Can anyone recommend a good home test kit to test for hardness?
I bought a $10 kit at Home Depot, but I got only two samples out of it,
and it didn't seem to be as precise as I would like.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

Brian

On 19-Feb-2006, "btilley" wrote:

Can anyone recommend a good home test kit to test for hardness?

Hardness of what? Steel? Soft metals? Water? Plastic?

They all take different tests.

Mike

"btilley" wrote in message
oups.com...
Can anyone recommend a good home test kit to test for hardness?
I bought a $10 kit at Home Depot, but I got only two samples out of it,
and it didn't seem to be as precise as I would like.

Any suggestions?

Kitchen or bathroom scale with a Moh's converter.

btilley wrote:

Can anyone recommend a good home test kit to test for hardness?
I bought a $10 kit at Home Depot, but I got only two samples out of it,
and it didn't seem to be as precise as I would like.

No need for a kit. Moh's scale is universally accepted and requires no
special tools or equipment, but you do need up to 10 materials:

1 Talc Fingernail scratches it easily.
2 Gypsum Fingernail scratches it.
3 Calcite Copper penny scratches it.
4 Fluorite Steel knife scratches it easily.
5 Apatite Steel knife scratches it
6 Feldspar Steel knife doesn't scratch it easily, but scratches glass.
7 Quartz Hardest common mineral. It scratches steel and glass easily.
8 Topaz Harder than any common mineral.
9 Corundum It scratches Topaz
10 Diamond It is the hardest of all minerals.

"Lana" wrote in message ...
btilley wrote:

Can anyone recommend a good home test kit to test for hardness?
I bought a $10 kit at Home Depot, but I got only two samples out of it,
and it didn't seem to be as precise as I would like.

No need for a kit. Moh's scale is universally accepted and requires no
special tools or equipment, but you do need up to 10 materials:

1 Talc Fingernail scratches it easily.
2 Gypsum Fingernail scratches it.
3 Calcite Copper penny scratches it.
4 Fluorite Steel knife scratches it easily.
5 Apatite Steel knife scratches it
6 Feldspar Steel knife doesn't scratch it easily, but scratches glass.
7 Quartz Hardest common mineral. It scratches steel and glass easily.
8 Topaz Harder than any common mineral.
9 Corundum It scratches Topaz
10 Diamond It is the hardest of all minerals.


Tell me why you need to change the diamond stylus of a phonograph record?
Diamonds are the hardest substances known to man, and surely much harder
than vinyl. Why would a phonograph needle ever wear out?

btilley wrote:
Can anyone recommend a good home test kit to test for hardness?
I bought a $10 kit at Home Depot, but I got only two samples out of it,
and it didn't seem to be as precise as I would like.

Any suggestions?

Since you got the kit at Home Depot it must be a test for water
hardness.

The tests are available all over the internet. eBay is a good way to
go.
http://search.ebay.com/search/search...sop =1&fsoo=1

R

Sorry about the lack of clarity in my post.

I'm looking for a way to test for hardness (total hardness) in incoming
well water.

btilley wrote:

I'm looking for a way to test for hardness (total hardness) in incoming
well water.

http://www.hach.com sells 50 total hardness test strips for $7.90...

Nick

If I remember, the hardest is diamond. And some where down the scale include
granite, quartz, and talc is way down the list. Maybe you should contact
some other geological supply houses, and see if they have kits with more
samples of hardness test stones.

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
..

"btilley" wrote in message
oups.com...
Can anyone recommend a good home test kit to test for hardness?
I bought a $10 kit at Home Depot, but I got only two samples out of it,
and it didn't seem to be as precise as I would like.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

Brian

On 19 Feb 2006 19:08:48 -0800, btilley wrote:

Can anyone recommend a good home test kit to test for hardness?
I bought a $10 kit at Home Depot, but I got only two samples out of it,
and it didn't seem to be as precise as I would like.

Any suggestions?

