Now I know why I do so much better than my competitors sometimes... Just
got a call from a potential customer who wants to drill .250" holes in
radiation hardened 316l stainless while spraying the unit with mercury...
1" thick stainless with no coolant.

Sounds like a prank call at first, but turns out to be a nuke application.
All my competitors turned him away. Wonder why.

If the drill "bit" breaks, they close the door, destroy the whole container
and start over with a new unit from me.

I'm guessing that I need to run at 50 RPM or less. Any thoughts?

Regards,
Joe Agro, Jr.
(800) 871-5022
01.908.542.0244
Automatic / Pneumatic Drills: http://www.AutoDrill.com
Multiple Spindle Drills: http://www.Multi-Drill.com

V8013-R

Joe AutoDrill wrote:

Now I know why I do so much better than my competitors sometimes... Just
got a call from a potential customer who wants to drill .250" holes in
radiation hardened 316l stainless while spraying the unit with mercury...
1" thick stainless with no coolant.

Sounds like a prank call at first, but turns out to be a nuke application.
All my competitors turned him away. Wonder why.

If the drill "bit" breaks, they close the door, destroy the whole container
and start over with a new unit from me.

I'm guessing that I need to run at 50 RPM or less. Any thoughts?

Have your lawyer triple check your liability release and disclaimer of
warranty of suitability for a particular application forms...

"Joe AutoDrill" wrote in message
newslCxj.9168$xg6.6303@trnddc07...
Now I know why I do so much better than my competitors sometimes... Just
got a call from a potential customer who wants to drill .250" holes in
radiation hardened 316l stainless while spraying the unit with mercury...
1" thick stainless with no coolant.

Sounds like a prank call at first, but turns out to be a nuke application.
All my competitors turned him away. Wonder why.

If the drill "bit" breaks, they close the door, destroy the whole
container and start over with a new unit from me.

I'm guessing that I need to run at 50 RPM or less. Any thoughts?

1) Don't do any testing or applications engineering in your plant.
2) Study up on hazmat gear.

3) Make sure your life insurance is paid up.

d8-)

--
Ed Huntress

1) Don't do any testing or applications engineering in your plant.

Yup!

2) Study up on hazmat gear.

Fun stuff. McMaster sells it, right?

3) Make sure your life insurance is paid up.

The closest I'm getting to the application is packing the drills up and
shipping them via UPS to their location. If they need a repair, I'll refer
them to some newsgroup spammer.
--


Regards,
Joe Agro, Jr.
(800) 871-5022
01.908.542.0244
Automatic / Pneumatic Drills: http://www.AutoDrill.com
Multiple Spindle Drills: http://www.Multi-Drill.com

V8013-R

Ed Huntress wrote:
drill .250" holes in radiation hardened 316l stainless while spraying
the unit with mercury... 1" thick stainless with no coolant.
I'm guessing that I need to run at 50 RPM or less. Any thoughts?

1) Don't do any testing or applications engineering in your plant.
2) Study up on hazmat gear.
3) Make sure your life insurance is paid up.

Adventures in machining. Sounds like this is one of those ISO 9002 or
whatever jobs where you document the materials used (test results from
steel manufacturer) and of course, all the SPC data or whatever from
your shop.

Mercury as a coolant? What is the purpose? Better think of how the unit
will be wiped down after machining (bet it will be anally probed, fer
sure). Is there a chance that the mercury will become atomized by the
cutter, or vaporized by the heat?

What if your setup leaks? What's the spill containment plan? Will you
test the operator prior to machining and after machining to detect exposure?

How will the presence of mercury be monitored for during machining? Is
there a requirement? HAZMAT suits are great, but is the machine in an
isolated room, or part of an open bay shop?

How will the entire exposed working area of the machine be tested, and
by who? Licensed or approved by OSHA?

How long will it take to decontaminate the machine? Are the surfaces
either painted / coated / finished so mercury does not bond / soak in /
hide in crevices?

