Any suggestions for impressioning medium?

by **digital_blue** » 13 Oct 2005 13:56

Where does one aquire bismuth? BTW, isn't that the stuff that's in Pepto Bismol?

db

by **Keyring** » 13 Oct 2005 14:50

DB: Not a useful answer from me, but anyway... I got my piece in one of those rock shops you find near exhibition caves. Mine was from Matlock in Derbyshire. What struck me though is that you could tell from its shape that it wasn't a naturally occurring piece. It had these cool crystal shapes, but you could see that at the bottom it was sitting in a heating pot, and cooled slowly.

Where you'd get it at a sensible price I don't know except to suggest a chemical supply catalogue. These days they only sell to companies they've checked out.

I'm sure someone else has a proper answer...

by **iateshaggy** » 13 Oct 2005 15:20

how about placing your original on some black construction paper and spraying both with athelete's foot powder or other powder spray. then cut your key out and you have a profile. never mind, that would never work.

by **wsbpress** » 13 Oct 2005 23:07

Where does one aquire bismuth?

here you go:
http://www.smallparts.com/products/descriptions/lma.cfm

by **digital_blue** » 13 Oct 2005 23:20

Thanks.

But, is there anywhere that this can be purchased "off the shelf" so to speak? I've never gone looking, so for all I know it's on the bottom shelf at 7/11.

db

by **freakshow** » 13 Oct 2005 23:31

not really. It's used in magnetic sciences. I remember alot of chemistry places holding them though, so... maybe a chemists shop, or hobby shop? I got mine own chunk from arizona, when I was on vacation. A little off topic, but cool nonetheless, is that if you have a neodymium(?) earth magnet, and a small, small piece of bismuth, it floats on top of the magnet. Never tried myself, but i've seen it done here on the interweb thingy.