Replies

1. 
   jet | May 15, 2009 11:25pm | #1

   Mine is a liquid spray.

1. 
   brucet9 | May 16, 2009 02:32am | #9

   "Mine is a liquid spray."That's what they used on me in the ER.What happens if you shoot a little spritz into the plumber's torch flame or the end of someone's cigarette? :)BruceT

2. 
   webted | May 15, 2009 11:32pm | #2

   Back in the pre-1950 days when chemistry was "extra-exciting", nitroglycerin was an important product. It was typically made by charging glycerin to a large reactor vessel (a massive enclosed vat with a cooling jacket on the outside and a paddle on the inside for stirring) and slowly dropping a mixture of nitric and sulfuric acid into the pot.

   The problem is when the acid is added too fast and the internal pot temperature heats up past the cooling jackets capacity. At that point - RUNAWAY REACTION, BOOM! The process was generally run on the ton-scale, so you can imagine the excitement.

   So the process involved some guy sitting on a stool next to the pot, peering down through a window in the vat at a thermometerand opening and closing the acid supply valve to keep the temperature steady - for hours and hours on end. Inevitably, every so often an operator would fall asleep, given the boring nature of the work. Sometimes the valve would be left too far closed, and other times it would be too far open. The latter is what I refer to as a "self-correcting" problem.

   Anyways, this whole thing led to the first example of a process engineering solution.

   They sawed two legs off the stool. The "one-legged" stool became the industry standard for safe nitroglycerin production.

   -t

1. 
   Danno | May 15, 2009 11:44pm | #3

   What is the deal with Mzinga today--takes forever to allow me to type in a reply!!

   Anyway, now that I've forgotten even what I am replying to, let me reply:

   A guy I worked for who ran a landscape nursery told me that during the War, he had to make nitro and like you said, he had to let the acids mix into the glycerin and watch the temp, since it is an exothermic rxn. One night he added too much too soon. When that happened, and the temp got above a certain level, the operator was supposed to hit an emergency button that dumped the whole batch into cold water and ruined it (but kept you from being blown to smithereens!). But, once you had to dump a batch like that, you were no longer allowed to do that process and you had to work back nailing pallets together or something and he liked the relative cushiness of this job. Anyway, he said he had his hand hovering over the emergency dump button and watched the gage touch the red zone, but he never had to dump it. He said it was a tense few moments!

3. 
   maddog3 | May 16, 2009 12:11am | #4

   my old man told me that the vials in his levels were filled with the stuff .

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1. 
   webted | May 16, 2009 01:34am | #5

   "my old man told me that the vials in his levels were filled with the stuff ."That's too funny! Bet that cured you of dropping them. How old were you when you got over your fear of levels? :^)

1. 
   maddog3 | May 16, 2009 02:29am | #7

   it was quite awhile, he would tell me to get one for him and then I had to put it away , and then get it again, and so on and so on he also told me that diesel fuel would blow up in my face if I didn't stop hitting his trucks fuel tanks with his tire checker.
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   Edited 5/15/2009 7:32 pm by maddog3

2. 
   brucet9 | May 16, 2009 02:28am | #6

   LOLNext time someone wants to borrow my good level, I'll use that line.BruceT

1. 
   maddog3 | May 16, 2009 02:31am | #8

   hope it works for ya....:).

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4. 
   CardiacPaul | May 16, 2009 04:28am | #10

   Be sure to hand them out to the kids, they'll love the killer headaches

    No one should regard themselve as "God's gift to man." But rather a mere man whos gifts are from God.

5. 
   IMERC | May 16, 2009 04:42am | #11

   if those came with a fuse there may be a problem...

    

   Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming

   WOW!!! What a Ride!

   
   Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!

    

   "Some days it's just not worth chewing through the restraints"