Dry ice "cryo" container

I use 2 rattle can paint cans soldered together, top and bottom cut out of the top can, just the top cut out of
the bottom can. This is set inside a cardboard tube filled with sawdust, the bigger can over the top. 3# of dry
ice ($5) lasts overnite.
Ken.
 
Keep 'em coming, gents!!! On a related note, what fluid are you guys using? Obvious acetone and kerosene have their blow you up issues and I have seen a number of guys going over to denature alcohol. I saw Tracey Mickley using pink non-toxic RV anti-freeze....which froze in the process. :D
 
Acetone, I think it has the lowest freeze point of all them but I don't think that matters so much. I have safe places to set so no fire worries.. I have a thermocouple I check the temp with.. It will get down to -106° or -108°..
 
Disposable aluminum baking pans work too, and you can bend a corner into a spout shape to pour the liquid back into its container.
 
With the pans, I worry about size like when i started making knives and was trying to edge quench big blades. I ended up with one of those enameled turkey roasting pans. I may try to scrub out the old oil residue and use that.
 
The Penguin brand dry ice can be bought in 10 pound blocks at a lot of major grocery stores and big box stores. Most recent price i saw was $1.49 a pound so $15 for the block. Not bad but much do you use in a baking pan? if you are only doing a couple of blades at a time and are using the entire block for each run, it would take long to get to that $100 minimum charge for sending it to Peters.
 
AJ Morocco said:
I use a 1 liter plastic soda bottle with some 1/4 inch holes drilled through it. I set that inside a platic bucket. The dry ice goes around the outside of the liter bottle the rubbing alcohol goes inside.
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I seriously doubt you're getting to -95ºF with that method - you are saying the dry is is OUTSIDE the alcohol container? I just now noticed you say "rubbing alcohol" - it it's not freezing up on you, you're not getting cold. A slurry of dry ice and isopropyl alcohol will freeze up - tried it and had to go get denatured alcohol so the alcohol doesn't freeze up. Comments from other folks are more than welcome if ya'll feel AJ is getting full cold treatment from his dry ice.

Ken H>
 
Some materials need the shock from a liquid dry ice quench. Some do better without. Do your homework. :grumpy:
 
I used a stainless steel Boston shaker one time... I got it for a dollar at goodwill. Unfortunately I set it on the garage floor. It cracked the cement.
 
Hey Joe,
I use PVC pipe. It's cheap, and works fine, if you take some precautions. Since PVC gets brittle at low temps, I put my tank in a 5 gallon bucket and fill in around it with ceramic beads. Sand should work fine. This supports it and insulates it. I also switched from acetone to denatured alcohol, since acetone breaks down PVC....
 
Nathan the Machinist said:
Some materials need the shock from a liquid dry ice quench. Some do better without. Do your homework. :grumpy:
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Nathan - can you explain what you are talking about here? "liquid dry ice quench" - is this the dry ice slurry with a liquid? You say "Some do better without" - that's got me confused - you mean just dry ice packed around?

Ken H>
 
I use the same type of Styrofoam cooler that I use to transport the dry ice home from the supermarket; they're a few bucks each from the gas station. I used to use the cheap baking dishes; I would shovel the dry ice in and pour in the denatured alcohol. But then I'd bump it with my foot or make the stupid mistake of trying to move it by picking it up while it was full of very cold liquid. I learned my lesson and just bought a second Styrofoam cooler (one for transport, one for dry ice bath). More margin of error for accidental spills w/ the 1 ft high walls (only the bottom 2 inches is full of dry ice/alcohol). Plus it keeps the mixture cooler longer (than the baking tins) if your heat treat takes a little longer than you expected.

There's no problem of melting the container w/ a hot blade b/c I use a pre-sub-zero quench in ice water to get the blade cool to the touch prior to the dry ice bath.

-Mike
 
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