What can i possibly do with graphite powder.

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    Graphite Powder
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Excess graphite powder can be utilized in various practical ways, despite initial concerns about its usefulness. It serves as an effective lubricant for locks, zippers, and other mechanisms, making it a valuable resource for maintenance tasks. Additionally, it can be used to create electrically conductive surfaces, which could be applied to projects involving plastic tubes or even home tattoos. Some participants humorously suggested more experimental uses, such as attempting to make diamonds or creating a mess for fun. Selling the powder to locksmiths or auto mechanics is also a viable option for those looking to offload it. Overall, while there are many lighthearted comments, the discussion highlights several practical applications for graphite powder that can prevent it from going to waste.
eptheta
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I have a bottle full of graphite powder from a failed experiment and now it just sits there doing nothing. I hate art, so no graphite related artwork... All the machines in my house are lubricated enough...

What can i do with the excess graphite powder ?
 
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eptheta said:
What can i do with the excess graphite powder ?

Create an unclean-able mess all over your house.
 
Slow-down neutrons?
 
Use it to make a diamond or throw it away.:smile:
 
Use it to make something electrically conductive. My graphite coated lab cost has a resistance of about 100 Ohms.
 
Make more CO2. It is getting colder here.
 
If you're into chemistry, this should be helpful one way or an other:
http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9924202
 
Lubricate the zips of your coats, trousers, tents and sleeping bags.
 
Create an unclean-able mess all over your house.
Been there, done that.
Use it to make something electrically conductive. My graphite coated lab cost has a resistance of about 100 Ohms.
Wow, that could save me the money to buy one...
Slow-down neutrons?
Sure, I have a few old neutrons lying in my cupboard somewhere...So there's actually nothing useful that I can do with graphite powder ? Really ?...
Really ?:confused:

Thanks..

EDIT: Actually your lab-coat thing is rather interesting... Is there any sort of adhesive i can use to make anything electrically conductive using the graphite powder?
I have little plastic tubes that I would love to have conducting electricity(why, I have no idea, but those tiny tubes deserve to be allowed to carry current at least once in their lifetime)
 
  • #10
Dr Lots-o'watts said:
If you're into chemistry, this should be helpful one way or an other:
http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9924202

This also tells what NOT to do with it: Use it as snuff or eye makeup.
 
  • #11
make a pencil! do weird experiments with it, be an alchemist!
sell it on ebay?
 
  • #12
eptheta said:
Sure, I have a few old neutrons lying in my cupboard somewhere...


So there's actually nothing useful that I can do with graphite powder ? Really ?...
Really ?:confused:

Thanks..

Yeah, alright. I was just playing. Sorry. Really, powdered graphite is most commonly used to "unstick" locks. You're seen that at the hardware store right? Got a lock that's hard to operate? Just add the graphite to it and it's suppose to work more easily. Me, I'd just get another lock though.
 
  • #13
eptheta said:
What can i do with the excess graphite powder ?

brewnog said:
Lubricate the zips of your coats, trousers, tents and sleeping bags.

eptheta said:
So there's actually nothing useful that I can do with graphite powder ? Really ?...
Really ?:confused:
If you ignore the useful suggestions I guess you will be left with nothing!
 
  • #14
i like the idea of making a diamond with it :) I would experiment using a pressure cooker... nothing to lose right?! or better an autoclave!
 
  • #15
nucleargirl said:
i like the idea of making a horrendous mess with it :)

efa...
 
  • #16
OP: just curious, what was the failed experiment?
 
  • #17
Can you use graphite for home tattoos?
 
  • #18
What can i do with the excess graphite powder ?
Lubricate the zips of your coats, trousers, tents and sleeping bags.
So there's actually nothing useful that I can do with graphite powder ? Really ?...
Really ?

If you ignore the useful suggestions I guess you will be left with nothing!

All the machines in my house are lubricated enough...
^From my first post...

