[Source] Mercury

Interested in amalgamation but have been unable to find a supplier
offering mercury in small quantities. Tried dentist supply but found
nothing. Anyone out there know a possible? Many thanks in advance…

Here are two suppliers:

Interested in amalgamation but have been unable to find a supplier
offering mercury in small quantities. Tried dentist supply but found
nothing. Anyone out there know a possible?

denise,

STOP NOW !!!

Mercury is very bad stuff and amalgamation by definition releases
vapors (really illegal and just plain dumb) Just looking for the
stuff probably will red flag you on at least a few government “watch
lists”. The stuff is available (although I will not say where)
expensive and with shocking Hazmat shipping and more expenses to
legally dispose of any hazmat waste.

Spend some time on the EPA mercury site, they freak about a broken
thermometer, one pound (2 tablespoons) gets you into the big leagues

Jeff

Demand Designs
Analog/Digital Modelling & Goldsmithing
http://www.gmavt.net/~jdemand

Try going to a Chemical Supply house for your heavy liquid mercury.
Also ask them if the carry a chemical called Oakite!, it is the best
cleaner for jewellery before welding and removes rouge to squeaky
clean.

Stephen, San Antonio, TX

Hi Denise,

Where are you? If you are in the UK near me I can help - I have a jam
jar full in the garage… It isn’t possible to post this stuff -
and certainly not by airmail…

Best wishes,

Ian
Ian W. Wright
Sheffield UK

the chemical you are looking for is called BCR its made by oakite.
why would you want to have mercury?

the chemical you are looking for is called BCR its made by oakite.
why would you want to have mercury? 

I also think BCR is what your looking for, original Oakite is used
for degreasing auto part and is pretty aggressive.

The legacy formulas are interesting from a historic point of view
like gilding and bombing. Most of the industry has move on to using
thing like 24k electro plating or 24k gold inlay.

The reason is to not do these old formulas is it would simply be to
expensive to install the safety equipment require to use them, or
they’re just to dangerous.

Jim Zimmerman
Alpine Custom Jewellers & Repair

make sure to fill the air space in the jar with water to keep the
stuff from evaporating

goo

Mercury is very bad stuff and amalgamation by definition releases
stuff probably will red flag you on at least a few government
"watch lists". The stuff is available (although I will not say
where) expensive and with shocking Hazmat shipping and more
expenses to legally dispose of any hazmat waste. 

The irrational terror surrounding mercury is truly amazing. In the
grand scheme of chemistry, metallic mercury is not that bad, really.
People have injected themselves with it and survived with little ill
effect(the case I read of was a failed suicide attempt). Other forms
of mercury, methyl mercury specifically, are far more toxic. Sodium
hydroxide, sold as Draino crystals, in solution is a sufficiently
strong base to blind you in fifteen seconds should it be splashed in
your eyes. Many plating solutions use compounds containing cyanide. A
surprising number of household cleaning agents are little more than
dilute hydrochloric acid.

Then there is gasoline. Gasoline contains multiple known
carcinogens, and can be absorbed through the skin. Proper protective
equipment includes splash goggles, gloves and respirator. The only
reason people don’t wear these things is simply a lack of education
about the risks involved.

If given a choice between handling these chemicals and handling
metallic mercury, I’ll choose mercury any day.

Paul Anderson

Hello, you can find mercury at the store www.sciencecompany.com. It
comes in 100g for $34.95 and 250g $54.95. It’s triple distilled and
there is no haz fee. Hopes this helps in people looking for a
source. Rollin

I’m with you Paul. My mom was a chemist and a teacher for 30 odd
years before she died at 86. I can remember chasing mercury balls
around the kitchen table. Unfortunately I’m still stuck with the
bottle of mercury she left behind…

If you ever go to Barcelona (great place) visit the Miro museum.

Here you will find the Mercury fountain…

http://fundaciomiro-bcn.org/coleccio_obra.php?obra=753&idioma=2

Some years ago - but not that many - I stood and contemplated what
the USA health and safety people would do when confronted by this. It
is in an encloed room, but you can see ventilation vents clearly in
there.

No one dead yet…

regards
Andrew
Andrew Jeavons

Andrew,

http://fundaciomiro-bcn.org/coleccio_obra.php?obra=753&idioma=2 

Thank you for the link. I’ve seen pictures of the fountain when it
was installed at the World’s Fair, and always wished I’d been able to
see it. Had no idea it still existed.

All the best,
Teri Jo Kinnison