in teflon. the 2 magnets connect, and the motor spins them to stir whatever need stirring.

[@a1930ford]

How do I accurately calculate just how much of the liquid glass I'll need for a project, say like making fire bricks that are the standard size of a normal brick?

[@nilamotk]

this is where you will have to look up a recipe . most "old timers" just mix it in with dry sand untill its just "damp" with maybe a little bit more just for fun.. lol

[@koningbolo4700]

I guess it will be safe to do a analogue approximation with your intended material (be it sand, pee gravel or even smaller version of hydroton) and water. You can get a ballpark figure as to how much water it would take to reach a damp plus state for your aggrigate... Keep in mind you should be measuring out the water for the test by volume and do about the same for the waterglass solution (since the specific gravity for the two liquids - being water and the waterglass solution can not be compared by weight - waterglass solution is obviously much heavier) Volume comparisons are relative safe since the volume before and after the reaction is more or less the same... If you want to go really scientific you can make a before and after measurement to know what the expansion rate is for this recipe...

[@papadopoulosantonis55]

hello friend.... i want to make a pizza oven. i have secont thoughts about using this thing since i dont know if that material can be used in food procces. do u have anythingn in mind???

[@nilamotk]

papadopoulos antonis use natural fire clay if you want it to be all natural.

[@papadopoulosantonis55]

and it want be crispy mate? i mean it want crumble into dust ( sorry ifmy english are bad -not my native language)

[@papadopoulosantonis55]

but i have heared that clay shrings in the prosseces and cannot be used on ovens....anyway .2 days now i had made a reserce so i will share what i found.thats youtube after all :P well sodium silicate is 100%NON-toxic. is used on mecanical pilling of apricots ( dont know how :P ), as an egg preservative and water cleaning from heavy metals what has confused me is that i read somewhere that reacts with cement and is neutralised somehow.. (btw do u know anythign about that last thing ?? ) thnx for sharing anyway :)

[@bu11dog13795]

can you use fumed silica in place of silica gel? the reason I ask is because I have an abundance of fumed silica.

[@nilamotk]

I am not sure, you could try a small batch, if it dissolves into a similar substance in sodium hydroxide, I would have to say you have made sodium silicate. You can make it with crushed glass, and molten sodium hydroxide... But I'm not about to tell you guys to go boil some solid sodium hydroxide in your kitchen..

[@bu11dog13795]

nilamotk I just tried it and it was a success. Now to just figure out quantity because fumed silica is so fluffy it will be hard to get a measurement.

[@devonfields10]

How do you dilute this ? Thannks

[@1220975]

Where did you get the silica gel? I can't seem to find it for a reasonable price.

[@nilamotk]

I bought my silica gel from princess auto. It's a automotive retail store, and it's purpose is for airline driers for painting cars with compressed air, and other things that involve dry compressed air.

[@1220975]

nilamotk And can you store the sodium silicate after it's made without it solidifying?

[@nilamotk]

Yes, as long as it is an airtight container. I don't know about 5 years... But I have some that's 2 years old and it's still fine.

[@1220975]

nilamotk Thanks. Does the container type matter? (Plastic, glass, etc)

[@nilamotk]

I personally used a type of water container. Kinda hard to explain... But I was a large version of those aluminum water bottles with plastic caps. I stored some in a glass reagent container with a glass plug, and I can tell you after the first pour when you put the plug back in, it glues itself in there... So the aluminum water bottle worked good for me. The one I used was lined with a plastic on the inside, and the lid had a foam separator the prevented the lid from sticking. I doesn't really matter, if you make this in concentrated form, most of the sodium hydroxide has been used up in a chemical reaction to produce sodium silicate. The byproducts of the reaction are hydrogen, ,oxygen in small amounts along with some heat. this means that the final product isn't as caustic as the sodium hydroxide itself.. Don't get me wrong, try not to get it on your skin.... But it won't burn like sodium hydroxide will, nor will it react with the container you store it in. Just keep in mind, this is a "binding agent" and it will bind your lids to your containers if you are not careful. If this happens, hold the lid under a hot hot water tap for 2-3 minutes, and it will open right up.

[@JagdtygerII]

how would it work if you used potassium hydroxide instead of sodium?

[@nilamotk]

Unfortunately it would not work with potassium hydroxide. This reaction takes the sodium and bonds it with the silica, with potassium hydroxide, you would be making a different compound.

[@yxcvmk]

Thank you for the Video!I did try this yesterday in a stainless steel pot over a propane cooker. I could hardly get any of the silica gel dissolved. I could see a reaction on some of the pellets, but the others just did remain in the solution an did never dissolve. I did cook and stir for about an hour (with interruptions). Don't understand what I'm doing wrong. The NoH is pure, was added first and then the silicate...

