| |
Main
Date: 18 Oct 2006 23:59:59
From: Florian
Subject: OT: Help identify glass cylinder
|
While out on the Mojave desert earlier this week i found a Pyrex glass =
cylinder or tube that contains a liquid. The glass is opaque so i can't =
tell the color of the liquid but i can hear it when i shake the tube. =
The cylinder is 1" in diameter and about 7.5" long. It seems to have =
been out on the desert a long time as the tube was fairly well crusted =
with dirt when i found it. I posted two photos of the object here...
http://www.stargazing.com/pub/cylinder1.jpg
http://www.stargazing.com/pub/cylinder2.jpg
Anyone know what this is? I know readers of s.a.a are knowledgeable =
about many things so i'm sure someone will know! ;-)
As for stargazing i had my Tele Vue 76 and had a very nice night on =
Sunday camped a few miles east of Amboy. Monday night was fairly breeze =
so didn't do much observing.=20
.Florian
Stargazing.com
|
|
| |
Date: 18 Oct 2006 18:31:55
From:
Subject: Re: Help identify glass cylinder
|
There are chemicals that are so corrosive that they must be stored in
sealed glass or pyrex tubes. The one end looks like it was connected
to a delivery system and then sealed with a gas-O2 torch. The liquids
that come to mind are bromine or some organic bromine compound. An
example would be ethyl bromide. Another example is nitrogen tetroxide
a brownish corrosive liquid. Nitric acid and similar mineral acids
which are clear liquids are not stored that way because there are many
plastics that are not attacked.
On 18, 8:05=A0pm, "reconair" <recon...@staffnet.com > wrote:
> Two questions: =A0Is it heavy ? It it radioactive?
> Scott"Florian" <s...@TheDesertSon.com> wrote in messagenews:3ezZg.8162$8C=
4=2E69@tornado.socal.rr.com...
> While out on the Mojave desert earlier this week i found a Pyrex glass
> cylinder or tube that contains a liquid. The glass is opaque so i can't t=
ell
> the color of the liquid but i can hear it when i shake the tube. The
> cylinder is 1" in diameter and about 7.5" long. It seems to have been out=
on
> the desert a long time as the tube was fairly well crusted with dirt when=
i
> found it. I posted two photos of the object here...
>
> =A0http://www.stargazing.com/pub/cylinder1.jpg
> =A0http://www.stargazing.com/pub/cylinder2.jpg
>
> Anyone know what this is? I know readers of s.a.a are knowledgeable about
> many things so i'm sure someone will know! =A0;-)
>
> As for stargazing i had my Tele Vue 76 and had a very nice night on Sunday
> camped a few miles east of Amboy. Monday night was fairly breeze so didn't
> do much observing.
>=20
> .Florian
> =A0Stargazing.com
|
| | |
Date: 19 Oct 2006 10:43:38
From: Chi-hung Yeung
Subject: Re: Help identify glass cylinder
|
I am a chemist by training. Years ago, I used similar sealed glass
tubes for the synthesis of certain chemicals. we also store air/water
sensitive, volatile and dangerous chemicals in sealed glass tubes. The
things inside can be very nasty.
The best advice is "Do not open it".
C. H. Yeung
Havriliak@aol.com wrote:
> There are chemicals that are so corrosive that they must be stored in
> sealed glass or pyrex tubes. The one end looks like it was connected
> to a delivery system and then sealed with a gas-O2 torch. The liquids
> that come to mind are bromine or some organic bromine compound. An
> example would be ethyl bromide. Another example is nitrogen tetroxide
> a brownish corrosive liquid. Nitric acid and similar mineral acids
> which are clear liquids are not stored that way because there are many
> plastics that are not attacked.
>
> On 18, 8:05�pm, "reconair" <recon...@staffnet.com> wrote:
>> Two questions: �Is it heavy ? It it radioactive?
>> Scott"Florian" <s...@TheDesertSon.com> wrote in messagenews:3ezZg.8162$8C4.69@tornado.socal.rr.com...
>> While out on the Mojave desert earlier this week i found a Pyrex glass
>> cylinder or tube that contains a liquid. The glass is opaque so i can't tell
>> the color of the liquid but i can hear it when i shake the tube. The
>> cylinder is 1" in diameter and about 7.5" long. It seems to have been out on
>> the desert a long time as the tube was fairly well crusted with dirt when i
>> found it. I posted two photos of the object here...
>>
>> �http://www.stargazing.com/pub/cylinder1.jpg
>> �http://www.stargazing.com/pub/cylinder2.jpg
>>
>> Anyone know what this is? I know readers of s.a.a are knowledgeable about
>> many things so i'm sure someone will know! �;-)
>>
>> As for stargazing i had my Tele Vue 76 and had a very nice night on Sunday
>> camped a few miles east of Amboy. Monday night was fairly breeze so didn't
>> do much observing.
