The Anvil Floats: Some may have seen this before. This guy floats an anvil in a vat of mercury: https://www.roadandtrack.com/offbeat/a35728890/anvil-liquid-mercury-video/...

usn ret Loc: SoCal High Desert

Some may have seen this before. This guy floats an anvil in a vat of mercury:

https://www.roadandtrack.com/offbeat/a35728890/anvil-liquid-mercury-video/

joehel2 Loc: Cherry Hill, NJ

Fascinating experiment. Thanks for sharing the link.

fourlocks Loc: Londonderry, NH

Elemental mercury's been outlawed in most states. It's one of the most potent heavy metals causing brain, nerve and organ damage and it's easily absorbed as vapor or through the skin. Such neurological damage may have already taken place with this guy as he wears no mask or respirator and admitted the mercury got into the gloves yet he's a happy as a little kid, doing this.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Nice. Mercury is strange stuff. I remember playing with it as a kid, definitely not a good idea.

Canisdirus

Back in my College summers, I worked as a 'slave' for one of my Dads older electrical foremen.
His name was Owen and he was probably in his late 60's at the time...with a heavy Maine accent.
Great guy really...anyway...he was in the 'old' Navy...just missed the end of the war.
He had some crazy stories of life as a sailor back then...fascinating to a kid of 20.
He was on a ship at Bimini...saw the bomb go off.

But back to mercury...
There was a guy on board that would keep a vial of mercury in his locker.
Then on leave, he'd go to bars and drink the mercury for bets...it would go right down...
and out his arse...to his waiting cup.

Like I said...fascinating stories for a 20 year old.

chuckla Loc: Kennesaw, GA USA

Canisdirus wrote:

He was on a ship at Bimini...saw the bomb go off.

I suspect you mean Bikini Atoll, Bimini is in the Bahamas....

Canisdirus

chuckla wrote:

I suspect you mean Bikini Atoll, Bimini is in the Bahamas....

Yes, thanks...

usn ret Loc: SoCal High Desert

Thanks for looking, I too played with Mg and many other things now known to be harmful to our health as a young dumb kid. My only known lasting effect of a misspent youth is significant hearing loss, firecrackers and other things that go BANG, no hearing protection.
A high pitched whistle and a low rumble that does not go away. Could you speak a little louder please? Cliff

carlberg

usn ret wrote:

Thanks for looking, I too played with Mg and many other things now known to be harmful to our health as a young dumb kid. My only known lasting effect of a misspent youth is significant hearing loss, firecrackers and other things that go BANG, no hearing protection.
A high pitched whistle and a low rumble that does not go away. Could you speak a little louder please? Cliff

I'm shouting...Are you talking Magnesium (Mg) or mercury (Hg)?

usn ret Loc: SoCal High Desert

carlberg wrote:

I'm shouting...Are you talking Magnesium (Mg) or mercury (Hg)?

OOPs, I should have paid more attention in Chem Lab. Thanks Cliff

DrDon Loc: Hingham, Ma

fourlocks wrote:

Elemental mercury's been outlawed in most states. It's one of the most potent heavy metals causing brain, nerve and organ damage and it's easily absorbed as vapor or through the skin. Such neurological damage may have already taken place with this guy as he wears no mask or respirator and admitted the mercury got into the gloves yet he's a happy as a little kid, doing this.

As a young child we rubbed mercury on coins to make them shine. As a young teen I had my own lab and I once distilled mercury with chlorine gas from bleach and created mercuric chloride (Corrosive Sublimate). As a young man I became a Dentist and used mercury every day to make amalgam fillings. In the early years we squeezed out the excess mercury with a squeeze cloth and shook it out on the carpet. I used amalgam for my entire career of 57 years and now at age 88 I am in good health and look more like 70. Fear of mercury has been greatly exaggerated.