Be up front with the customer on the clean up costs and requirements. If
the numbers don't come out, try to help the customer find a shop that
can do it. Better do a lateral pass if you can't handle it correctly...

Imagine accepting the job, doing it, then finding out you have a
persistent mercury contamination issue where that machine is not
starting on another job because it's dangerous to touch.

"Joe AutoDrill" wrote in message
news:Z3Dxj.42605$R_5.16041@trnddc08...
1) Don't do any testing or applications engineering in your plant.

Yup!

2) Study up on hazmat gear.

Fun stuff. McMaster sells it, right?

3) Make sure your life insurance is paid up.

The closest I'm getting to the application is packing the drills up and
shipping them via UPS to their location. If they need a repair, I'll
refer them to some newsgroup spammer.
--

That's good policy. Sometime I'll tell you about my adventures at Rocky
Flats, when I worked for a Japanese machine tool company but was the only
one on the staff who could get clearance to go in there. I was the marketing
manager, and I had to do some board-level repairs on a controller. d8-)

--
Ed Huntress

Joe AutoDrill wrote:
The closest I'm getting to the application is packing the drills up and
shipping them via UPS to their location. If they need a repair, I'll refer
them to some newsgroup spammer.

Smart move. It's their problem.

Perhaps you might wish to put a disclaimer on this special application.

Warranty is limited to supplying parts and technical assistance on the
phone. Non of these units can be returned to the manufacturer for service.

Might want to make sure the unit serial numbers are flagged in the
service records if they somehow surface. Company stores them, people
forget / don't care, sell on ebuy, seller sends to you for refurb, and
ding, ding, ding Houston we have a problem...

Just a thought.

Adventures in machining. Sounds like this is one of those ISO 9002 or
whatever jobs where you document the materials used (test results from
steel manufacturer) and of course, all the SPC data or whatever from your
shop.

Mercury as a coolant? What is the purpose? Better think of how the unit
will be wiped down after machining (bet it will be anally probed, fer
sure). Is there a chance that the mercury will become atomized by the
cutter, or vaporized by the heat?

What if your setup leaks? What's the spill containment plan? Will you test
the operator prior to machining and after machining to detect exposure?

How will the presence of mercury be monitored for during machining? Is
there a requirement? HAZMAT suits are great, but is the machine in an
isolated room, or part of an open bay shop?

How will the entire exposed working area of the machine be tested, and by
who? Licensed or approved by OSHA?

How long will it take to decontaminate the machine? Are the surfaces
either painted / coated / finished so mercury does not bond / soak in /
hide in crevices?

Be up front with the customer on the clean up costs and requirements. If
the numbers don't come out, try to help the customer find a shop that can
do it. Better do a lateral pass if you can't handle it correctly...

Imagine accepting the job, doing it, then finding out you have a
persistent mercury contamination issue where that machine is not starting
on another job because it's dangerous to touch.

No human interaction within the containment field. All robotics... All to
be incinerated or whatever if the drill bit breaks. No maintenance...
Govt. job type application.

If it leaks into my machine, I hope it doesn't degrade the seals. grin

you have to understand that these guys don't even want to run the pneumatic
lines in from outside. 100% containment. I picture some guy in Iraq with a
nuke bomb and a big, strong box. Inside the box are the bomb, my drill, a
large compressed air cylinder and a pneumatic control system... You use
some sort of remote control to start the process and run away. come back in
an hour and look at the camera view to see if the drill decommissioned the
bomb... Now... Fill the bomb with mercury and you've got an accurate
picture.
--


Regards,
Joe Agro, Jr.
(800) 871-5022
01.908.542.0244
Automatic / Pneumatic Drills: http://www.AutoDrill.com
Multiple Spindle Drills: http://www.Multi-Drill.com

V8013-R

The closest I'm getting to the application is packing the drills up and
shipping them via UPS to their location. If they need a repair, I'll
refer them to some newsgroup spammer.

