So what tools can I use in the Liver of Sulfur without contaminating
it?
Also, is it harmful to your skin?
Thanks!
Amery
i have read its very harmful to skin. i wouldnt advise getting it on
your clothes skin or tools that you use for anything but the liver of
sulfur. as with any other metal oxidizer.
So what tools can I use in the Liver of Sulfur without contaminating it?
I use stainless or plastic to hold, manipulate material in LOS
Also, is it harmful to your skin?
Yes, it is fairly alkaline and it saponifies(turns to soap) the oils
in your skin, it is also toxic, not in a your gonna die if it gets
on you kind of way but it is a poison. You also want to make sure
anything you put in it has all the acid (pickle) neutralized or
fully rinsed off it as any acid that contacts the LOS will release
hydrogen sulphide, a highly toxic gas. Again quantities of hydrogen
sulfide that would come from small amounts of pickle coming in
contact with LOS would be unlikely to do any real harm but it is best
to understand the potential dangers and not breathe even small
amounts of toxic gas if you can avoid it.
James Binnion
James Binnion Metal Arts
I use stainless or plastic to hold, manipulate material in LOS
Could I use other sterling- like a sterling piece of wire?
Again quantities of hydrogen sulfide that would come from small amounts of pickle coming in contact with LOS would be unlikely to do any real harm but it is best to understand the potential dangers and not breathe even small amounts of toxic gas if you can avoid it.
My significant other claims I am the largest producer of hydrogen
sulfide gas on the planet. I haven’t killed anyone yet but am
relegated to sleeping on the couch after ingesting quantities of
beer, broccoli, beans, cauliflower, etc…
Thanks Orchid for your patience with my sophomoric humor attempt…
Rick Copeland
rockymountainwonders.com
You also want to make sure anything you put in it has all the acid (pickle) neutralized or fully rinsed off it as any acid that contacts the LOS will release hydrogen sulphide, a highly toxic gas. Again quantities of hydrogen sulfide that would come from small amounts of pickle coming in contact with LOS would be unlikely to do any real harm but it is best to understand the potential dangers and not breathe even small amounts of toxic gas if you can avoid it.
It’s possibly worth noting that unlike some poisons and toxic
gasses, hydrogen sulphide is pretty easy to detect. It reeks. It’s
the classic “rotton eggs” smell. If you’re generating the stuff, the
smell alone will be enough to get you to want to avoid it, even if it
were not as toxic as it is…
Peter
Could I use other sterling- like a sterling piece of wire?
Sure, or copper tongs or wire.
James Binnion
James Binnion Metal Arts
It's possibly worth noting that unlike some poisons and toxic gasses, hydrogen sulphide is pretty easy to detect. It reeks. It's the classic "rotton eggs" smell. If you're generating the stuff, the smell alone will be enough to get you to want to avoid it, even if it were not as toxic as it is...
With volatile sulfur compounds it is possible (and also very, very
unlikely in a small shop) to become accustomed to the smell and then
inhale toxic amounts without realizing it. I would guesstimate that
for this to be an issue you would either have to be using very large
quantities of LOS for large vessels, or spill an entire LOS pot into
a hot pickle pot in a very small and poorly ventilated shop.
Jason
With volatile sulfur compounds it is possible (and also very, very unlikely in a small shop) to become accustomed to the smell
Actually the gas is anesthetizing your smell. That’s why its
dangerous in large concentrations.
On the other had it is also what makes elevator rides so unpleasant
at times.
My significant other claims I am the largest producer of hydrogen sulfide gas on the planet. I haven't killed anyone yet but am relegated to sleeping on the couch after ingesting quantities of beer, broccoli, beans, cauliflower, etc...
Tell your SO to try lighting a few candles around the place. Works
with my gas-production facility, um, husband. Or rig yourself an
after-burner…
Noel
Tell your SO to try lighting a few candles around the place. Works with my gas-production facility, um, husband. Or rig yourself an after-burner...
Given the universal concerns these days about the need for green
energy sources, getting off oil addition, etc, I feel it important to
note that while hydrogen sulphide may indeed be present in the above
instances, the primary gas thus produced is methane. That, as any
college frat student can attest and has likely demostrated, is
flammable. As such, it is a shame that it’s all going to waste, AND
it ends up after being potent in the household, as a potent
greenhouse gas outside of the household.
Now then. You folks, being metalsmiths and jewelers, are by
definition, FAR more creative and inventive than the average humans,
and not even always impeded by an excess of engineering theoretical
training. (We all know that experts are the folks who’ll tell you why
you can’t do a thing, while amateurs are the ones who, not knowing
it’s impossible, go ahead and do it.) So then. Rather than
complaining about these gas sources or simply avoiding them, figure
out how to trap and use them as the useful fuel they are. Think about
possibly decorative additions to clothing, for example. Or
modifications to the seating in an alternative fuel friendly
automobile… We jewelers are happy to hang metal bits off of ears,
fingers, necks, and with the younger generation especially, just
about every other part of the body too, especially the embarassing
ones. So there should be no realistic objection to decorative
additions to the human hind quarters, and if it happens to be
functional as a means to trap and use this valuable and ignored fuel
source, all the better. Who knows. maybe there’s money to be made
here. (If it works, no doubt the market price of broccoli will
soar… ) And if you figure out a method that works for humans, the
next step would be a version that works directly with cows (rather
than just the waste piles…). After that, well, endless horizons and
no doubt fame and wealth await!
I am pretty sure there have been serious efforts to harness (I’m sure
that really is just the right word) the methane production of cows,
which is far from insignificant, though if I recall correctly, they
belch most of it (so things could be worse for us humans!) I haven’t
heard, though, of a practical solution thus far.
I like the seating modification idea. I know there’s potential
there, having been the next person to use a chair…
Noel
Interesting consept, Peter. Perhaps some extra care in the
collection method should be considered, given the high flammability
of methane, and its propensity for exploding under some atomospheric
conditions… Sort of gives new meaning to the phrase “light a fire
under someone.”
Rhona 
Interesting consept, Peter. Perhaps some extra care in the collection method should be considered, given the high flammability of methane, and its propensity for exploding under some atomospheric conditions.. Sort of gives new meaning to the phrase "light a fire under someone."
I guess some folks can only be stored outside, Check with your local
fire marshal
jeffD
Demand Designs
Analog/Digital Modelling & Goldsmithing
http://www.gmavt.net/~jdemand