Sciencemadness Discussion Board - Index of Raymond B. Wailes Amateur Chemistry articles

Index of Raymond B. Wailes Amateur Chemistry articles

Gearhead_Shem_Tov - 19-8-2010 at 18:52

I've compiled an index of every chemistry-related article he published in Popular Science from 1930 to 1940, including year, month, page number, and topic. All except one issue are available to read via Google Books.

Would this index be something folks would like me to upload to References?

(I haven't been able to download articles directly from Google Books; instead I'd have to resort to doing multiple screen captures & stitching them all together in GraphicConverter. I've done this with other articles I've wanted to keep for my own reference, so it can be done, but it's a pile of work.)

For those of you who don't know, during the heyday of home chemistry Raymond B. Wailes had a monthly amateur chemistry column in PS from 1932 until his death sometime in 1940 or 1941. I own a book collecting some of these articles called The Home Chemist (up to 1934, anyway). That wasn't even half way through his column's run, so even if you have the book, there's lots more good stuff to see.

-Bobby

barbs09 - 19-8-2010 at 19:24

Yes please do! They are an inspiring set of articles from a bygone era.

[Edited on 20-8-2010 by barbs09]

Gearhead_Shem_Tov - 20-8-2010 at 02:03

Here's the index. If anyone finds errors or missing columns I'd appreciate a quick note so I can fix it up and re-post.

Is there a way to get this into the References section? I don't have the secret handshake yet ...

If there is any interest I can continue indexing the Popular Science columns by Wailes' successors. Wailes also wrote for Popular Mechanics and Mechanix Illustrated. PM is also available online through Google, and MI has a website devoted to it.

-Bobby

Attachment: Home Chemist.txt (6kB)
This file has been downloaded 889 times

[Edited on 21-8-2010 by Gearhead_Shem_Tov]

The WiZard is In - 20-8-2010 at 06:00

Quote: Originally posted by Gearhead_Shem_Tov

I've compiled an index of every chemistry-related article he published in Popular Science from 1930 to 1940, including year, month, page number, and topic. All except one issue are available to read via Google Books.

No good dead goes unpunished. Wailes was replaced by
Kenneth M. Swezey I don't have the time at the moment
to find the exact date, you could update your biblio. to include
him/them.

I own an original copy of a large number of their articles
1938-48.

watson.fawkes - 20-8-2010 at 06:58

Quote: Originally posted by Gearhead_Shem_Tov

(I haven't been able to download articles directly from Google Books;

Popular Science cooperated to put their articles up. Here's their archive search page.

Quote: Originally posted by The WiZard is In

I own an original copy of a large number of their articles 1938-48.

Apparently the June 1938 issue is missing entirely. It might not be indexed properly. It's also possible that they did not find an original. If you've got one, it could be worthwhile to contact the publisher.

The WiZard is In - 20-8-2010 at 07:33

Quote: Originally posted by watson.fawkes

I posses only the Home Chemist articles (Oct-Dec 1938) not the
entire magazine. They could probable buy the missing issues retail...

Strangely they did contact me! A facts checker icw their article on
phosphorus. He mentioned Armstrong's mixture. Sez I I hope
not! Happily it was their Making a Deadly Sun article
February, 2006. You can read/DL it from their web site.

Armstrong's deadly brew was in Popular Science Book of Formulas 1932.

[Edited on 20-8-2010 by The WiZard is In]

Gearhead_Shem_Tov - 21-8-2010 at 00:58

Quote: Originally posted by watson.fawkes

Popular Science cooperated to put their articles up. Here's their archive search page.

Quote: Originally posted by The WiZard is In

I own an original copy of a large number of their articles 1938-48.

As far as I can tell their archives only go back to 2008. Am I looking in the right place?

-Bobby

watson.fawkes - 21-8-2010 at 05:41

Quote: Originally posted by Gearhead_Shem_Tov

As far as I can tell their archives only go back to 2008. Am I looking in the right place?

Well, I don't know where you're looking, so I can't tell if it's right. I do notice, however, that you're in Australia, and it's possible they're not delivering equally to all jurisdictions, as seems to have been an issue with other materials involving Google.

