Comments on: Nitrocellulose http://asymptotia.com/2007/12/29/nitrocellulose/ Tue, 07 Oct 2008 17:39:29 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Clifford http://asymptotia.com/2007/12/29/nitrocellulose/#comment-106692 Clifford Mon, 28 Jan 2008 01:05:06 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2007/12/29/nitrocellulose/#comment-106692 Gracias. -cvj Gracias.

-cvj

]]> By: Alejandro Rivero http://asymptotia.com/2007/12/29/nitrocellulose/#comment-106656 Alejandro Rivero Sun, 27 Jan 2008 19:58:15 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2007/12/29/nitrocellulose/#comment-106656 http://www.elpais.com/articulo/espana/islamistas/detenidos/Barcelona/tenian/nitrocelulosa/elpepiesp/20080123elpepinac_5/Tes http://www.elpais.com/articulo/espana/islamistas/detenidos/Barcelona/tenian/nitrocelulosa/elpepiesp/20080123elpepinac_5/Tes

]]> By: Carl Brannen http://asymptotia.com/2007/12/29/nitrocellulose/#comment-101041 Carl Brannen Mon, 31 Dec 2007 00:04:15 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2007/12/29/nitrocellulose/#comment-101041 Wonderful video. By the way, you should be able to make biodiesel in your home without annoying the gov or getting any permits or whatever. You can get all the stuff you need at the local grocery store. Well, not here in Washington State because you would have to buy pure grain alcohol from the government liquor stores. The primary ingredients are an alcohol and an oil, say ethanol and corn oil, or methanol and used fryer oil, etc. A friend of the family down in Albuquerque (which came to mind because that is where Bob Lazar is based) had a good job at a bank some years ago. Somehow, against all advice to the contrary, he picked up the unusual hobby of making and testing pipe bombs out on the (unpopulated desert) mesas. Eventually the Albuquerque police found about this and arrested his nasty self. The police confiscated all his stuff and put it in their evidence locker underneath the police station. Then they thought about it a little more carefully and evacuated the building until it could be moved somewhere safe. The Feds were brought in. This was years ago, long before the WTC attacks. He got off with probation largely due to the fact that it was not directed at harming anyone, but was just another really unsafe hobby. He wasn't a political misfit or anarchist or anything. And miraculuously he kept his job even though it was on the front page of the local papers. A good chemistry set would have been a step in the right direction from all that. Wonderful video. By the way, you should be able to make biodiesel in your home without annoying the gov or getting any permits or whatever. You can get all the stuff you need at the local grocery store. Well, not here in Washington State because you would have to buy pure grain alcohol from the government liquor stores. The primary ingredients are an alcohol and an oil, say ethanol and corn oil, or methanol and used fryer oil, etc.

A friend of the family down in Albuquerque (which came to mind because that is where Bob Lazar is based) had a good job at a bank some years ago. Somehow, against all advice to the contrary, he picked up the unusual hobby of making and testing pipe bombs out on the (unpopulated desert) mesas. Eventually the Albuquerque police found about this and arrested his nasty self.

The police confiscated all his stuff and put it in their evidence locker underneath the police station. Then they thought about it a little more carefully and evacuated the building until it could be moved somewhere safe. The Feds were brought in. This was years ago, long before the WTC attacks. He got off with probation largely due to the fact that it was not directed at harming anyone, but was just another really unsafe hobby. He wasn’t a political misfit or anarchist or anything. And miraculuously he kept his job even though it was on the front page of the local papers. A good chemistry set would have been a step in the right direction from all that.

]]> By: Clifford http://asymptotia.com/2007/12/29/nitrocellulose/#comment-100987 Clifford Sun, 30 Dec 2007 16:59:58 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2007/12/29/nitrocellulose/#comment-100987 pedant:- <em>Exactly</em>. In fact, in their very first show, Wired Science had a lovely piece on the loss of the chemistry set's appeal due to safety and liability concerns. I recommend it. The piece is <a href="http://www.pbs.org/kcet/wiredscience/video/82-dangerous_science.html" rel="nofollow" rel="nofollow" rel="nofollow">here</a>. Some of the stuff is a bit dangerous, yes, and clearly there needs to be a balance (as this video shows), but it is clear that we're far from the balance now. (Try to ignore Bob Lazar's other history, and focus on the issue at hand. His UFO stuff is not relevant to the issue and the piece is not all about him anyway.) Let me see if I can embed video in comments: <object width="425" height="265"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.pbs.org/kcet/wiredscience/video/embed/82"></param> <param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param> <embed src="http://www.pbs.org/kcet/wiredscience/video/embed/82" quality="high" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="265" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed> </object> -cvj pedant:- Exactly. In fact, in their very first show, Wired Science had a lovely piece on the loss of the chemistry set’s appeal due to safety and liability concerns. I recommend it. The piece is here. Some of the stuff is a bit dangerous, yes, and clearly there needs to be a balance (as this video shows), but it is clear that we’re far from the balance now. (Try to ignore Bob Lazar’s other history, and focus on the issue at hand. His UFO stuff is not relevant to the issue and the piece is not all about him anyway.)

