Gasifier Update

OK, you've probably noticed the progress has slowed a bit. I intentionally took the week off last week from gasifier work, to get some other stuff done. And now I'm back at it. Here's what's up so far:

~ The title to the truck has been restored, and I can now buy it and drive it.
~ Stove rope gasket has arrived, more on that in a bit.
~ Brakes on the truck are being repaired. I had to order all new parts for the rear brakes, and new axle seals.
~ Bilge blower arrived. I will use this in the startup routine, probably to bring the gas through all the filters to the engine compartment.
~ New lid is in place. I started with a trash can lid, which was flimsy and didn't seal well.

I now have a lid made from steel plate, and sealed with the stove gasket rope.

The latch is spring loaded:

It seals well. I put it under pressure to check for leaks, and ran into a problem:

In case you can't see the video, the lid bounces. The pressure lifts the lid, escapes, and the spring bangs down the lid again, then it repeats, really fast. I managed to wire it shut tightly, and then the high pressure made a bunch of leaks show up. I test for leaks using soapy water, and this time there were plenty! So I have gone leak-hunting with GE Silicone, sealing up the cracks and hopefully stopping the major air leaks. Don't get it on your hands! Silicone does not wash off in water, and only a little better with hand cleaner. I didn't really know this, and I used my fingers to smear the silicone around...it gets sticky. When it dries it's slippery.

It won't be long before I am firing up the gasifier. And you can bet that I will document the process.