What Did You Buy Today?

[ChazzC]

I find Nitric acid impossible to contain. I have it in HDPE, inside glass, inside a plastic bag. All are discolored!

Check out the Sprengel pump: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprengel_pump

In the film “Edison, The Man” they show one of these in the Menlo Park, NJ lab being used to pull a vacuum on one of the light bulbs being tested, and they even mention borrowing a “Mercury Pump” from the University.

 

[coolidge]

Well I bought 3 more lathe toolholders, KBC only had 3 of the 6 in stock. Shopped the Travers sale but MSC with guaranteed fast delivery to my house was only $11 more so I went with MSC. Travers shipping ate up most of the discount.

 

[pontiac428]

I used to do a couple types of trace level analysis for mercury. That sticky s*** gets everywhere. I mean, you drop a thermometer in the bathroom, it's detectable in your kitchen cookpot years later. It sure is neat, but so is U235 and spitting cobras. Not good hobbies unless you like the idea of suffering from preventable or otherwise eradicated illnesses.

 

[rwm]

OK is this better?

https://www.sil.si.edu/DigitalCollections/trade-literature/scientific-instruments/pdf/sil14-52559.pdf

In fact it might make a cool project.
Sorry for being in the wrong thread!

 

[Just for fun]

I purchased a Langmuir Crossfire table $495 off of list price. Kind of pushing my year end finances so I'm going to have wait to buy the rest of the goodies. Including a new Plasma cutter capable of being hooked up to CNC. But I'm going to have a table

 

[BGHansen]

Times were a lot different in 1935 when the A.C. Gilbert Company sold this Electrical set (as a kid's toy).



The glass vial outlined in red was filled with mercury. The mercury was used in several experiments including this bouncing spring one.

 

[ChazzC]

Times were a lot different in 1935 when the A.C. Gilbert Company sold this Electrical set (as a kid's toy).

View attachment 512356

The glass vial outlined in red was filled with mercury. The mercury was used in several experiments including this bouncing spring one.

View attachment 512357

I remember the Gilbert Chemistry sets; I had a vertical one: metal cabinet, the two “doors” were shelved that held square bottles of chemicals (lots of no-longer-allowed compounds and some unique items (like dried Cochineal Beetles). Something like this, but blue:


My Mother had a BA in Chemistry (90+ years ago few women could get BS degrees), and one of my friends’ Father was a Pharmacist so she would sign for additional reagents like HCl, H2SO4 & HNO3. Also Phenol & Formaldehyde from which I made Bakelite.

 

[dkemppai]

I used to do a couple types of trace level analysis for mercury. That sticky s*** gets everywhere. I mean, you drop a thermometer in the bathroom, it's detectable in your kitchen cookpot years later. It sure is neat, but so is U235 and spitting cobras. Not good hobbies unless you like the idea of suffering from preventable or otherwise eradicated illnesses.

How is the stuff if in a mercury barometer? Does it off gas?

I've seen a few of those around and always assumed if the barometer was intact it was OK, but if it breaks that's when it becomes an issue. But honestly, not sure.

I know someone who works in a place that processes TONS of lead. The consensus there is the lead is heavy enough it ends up on the floor. Boots stay at work. Wash hands before eating lunch or going to the bathroom and exposure is basically zero (They monitor everyone's lead levels there, so...)

But not sure if mercury is like that or not.

 

[rwm]

Imagine working in a gun range. Fragrant lead aerosol.

 

[rwm]