>>
>> .Florian
>> �Stargazing.com
>
|
| | |
Date: 21 Oct 2006 21:50:39
From: JOHN PAZMINO
Subject: Re: Help identify glass cylin
|
H > Subject: Re: Help identify glass cylinder
H > From: Havriliak@aol.com
H > Date: 18 2006 18:31:55 -0700
H > There are chemicals that are so corrosive that they must be stored in
H > sealed glass or pyrex tubes. The one end looks like it was connected
H > to a delivery system and then sealed with a gas-O2 torch. The liquids
H > that come to mind are bromine or some organic bromine compound. An
H > example would be ethyl bromide. Another example is nitrogen tetroxide
H > a brownish corrosive liquid. Nitric acid and similar mineral acids
H > which are clear liquids are not stored that way because there are many
H > plastics that are not attacked.
H > On 18, 8:05 pm, "reconair" <recon...@staffnet.com> wrote:
H > > Two questions: Is it heavy ? It it radioactive?
H > > Scott"Florian" <s...@TheDesertSon.com> wrote in messagenews:3ezZg.8162$8C4.69
H > @tornado.socal.rr.com...
H > > While out on the Mojave desert earlier this week i found a Pyrex glass
H > > cylinder or tube that contains a liquid. The glass is opaque so i can't tell
H > > the color of the liquid but i can hear it when i shake the tube. The
H > > cylinder is 1" in diameter and about 7.5" long. It seems to have been out on
H > > the desert a long time as the tube was fairly well crusted with dirt when i
H > > found it. I posted two photos of the object here...
H > >
H > > http://www.stargazing.com/pub/cylinder1.jpg
H > > http://www.stargazing.com/pub/cylinder2.jpg
H > >
H > > Anyone know what this is? I know readers of s.a.a are knowledgeable about
H > > many things so i'm sure someone will know! ;-)
H > >
H > > As for stargazing i had my Tele Vue 76 and had a very nice night on Sunday
H > > camped a few miles east of Amboy. Monday night was fairly breeze so didn't
H > > do much observing.
H > > > .Florian
H > > Stargazing.com
SO! Now we got the proof that Saddam was hiding his chemical weapons
in places the US won't think of hunting for them at. WIll president
Bush incade Califorinia?
---
þ RoseReader 2.52á P005004
|
| |
Date: 18 Oct 2006 20:05:34
From: reconair
Subject: Re: Help identify glass cylinder
|
Two questions: Is it heavy ? It it radioactive?
Scott
"Florian" <star6@TheDesertSon.com > wrote in message
news:3ezZg.8162$8C4.69@tornado.socal.rr.com...
While out on the Mojave desert earlier this week i found a Pyrex glass
cylinder or tube that contains a liquid. The glass is opaque so i can't tell
the color of the liquid but i can hear it when i shake the tube. The
cylinder is 1" in diameter and about 7.5" long. It seems to have been out on
the desert a long time as the tube was fairly well crusted with dirt when i
found it. I posted two photos of the object here...
http://www.stargazing.com/pub/cylinder1.jpg
http://www.stargazing.com/pub/cylinder2.jpg
Anyone know what this is? I know readers of s.a.a are knowledgeable about
many things so i'm sure someone will know! ;-)
As for stargazing i had my Tele Vue 76 and had a very nice night on Sunday
camped a few miles east of Amboy. Monday night was fairly breeze so didn't
do much observing.
.Florian
Stargazing.com
|
| | |
Date: 19 Oct 2006 00:17:31
From: Florian
Subject: Re: Help identify glass cylinder
|
>Two questions: Is it heavy ? It it radioactive?
It's not heavy. Like you'd expect from a glass tube filled with water. =
Dunno about the radioactive part. After i picked it up and brought it =
home i got to thinking that maybe is could be something dangerous so i'm =
keeping it outside.
.Florian
|
| | | |
Date: 18 Oct 2006 20:22:01
From: reconair
Subject: Re: Help identify glass cylinder
|
Give me your best guess location of the find, i.e. nearest town, military
reservation, etc
Scott
"Florian" <star6@TheDesertSon.com > wrote in message
news:vuzZg.8163$8C4.6530@tornado.socal.rr.com...
>Two questions: Is it heavy ? It it radioactive?
It's not heavy. Like you'd expect from a glass tube filled with water. Dunno
about the radioactive part. After i picked it up and brought it home i got
to thinking that maybe is could be something dangerous so i'm keeping it
outside.
.Florian
|
| | | | |
Date: 19 Oct 2006 00:30:27
From: Florian
Subject: Re: Help identify glass cylinder
|
>Give me your best guess location of the find, i.e. nearest town, =
military=20
>reservation, etc
10 miles north of Desert Center just off of highway 177. It was along a =
fairly well used dirt road so although it had been out for a while i =
doubt it could have been there more than a year.
