In message <413E1760.2B9FBB92@earthlink.net> Philip Stortz wrote: > in particular, there's a "safe" version of it that has something added > so it doesn't attack skin as much, and probably generally reduces it's > activity. i'm sorry to hear that something as basic as hcl is hard to > get in the u.k., in the u.s. you can easily get nearly any chemical you > want, and i think that's a good thing (well, other than in texas, where > you need a license for "chemical glassware", things like beakers, it's > supposed to slow down drug labs, yeah, right, like most drug synthesis > requires anything that fancy, and for those things ordering the > chemicals is likely to get you some attention. morons, just another law > that makes it very hard for the independent inventor). > you should also properly dispose of that etchant sludge, copper is very > toxic to fish, even at part per million levels it kills hatchlings, and > it's really not good for anything. Should I just use the "mix it with water and Plaster of Paris" trick, i.e. turn the sludge into a solid lump, then dispose of it in the normal rubbish? That's the response I got off the company that sold me the etchant, anyway. > /rant on i have catalogs from several chemical companies, and i've > ordered from some of them a couple of times for odds and ends. i think > it's a good thing, and i think people should be responsible, now if you > are setting up a major lab, you should definitely have the appropriate > safety gear, whether it's commercial yet or not. obviously, paranoia > and foolishness about drug labs and explosives have made silly laws in a > number of countries, sadly they rarely do any good and often do harm I tried to order 90% pure IPA through a chemical supplier. I got a call back half an hour later: "Hi, it's **** from ******, I need proof that you're licensed to handle hazardous chemicals" "Huh?" "Yeah, you ordered some electronics grade isopropyl alcohol..." "Yep." "Well, I'm not supposed to tell you this, but due to its use in the manufacture of illegal substances, we can't sell it to anyone who doesn't have a hazardous chemicals handling license. In addition, we need a headed letter and a company name/address" Bear in mind this is a chemical that is routinely sold by electronics supply houses all over the world as a cleaning solvent... > for that matter, most manure can be used as a low explosive as is, > ranchers sometimes use a cow pie and a blasting cap to split boulders > (it will also show up at the security theater at the airport if it's on > your shoes). LOL! I just watched a documentary on BBC1 - "Whistleblower". They sent an undercover reporter to do some security work at Manchester Airport (scanning bags, the usual). They managed to get video evidence of search records being falsified, management staff encouraging the falsification of documents, and so forth. On one occasion only three bags were (allegedly) searched - out of the bags of 1,000 passengers. So that's, what, 0.15%? The chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Bruce Schneier's written a book on evaluating security measures, picking them apart, and such - it's called "Beyond Fear: Thinking Sensibly About Security in an Uncertain World". A very good read - IIRC the paperback version's out now (I got the hardback version just after it was released). Later. -- Phil. | Acorn Risc PC600 Mk3, SA202, 64MB, 6GB, philpem@dsl.pipex.com | ViewFinder, 10BaseT Ethernet, 2-slice, http://www.philpem.dsl.pipex.com/ | 48xCD, ARCINv6c IDE, SCSI .... I appreciate your not breathing while I smoke. _______________________________________________ http://www.piclist.com View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist