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Metalworking (rec.crafts.metalworking) Discuss various aspects of working with metal, such as machining, welding, metal joining, screwing, casting, hardening/tempering, blacksmithing/forging, spinning and hammer work, sheet metal work. |
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#1
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What is mercury worth?
Estate sale, fellow has about 5 lbs of liquid metallic mercury.
it was used as adjustable mass/weight in benchrest rifles. Owner/heir is concerned about EPA issues etc. But it has a value somewhere. Do scrap metal dealers buy it? Is there a price/lb? |
#2
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What is mercury worth?
On Jul 28, 12:08 pm, RB wrote:
Estate sale, fellow has about 5 lbs of liquid metallic mercury. it was used as adjustable mass/weight in benchrest rifles. Owner/heir is concerned about EPA issues etc. But it has a value somewhere. Do scrap metal dealers buy it? Is there a price/lb? I see it for sale for about $6/lb, I see it asked for, willing to pay $1.50/lb. Find a taker for any price, its more of a liability (in the current eco-climate) than an assett. Googling ' mercury scrap price ' turns up a few listings. Dave |
#4
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What is mercury worth?
"RB" wrote in message ... Estate sale, fellow has about 5 lbs of liquid metallic mercury. it was used as adjustable mass/weight in benchrest rifles. Owner/heir is concerned about EPA issues etc. But it has a value somewhere. Do scrap metal dealers buy it? Is there a price/lb? Suggest someone bring it to a local HS/college lab. Makes a great class demo: Put it in a clear quart container. Put water in another clear quart container. Have class pass by, each student lifting the quart of water, then merc. Most will not be able to lift the quart of mercury--for two reasons: some simply don't have the strength, but for many, it is so unexpectedly heavy, they think it's actually glued to the counter top, and stop trying. 2# vs. about 28#, more than a 25# barbell plate--not easy to lift off balance or out of position. -- DT |
#6
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What is mercury worth?
On Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:15:37 -0400, "DrollTroll"
wrote: "RB" wrote in message ... Estate sale, fellow has about 5 lbs of liquid metallic mercury. it was used as adjustable mass/weight in benchrest rifles. Owner/heir is concerned about EPA issues etc. But it has a value somewhere. Do scrap metal dealers buy it? Is there a price/lb? Suggest someone bring it to a local HS/college lab. Makes a great class demo: Put it in a clear quart container. Put water in another clear quart container. Have class pass by, each student lifting the quart of water, then merc. Most will not be able to lift the quart of mercury--for two reasons: some simply don't have the strength, but for many, it is so unexpectedly heavy, they think it's actually glued to the counter top, and stop trying. 2# vs. about 28#, more than a 25# barbell plate--not easy to lift off balance or out of position. Except 5lbs is a lot less than a quart - and, obviously, weighs only 5 lb, not 28. ** Posted from http://www.teranews.com ** |
#7
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What is mercury worth?
On Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:15:37 -0400, "DrollTroll"
wrote: "RB" wrote in message ... Estate sale, fellow has about 5 lbs of liquid metallic mercury. it was used as adjustable mass/weight in benchrest rifles. Owner/heir is concerned about EPA issues etc. But it has a value somewhere. Do scrap metal dealers buy it? Is there a price/lb? Suggest someone bring it to a local HS/college lab. Makes a great class demo: Put it in a clear quart container. Put water in another clear quart container. Have class pass by, each student lifting the quart of water, then merc. Most will not be able to lift the quart of mercury--for two reasons: some simply don't have the strength, but for many, it is so unexpectedly heavy, they think it's actually glued to the counter top, and stop trying. 2# vs. about 28#, more than a 25# barbell plate--not easy to lift off balance or out of position. One of the kids WILL lift it, then drop it. That could be a problem. Thank You, Randy Remove 333 from email address to reply. |
#8
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What is mercury worth?
Yeah! And if one of them get a hernia who's to blame?