.Florian
|
| | | | | |
Date: 18 Oct 2006 20:09:10
From: Pat O'Connell
Subject: Re: Help identify glass cylinder
|
Florian wrote:
>>Give me your best guess location of the find, i.e. nearest town, military
>>reservation, etc
>
>
> 10 miles north of Desert Center just off of highway 177. It was along a fairly well used dirt road so although it had been out for a while i doubt it could have been there more than a year.
>
> .Florian
Florian,
In the early 70s, I used to train Chemical Corps soldiers in the
decontamination of war chemicals. That looks like the sort of vial that
the liquid training materials were stored in. The vial may contain
nothing toxic, or may contain something bad, and I can't tell which.
I would strongly suggest you call your local police now, tell them where
it was found, and ask them to handle it. While it's a Pyrex vial, it may
have been weakened by exposure to the sun.
--
Pat O'Connell
[note munged EMail address]
Take nothing but pictures, Leave nothing but footprints,
Kill nothing but vandals...
|
| | | | | |
Date: 18 Oct 2006 21:43:53
From: reconair
Subject: Re: Help identify glass cylinder
|
Its safe to say it's not military in nature given the distance from any
training area. My best guess is that it is a left behind, geochem field
sample. Over the last several years, there have been several field studies
in California led by the EPA, Lawerence Livermore, USGS and some
universities. Some of these field studies are designed to collect ground
water samples, soil samples from runoff areas for analysis of nitrate levels
or other thhings like sulfates and even gold. Also such studies are used
for geochem/mineral mapping and petrology. It would be interesting to see
what exactly is in the tube. If it is not completely sealed, a small
pinhole at the end of the heat sealed tube would surely have allowed
contamination of the sample.
Scott
"Florian" <star6@TheDesertSon.com > wrote in message
news:DGzZg.3001$zy2.93@tornado.socal.rr.com...
>Give me your best guess location of the find, i.e. nearest town, military
>reservation, etc
10 miles north of Desert Center just off of highway 177. It was along a
fairly well used dirt road so although it had been out for a while i doubt
it could have been there more than a year.
.Florian
|
| | | | | |
Date: 19 Oct 2006 03:34:51
From: Sjouke Burry
Subject: Re: Help identify glass cylinder
|
Florian wrote:
>>Give me your best guess location of the find, i.e. nearest town, military
>>reservation, etc
>
>
>
> 10 miles north of Desert Center just off of highway 177. It was along a fairly well used dirt road so although it had been out for a while i doubt it could have been there more than a year.
>
> .Florian
>
>
Glass container.... Melted shut....
get rid of it, and dont open it. It might kill you.
|
| |
Date: 19 Oct 2006 23:58:36
From: Florian
Subject: Re: Help identify glass cylinder
|
Today i called my local police station and explained what i'd found. =
They said i could bring it over to the station and they'd take it. So =
that's what i did. They didn't know what it was either and made some =
jokes about not shaking it. That's when i left...
;-)
.Florian
|
| | |
Date: 19 Oct 2006 21:51:32
From: Pat O'Connell
Subject: Re: Help identify glass cylinder
|
Florian wrote:
> Today i called my local police station and explained what i'd found.
> They said i could bring it over to the station and they'd take it. So
> that's what i did. They didn't know what it was either and made some
> jokes about not shaking it. That's when i left...
>
> ;-)
I'll bet the demolitions people won't be quite as jokey as the desk
jockeys. Wonder if the station is still there or not.
After reading a few of the posts in this thread, I wonder if the liquid
in the cylinder is bromine, which is brown in liquid form and is rather
nasty to deal with.
--
Pat O'Connell
[note munged EMail address]
Take nothing but pictures, Leave nothing but footprints,
Kill nothing but vandals...
|
| | |
Date: 20 Oct 2006 01:54:13
From: John Nichols
Subject: Re: Help identify glass cylinder
|
"Florian" <star6@TheDesertSon.com > wrote in message
news:MiUZg.9924$8C4.1762@tornado.socal.rr.com...
Today i called my local police station and explained what i'd found. They
said i could bring it over to the station and they'd take it. So that's what
i did. They didn't know what it was either and made some jokes about not
shaking it. That's when i left...
;-)
Is the police station still there?
|
| | |
Date: 20 Oct 2006 03:11:39
From: Ioannis
Subject: Re: Help identify glass cylinder
|
"Florian" <star6@TheDesertSon.com > wrote in message
news:MiUZg.9924$8C4.1762@tornado.socal.rr.com...
> Today i called my local police station and explained what i'd found.
> They said i could bring it over to the station and they'd take it.
> So that's what i did. They didn't know what it was either and made
> some jokes about not shaking it. That's when i left...
Apparently you lack the most fundamental trait of the enquiring scientific
mind.