Smart move. It's their problem.

Perhaps you might wish to put a disclaimer on this special application.

Warranty is limited to supplying parts and technical assistance on the
phone. Non of these units can be returned to the manufacturer for service.

Might want to make sure the unit serial numbers are flagged in the service
records if they somehow surface. Company stores them, people forget /
don't care, sell on ebuy, seller sends to you for refurb, and ding, ding,
ding Houston we have a problem...

Just a thought.

Excellent advice. I'll print those documents on day-glo paper too so they
stand out in the files...
--


Regards,
Joe Agro, Jr.
(800) 871-5022
01.908.542.0244
Automatic / Pneumatic Drills: http://www.AutoDrill.com
Multiple Spindle Drills: http://www.Multi-Drill.com

V8013-R

On 2008-02-28, Joe AutoDrill wrote:
Excellent advice. I'll print those documents on day-glo paper too so they
stand out in the files...

They will glow next to those stainless vats, anyway...

i

"Joe AutoDrill" wrote:

Now I know why I do so much better than my competitors sometimes... Just
got a call from a potential customer who wants to drill .250" holes in
radiation hardened 316l stainless while spraying the unit with mercury...
1" thick stainless with no coolant.

Sounds like a prank call at first, but turns out to be a nuke application.
All my competitors turned him away. Wonder why.

If the drill "bit" breaks, they close the door, destroy the whole container
and start over with a new unit from me.

I'm guessing that I need to run at 50 RPM or less. Any thoughts?

Regards,
Joe Agro, Jr.
(800) 871-5022
01.908.542.0244
Automatic / Pneumatic Drills: http://www.AutoDrill.com
Multiple Spindle Drills: http://www.Multi-Drill.com

V8013-R



http://www.ornl.gov/~webworks/cppr/y2001/rpt/111879.pdf

http://www.ornl.gov/~webworks/cppr/y2001/rpt/111879.pdf

Amazingly similar.
--


Regards,
Joe Agro, Jr.
(800) 871-5022
01.908.542.0244
Automatic / Pneumatic Drills: http://www.AutoDrill.com
Multiple Spindle Drills: http://www.Multi-Drill.com

V8013-R

"Joe AutoDrill" wrote:

http://www.ornl.gov/~webworks/cppr/y2001/rpt/111879.pdf

Amazingly similar.


It did remove the believe it or not factor from the thread.

Wes

Joe AutoDrill wrote:
http://www.ornl.gov/~webworks/cppr/y2001/rpt/111879.pdf

Amazingly similar.

The steel made sense before, but I've never known mercury to be
identified as a particle absorbing material. I think that in this case,
I'll be very NIMBY until someone could explain how the used mercury
would be immobilized... Perhaps in a borosilicate glass like nuke
wastes... Or they could sell it as surplus to Red China, and they could
use it in thermometers.

Read them in the dark...

"Joe AutoDrill" wrote in message
newslCxj.9168$xg6.6303@trnddc07...
Now I know why I do so much better than my competitors sometimes... Just
got a call from a potential customer who wants to drill .250" holes in
radiation hardened 316l stainless while spraying the unit with mercury...
1" thick stainless with no coolant.

Sounds like a prank call at first, but turns out to be a nuke application.
All my competitors turned him away. Wonder why.

If the drill "bit" breaks, they close the door, destroy the whole
container and start over with a new unit from me.

I'm guessing that I need to run at 50 RPM or less. Any thoughts?

Regards,
Joe Agro, Jr.
(800) 871-5022
01.908.542.0244
Automatic / Pneumatic Drills: http://www.AutoDrill.com
Multiple Spindle Drills: http://www.Multi-Drill.com

V8013-R




Tell them each hole should have a wire-brushed surface using a new Stainless
Knot-type brush.

Louis Ohland wrote:
Joe AutoDrill wrote:
http://www.ornl.gov/~webworks/cppr/y2001/rpt/111879.pdf

Amazingly similar.

The steel made sense before, but I've never known mercury to be
identified as a particle absorbing material. I think that in this case,
I'll be very NIMBY until someone could explain how the used mercury
would be immobilized... Perhaps in a borosilicate glass like nuke
wastes... Or they could sell it as surplus to Red China, and they could
use it in thermometers.

Mercury was used as a coolant in several
experimental reactors, mostly fast breeders,
in the 50's and 60's.

Jim Stewart wrote:
Mercury was used as a coolant in several
experimental reactors, mostly fast breeders,
in the 50's and 60's.

I know the Soviets used liquid Sodium metal reactors, once they cooled
so the metal wasn't liquid anymore, it was a real problem.

On Thu, 28 Feb 2008 17:39:32 GMT, "Joe AutoDrill"
wrote:

Now I know why I do so much better than my competitors sometimes... Just
got a call from a potential customer who wants to drill .250" holes in
radiation hardened 316l stainless while spraying the unit with mercury...
1" thick stainless with no coolant.

Sounds like a prank call at first, but turns out to be a nuke application.
All my competitors turned him away. Wonder why.

If the drill "bit" breaks, they close the door, destroy the whole container
and start over with a new unit from me.

I'm guessing that I need to run at 50 RPM or less. Any thoughts?

Regards,
Joe Agro, Jr.
(800) 871-5022
01.908.542.0244
Automatic / Pneumatic Drills: http://www.AutoDrill.com
Multiple Spindle Drills: http://www.Multi-Drill.com

V8013-R




Hey Joe,

Sounds like a job for a Cole Drill or EDM.

Brian Lawson,
Bothwell, Ontario.

UGH. Mercury is the coolant - a metal liquid. Likely very active.
Martin
Martin H. Eastburn
@ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net
TSRA, Endowed; NRA LOH & Patron Member, Golden Eagle, Patriot's Medal.
NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder
IHMSA and NRA Metallic Silhouette maker & member.
http://lufkinced.com/


Joe AutoDrill wrote:
Now I know why I do so much better than my competitors sometimes... Just
got a call from a potential customer who wants to drill .250" holes in
radiation hardened 316l stainless while spraying the unit with mercury...
1" thick stainless with no coolant.

Sounds like a prank call at first, but turns out to be a nuke application.
All my competitors turned him away. Wonder why.

If the drill "bit" breaks, they close the door, destroy the whole container
and start over with a new unit from me.

I'm guessing that I need to run at 50 RPM or less. Any thoughts?

Regards,
Joe Agro, Jr.
(800) 871-5022
01.908.542.0244
Automatic / Pneumatic Drills: http://www.AutoDrill.com
Multiple Spindle Drills: http://www.Multi-Drill.com

V8013-R

UGH. Mercury is the coolant - a metal liquid. Likely very active.

Not the case. Secondary discussions indicate that the mercury will exit the
hole I drill, not be sprayed onto the surface as I drill...
--


Regards,
Joe Agro, Jr.
(800) 871-5022
01.908.542.0244
Automatic / Pneumatic Drills: http://www.AutoDrill.com
Multiple Spindle Drills: http://www.Multi-Drill.com

V8013-R

Tell them each hole should have a wire-brushed surface using a new
Stainless Knot-type brush.

I'll have him call you.
--


Regards,
Joe Agro, Jr.
(800) 871-5022
01.908.542.0244
Automatic / Pneumatic Drills: http://www.AutoDrill.com
Multiple Spindle Drills: http://www.Multi-Drill.com

V8013-R

"Joe AutoDrill" wrote in
message news:UdTxj.9470$Dz4.4447@trnddc01...
UGH. Mercury is the coolant - a metal
liquid. Likely very active.

Not the case. Secondary discussions indicate
that the mercury will exit the hole I drill,
not be sprayed onto the surface as I drill...
--

Kinda OT, but there is a drill and mercury
involved.