Bob Swinney "DrollTroll" wrote in message ... "RB" wrote in message ... Estate sale, fellow has about 5 lbs of liquid metallic mercury. it was used as adjustable mass/weight in benchrest rifles. Owner/heir is concerned about EPA issues etc. But it has a value somewhere. Do scrap metal dealers buy it? Is there a price/lb? Suggest someone bring it to a local HS/college lab. Makes a great class demo: Put it in a clear quart container. Put water in another clear quart container. Have class pass by, each student lifting the quart of water, then merc. Most will not be able to lift the quart of mercury--for two reasons: some simply don't have the strength, but for many, it is so unexpectedly heavy, they think it's actually glued to the counter top, and stop trying. 2# vs. about 28#, more than a 25# barbell plate--not easy to lift off balance or out of position. -- DT ** Posted from http://www.teranews.com ** |
#9
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What is mercury worth?
"DrollTroll" wrote in message ... "RB" wrote in message ... Estate sale, fellow has about 5 lbs of liquid metallic mercury. it was used as adjustable mass/weight in benchrest rifles. Owner/heir is concerned about EPA issues etc. But it has a value somewhere. Do scrap metal dealers buy it? Is there a price/lb? Suggest someone bring it to a local HS/college lab. Makes a great class demo: Put it in a clear quart container. Put water in another clear quart container. Have class pass by, each student lifting the quart of water, then merc. Most will not be able to lift the quart of mercury--for two reasons: some simply don't have the strength, but for many, it is so unexpectedly heavy, they think it's actually glued to the counter top, and stop trying. 2# vs. about 28#, more than a 25# barbell plate--not easy to lift off balance or out of position. -- DT Yeah! And if one of them gets a hernia, who's to blame? Bob Swinney ** Posted from http://www.teranews.com ** |
#10
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What is mercury worth?
clare at snyder dot ontario dot canada wrote in message ... On Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:15:37 -0400, "DrollTroll" wrote: "RB" wrote in message ... Estate sale, fellow has about 5 lbs of liquid metallic mercury. it was used as adjustable mass/weight in benchrest rifles. Owner/heir is concerned about EPA issues etc. But it has a value somewhere. Do scrap metal dealers buy it? Is there a price/lb? Suggest someone bring it to a local HS/college lab. Makes a great class demo: Put it in a clear quart container. Put water in another clear quart container. Have class pass by, each student lifting the quart of water, then merc. Most will not be able to lift the quart of mercury--for two reasons: some simply don't have the strength, but for many, it is so unexpectedly heavy, they think it's actually glued to the counter top, and stop trying. 2# vs. about 28#, more than a 25# barbell plate--not easy to lift off balance or out of position. Except 5lbs is a lot less than a quart - and, obviously, weighs only 5 lb, not 28. Just a guess, but I'll hazard that your density exceeds that of mercury. -- DT ** Posted from http://www.teranews.com ** |
#11
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What is mercury worth?
"Randy" wrote in message ... On Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:15:37 -0400, "DrollTroll" wrote: "RB" wrote in message ... Estate sale, fellow has about 5 lbs of liquid metallic mercury. it was used as adjustable mass/weight in benchrest rifles. Owner/heir is concerned about EPA issues etc. But it has a value somewhere. Do scrap metal dealers buy it? Is there a price/lb? Suggest someone bring it to a local HS/college lab. Makes a great class demo: Put it in a clear quart container. Put water in another clear quart container. Have class pass by, each student lifting the quart of water, then merc. Most will not be able to lift the quart of mercury--for two reasons: some simply don't have the strength, but for many, it is so unexpectedly heavy, they think it's actually glued to the counter top, and stop trying. 2# vs. about 28#, more than a 25# barbell plate--not easy to lift off balance or out of position. One of the kids WILL lift it, then drop it. That could be a problem. Thank You, Randy Some idiot science teacher in a local middle school sprinkled a small amount of mercury on a lab table to show the kids how the drops roll. That episode cost the school district a few thousand dollars in monitoring and cleanup. If a quart of mercury was dropped, there would be a financial disaster. |
#12
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What is mercury worth?