If that were me, I'd shake it vigorously and then spark it with a Tesla coil.
Or heat it to 1,000 degrees C. Or apply high voltage to it. Or try to see if a
Geiger counter responds near it...
If everything else failed, I'd break the cylinder and inhale deeply near it
trying to identify its contents by smell...
;-P
> ;-)
> .Florian
--
Ioannis
-------
Documentation; The worst part of programming.
|
| | | |
Date: 20 Oct 2006 00:39:31
From: Florian
Subject: Re: Help identify glass cylinder
|
>Apparently you lack the most fundamental trait of the enquiring =
scientific mind.
Yeah, i know. I chickened out. I really wanted to just throw it against =
a brick wall and see what happened. And i probably would have done that =
except that i'd posted here about what i found so it was now public. If =
it turned out i infected the west coast with anthrax i'd have had a hard =
time denying it was me...
.Florian
|
| | |
Date: 20 Oct 2006 16:17:35
From: Kruger Kid
Subject: Re: Help identify glass cylinder
|
Yep, That's what I would of done. Either give it to the Fire
Department or Police.
I would be as curious as hell though knowing I would probably never
find out what was in it.
KK
On Thu, 19 2006 23:58:36 GMT, "Florian" <star6@TheDesertSon.com >
wrote:
>Today i called my local police station and explained what i'd found. They said i could bring it over to the station and they'd take it. So that's what i did. They didn't know what it was either and made some jokes about not shaking it. That's when i left...
>
>;-)
>
>.Florian
>
|
| | | |
Date: 20 Oct 2006 13:31:04
From: AM
Subject: Re: Help identify glass cylinder
|
Kruger Kid wrote:
> I would be as curious as hell though knowing I would probably never
> find out what was in it.
>
> KK
>
I would have probably taken it out to a rock
quarry and shot it with a 22 250 :)
Still wouldnt have known what it was tho....
--
AM
http://sctuser.home.comcast.net
CentOS 4.3 KDE 3.3
|
| | | | |
Date: 21 Oct 2006 04:47:10
From: Kruger Kid
Subject: Re: Help identify glass cylinder
|
On Fri, 20 2006 13:31:04 -0400, AM <sctuser@comcast.net > wrote:
>Kruger Kid wrote:
>
>> I would be as curious as hell though knowing I would probably never
>> find out what was in it.
>>
>> KK
>>
>
>
>I would have probably taken it out to a rock
>quarry and shot it with a 22 250 :)
>
>Still wouldnt have known what it was tho....
Yeah, That would be my first thought also. But being that it is sealed
in a pyrex glass tube like that. Who knows.......
KK
|
| | | | | |
Date: 21 Oct 2006 06:13:33
From: lynt
Subject: Re: Help identify glass cylinder
|
"Kruger Kid" <kkofvirgo@yahoo.com > wrote in message
news:d59jj2hb292bkrlsess13edrqqkqodmq3t@4ax.com...
> On Fri, 20 2006 13:31:04 -0400, AM <sctuser@comcast.net> wrote:
>
>>Kruger Kid wrote:
>>
>>> I would be as curious as hell though knowing I would probably never
>>> find out what was in it.
>>>
>>> KK
>>>
>>
>>
>>I would have probably taken it out to a rock
>>quarry and shot it with a 22 250 :)
>>
>>Still wouldnt have known what it was tho....
>
> Yeah, That would be my first thought also. But being that it is sealed
> in a pyrex glass tube like that. Who knows.......
>
> KK
On the other hand, Barbara Eden might have popped out and granted you three
wishes.
|
| | |
Date: 21 Oct 2006 16:42:55
From: Stephen Paul
Subject: Re: Help identify glass cylinder
|
Florian wrote:
> Today i called my local police station and explained what i'd found.
> They said i could bring it over to the station and they'd take it. So
> that's what i did. They didn't know what it was either and made some
> jokes about not shaking it. That's when i left...
>
> ;-)
>
> .Florian
>
>
By the way, I think you might want to consider going into OE, Tools,
Options, Send tab, and setting the News Sending Format, Plain Text
Settings to Uuencode.
I think the problem I'm having with your messages wrapping correctly is
that you are set to MIME (the default). This is user settable separately
for email and news.
Currently I have to "rewrap" your messages in Thunderbird before sending.
Anyway, just a thought.
Thanks Florian,
Steve Paul
|
| | |
Date: 21 Oct 2006 16:31:38
From: Stephen Paul
Subject: Re: Help identify glass cylinder
|
Florian wrote:
> Today i called my local police station and explained what i'd found.
> They said i could bring it over to the station and they'd take it. So
> that's what i did. They didn't know what it was either and made some
> jokes about not shaking it. That's when i left...
>
> ;-)
>
> .Florian
>
>
It's good that you found it.
|
|
