I have the elusive dangerous substance in my possession!

Hi folks,

Thanks to everyone who made suggestions about where I might buy mercury. In the end I bought some from a local scrap metal dealer. I got slightly over 30 kg for £30. Here it is:

It's going to make a fantastic barometer. Now I just need the Bridgeport to machine the parts, and that will require some saving!

I think I'll also make a video of mercury corroding aluminium. Should be an interesting thing to do with a webcam.

And as an aside, this is a seriously cool artistic use for mercury:

Thanks also to Robert Murray for recommending the book Procedures in Experimental Physics by John Strong. I bought a copy of this book and it's fascinating. I'm sure other metalworkers and science buffs would enjoy it too.

Best wishes,

Chris