Updated Raymond B. Wailes index

Gearhead_Shem_Tov - 30-8-2010 at 05:14

(I've added more summaries of the experiments covered in the article; I'm about half way through with this, but I'll edit this post to include the rest later -Bobby)

Index of Amateur Chemistry Articles by Raymond B. Wailes published in Popular Science
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dec 1930 p. 102 Chromium plating easily done in a home shop
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Feb 1932 p. 68 Chemistry: How to set up your laboratory
Mar 1932 p. 67 Fascinating Oxygen Tests You Can Carry Out in Your Own Laboratory
Apr 1932 p. 67 Chemical tricks you can do
May 1932 p. 68 Making a chemical harmonica [hydrogen]
Jun 1932 p. 64 Experiments with oxygen
Jul 1932 p. 60 Industrial stunts for home chemists
Aug 1932 p. 60 Carbon dioxide easy to make in home laboratory
Sep 1932 p. 50 Experiments with sulphur for your home laboratory
Oct 1932 p. 68 Experiments with gas [diffusion in gases & liquids]
Nov 1932 p. 60 Experiments with carbon [reduction, adsorption, & pencil lead arc lamp]
Dec 1932 p. 58 Experiments in electro-chemistry [Thermocouples, Zn/Cl, Fe/Ni, & Pb/A cells, electroplating "tin trees", electrolysis]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jan 1933 p. 48 Experiments with solutions
Feb 1933 p. 56 Chemicals you can make
Mar 1933 p. 56 Stunts with metals
Apr 1933 p. 56 Experiments with colloids
May 1933 p. 48 Tests with light and chemicals
Jun 1933 p. 48 Tests with household ammonia
Jul 1933 p. 48 Giant explosions reproduced in miniature
Aug 1933 p. 50 Home tests with iron
Sep 1933 p. 52 Weird stunts with aluminum
Oct 1933 p. 54 Tests with chlorine
Nov 1933 p. 48 Crime detection tests [iodine]
Dec 1933 p. 52 Home tests with calcium
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jan 1934 p. 50 Unusual stunts with freakish quicksilver
Feb 1934 p. 48 Electroplating [includes producing lithium]
Mar 1934 p. 55 Home laboratory tests of household chemicals
Apr 1934 p. 56 Home tests reveal strange nature of sulphur
May 1934 p. 56 Chemical facts revealed by household drugs
Jun 1934 p. 56 Active nature of copper [copper sulfide rectifier, copperplating, reduction, flame colours]
Jul 1934 p. 60 Dangerous acids made safely by home chemist [DIY Bunsen flame spreader, H2SO4 iron oxide contact, HNO3 nitrate, & HCl production processes]
Aug 1934 p. 62 Tests with fire and air [pyrogallol tests % O2, gas combustion, rust, DIY test tube mantle]
Sep 1934 p. 60 Feats of magic for home chemist [cobalt & nickel]
Oct 1934 p. 58 Glass making easy for for home chemist [silicon & boron]
Nov 1934 p. 56 Safe stunts with fire
Dec 1934 p. 56 Analyzing everyday substances [tests for Fe & oxalic acid in Prussian blue, sulphide in "dry bluing", halogens, & phph in laxative, Hg test, Marsh's As test, Sb test]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jan 1935 p. 54 Things to make in your home laboratory [Iron gall inks, ink removers, metal polish, transparent cements, glycerine/gelatine cap seals, electric crucible heater]
Feb 1935 p. 44 Chemical stunts [chromium & manganese]
Mar 1935 p. 56 Experimenting with soap and other household chemicals [fat extraction, saponification, glycerin test, butter to butyric acid, DIY filter stand]
Apr 1935 p. 54 Experiments with alloys [Lipwitz's, Wood's, Rose's, D'Arcet's, & solder alloys, cleaning Hg, Hg/ammonium amalgam]
May 1935 p. 46 Experiments with oxides of nitrogen [Nitrous oxide & nitrogen tetroxide]
Jun 1935 p. 46 Properties of solutions [water solubility, FP & BP changes]
