Moving on, finally!

[Peter.N.]

I've probably got enough tin/lead to last me at my present rate of usage, I must have inhaled a good few reels of that, it probably shows somewhere.

When I started work in the local radio shop our senior engineer smoked a pipe and must have inhaled quite a quantity of carbon tet through it over the years.

Peter

[elma]

I replaced all the solder at work with leaded. It was a good move, suddenly I could solder acceptably again.

[white exec]

I do a fair bit of plumbing work with copper pipe, with propane blowtorch. Plumbers' solder here has been lead-free for some time, but three qualities are offered. The best has a much higher silver content, and is far easier to use than the cheaper grades. It also produces a very strong joint, unlike the soft lead of years ago.

Good to get rid of toxic substances, but I do miss the sheer toughness and dependability of asbestos-based clutches. Modern cars, with higher reverse gears, put a hell of a strain on the clutch when doing a reverse hill start, and the smell of scorched resin is sometimes unavoidable.

[CitroJim]

I have several reels of it here, some bought within the last couple of months.

Me too.. I hoarded it when it looked like it might be banned...

Plus all my kit here is definitely 'legacy'

[ekjdm14]

yes, as far as I know it's banned... And we used to smoke whilst using it....

Speaking of oxidising into something harmful, modern FM200 fire suppressants as used in computer data centres and the like decompose into hydrofluoric acid if it meets a naked flame... That's possibly the most dangerous acid on the planet..

It's a long story but I ended up exposed to it in the presence of naked flames and ended up in casualty - they were a bit stumped as to what to do with me.. They had never seen a case of potential hydrofluoric acid contact...

I'm still here and in generally excellent health but I do sometimes wonder if part of the root of why I'm like I am today may be connected...

Ouch, not nice. I think some automotive synthetics like wiring insulation/rad hoses etc can also produce Hydrofluoric acid when burned as well. That's the acid that once it's on you, it stays on isn't it, like even if you were to wash it off or jump into a vat of lime (equally nasty I'd imagine) it'd still carry on being nasty and acidic...


Is there actually any recommended course of action for HF exposure, or is it just a case of wait and hope you didn't get enough on to do any harm?

[CitroJim]

Is there actually any recommended course of action for HF exposure, or is it just a case of wait and hope you didn't get enough on to do any harm?

Yes, buy a tombstone

Actually, not much can be done bar watch for and treat the cardinal symptoms...

Symptoms of HF exposure include irritation of the eyes, skin, nose, and throat, eye and skin burns, rhinitis, bronchitis, pulmonary edema (fluid buildup in the lungs), and bone damage.

Luckily, I had none and just spent the day in casualty under close observation...

This Wikipedia article contains a bit about how poisoning is dealt with

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrofluoric_acid

I only realised what had happened when I saw some polished stainless steel nearby turn black! Then it was time for 999 and an ambulance...

Years later that stainless steel still stands witness; it remains discoloured to this day and won't clean up...

[white exec]

I think HF acid is the only one that will attack glass - and has been used to etch it.

[CitroJim]

I think HF acid is the only one that will attack glass - and has been used to etch it.

I believe that is so... Plastic is one thing it won't attack it seems...

It's worth noting that HF is liberated when certain automotive rubbers (including Viton I believe) are burned... This is a major reason why a fire-damaged car is seen as extremely hazardous requiring special handling and are always a Cat-A write-off which means they must be crushed and no parts may be recovered from it under any circumstances...

So don't go chucking old O Rings on the fire

[myglaren]

Fatalities generally from liquid spills. Any more than 2.5% of the surface area of the body is usually fatal especially if not treated immediately.

Washing with water and the application of Calcium Gluconate and subsequent treatment with Calcium and Magnesium can help remedy exposure.

Fearful stuff.

[Gibbo2286]

Bleed-nel you lot are in a cheerful mood this morning.

[myglaren]

I was reminded of a famous lady scientist who was contaminated through protective clothing, one drop of whatever it was and she died in a couple of weeks, there is no cure or antidote.
Can't remember her name nor the compound but Hydroflouric Acid isn't much better -unfortunately I am being blocked from investigating due to an "Unsecured Connection"
I will remember her name eventually. May not be this year though.

[CitroJim]

Bleed-nel you lot are in a cheerful mood this morning.

I'm very cheerful Gibbo because I survived it, possibly unscathed It is still a topic that frequently does the rounds at work to much hilarity... It made me a legend in my own lunchtime...

[ekjdm14]

Mmm, nasty stuff indeed & can I say that I am (and no doubt many other forum members are too) very blessed to have you around Jim

Beats me being found semi-conscious leant against the Trike tank one night after the recirculation fans tripped out (should have just left things be till it was sorted, rather than trying to get the tubes that were degreasing back lol) I've not flown quite so high before or since, and wouldn't want to!

Anyway if the topic were to turn back to vintage electronics, and the multifarious electro-mecha-chemical solutions to things dealt with today by bits of silicon, I for one wouldn't mind a bit. So much fascinating information and pictures on the last few pages that I've only just noticed, I kind of wish I'd never brought chemicals back into the conversation! Those Mercury rectifiers I actually find very beautiful, in function especially & only slightly less so in form.

[Peter.N.]

Its amazing how some people seem to be impervious to things that kill others, asbestos for instance.

I'm told that the radiation from the gun end of a CRT is much higher than from the screen which they were having hysterics about years ago. I'm sure that you and I Jim probably spent more time at that end than actually viewing the screen - and a lot closer.

Peter

[CitroJim]

Beats me being found semi-conscious leant against the Trike tank one night after the recirculation fans tripped out (should have just left things be till it was sorted, rather than trying to get the tubes that were degreasing back lol) I've not flown quite so high before or since, and wouldn't want to!

I've been 'high' on Trike a few times It seemed quite good at the time The come-down is rough though...

I'm delighted you're enjoying this thread... This is a perfect example of how an FCF topic can drift around and stray off into some most interesting and enjoyable territory Long may it always be so... I frequent a forum where moderation would never permit such deviation...

I'm told that the radiation from the gun end of a CRT is much higher than from the screen which they were having hysterics about years ago. I'm sure that you and I Jim probably spent more time at that end than actually viewing the screen - and a lot closer.

Gosh yes Peter... How many times did we over-ride the interlocks to the EHT compartment of early colour TVs and expose the PD500 shunt stabiliser and the GY501 EHT rectifier? I've seen PD500s glowing like mercury vapour rectifiers before now!!! Actually the X-Ray danger was exaggerated a bit and with a set working normally there was not too much but under fault conditions it could be a problem... I believe the front of the tube was screened against X-Rays but as you say Peter, the rear wasn't and how many happy hours did we spend at the back of those sets converging them and watching the image via a mirror?

On a tangential note, I got to love the old test card music

I spent a lot of my working life exposed to high RF fields. When a fluorescent light tube glows at full brightness with no power applied you know the RF field is quite high!!!

Never have I known any case of it causing health issues; all those so involved are either healthy or lived to ripe old ages and as for making you sterile - definitely not

The biggest risk was from 'belts' (electric shocks). I've seen some remarkable acrobatics from engineers being thrown across the room after a chance encounter with several Kv... None killed or badly hurt though...

The only fatality I ever knew was when an aerial rigger fell 100ft from a mast, a complete accident... But when you saw the risks some to them took it was amazing more were not badly hurt... Such antics as leaping onto and off an array from a wooden step-ladder and working on it whilst it was busy radiating 100KW of RF... Aerial riggers really were tough old characters and as mad as March hares.. Great company though!