"I wonder if this will get me a merit badge..."
Posted on 12/29/2005 1:45:14 PM PST by Wonder Warthog
The new ones no longer contain Thorium. I used to use lantern mantles to test my scintillator until I bought a Cesium 137 source. :-)
Unfortunately the book was written by some liberal luddite bastard. The moral of the story seems to have been "science is bad".
I bought a Cs137, Co60, and a Sr90 test kit this way.
It was still a good story.
What is scary is all the girls that worked in clock factories that would paint their nails with the radium paint, or put it on their teeth as a joke.
They didn't laugh too long.
I have some deuterium and tritium in my swimming pool.
At least a few molecules.
ping
The Golden Book of Chemistry Experiments is going for hundreds of dollars now.
bump
"I wonder if this will get me a merit badge..."
Deuterium you can purchase thru the mails as well. :-)
Tritium is found in many items such as illuminated watch hands.
In fact, you can purchase sealed borosilicate vials that contains Tritium inside a phosphor coating that will glow for 30 years. People use them for scuba diving and on key rings.
Yeah, but I'll bet they would look at you a bit askance if you asked'em to ship a thousand or so to the same address.
But, 'tis true--anyone can buy any isotope in "General License Quantities".
I've seen the scuba stuff with tritium.
I go the low tech route for when I do night dives. I go to the dollar store and buy a bunch of those glow in the dark cylume plastic halloween things.
Just before entering the water, I give everyone a different color, break the vial inside and activate them, and that way, I know who is who underwater and if a flashlight breaks down, we know where that person is.
You and me both. :-)
I don't do many night dives anymore. Not much to see. However, have you ever lit up coral with a UV light? Pretty cool.
LOL! Yuppers!
That could be fun.
I might be going for my masters and instructor soon, got a free place to stay in the Carribean.
I just like how every once in a while you completely suprise a fish at night and they freak out. What I don't like are groupers and butterfly fish that always follow you about 2 feet behind your shoulder when you dive at night.
Best night dive to do is the Kona manta ray dives, they bring down a huge amount of lights to a spot off shore where a hotel light has been shining for years. Then you sit on the bottom and get about 5 or 6 mantas, each about 6 ft wide and 3 feet long.
You mean I was right? I wasn't sure if I actually read that somewhere, or if it was the cold medicine talking.
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