Old gunsmith trick for drilling holes in HARD
parts. Heat the drill bit to red, quench
in mercury. I would suspect that if caught
doing it in this day and age the eco-police
would frown.

"BillM" wrote in message
news:%HTxj.23285$6t3.4002@trndny07...

"Joe AutoDrill" wrote in message
news:UdTxj.9470$Dz4.4447@trnddc01...
UGH. Mercury is the coolant - a metal liquid. Likely very active.

Not the case. Secondary discussions indicate that the mercury will exit
the hole I drill, not be sprayed onto the surface as I drill...
--

Kinda OT, but there is a drill and mercury involved.

Old gunsmith trick for drilling holes in HARD parts. Heat the drill bit
to red, quench
in mercury. I would suspect that if caught doing it in this day and age
the eco-police
would frown.
At an estate sale for a family member, we discovered a 4 inch tall bottle of
mercury my grandfather had hoarded.
My brothers and I offered to buy it back from the winning bidder. The
winner's buddy told her not to sell it, that it was valuable.
I explained to her that it would be very difficult to get rid of legally.
Their greed won.
Hehehe

At an estate sale for a family member, we discovered a 4 inch tall bottle
of mercury my grandfather had hoarded.
My brothers and I offered to buy it back from the winning bidder. The
winner's buddy told her not to sell it, that it was valuable.
I explained to her that it would be very difficult to get rid of legally.
Their greed won.
Hehehe

I wonder if the recycling folks anywhere will receive mercury...
--


Regards,
Joe Agro, Jr.
(800) 871-5022
01.908.542.0244
Automatic / Pneumatic Drills: http://www.AutoDrill.com
Multiple Spindle Drills: http://www.Multi-Drill.com

V8013-R

"Joe AutoDrill" wrote in message
news:w1Uxj.37238$v57.9619@trnddc05...
At an estate sale for a family member, we discovered a 4 inch tall bottle
of mercury my grandfather had hoarded.
My brothers and I offered to buy it back from the winning bidder. The
winner's buddy told her not to sell it, that it was valuable.
I explained to her that it would be very difficult to get rid of legally.
Their greed won.
Hehehe

I wonder if the recycling folks anywhere will receive mercury...
--

Sure. We have mercury recycling run by the county here in Middlesex, Joe.
Where are you? Somerset or Hunterdon? They probably have mercury recycling.
They get mostly old thermometers and mercury switches, but they took a
couple of ounces from me last year, which was amalgamated with lead.

I still have a pound or two that I bought 25 years ago for cleaning out the
lead in the muzzle brake on my Hi-Standard Supermatic. It takes about one
ounce every 10 years, so I'll have it for a while. d8-)

--
Ed Huntress

I wonder if the recycling folks anywhere will receive mercury...
--

Sure. We have mercury recycling run by the county here in Middlesex, Joe.
Where are you? Somerset or Hunterdon? They probably have mercury
recycling. They get mostly old thermometers and mercury switches, but they
took a couple of ounces from me last year, which was amalgamated with
lead.

I still have a pound or two that I bought 25 years ago for cleaning out
the lead in the muzzle brake on my Hi-Standard Supermatic. It takes about
one ounce every 10 years, so I'll have it for a while. d8-)

Oh... I don't have any... I don't want any... But I wondered what the
going rate was if you waked in with a 5 lb. cup full of the stuff.

I'm in Morris now, will drive through Somerset on the way home and wind up
in scenic Essex when I get there.
--


Regards,
Joe Agro, Jr.
(800) 871-5022
01.908.542.0244
Automatic / Pneumatic Drills: http://www.AutoDrill.com
Multiple Spindle Drills: http://www.Multi-Drill.com

V8013-R

"Joe AutoDrill" wrote in message
news:IcUxj.44345$R_5.34086@trnddc08...
I wonder if the recycling folks anywhere will receive mercury...
--

Sure. We have mercury recycling run by the county here in Middlesex, Joe.
Where are you? Somerset or Hunterdon? They probably have mercury
recycling. They get mostly old thermometers and mercury switches, but
they took a couple of ounces from me last year, which was amalgamated
with lead.