Jul 1935 p. 44 Spectacular chemical tricks [Davy miner's lamp, H2SO4 luminescence, Zn compound colour changes w. heat, colloidal silver & kaolin, silicic acid]
Aug 1935 p. 44 Strange facts about water
Sep 1935 p. 51 Hot metal strangely rekindles dying glow [issue missing]
Oct 1935 p. 50 Mysteries of household products [casein]
Nov 1935 p. 52 The chemical triplets, calcium, barium, & strontium
Dec 1935 p. 52 Molecules in action
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jan 1936 p. 50 Tests with copper
Feb 1936 p. 48 Chemistry equipment from odds and ends
Mar 1936 p. 52 Sulphur dioxide
Apr 1936 p. 50 Mystifying stunts for amateur chemist
May 1936 p. 50 Experiments with gases explain adsorption
Jun 1936 p. 50 Three magic metals [mercury, antimony, bismuth]
Jul 1936 p. 48 Mysteries of fire
Aug 1936 p. 48 Organic chemistry for home experimenter
Sep 1936 p. 52 Oddities of water
Nov 1936 p. 54 Strange behaviour of iodine
Dec 1936 p. 56 Home chemistry with simple apparatus
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jan 1937 p. 54 Tests with hydrogen sulphide [pages missing from scan]
Feb 1937 p. 70 Home tests show how aluminium gives us dyes and paints
Mar 1937 p. 69 Novel color experiments show how chemicals can be tested
Apr 1937 p. 70 Tin can chemistry
May 1937 p. 68 Home experiments with catalysts
Jun 1937 p. 62 Experiments with oxygen [hydrogen peroxide & ozone]
Jul 1937 p. 64 What's it made of?
Aug 1937 p. 70 Put your garden in the test tube
Sep 1937 p. 72 Spectacular stunts with flames
Oct 1937 p. 80 Firefly chemistry
Nov 1937 p. 82 Fun with explosive gases
Dec 1937 p. 106 Making steel float & other chemical stunts
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jan 1938 p. 98 Thrilling stunts with a glass-eating chemical
Feb 1938 p. 100 Crime detection tests for the amateur chemist
Mar 1938 p. 98 For a few cents you can experiment with gold [& Pt & Ce]
Apr 1938 p. 96 Fun with magnetic chemicals
May 1938 p. 90 Color chemistry
Jun 1938 -- --
Jul 1938 p. 74 Home tests with phosphorus
Aug 1938 p. 76 Home laboratory tests explain purification methods [adsorption]
Sep 1938 p. 74 Home chemistry tests prove how soap cleans
Oct 1938 p. 206 How to analyze foods in your home laboratory
Nov 1938 p. 206 Home laboratory tests with alcohol
Dec 1938 p. 216 Table top factories for home chemists [making paper, paints, plastics, & lubricants]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jan 1939 p. 192 Gas chemistry for home experimenters [ethylene, chlorine]
Feb 1939 p. 208 Home tests with dry ice [make C, CO, liquid NH3]
Mar 1939 p. 205 Try your hand at organic chemistry
Apr 1939 p. 200 Fun with quicksilver
May 1939 p. 200 Chemistry of fuels seen in easy tests
Jun 1939 p. 194 Hints for beginners in amateur chemistry
Jul 1939 p. 188 Fun with black light for home chemists
Aug 1939 p. 180 [Analysing contents of soft drinks]
Sep 1939 p. 192 Fun with the halogens
Oct 1939 p. 196 Nature: Master chemist
Nov 1939 p. 206 Chemical engineering for home experimenters
Dec 1939 p. 202 Chemical analysis for amateurs
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jan 1940 p. 204 Fun in the home laboratory [sodium thiosulphate, sodium acetate, acetanilide, barium sulphate, & luminol]
Feb 1940 p. 209 Table-top oil refinery for the home chemist
Mar 1940 p. 209 How's it made? [magnesite flooring (MgCl plaster), casein paint, colloidal graphite, & red cuprous oxide]
Apr 1940 p. 201 Tricks with fire for home chemists
May 1940 p. 192 Chemical stunts with calcium
Jun 1940 p. 194 Kitchen chemicals offer thrills for experimenters
Aug 1940 p. 190 Gardening experiments in the home laboratory