"ATP*" wrote in message ... "Randy" wrote in message ... On Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:15:37 -0400, "DrollTroll" wrote: "RB" wrote in message .. . Estate sale, fellow has about 5 lbs of liquid metallic mercury. it was used as adjustable mass/weight in benchrest rifles. Owner/heir is concerned about EPA issues etc. But it has a value somewhere. Do scrap metal dealers buy it? Is there a price/lb? Suggest someone bring it to a local HS/college lab. Makes a great class demo: Put it in a clear quart container. Put water in another clear quart container. Have class pass by, each student lifting the quart of water, then merc. Most will not be able to lift the quart of mercury--for two reasons: some simply don't have the strength, but for many, it is so unexpectedly heavy, they think it's actually glued to the counter top, and stop trying. 2# vs. about 28#, more than a 25# barbell plate--not easy to lift off balance or out of position. One of the kids WILL lift it, then drop it. That could be a problem. Thank You, Randy Some idiot science teacher in a local middle school sprinkled a small amount of mercury on a lab table to show the kids how the drops roll. That episode cost the school district a few thousand dollars in monitoring and cleanup. If a quart of mercury was dropped, there would be a financial disaster. Which of course was a knee-jerk bureaucratic reaction by some asshole. Of course, the above quart demo would be done with frozen mercury. -- DT |
#13
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What is mercury worth?
"DrollTroll" wrote in message ... "ATP*" wrote in message ... "Randy" wrote in message ... On Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:15:37 -0400, "DrollTroll" wrote: "RB" wrote in message . .. Estate sale, fellow has about 5 lbs of liquid metallic mercury. it was used as adjustable mass/weight in benchrest rifles. Owner/heir is concerned about EPA issues etc. But it has a value somewhere. Do scrap metal dealers buy it? Is there a price/lb? Suggest someone bring it to a local HS/college lab. Makes a great class demo: Put it in a clear quart container. Put water in another clear quart container. Have class pass by, each student lifting the quart of water, then merc. Most will not be able to lift the quart of mercury--for two reasons: some simply don't have the strength, but for many, it is so unexpectedly heavy, they think it's actually glued to the counter top, and stop trying. 2# vs. about 28#, more than a 25# barbell plate--not easy to lift off balance or out of position. One of the kids WILL lift it, then drop it. That could be a problem. Thank You, Randy Some idiot science teacher in a local middle school sprinkled a small amount of mercury on a lab table to show the kids how the drops roll. That episode cost the school district a few thousand dollars in monitoring and cleanup. If a quart of mercury was dropped, there would be a financial disaster. Which of course was a knee-jerk bureaucratic reaction by some asshole. That's today's reality, whether you agree with it or not. |
#14
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What is mercury worth?
Whatever you do with it, ITS A FELONY! Just kidding, but you need to send
it to me. It is useful here in the Mother Lode for gold recovery. -- Stupendous Man, Defender of Freedom, Advocate of Liberty |
#15
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What is mercury worth?
Make motors,
Make mirrors It is useful in the right hands, causes chills in some if they know, and hasmat. 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/ ----== Posted via Pronews.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.pronews.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 100,000 Newsgroups ---= - Total Privacy via Encryption =--- |
#16
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What is mercury worth?
"Stupendous Man" wrote in message ... Whatever you do with it, ITS A FELONY! Just kidding, but you need to send it to me. It is useful here in the Mother Lode for gold recovery. -- Stupendous Man, Defender of Freedom, Advocate of Liberty I still have a little over three pounds of it, which I intend to keep as long as I keep my Hi-Standard Supermatic pistol. Lead builds up in the muzzle brake, and mercury is the only thing that will get it out without damage. I used it in a single-shot rifle in which I shot lead bullets, too, but that one is long gone. -- Ed Huntress |
#17
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What is mercury worth?
On Tue, 29 Jul 2008 22:00:01 -0400, "ATP*"
wrote: Some idiot science teacher in a local middle school sprinkled a small amount of mercury on a lab table to show the kids how the drops roll. That episode cost the school district a few thousand dollars in monitoring and cleanup. If a quart of mercury was dropped, there would be a financial disaster. Which of course was a knee-jerk bureaucratic reaction by some asshole. That's today's reality, whether you agree with it or not. Back when I was a kid, we used a mixture od asbestos and plaster of paris as a modelling "clay".Made all sorts of electrical aparatus with mercury. Some people think I'm crazy - mabee the "mad as a hatter" syndrome from the mercury????? Yes, the stuff CAN be dangerous - but the world has gone totally overboard - anything that could POSSIBLY hurt us is controlled to the enth degree - while WHAT IS KILLING US is largely unaddressed. (and when "they" get around to addressing whatever that is, they'll go overboard again, as usual) ** Posted from http://www.teranews.com ** |
#18
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What is mercury worth?
