Sciencemadness Discussion Board

mercury switches

ldanielrosa - 28-1-2011 at 23:55

I have a few ancient mercury switches, and I'm thinking about trading or giving them away. It can't be shipped, so it'll be limited to folks in the area (NW Washington). For obvious reasons, I'll need some evidence that the other people involved are competent.

I haven't decided yet, but I'm open to input. They have about 1mL per switch.

The WiZard is In - 29-1-2011 at 08:14

Quote: Originally posted by ldanielrosa  
I have a few ancient mercury switches, and I'm thinking about trading or giving them away. It can't be shipped, so it'll be limited to folks in the area (NW Washington). For obvious reasons, I'll need some evidence that the other people involved are competent.

For obvious reasons, I'll need some evidence that the other
people involved are competent.


Proving the competence of persons here is easy....
Proving their sanity .....?!?


djh
----
A neurotic is a person who builds a castle in the
air. A psychotic is the man who lives in it.
A phychiatrist is the person who collects the rent.

Jerome Lawrence

ldanielrosa - 29-1-2011 at 12:59

"Proving the competence of persons here is easy....
Proving their sanity .....?!?"

Sanity is a bonus. I'm thinking along the line of a school transcript (unofficial) or pictures of a home lab.

I looked up the price of mercury, and it isn't too expensive. I'm surprised that chromic acid costs more and has more shipping restrictions.

crazyboy - 29-1-2011 at 13:11

God damn, your not going to find anyone willing to go through all that shit, who also lives in NW Washington who really wants a few mercury switches. Mercury can be had online by the pound or bought on eBay in mercury thermometers. It isn't smallpox for fucks sake.

The WiZard is In - 29-1-2011 at 14:15

Quote: Originally posted by crazyboy  
God damn, your not going to find anyone willing to go through all that shit, who also lives in NW Washington who really wants a few mercury switches. Mercury can be had online by the pound or bought on eBay in mercury thermometers. It isn't smallpox for fucks sake.


A better source then thermometers, if you can as they say
on Pawn Stars — get them for the right price are - old thermostats
and mercury relays.

One advantage of eBay is that sellers are often unaware that
what they are willing to put in da mail... isn't allowed in the mail by
the USPS, saving you having to pay onerous Hazmat fees.


djh
----

As if ordained by Fate, Nitre, that admirable salt,
hath made as much noise in Philosophy as in
War, all the world being filled with its thunder.

John Mayow
Ttractalus Quinque Medico-Physici, 1674

BromicAcid - 29-1-2011 at 16:34

Best source is a plumb bob. I got 90 120 grams of mercury from a single plumb bob for $9. Thermometers are a waste of a resource. However as mentioned before all mercury shipped as such should really be shipped as a hazardous material:

"Mercury contained in manufactured articles"

Which is classed as corrosive, I've heard however that some UPS stores have trained personnel that will help you ship such items however since they are still a consumer commodity.

mr.crow - 29-1-2011 at 16:52

Who cares if the guy who buys it is an idiot? He gave you money and now the mercury is his problem not yours. Win-win

ScienceSquirrel - 29-1-2011 at 17:30

Quote: Originally posted by mr.crow  
Who cares if the guy who buys it is an idiot? He gave you money and now the mercury is his problem not yours. Win-win


Science Madness is a community.
Who cares it is his problem now may not be a popular attitude among a lot of posters.

The WiZard is In - 29-1-2011 at 20:05

Quote: Originally posted by ScienceSquirrel  
Quote: Originally posted by mr.crow  
Who cares if the guy who buys it is an idiot? He gave you money and now the mercury is his problem not yours. Win-win


Science Madness is a community.
Who cares it is his problem now may not be a popular attitude among a lot of posters.

Amen.

mr.crow - 29-1-2011 at 20:56

That may be true but as a community we are prone to paranoia.

I agree we still need to follow laws and not be held liable. This is normally done with a disclaimer or even signing a waiver. Background checks are going overboard unless something is obviously wrong.

ldanielrosa - 29-1-2011 at 21:50

I've seen two orders of magnitude more damage done by idiocy than malice with mercury. I'm also a bit too quick to brag about my recent GPA (college, not high-school- that was a fiasco), so I didn't think the brain pedigree would be onerous for someone else.

As for the money- there is none. The spot price is something like 2 cents per gram, so I would be losing money just to drive to a coffee shop to meet a fellow enthusiast. This is enough to do maybe a couple experiments. If there's no interest, fine.

Panache - 31-1-2011 at 15:01

i'd like the switches, cast into a ball of silicon rubber they make great inline switches for desk lamps, i just need to figure out the dimmer now