Thanks jackmell, I guess that's the only use it has.. although that is just lubricating it...

efa...
Elder Financial Abuse? Egyptian Football Association? European Film Academy? Essential Fatty Acid? I'm sorry, I'm no good at acronyms.(I'm betting on elder financial abuse though)..
Also, what's OP ?

i like the idea of making a diamond with it :) I would experiment using a pressure cooker... nothing to lose right?! or better an autoclave!
If you could make diamonds so easily, why would people spend so much on them anyway... and Dr.Google recommends this hoax:http://www.ehow.com/how_5707282_make-diamonds.html"

OP: just curious, what was the failed experiment?
It involved an hourglass, graphite powder, electrodes and a battery.

Can you use graphite for home tattoos?
Now that's an idea... At least I won't have to sell it on ebay this way... Have any idea how ? (just for the heck of it... I still hate art)

Also, I'm still interested in making things conductive, say my arm, so i can touch random things and be electrocuted...(or rather make an LED on my forehead glow) So if anyone has any ideas about conductive adhesives or just a way to evenly apply the graphite on a surface to make it conductive...?

Thank you.
 
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  • #19
brewnog said:
Lubricate the zips of your coats, trousers, tents and sleeping bags.



Graphite is the only acceptable substance to lubricate locks with, unless you want to get into very expensive stuff such as silicon or Teflon. It's also the lube of choice for speedometer cables and such-like. Still, I always told my customers to make sure that they wiped their key off on a tissue after every use for at least a couple of months after I visited. That stuff is slicker than owl snot on a brass doorknob, but it gets on everything. It's already almost impossible to keep it off of your clothing, without applying it to your zips.
Eptheta, I would suggest that you seek out your nearest locksmith or auto mechanic and offer to sell your excess to him. You might get less than market value, but it's better than having a bunch of dirty powder messing up your place.

edit: Jackmell, I started composing this in response to post #9, so I didn't realize until now that there were several posts in the meantime. As a professional locksmith (retired), I can tell you for sure that graphite can make up for a world of inadequacy from after-market keys. When I made my keys, either on my cutter or by hand with a file, they were within 1/1000th of an inch in tolerance. (Schlages won't work if they're out by 2 thou, and some are even less tolerant.) Hardware store kids aren't tremendously conscientious in that regard. (I once had one give me **** for trying to tell him how to do his job when I suggested that he should wear protective goggles.) A good application of graphite will frequently allow even those hardware store keys to work in an emergency.
 
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  • #20
eptheta said:
Also, what's OP ?
OP = "Original poster", the person who started the current thread. (In this case, you.)

Example: "That doesn't address the OP's question."

Can also mean "original post", i.e. Post #1 of the thread.

Example: "Read the OP again, that's not what the OP was asking."
 
  • #21
make graphene sheets then build a Iron Man type exoskeleton. You must be ready for the apocalypse.
 
  • #22
brewnog said:
Lubricate the zips of your coats, trousers, tents and sleeping bags.

Now that's something I'd be willing to pay $4.95 for, but only if it'd last me 10 seasons.
 
  • #23
haxtor21 said:
make graphene sheets then build a Iron Man type exoskeleton. You must be ready for the apocalypse.
Great suggestion. I tried, but this is what I got...
292px-Satans-robot.jpg


Not really what my original idea was, but at least I used all my graphite powder...

No really... What do i do with it? It's just lying there ... If i don't use it soon, it may spring to life and kill me in my sleep.
 
  • #24
DanP said:
Create an unclean-able mess all over your house.

Better yet, create an uncleanable mess all over someone else's house. :devil: The practical joke opportunities seem very tempting (just remember you might be on the hook for a large cleaning bill if you listen to me).
 
  • #25
This has become such a joke thread... Well I guess that's what it was destined to become with its focus as graphite powder and all...
Maybe if I didn't put it in the General Discussion Forum...
If anyone is still interested, my graphite powder found another guy and has left me, taking my house, my car and my laptop. Now that she's gone, I realized that I never really loved her.
 
  • #26
eptheta said:
No really... What do i do with it? It's just lying there ... If i don't use it soon, it may spring to life and kill me in my sleep.

Well, it looks like it'll hold at least two beers. If you're willing to forfeit one of them, you may placate it enough to spare your life.
 
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