I still have a pound or two that I bought 25 years ago for cleaning out
the lead in the muzzle brake on my Hi-Standard Supermatic. It takes about
one ounce every 10 years, so I'll have it for a while. d8-)

Oh... I don't have any... I don't want any... But I wondered what the
going rate was if you waked in with a 5 lb. cup full of the stuff.

I'm in Morris now, will drive through Somerset on the way home and wind up
in scenic Essex when I get there.

First off, don't freak out over metallic mercury. The dangerous stuff is the
organic compounds. With metallic mercury, brief exposure of the skin and so
on is not a real danger. In fact, kids who swallow mercury from thermometers
are not in danger if they're healthy.

However, if you're pregnant, or are planning to become pregnant, stay away
from it. d8-)

--
Ed Huntress

"Joe AutoDrill" wrote in message
news:IcUxj.44345$R_5.34086@trnddc08...
I wonder if the recycling folks anywhere will receive mercury...
--

Sure. We have mercury recycling run by the county here in Middlesex, Joe.
Where are you? Somerset or Hunterdon? They probably have mercury
recycling. They get mostly old thermometers and mercury switches, but
they took a couple of ounces from me last year, which was amalgamated
with lead.

I still have a pound or two that I bought 25 years ago for cleaning out
the lead in the muzzle brake on my Hi-Standard Supermatic. It takes about
one ounce every 10 years, so I'll have it for a while. d8-)

Oh... I don't have any... I don't want any... But I wondered what the
going rate was if you waked in with a 5 lb. cup full of the stuff.

Oh, here's a website that explains the dangers in simple, general terms, if
you're interested:

http://www.calpoison.org/public/mercury.html

--
Ed Huntress

"Joe AutoDrill" wrote:

Oh... I don't have any... I don't want any... But I wondered what the
going rate was if you waked in with a 5 lb. cup full of the stuff.


Unitednuclear sells reagent grade mercury for 25 dollars per 2 oz.

Wes

On Fri, 29 Feb 2008 13:24:11 GMT, with neither quill nor qualm,
"BillM" quickly quoth:

Kinda OT, but there is a drill and mercury
involved.

Old gunsmith trick for drilling holes in HARD
parts. Heat the drill bit to red, quench
in mercury. I would suspect that if caught
doing it in this day and age the eco-police
would frown.

Nah, they'd just toss your arse in jail, quarantine the city within a
mile radius from your home, hospitalize all those in the radius, and
excavate the block your shop was on to a depth of 50 yards, charging
you for the hazmat cleanup.

No biggie.

--
An idealist believes the short run doesn't count. A cynic believes
the long run doesn't matter. A realist believes that what is done
or left undone in the short run determines the long run.
-- Sydney J. Harris

In article ,
Larry Jaques wrote:
On Fri, 29 Feb 2008 13:24:11 GMT, with neither quill nor qualm,
"BillM" quickly quoth:

Kinda OT, but there is a drill and mercury
involved.

Old gunsmith trick for drilling holes in HARD
parts. Heat the drill bit to red, quench
in mercury. I would suspect that if caught
doing it in this day and age the eco-police
would frown.

Nah, they'd just toss your arse in jail, quarantine the city within a
mile radius from your home, hospitalize all those in the radius, and
excavate the block your shop was on to a depth of 50 yards, charging
you for the hazmat cleanup.




Gramps was a gunsmith with a business shop in the basement. Mercury
was in frequent use as was a large old-fashioned gun bluing operation
with vats of hot chemicals. We moved out of that house in 1958 and
I've always suspected that if I called the right people, EPA folks in
moon suits would appear in quantity and do all of the above to whoever
lives in the house, now.