clare at snyder dot ontario dot canada wrote in message ... On Tue, 29 Jul 2008 22:00:01 -0400, "ATP*" wrote: Some idiot science teacher in a local middle school sprinkled a small amount of mercury on a lab table to show the kids how the drops roll. That episode cost the school district a few thousand dollars in monitoring and cleanup. If a quart of mercury was dropped, there would be a financial disaster. Which of course was a knee-jerk bureaucratic reaction by some asshole. That's today's reality, whether you agree with it or not. Back when I was a kid, we used a mixture od asbestos and plaster of paris as a modelling "clay".Made all sorts of electrical aparatus with mercury. Some people think I'm crazy - mabee the "mad as a hatter" syndrome from the mercury????? Yes, the stuff CAN be dangerous - but the world has gone totally overboard - anything that could POSSIBLY hurt us is controlled to the enth degree - while WHAT IS KILLING US is largely unaddressed. (and when "they" get around to addressing whatever that is, they'll go overboard again, as usual) ** Posted from http://www.teranews.com ** The danger of mercury lies primarily with its organic compounds. Liquid, metallic mercury itself is not particularly toxic. The problem, of course, is that letting it out into the environment allows the production of organic compounds. -- Ed Huntress |
#19
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What is mercury worth?
On Wed, 30 Jul 2008 07:55:55 -0400, "Ed Huntress"
wrote: clare at snyder dot ontario dot canada wrote in message .. . On Tue, 29 Jul 2008 22:00:01 -0400, "ATP*" wrote: Some idiot science teacher in a local middle school sprinkled a small amount of mercury on a lab table to show the kids how the drops roll. That episode cost the school district a few thousand dollars in monitoring and cleanup. If a quart of mercury was dropped, there would be a financial disaster. Which of course was a knee-jerk bureaucratic reaction by some asshole. That's today's reality, whether you agree with it or not. Back when I was a kid, we used a mixture od asbestos and plaster of paris as a modelling "clay".Made all sorts of electrical aparatus with mercury. Some people think I'm crazy - mabee the "mad as a hatter" syndrome from the mercury????? Yes, the stuff CAN be dangerous - but the world has gone totally overboard - anything that could POSSIBLY hurt us is controlled to the enth degree - while WHAT IS KILLING US is largely unaddressed. (and when "they" get around to addressing whatever that is, they'll go overboard again, as usual) ** Posted from http://www.teranews.com ** The danger of mercury lies primarily with its organic compounds. Liquid, metallic mercury itself is not particularly toxic. The problem, of course, is that letting it out into the environment allows the production of organic compounds. I should hope not as they used to mix it with silver and poke it in your teeth. Bruce-in-Bangkok (correct Address is bpaige125atgmaildotcom) |
#20
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What is mercury worth?
"Bruce in Bangkok" wrote in message ... On Wed, 30 Jul 2008 07:55:55 -0400, "Ed Huntress" wrote: clare at snyder dot ontario dot canada wrote in message . .. On Tue, 29 Jul 2008 22:00:01 -0400, "ATP*" wrote: Some idiot science teacher in a local middle school sprinkled a small amount of mercury on a lab table to show the kids how the drops roll. That episode cost the school district a few thousand dollars in monitoring and cleanup. If a quart of mercury was dropped, there would be a financial disaster. Which of course was a knee-jerk bureaucratic reaction by some asshole. That's today's reality, whether you agree with it or not. Back when I was a kid, we used a mixture od asbestos and plaster of paris as a modelling "clay".Made all sorts of electrical aparatus with mercury. Some people think I'm crazy - mabee the "mad as a hatter" syndrome from the mercury????? Yes, the stuff CAN be dangerous - but the world has gone totally overboard - anything that could POSSIBLY hurt us is controlled to the enth degree - while WHAT IS KILLING US is largely unaddressed. (and when "they" get around to addressing whatever that is, they'll go overboard again, as usual) ** Posted from http://www.teranews.com ** The danger of mercury lies primarily with its organic compounds. Liquid, metallic mercury itself is not particularly toxic. The problem, of course, is that letting it out into the environment allows the production of organic compounds. I should hope not as they used to mix it with silver and poke it in your teeth. If you mean by "I should hope not" that metallic mercury is relatively safe, yes, that's the example often used in explaining it. -- Ed Huntress |
#21
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What is mercury worth?