Let me see if I can embed video in comments:

-cvj

]]> By: pedant http://asymptotia.com/2007/12/29/nitrocellulose/#comment-100934 pedant Sun, 30 Dec 2007 10:13:00 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2007/12/29/nitrocellulose/#comment-100934 Now that's chemistry like it was years ago - flashes and bangs and theater. A splendid book from that time - F Sherwood Taylor's 'The Young Chemist', which held me entranced when I was eight or so - gave instructions for making nitro-cellulose from saw dust and nitric acid. It was also suggested that the neophyte knocked out his or her own nitric acid, as this would yield a reagent 'stronger and more effective in experiments than anything you can buy'. All this and more in a book 'vetted' by the Home Office and passed as quite safe. Times have changed; science was more popular in schools in those days as I recall. Swings and roundabouts I suppose. When it came to bangs, of course, nitrogen tri-iodide was the compound of choice: no residue or flash but a deafening crack and a most spectacular purple haze. Magic. Now that’s chemistry like it was years ago - flashes and bangs and theater. A splendid book from that time - F Sherwood Taylor’s ‘The Young Chemist’, which held me entranced when I was eight or so - gave instructions for making nitro-cellulose from saw dust and nitric acid. It was also suggested that the neophyte knocked out his or her own nitric acid, as this would yield a reagent ’stronger and more effective in experiments than anything you can buy’. All this and more in a book ‘vetted’ by the Home Office and passed as quite safe. Times have changed; science was more popular in schools in those days as I recall. Swings and roundabouts I suppose. When it came to bangs, of course, nitrogen tri-iodide was the compound of choice: no residue or flash but a deafening crack and a most spectacular purple haze. Magic.

]]> By: Carl Brannen http://asymptotia.com/2007/12/29/nitrocellulose/#comment-100858 Carl Brannen Sun, 30 Dec 2007 01:55:17 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2007/12/29/nitrocellulose/#comment-100858 Alejandro, I can only suppose that Hardwick and Schrempp obtained the proper permits beforehand. Or maybe not, given that it was clear that they were also in extreme violation of OSHA standards for human protection during the manipulation of fuming nitric acid, etc... Like, where was the fume hood dude? And what would have happened if someone dropped something? You can get away with this sort of thing once or twice, but if a lot of people do it everry day it will result in great carnage. OSHA standards are there to protect people when crap goes wrong; it's not just a bunch of silly regulations intended on making trouble for capitalism. Alejandro, I can only suppose that Hardwick and Schrempp obtained the proper permits beforehand.

Or maybe not, given that it was clear that they were also in extreme violation of OSHA standards for human protection during the manipulation of fuming nitric acid, etc… Like, where was the fume hood dude? And what would have happened if someone dropped something?

You can get away with this sort of thing once or twice, but if a lot of people do it everry day it will result in great carnage. OSHA standards are there to protect people when crap goes wrong; it’s not just a bunch of silly regulations intended on making trouble for capitalism.

]]> By: Alejandro Rivero http://asymptotia.com/2007/12/29/nitrocellulose/#comment-100843 Alejandro Rivero Sun, 30 Dec 2007 01:06:55 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2007/12/29/nitrocellulose/#comment-100843 Yup, it is probably illegal in most of the civilized countries. So lets congratulate Hardwick and Schrempp by taking the courage. It is also enthusiastically described in Jules Verne's Mistery Island. So yes, it is for kids. Ot it was, in the previous century. Yup, it is probably illegal in most of the civilized countries. So lets congratulate
Hardwick and Schrempp by taking the courage.

It is also enthusiastically described in Jules Verne’s Mistery Island. So yes, it is for kids. Ot it was, in the previous century.

]]> By: Carl Brannen http://asymptotia.com/2007/12/29/nitrocellulose/#comment-100759 Carl Brannen Sat, 29 Dec 2007 18:20:15 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2007/12/29/nitrocellulose/#comment-100759 Also known as gun cotton, this is similar to nitro glycerine. I guess I'm not entirely certain that this is a good show for kids. <a href="http://searchjustice.usdoj.gov/search?q=fireworks+homemade" rel="nofollow">Manufacturing fireworks without a BATF</a> license is very very illegal. Also known as gun cotton, this is similar to nitro glycerine. I guess I’m not entirely certain that this is a good show for kids. Manufacturing fireworks without a BATF license is very very illegal.

]]> By: Making nitrocellulose at home « Later On http://asymptotia.com/2007/12/29/nitrocellulose/#comment-100751 Making nitrocellulose at home « Later On Sat, 29 Dec 2007 17:16:12 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2007/12/29/nitrocellulose/#comment-100751 [...] Posted in Science at 9:15 am by LeisureGuy But be careful. [...] [...] Posted in Science at 9:15 am by LeisureGuy But be careful. [...]

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