# Edison Battery stuff



## piotrsko (Dec 9, 2007)

Genuine? There was a whole thread over in batteries about these a while back, but it died due to excessive cost to duplicate the technology today.

Do you know what is in the bottle?


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## mizlplix (May 1, 2011)

The old lady that I got it from said her husband worked for the railroad. They used to service the small batteries at the switches and crossing arms for the lights.

They had an electrolyte in them but they evaporated fast, so the oil was to stop evaporation loss. It was dielectric oil of some kind.

This bottle was made between 1915-1925. But they were used way up into the 1960's. The earlier bottles were flat and had corks in them. This is the first Ive ever seen with the oil still in it.

Miz


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## Snakub (Sep 8, 2008)

What made everyone in the previous thread on Edison Batteries decide it wasn't cost effective? This guy seems really knowledgeable but doesn't seem to be spending lots of money http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBGcdtAzzUE&list=FLE0NKblGTgEWYWZ46vxpE0Q&feature=mh_lolz


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## Salty9 (Jul 13, 2009)

In reading the Wiki entry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel%E2%80%93iron_battery it doesn't look as if it would be useful for EV use.


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## piotrsko (Dec 9, 2007)

back in the my having hair days, nickel was used for all sorts of no-rust shiny trim, but apparently the stuff used in edison technology got to be relatively pricey or on APCD lists as a toxic. I believe the thread was digested to: not bad technology, easy to make, somewhat better power than lead acid, take them all the way down to 0 volts then recharge by either electrical or chemical.

Not a lot of electrolyte in that bottle. still way cool. Believe the thread was about EDISON batteries, not necessarily fe/ni


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## StanSimmons (Sep 3, 2011)

piotrsko said:


> back in the my having hair days, nickel was used for all sorts of no-rust shiny trim, but apparently the stuff used in edison technology got to be relatively pricey or on APCD lists as a toxic. I believe the thread was digested to: not bad technology, easy to make, somewhat better power than lead acid, take them all the way down to 0 volts then recharge by either electrical or chemical.
> 
> Not a lot of electrolyte in that bottle. still way cool. Believe the thread was about EDISON batteries, not necessarily fe/ni


That isn't electrolyte in the bottle, but rather an oil that floated on top of the electrolyte to prevent it from evaporating. Edison NiFe batteries used an alkaline solution made of distilled water and potash.


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## poprock (Apr 29, 2010)

Not an historian, but was that capping method around in 1925?


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## StanSimmons (Sep 3, 2011)

poprock1 said:


> Not an historian, but was that capping method around in 1925?


Yep, crown caps were invented in the 1890's.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bottle_cap#Crown_cork


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## mizlplix (May 1, 2011)

I did a lot of Googling to get the 1925-1925 figure. mostly the plant burned down in Crown, NJ in 1915 and my bottle is marked Fairfield, NJ (the new plant). The bottles got a painted on label after 1925, mine is embossed in the glass.

The old railroad guy said the oil was not electrolyte. It was just dielectric oil, some mineral type, to slow electrolyte evaporation because it was several years between service visits.

These batteries would take a rapid charge and give it up very fast and the electrolyte would boil if done so. They were used in the railroad application because they were almost maintenance free for long periods. 

Kinda cool, but I think they were still fairly heavy. Ferric oxide and copper....glass containers too.


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