Ed Huntress wrote:
The danger of mercury lies primarily with its organic compounds. Liquid, metallic mercury itself is not particularly toxic. The problem, of course, is that letting it out into the environment allows the production of organic compounds. This is true, with one exception: mercury is absorbed very easily through the lungs as a vapour, and can cause illness as a result. However, this only happens when there is a lot of mercury vapour in the air. You would need a large spill, time, and possibly heat to cause it. Opening a bottle or spilling a few drops won't cause harm. To put some of the scare stories into perspective, you can eat small amounts of mercury without coming to any harm. I also read about a guy in Germany who injected himself with mercury in an attempted suicide. Some doctors started monitoring for research, and while he suffered some health problems, he was still alive several years later. It is pretty damn hard to kill yourself with elemental mercury. Best wishes, Chris |
#22
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What is mercury worth?
ATP* wrote:
Some idiot science teacher in a local middle school sprinkled a small amount of mercury on a lab table to show the kids how the drops roll. That episode cost the school district a few thousand dollars in monitoring and cleanup. If a quart of mercury was dropped, there would be a financial disaster. This is sad, and quite unnecessary. You pick up all the drops, and check it isn't spilt under the bench, and you'll be fine. Anything remaining which is too small to see is insufficient to cause harm. The biggest danger is if you get a hidden spill, which doesn't get cleaned up. Best wishes, Chris |
#23
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What is mercury worth?
RB wrote:
Estate sale, fellow has about 5 lbs of liquid metallic mercury. it was used as adjustable mass/weight in benchrest rifles. Owner/heir is concerned about EPA issues etc. But it has a value somewhere. Do scrap metal dealers buy it? Is there a price/lb? It isn't worth a lot, unless you have large quantities that you can sell to a company which purifies it. I have an almost full 76 lb flask of mercury, which I'm going to use one day for building a real showpiece of a barometer. Probably in an art deco style. I bought the mercury for next to nothing. People just want to get rid of it. It is insanely cool, though. Great fun to play with. You can float chunks of lead in it. Pour it, play with the drops. It's especially surprising that it has a similar viscosity to water. You can also pretend that the flasks contain nuclear waste, which is funny. Best wishes, Chris |
#24
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What is mercury worth?
On 2008-07-30, Bruce in Bangkok wrote:
On Wed, 30 Jul 2008 07:55:55 -0400, "Ed Huntress" wrote: [ ... ] The danger of mercury lies primarily with its organic compounds. Liquid, metallic mercury itself is not particularly toxic. The problem, of course, is that letting it out into the environment allows the production of organic compounds. I should hope not as they used to mix it with silver and poke it in your teeth. They still do that with teeth which don't show in your smile. I got a mercury amalgam filling within the last year in Northern VA. Enjoy, DoN. -- Email: | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564 (too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html --- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero --- |
#25
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What is mercury worth?
On 31 Jul 2008 00:07:12 GMT, with neither quill nor qualm, "DoN.
Nichols" quickly quoth: On 2008-07-30, Bruce in Bangkok wrote: On Wed, 30 Jul 2008 07:55:55 -0400, "Ed Huntress" wrote: [ ... ] The danger of mercury lies primarily with its organic compounds. Liquid, metallic mercury itself is not particularly toxic. The problem, of course, is that letting it out into the environment allows the production of organic compounds. I should hope not as they used to mix it with silver and poke it in your teeth. They still do that with teeth which don't show in your smile. I got a mercury amalgam filling within the last year in Northern VA. I did, too, and it surprised the hell out of me when I heard that familiar crunch and squeal of the burnisher, packing in the amalgam. I didn't think they used merc fillings any more. -- Imagination is more important than knowledge... Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955) |
#26
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What is mercury worth?