[@nilamotk]

by the sounds of it you need more sodium hydroxide, or more heat.

[@nilamotk]

most likely more heat if you followed my recipe.

[@xzendor7]

Nice Instructional Video

[@waltermcrae9596]

What was that metal thing you put in the flask at like 5 mins into the video?

[@nilamotk]

its just a temperature probe.

[@waltermcrae9596]

ok thanks

[@waltermcrae9596]

where can i get sodium hysroxide?

[@waltermcrae9596]

hydroxide*

[@Jawst]

I didn't think you were supposed to use glass when making sodium silicate since sodium hydroxide can destroy glass when heated

[@nilamotk]

It's strait sodium hydroxide that will dissolve glass when molten. This is relatively dilute tho and it's nowhere near "molten sodium hydroxide" Temps. The glass held up fine.

[@mohamedvadel5150]

How can I calculate the % of Na2O, SiO2, H2O in the mixture. Thanks in advance

[@Islamic_voice007]

100 ml water 40 gm NaOH 60gm silica gel

[@jray22511]

where did you get your lab equipment?

[@nilamotk]

eBay, and I've used my eBay lab glass for Mercury distillation at around 300C without issues. I have full faith in it. Real Pyrex is to expensive for me...

[@nilamotk]

I bought it all from eBay, never had any problems. Buy in bulk and shipping is cheaper.

[@JBattler]

Great Vid, thanks

[@Hunter-ym2kk]

Nice details..

[@davesnothere8859]

sodium silicate $12 a gallon from McMaster Carr or the Phosphate free TSP is dry sodium silicate at home depot is $2 a pound and you don't have to be a learn on the job chemist

[@nilamotk]

Dave Snothere not everyone has access to McMaster. sodium silicate is caustic too so shipping is extra. different parts of the world have different products.

[@davesnothere8859]

I understand that. I wanted to share that it is easily available to many of those who just want the water glass, it is pretty hard to find.

[@nilamotk]

Dave Snothere yea its good to know, I wish it were easily available for me.. lol

[@michaeljohnson7813]

Sodium silicate

[@blowndude4383]

TSP. TriSodium Phosphate.

[@FixAllFixer62]

were 2 get the gel at

[@FixAllFixer62]

Cat liter real

[@shantahsieh432]

I made it. I used inplix scripts for that. It was pretty easy to make it

[@misterawesome1743]

yes thank you... "liquid glass" on amazon was too pricey

[@ricardosumangue5634]

thanks joe

[@sweeterbright7157]

2:48 A little heart attack

[@chriskelly4619]

Thankyou

[@rrh2918]

where can i get silica gel?

Kitty litter

[@daniellandberg3264]

Hi. Don't this is something I can do at home. but very informative.

[@kentthoresen8528]

How well does the resulting firebrick retain heat?

[@TimKollat]

I buy concrete densifier/liquid hardener for my concrete polishing business by the 5 gallon and sometimes 55gal containers. Densifiers used to be soley sodium silicate but now the majority of them are lithium silicate. You can still buy sodium silicate densifier in 1gal or 5gal containers from specialty concrete supply stores. Im guessing its the same stuff to what you are making or very similar at least. I wonder if lithium silicate could be used for the same type of refractory mix. Heres 5gal of a sodium silicate densifier I have used in the past for polishing concrete for only 40 bucks: www.whitecap.com/shop/wc/p/euclid-eucosil-liquid-densifier-5-gal-053-05?gclid=CjwKCAiAn5rUBRA3EiwAUCWb22NvJx1xJscDo9skqwQm42DDNNZSzKb7n-3uYKUfzLhUoIXGv9UC3BoCUaIQAvD_BwE

[@nilamotk]

mojo jojo it would be pretty much identical maybe a bit more diluted you could always boil off the extra water and have a concentrated solution

[@nilamotk]

mojo jojo if you pour the liquid out and it does not freeze like shown in the video, it needs to be further concentrated by boiling it down.

[@infinityhighway5092]

+nilamotk What's the shelf life after preparation? Is it the kind of thing you can store in its liquid state, as in super glue? Also, what is the catalyst for hardening once it's applied? I didn't miss the carbon dioxide aspect for a cure, but does it just "go off" on its own in open air, or heat or other?.. Thanks, I'm planning to make some asap so I don't wanna mix a large batch and waste any for lack of know how... ty

[@infinityhighway5092]

+nilamotk oh, also, is distilled water an absolute necessity or can I get away with tap? stupid question I guess being that I'm aware of the mineral and ph inconsistencies in tap, but I'm lacking the appropriate items for proper distillation at home and to lazy to go buy any.. hahaha, ty again

[@nilamotk]

Mason Man its a little different then superglue it wont harden if its in a sealed container, if it does harden you can break it up and redissolve in hot water but its a pain in the ass.. And tap water should work fine. As for a catalyst, it cures with co2 so keep it in an airtight container. To make it harden faster you could experiment with sodium bicarbonate mixed with the sand to try and speed the curring process, or put the whole thing in a platic bag with a source of co2.

