MTFCA Forum

I put this in a closet in the garage when we moved into this house 30 years ago and forgot about it. What kind of chemical mixture did it use?

I don't think those things can be anything other than lead/acid batteries.

i think i got one too.charley

The jars might have salt or such added to water to reduce line voltage, like a bank of light bulbs to recharge magnetos. As noted on the label, only works with DC line voltage. There is an illustration of using salt water on page 237 and description on page 240 in "The Model T Ford Owner" chapter on recharging the magnets.

Maybe this is easier to read. About 10 lines down in the instructions it warns about using battery acid. My opinion agrees with Mark that soda or salt in the jars reduce the line in current. ???

The brass label does say AC or DC. Are the terminals under the meter for AC? Or they may have used the same brass label for both the AC and DC units and the buyer would be smart enough to know the difference.

If you read much of the early info on electrical stuff, you will find that a jar with salt water in it was used as a resistance for different electrical applications. Sometimes many jars, depending on what the electrical guy was trying to accomplish.
If you are going to use it, try salt. If no results, you can just pour it out and rinse everything. No harm done. The warning about using battery acid is the tipoff for me.

well, I guess I sure blew that one...I still cannot read what you all are reading, but do not doubt it

Here is a link to a previous thread explaining the chemical reaction
http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/50 ... 1431383875
By Michael Pawelek Brookshire, Texas on Monday, May 11, 2015 - 07:00 am:
The electrolytic rectifier was fairly common from the turn of the century
through the twenties. A large portion of them were used in communications,
i.e. telegraphy, telephony, and radio. It was replaced by the more robust,
maintenance-free selenium rectifier and vacuum tube rectifier. The other
"tin-like" electrode you mention is aluminum. As far as the electrolyte
(secret liquid) goes, several things will work. I used ammonium chloride (sal
ammoniac) in my 'B' radio supply. The following is a quote from a 1943 Coyne
Electrical School text:
"The electrolytic rectifier is also limited to small capacities, due to its
low efficiency and general tendency to heat up under load because of the large
resistance losses which take place within the rectifier itself. This type of
rectifier consists of a jar containing a strong solution of ammonium
phosphate, sodium phosphate, or just a mixture of water and common borax. In
this solution are immersed a plate of either lead, carbon, or iron, and one of
aluminum. The electrolytic action which is set up between the surface of the
aluminum electrode and the electrolyte solution will allow the current to flow
from the solution into the aluminum, but will immediately build up a very high
resistance film when the current is reversed and tries to flow from the
aluminum into the electrolyte."
A common substance that will also work in solution is sodium bicarbonate
(baking soda). I've never tried it so I don't know how efficient it is.
Ammonium phosphate might be available at your local Agway sold as fertilizer.
(Tri)sodium phosphate is a common cleaning agent and is somewhat caustic.
Borax should be easy to find. If you fire that thing up, be careful not to
overheat the jars -- it doesn't take long under high-current conditions.