Larry Jaques wrote:
On 31 Jul 2008 00:07:12 GMT, with neither quill nor qualm, "DoN. Nichols" quickly quoth: On 2008-07-30, Bruce in Bangkok wrote: On Wed, 30 Jul 2008 07:55:55 -0400, "Ed Huntress" wrote: [ ... ] The danger of mercury lies primarily with its organic compounds. Liquid, metallic mercury itself is not particularly toxic. The problem, of course, is that letting it out into the environment allows the production of organic compounds. I should hope not as they used to mix it with silver and poke it in your teeth. They still do that with teeth which don't show in your smile. I got a mercury amalgam filling within the last year in Northern VA. I did, too, and it surprised the hell out of me when I heard that familiar crunch and squeal of the burnisher, packing in the amalgam. I didn't think they used merc fillings any more. I asked my dentist about it recently when I got a filling replaced, he used the modern plastic filling but said that mercury amalgam was still an option and was more durable than the plastic fillings. -- Imagination is more important than knowledge... Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955) |
#27
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What is mercury worth?
In article ,
Christopher Tidy wrote: ATP* wrote: Some idiot science teacher in a local middle school sprinkled a small amount of mercury on a lab table to show the kids how the drops roll. That episode cost the school district a few thousand dollars in monitoring and cleanup. If a quart of mercury was dropped, there would be a financial disaster. This is sad, and quite unnecessary. You pick up all the drops, and check it isn't spilt under the bench, and you'll be fine. Anything remaining which is too small to see is insufficient to cause harm. The biggest danger is if you get a hidden spill, which doesn't get cleaned up. In the 1960s, the standard lab cleanup approach for spilled mercury was to sprinkle flowers of sulfur on the floor, sweep it around, wait a while, and vacuum it all up. One can do this periodically to catch undetected spills, as the sulfur is cheap and harmless. I recall reading this in lab handbooks of that day as well. Joe Gwinn |
#28
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What is mercury worth?
"Christopher Tidy" wrote in message ... Joseph Gwinn wrote: In article , Christopher Tidy wrote: ATP* wrote: Some idiot science teacher in a local middle school sprinkled a small amount of mercury on a lab table to show the kids how the drops roll. That episode cost the school district a few thousand dollars in monitoring and cleanup. If a quart of mercury was dropped, there would be a financial disaster. This is sad, and quite unnecessary. You pick up all the drops, and check it isn't spilt under the bench, and you'll be fine. Anything remaining which is too small to see is insufficient to cause harm. The biggest danger is if you get a hidden spill, which doesn't get cleaned up. In the 1960s, the standard lab cleanup approach for spilled mercury was to sprinkle flowers of sulfur on the floor, sweep it around, wait a while, and vacuum it all up. One can do this periodically to catch undetected spills, as the sulfur is cheap and harmless. The sulphur is a common method, although I have read at least once that it is ineffective. I would be interested to know if this is true. The vacuum cleaner is a really bad idea. It will just help to vaporise any remaining liquid mercury. Best wishes, Chris Sweeping is a bad idea. It breaks up the droplets. Here are some recommendations from EPA. They sound a lot less draconian than some of the things we've heard from other sources: http://www.epa.gov/mercury/spills/index.htm#whatnever -- Ed Huntress |
#29
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What is mercury worth?
Joseph Gwinn wrote:
In article , Christopher Tidy wrote: ATP* wrote: Some idiot science teacher in a local middle school sprinkled a small amount of mercury on a lab table to show the kids how the drops roll. That episode cost the school district a few thousand dollars in monitoring and cleanup. If a quart of mercury was dropped, there would be a financial disaster. This is sad, and quite unnecessary. You pick up all the drops, and check it isn't spilt under the bench, and you'll be fine. Anything remaining which is too small to see is insufficient to cause harm. The biggest danger is if you get a hidden spill, which doesn't get cleaned up. In the 1960s, the standard lab cleanup approach for spilled mercury was to sprinkle flowers of sulfur on the floor, sweep it around, wait a while, and vacuum it all up. One can do this periodically to catch undetected spills, as the sulfur is cheap and harmless. The sulphur is a common method, although I have read at least once that it is ineffective. I would be interested to know if this is true. The vacuum cleaner is a really bad idea. It will just help to vaporise any remaining liquid mercury. Best wishes, Chris |
#30
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What is mercury worth?