--
Al Dykes
News is something someone wants to suppress, everything else is advertising.
- Lord Northcliffe, publisher of the Daily Mail

On Fri, 29 Feb 2008 08:55:42 -0500, "Ed Huntress"
wrote:


"Joe AutoDrill" wrote in message
news:w1Uxj.37238$v57.9619@trnddc05...
At an estate sale for a family member, we discovered a 4 inch tall bottle
of mercury my grandfather had hoarded.
My brothers and I offered to buy it back from the winning bidder. The
winner's buddy told her not to sell it, that it was valuable.
I explained to her that it would be very difficult to get rid of legally.
Their greed won.
Hehehe

I wonder if the recycling folks anywhere will receive mercury...
--

Sure. We have mercury recycling run by the county here in Middlesex, Joe.
Where are you? Somerset or Hunterdon? They probably have mercury recycling.
They get mostly old thermometers and mercury switches, but they took a
couple of ounces from me last year, which was amalgamated with lead.

I still have a pound or two that I bought 25 years ago for cleaning out the
lead in the muzzle brake on my Hi-Standard Supermatic. It takes about one
ounce every 10 years, so I'll have it for a while. d8-)

Hey, if I was looking for toxic waste, NJ is where I'd go. ;-)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxic_Avenger
Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany
--
"it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward"
Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com

On Fri, 29 Feb 2008 09:13:15 -0500, "Ed Huntress"
wrote:


"Joe AutoDrill" wrote in message
news:IcUxj.44345$R_5.34086@trnddc08...
I wonder if the recycling folks anywhere will receive mercury...
--

Sure. We have mercury recycling run by the county here in Middlesex, Joe.
Where are you? Somerset or Hunterdon? They probably have mercury
recycling. They get mostly old thermometers and mercury switches, but
they took a couple of ounces from me last year, which was amalgamated
with lead.

I still have a pound or two that I bought 25 years ago for cleaning out
the lead in the muzzle brake on my Hi-Standard Supermatic. It takes about
one ounce every 10 years, so I'll have it for a while. d8-)

Oh... I don't have any... I don't want any... But I wondered what the
going rate was if you waked in with a 5 lb. cup full of the stuff.

Oh, here's a website that explains the dangers in simple, general terms, if
you're interested:

http://www.calpoison.org/public/mercury.html

The really horrific effects in Japan back in the 50s were from methyl
mercury compounds released by Chisso Chemical into Minamata Bay..
where the town's food supply was fished from.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minamata_disease

Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany
--
"it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward"
Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com

"Spehro Pefhany" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 29 Feb 2008 08:55:42 -0500, "Ed Huntress"
wrote:


"Joe AutoDrill" wrote in message
news:w1Uxj.37238$v57.9619@trnddc05...
At an estate sale for a family member, we discovered a 4 inch tall
bottle
of mercury my grandfather had hoarded.
My brothers and I offered to buy it back from the winning bidder. The
winner's buddy told her not to sell it, that it was valuable.
I explained to her that it would be very difficult to get rid of
legally.
Their greed won.
Hehehe

I wonder if the recycling folks anywhere will receive mercury...
--

Sure. We have mercury recycling run by the county here in Middlesex, Joe.
Where are you? Somerset or Hunterdon? They probably have mercury
recycling.
They get mostly old thermometers and mercury switches, but they took a
couple of ounces from me last year, which was amalgamated with lead.

I still have a pound or two that I bought 25 years ago for cleaning out
the
lead in the muzzle brake on my Hi-Standard Supermatic. It takes about one
ounce every 10 years, so I'll have it for a while. d8-)

Hey, if I was looking for toxic waste, NJ is where I'd go. ;-)

It's one of our top products. You probably could make a bomb out of the dirt
here, if you knew your chemistry.

--
Ed Huntress

On Thu, 28 Feb 2008 17:39:32 GMT, "Joe AutoDrill" wrote:

Now I know why I do so much better than my competitors sometimes... Just
got a call from a potential customer who wants to drill .250" holes in
radiation hardened 316l stainless while spraying the unit with mercury...
1" thick stainless with no coolant.