[@البرنسفهد-ج8ظ]

ممتاز good

[@cherylm2C6671]

Nitrile gloves are better than latex

[@undernetjack]

Great, now my flask is part of the sodium silicate.

[@jerryquigg3497]

As an alternative the following takes 24 Hrs and is relatively safe. 1. Obtain a suitable STAINLESS STEEL pot that has a lid. Insulate the pot e.g. use fiber glass insulation. You shall NOT use and ALUMINUM pot. 2. Obtain and don PPE else go to step 6 below. Note that chemical burns from lye heal slowly and eye damage is permanent. 3. In the pot combine dry 200g lye with dry 300g silica gel "cat litter". Blend well. 4. Slowly, and with care instill 500 to 550 ml distilled water. A +230F strong exothermic reaction results. There is no need to stir or break up undissolved product. Some steam will evolve however the BP sill shift upwards toward +250F. The initial quiescent temp will be about +220F. 5. Put on the lid, insulate it, and wait 24hrs - done. 6. STOP

[@nilamotk]

this is a good alternative, but far more dangerous then the method in the video. if you do it this way, like stated do not proceed without PPE.. because the reaction will be alot more violent, and possibly spit, and pop.

[@matthewadler6870]

+jerry quigg People are often advised to add an acid to the base slowly. By mixing dry you are adding everything at once. Also you are kind of rude.

[@themonkeydrunken]

How is this safer? This could react explosively. Do like you oughta, add acid to water. NEVER ADD WATER TO ACID.

[@luisbatista1103]

Mr Tratch Science class grade 10.....👍

[@NTF-zb9wi]

You're just REALLY d@mn lucky that you didn't spill any on that bare right hand of yours!!! WEAR GLOVES ON BOTH HANDS when working with stuff, folks!!! Not only is this guy risking a severe scald; but, severe chemical burns!!! It's also advisable to use a face shield, as well. "Murphy" LOVES folks who get too cocky to take basic safety precautions... BTW, "Silica Gel" cat litter is easier to source, if you're going to make a lot of this suff. (And, MUCH less expensive than the desiccant packs...)

[@daninwy2681]

I was wondering how many VCR's I had to buy to get enough silica gel packets to do this.

[@magnuswootton6181]

this is actually a polymer.

[@tehnikauto7995]

Thek yu

[@jacktheninja]

it never dries lol

[@killmimes]

The refractory material you are breaking is called GREEN SAND!

[@nilamotk]

Mike Horton lol. no, it not... green sand said mixture of silica sand and an oil.... this is for making cores for moulds.. it's hardened using co2 and works well for a cheap substitute for a simple foundry, and is very easy to make... thanks for the false info though.

[@killmimes]

No butthead! Greensand has sodium silicate mixed into it.so it will harden with co2. Petro bonded sand has oil...and where did I get my info.. us navy foundry A school 1990.. that's molder rating school .you are a piker at best..

[@nilamotk]

Mike Horton You're probably American and upset about Trump... and whoah now keyboard warrior. Green sand is damp sand mixed with bentonite clay. it's reusable.. MOULDING SAND is sodium silicate mixed with sand and is NOT REUSABLE. Your military "foundry course" is either a complete lie or you weren't paying attention... That, or because metal casting has nothing to do with the military, they didn't have a fucking clue either.. how about a quick Google search before you start talking shit?.... makes you look like less of an ignorant douchebag.

[@nilamotk]

sorry "navy foundry course..." Please, Don't make me laugh...

[@theartisanhack1720]

I know your comment is old, but the US Navy and any real navy had tender ships that were/are complete shops, including a foundry that are used to repair damaged ships after battle without having to go to the dock, so yes the US Navy does have an foundry training manual, I have one. It's pretty good, but dated, well, the one I have is. Do they still use it, don't know. I'm sure it's all on disk now. :) On the other hand, I have to agree with you about the green sand. I never read about using sodium silicate mixed in green sand. Cores and complete silicate molds, but never mixed in with green.

[@sheekitlow5120]

Can i use blue or red silica gels instead?

[@nilamotk]

yes as long as its silica gel it will work

[@Hunter-ym2kk]

Nice details..

[@joesask857]

THANKS