In article ,
Christopher Tidy wrote: Joseph Gwinn wrote: In article , Christopher Tidy wrote: ATP* wrote: Some idiot science teacher in a local middle school sprinkled a small amount of mercury on a lab table to show the kids how the drops roll. That episode cost the school district a few thousand dollars in monitoring and cleanup. If a quart of mercury was dropped, there would be a financial disaster. This is sad, and quite unnecessary. You pick up all the drops, and check it isn't spilt under the bench, and you'll be fine. Anything remaining which is too small to see is insufficient to cause harm. The biggest danger is if you get a hidden spill, which doesn't get cleaned up. In the 1960s, the standard lab cleanup approach for spilled mercury was to sprinkle flowers of sulfur on the floor, sweep it around, wait a while, and vacuum it all up. One can do this periodically to catch undetected spills, as the sulfur is cheap and harmless. The sulphur is a common method, although I have read at least once that it is ineffective. I would be interested to know if this is true. I've heard the assertion, but don't know if it's true either. I'm a little suspicious, because sulfur was considered effective for at least a century, that is until mercury became anathema. The Handbook of Batteries used to have a section on mercury batteries. In older sections, it said that you could extend the shelf life of a mercury battery by freezing it (true of all batteries, actually), and gave a helpful little chart plotting life versus storage temperature. (The battery doesn't really freeze in a domestic freezer.) In later editions, the section became vestigal, and it was claimed that freezing didn't help, but no reference was cited, or reason given for the change. Then it disappeared altogether. You can probably guess the timeframe. And motivation. The vacuum cleaner is a really bad idea. It will just help to vaporise any remaining liquid mercury. Not if the flowers of sulfur are along for the ride. That was the whole point of using flowers of sulfur. Joe Gwinn |
#31
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What is mercury worth?
On Jul 31, 6:34 am, Larry Jaques
wrote: I did, too, and it surprised the hell out of me when I heard that familiar crunch and squeal of the burnisher, packing in the amalgam. I didn't think they used merc fillings any more. Yup. I got one a month ago. Still popular because it's cheap and lasts a long time and is a lot safer than it was. My former dentist had been a mechanical engineer before he became a dentist. (Just think of all those years in university...) He told me (and showed me, because I was doing some mechanical design work at the time and we talked as much as I could with my mouth full of his fingers and tools and rubber dams and air drills and vacuums; my very own little machine shop) that the mercury and silver were now prepackaged in a small plastic vial that has two compartments. The amounts of each element in the vial are very precisely measured; it was the surplus of mercury or poor mixing that used to cause problems when dentists had to measure out the bits and mash them together. Anyway, this vial is put into a shaker that vibrates it so hard that the barrier between the compartments breaks and the mix occurrs, very violently and completely. Any leaching of mercury out of your teeth will likely take a lot longer to kill you than the other things we face. Dan |
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What is mercury worth?
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#33
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What is mercury worth?
Joseph Gwinn wrote:
The vacuum cleaner is a really bad idea. It will just help to vaporise any remaining liquid mercury. Not if the flowers of sulfur are along for the ride. That was the whole point of using flowers of sulfur. If the sulphur method works, to use the vacuum cleaner afterwards is probably okay. But I've heard of people just vacuuming up the drops of mercury, which is a really bad idea. Chris |
#34
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What is mercury worth?
In article ,
Christopher Tidy wrote: Joseph Gwinn wrote: The vacuum cleaner is a really bad idea. It will just help to vaporise any remaining liquid mercury. Not if the flowers of sulfur are along for the ride. That was the whole point of using flowers of sulfur. If the sulphur method works, to use the vacuum cleaner afterwards is probably okay. But I've heard of people just vacuuming up the drops of mercury, which is a really bad idea. No doubt. Most people do not read the instructions. Joe Gwinn |
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