1. Home
  2. Land Rover 4WD vehicles
  3. Typically way OT: where to buy ether

Typically way OT: where to buy ether

Usual nothing-to-do-with-LR question from me as the chances are high that someone will know the answer (and enjoy supplying it!):

Collecting a mercury barometer tomorrow. This particular model has a layer of coloured indicating fluid sitting on the mercury.

Calibration is achieved by altering the quantity of indicating fluid by means of a syringe and fine tube. Then you add a small quantity of ether down the side of the tube to clean off any indicationg fluid. As the ether evaporates it cleans the inner wall of the tube and prevents the indicating fluid dragging on the wall as its level drops.

So, the problem is: where to buy ether? It's anaesthetic properties mean that you can't buy it over the counter - or at least nowhere I tried.

If all else fails I will try to get a private prescription from my GP as it is availablr from chemists on prescription. However, I don't hold out much hope of that.

TIA

Richard

Reply to
Richard Savage
Loading thread data ...

Typical red tape! Can we do nothing in this country any more? Having once (about 30 years ago) not been permitted to buy meths in Boots to make my own screenwash additive - they claimed it was outside the licensing hours! - I'm not surprised at anything any more just dismayed.

I presume that it's local chemists that you've tried already.

Two ideas:

Does your barometer manufacturer/supplier have any suggestions? Can they supply? Can they suggest alternatives - acetone, perhaps, which might be easier to obtain.

How about Easy Start? I'm surprised how little diethyl ether is there and I'm not sure how volatile they all the other ingredients are. Pyridine - presumably an unavoidable contaminent - not too volatile. Download the MSDS from here:

formatting link
manufacturers' starting fluids may be cleaner.

Reply to
Dougal

Hi Dougal

Chemists seem to require a prescription for the stuff. Why escapes me as I know of no medical use for it. However, there is one chemist I haven't tried yet who may be more amenable.

Unfortunately the barometer manufacturer no longer exists :-(

A former chemist has suggested Easy Start or its imitators. That's another route.

SLS and Fisher Chemical Supplies both state that they will not supply to the man in the street. However, an email to Fishers has provoked an enquiry as to where in UK I live. Not sure if that's to alert the drugs squad or identify a salesman. Either way they didn't actually slam the door in my face.

When I was a keen electronics engineer at college (20-odd years ago) I obtained the ingredients for a colourless copper etching solution from a local (non-chain) chemist after no more than a careful questioning by the proprietor and a reading of the 'recipe'. One of the chemicals was mercury-based (Mecuric Perchlorate possibly) and was supplied in a tiny pot with a very discrete skull and crossbones label. I never did make the etchant up as it was so unstable that it had to be kept in a fridge. Didn't think my ma would have embraced that opportunity too rapidly! Anyway I still have the chemicals - including all 24.9g of the Mercuric Whatsit - somewhere in the shed. Hmm just looked at the MSDS for it. Maybe I should find it and dispose of it. How?

Cheers

Richard

Reply to
Richard Savage

Hi Dougal

Chemists seem to require a prescription for the stuff. Why escapes me as I know of no medical use for it.

What! It was used as an anaesthetic for years!

TonyB

Reply to
TonyB

Hi Dougal

Chemists seem to require a prescription for the stuff. Why escapes me as I know of no medical use for it.

What! It was used as an anaesthetic for years!

TonyB

Reply to
TonyB

Hi Tony, and sorry for the slow reply.

Perhaps I should have said that I know of no use for it in a domestic situation, i.e. as issued under prescription. I can't imagine that one would be allowed to self-administer an anaesthetic or receive one from an unqualified individual. The administration of anaesthetics is a very skilled procedure.

Is that better?

Rgds

Richard

Reply to
Richard Savage

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.