Sounds like a prank call at first, but turns out to be a nuke application.
All my competitors turned him away. Wonder why.

If the drill "bit" breaks, they close the door, destroy the whole container
and start over with a new unit from me.

I'm guessing that I need to run at 50 RPM or less. Any thoughts?

Regards,
Joe Agro, Jr.
(800) 871-5022
01.908.542.0244
Automatic / Pneumatic Drills: http://www.AutoDrill.com
Multiple Spindle Drills: http://www.Multi-Drill.com

V8013-R




Possible thoughts:-

avoid cobalt\ radiation issues
avoid copper/

avoid nonferrous metals mercury issues

Other than that. High cobalt bits run slow :-)


Mark Rand
RTFM

You said it - mercury will exit the hole - taking heat with it since it
conducts. It creates a vacuum and draws in other. Something like a heat pump.

When I drill or hold cut glass on the drill press, I build a dam of clay and
fill it with water. Steam blows water out of the hole, but the exhaust on one
side draws in fluid on the other. The cut is done cooler. Doesn't shatter
the glass.

Martin

Martin H. Eastburn
@ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net
TSRA, Endowed; NRA LOH & Patron Member, Golden Eagle, Patriot's Medal.
NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder
IHMSA and NRA Metallic Silhouette maker & member.
http://lufkinced.com/


Joe AutoDrill wrote:
UGH. Mercury is the coolant - a metal liquid. Likely very active.

Not the case. Secondary discussions indicate that the mercury will exit the
hole I drill, not be sprayed onto the surface as I drill...

On Fri, 29 Feb 2008 13:24:11 GMT, "BillM"
wrote:


Kinda OT, but there is a drill and mercury
involved.

Old gunsmith trick for drilling holes in HARD
parts. Heat the drill bit to red, quench
in mercury. I would suspect that if caught
doing it in this day and age the eco-police
would frown.


What purpose does the mercury serve here? Does it simply provide a
desired quench rate, or is there some sort of chemical
reaction/bonding/etc between the steel & the mercury?

Just curious.

Joe

What purpose does the mercury serve here? Does it simply provide a
desired quench rate, or is there some sort of chemical
reaction/bonding/etc between the steel & the mercury?

Just curious.

Neither in this case. It just happens to be in the work area in large
quantities. I beleive it has something to do with the part and it's
standard workign atmosphere. Coolant is nonn-existant on this process, thus
the challenge.
--


Regards,
Joe Agro, Jr.
(800) 871-5022
01.908.542.0244
Automatic / Pneumatic Drills: http://www.AutoDrill.com
Multiple Spindle Drills: http://www.Multi-Drill.com

V8013-R

On Mon, 03 Mar 2008 13:02:13 GMT, "Joe AutoDrill"
wrote:

What purpose does the mercury serve here? Does it simply provide a
desired quench rate, or is there some sort of chemical
reaction/bonding/etc between the steel & the mercury?

Just curious.

Neither in this case. It just happens to be in the work area in large
quantities. I beleive it has something to do with the part and it's
standard workign atmosphere. Coolant is nonn-existant on this process, thus
the challenge.

Sorry, I was responding to BillM's comment about gunsmiths quenching
drill bits in mercury, although your issue is curious as well...

Joe

Neither in this case. It just happens to be in the work area in large
quantities. I beleive it has something to do with the part and it's
standard workign atmosphere. Coolant is nonn-existant on this process,
thus
the challenge.

Sorry, I was responding to BillM's comment about gunsmiths quenching
drill bits in mercury, although your issue is curious as well...

Joe

No apology needed... I should have researched the context of your response
better.
--


Regards,
Joe Agro, Jr.
(800) 871-5022
01.908.542.0244
Automatic / Pneumatic Drills: http://www.AutoDrill.com
Multiple Spindle Drills: http://www.Multi-Drill.com

V8013-R