Any pet shop will sell aquarium hardness tests which will serve the same
purpose, just make sure to get the GH (general hardness) as they may also
have KH (carbonate hardness) kits sold separately, or the KH may come as part
of the GH depending on the kit. Also, it depends on the kit whether the
results will be in ppm or degrees hardness, but the conversion is
straightforward - 1 degree of hardness = 17 ppm. The titration kits, the ones
which use an indicator which is dripped into the sample one drop at a time,
are more accurate than the dip strips in my experience. The titration kits
are easy to use and the one I use gives an accuracy of 1 degree of hardness.

Here in GA, for about $20, you can get a test done by the Extension Service
which will not only tell you the hardness and pH, but the concentration of
other minerals that may cause health problems, tastes, odors or stains in
your fixtures. All that is needed is to go to the extension office to get the
sample container and instructions, follow the instructions and then return
the sample to the Extension Service. IIRC it took about a week to get the
results back. The results are easy to read and any set standards are listed
for comparison to your results.

Later, Mike
(substitute strickland in the obvious location to reply directly)
-----------------------------------


Please send all email as text - HTML is too hard to decipher as text.

On Mon, 20 Feb 2006 05:34:59 GMT, "Oscar_Lives"
wrote:


"Lana" wrote in message ...
btilley wrote:

Can anyone recommend a good home test kit to test for hardness?
I bought a $10 kit at Home Depot, but I got only two samples out of it,
and it didn't seem to be as precise as I would like.

No need for a kit. Moh's scale is universally accepted and requires no
special tools or equipment, but you do need up to 10 materials:

1 Talc Fingernail scratches it easily.
2 Gypsum Fingernail scratches it.
3 Calcite Copper penny scratches it.
4 Fluorite Steel knife scratches it easily.
5 Apatite Steel knife scratches it
6 Feldspar Steel knife doesn't scratch it easily, but scratches glass.
7 Quartz Hardest common mineral. It scratches steel and glass easily.
8 Topaz Harder than any common mineral.
9 Corundum It scratches Topaz
10 Diamond It is the hardest of all minerals.


Tell me why you need to change the diamond stylus of a phonograph record?
Diamonds are the hardest substances known to man, and surely much harder
than vinyl. Why would a phonograph needle ever wear out?

That's a very good question.

Remove NOPSAM to email me. Please let
me know if you have posted also.

In article 7ycKf.779168$x96.159058@attbi_s72,
Oscar_Lives wrote:
...snipped...

Tell me why you need to change the diamond stylus of a phonograph record?
Diamonds are the hardest substances known to man, and surely much harder
than vinyl. Why would a phonograph needle ever wear out?



Rocks are surely much harder than water. Why would a rock in a river
ever become a smooth pebble?

--

Larry Wasserman Baltimore, Maryland

the diamond doesn't wear out the surrounding interface hardware wears out
...

"mm" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 20 Feb 2006 05:34:59 GMT, "Oscar_Lives"
wrote:


"Lana" wrote in message
...
btilley wrote:

Can anyone recommend a good home test kit to test for hardness?
I bought a $10 kit at Home Depot, but I got only two samples out of it,
and it didn't seem to be as precise as I would like.

No need for a kit. Moh's scale is universally accepted and requires no
special tools or equipment, but you do need up to 10 materials:

1 Talc Fingernail scratches it easily.
2 Gypsum Fingernail scratches it.
3 Calcite Copper penny scratches it.
4 Fluorite Steel knife scratches it easily.
5 Apatite Steel knife scratches it
6 Feldspar Steel knife doesn't scratch it easily, but scratches glass.
7 Quartz Hardest common mineral. It scratches steel and glass easily.
8 Topaz Harder than any common mineral.
9 Corundum It scratches Topaz
10 Diamond It is the hardest of all minerals.


Tell me why you need to change the diamond stylus of a phonograph record?
Diamonds are the hardest substances known to man, and surely much harder
than vinyl. Why would a phonograph needle ever wear out?

That's a very good question.

Remove NOPSAM to email me. Please let
me know if you have posted also.