Motion Pro Economy

Ok, I got my "tool" yesterday and I was excited to put it together. I cut the tube into 4 equal lengths, put the little white plastic things in the ends of the tubes and put the tubes onto the rods. Now the fun part begins. I start pouring the mercury into the container opening and that goes fine. I then notice that the little rubber piece that is suppose to then go back into the hole likes to pop out on its own very easily. I really wasn't impressed with this design and was very worried that mercury would come out. Well, while having it lying on my knack box and making sure the tubes were as far down as they could be the unit turned over and mercury just poured out onto the top of my box and onto the floor. I started to freak out but then calmed down and started thinking about the best way to clean it up. I took the unit over and laid it onto my trash can lid which was upside down and more mercury came out and luckily the lid caught most of it. I went back and used the plastic container that the mercury came in and a paper towel to guide the mercury into the container. I then couldn't think of a good way to get it off of the floor and at first thought about vacuuming it up and then I thought that didn't sound like a good idea. So I stopped and went next door to my neighbors and a long story short got around to calling the local fire department which has a hazmat team.

Oh my what a spectacle, there were 3 fire trucks and one command vehicle on my street and neighbors from all over were coming to find out what was going on. In the end they cleaned up all the mercury, water being the catalyst, and I even had them take away my new motion pro as I didn't want it anywhere near me.

My neighbors love me :lol:

Next time (if there is one) use a turkey baster or eye dropper. A paper towel can be used to clean off the dirt etc, then it can be re-used.

Usually I am pretty calm under pressure but with the recent scares in the news about mercury and school closings and such I really didn't think very clearly. All I could think about was my dogs getting into it if I didn't get it all up and just wanted it done "right".

I hope no one takes this as a bash against Motion Pro. I blame this all on myself and just wanted to share and now that it is over and the neighbors all had a good laugh I just wanted to share it with everyone...

:lol:

[fishing emoticon] [trolling emoticon]

Here is a topic/story sure to take a left turn!

The scale of the problem to scale of the solution is awesome! You are lucky they didn't have to tear down your garage and rip up the concrete to remediate the spill.

Hello? Hazmat? I have a 1.5 gallon antifreeze spill, can you come right over and clean it up?

Hello? Hazmat? I know that I just called but now I have 4.75 quarts of oil that spilled, how soon can you get here?

Hello? Hazmat? My battery just had the corner of the case crack and now it is leaking on my floor. Hurry and get over here and take it away.

Let me guess, Morgan Carb Tune is starting to look pretty good long about now? :lol:

Alan

Let me guess, Morgan Carb Tune is starting to look pretty good long about now? :lol:
Alan

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On the shopping cart checkout page as I type. :lol:

Yes, I know the solution was a bit extreme for what it's worth. My neighbor who is an ex-cop and ex-Secret Service and I first called poison control. The guy on the other end just wasn't real convincing on the best way to clean it up. We then called a SS friend of my neighbors as they are required to be HazMat trained as part of their job figured he could give us a better answer. His answer was for us to call the fire department as they have a hazmat team and I decided to take his advice instead of using dirt to clean it up and then disposing it in the trash like the poison center suggested. :huh:

Putting it in the trash is the recommended way of disposing small amounts of it. It aint plutonium ya know It is a naturally occuring element, dangerous only when inhaled (vacumn BAD ). They had some kids here in Rosemount, found a jar of it on a closed industrial site and played with it, brought it home, passed it all around etc. You'da thunk it was U-235 the way the politicos reacted. The kids are fine, the trailer park this happened in is all cleany (for the first time in years, took hazmat to do what parents couldn't, apparently) and all will live happily ever after. Cost to taxpayers? In excess of $250,000.

You dun good havin' the ol' Hg properly disposed of.

I guess I've been fortunate the only way I have lost Hg from my Motion Pro was through the engine :bigeyes: :bad: :rip:

Alan

Hg is a common ingredient in every-day use batteries along with cadmium, both are toxic metals found in ever increasing amounts in land fills. Our local incinerator has a down-wind 'kill zone' where the soil and water from the facility are contaminated from burning trash.

Alan

Sparky I think you over reacted a wee bit. I mean it wasn't like you had to defuse an atomic bomb. :nuke: Just take your time and clean it up. If you didn't know how, sit back and think about it for a while or seek advice from us. :help: Good idea you had Radman for clean up .

And I don't think its necessary to pick up dog shit with a full white suit on either , tightly tied at the arm and ankle cuffs , with headgear and oxygen tank strapped to your back. :Snorkle: ( I do it by just putting a clothespin on my nose )

But seriously I have the same Motion Pro as you have. I store it , transport it , or use it hanging up in the vertical position. I am just carefull with it and never have had a problem. Of course you could use a Morgan Carb Tune and never have these problems , your choice.

Yea, when my wife got home she laughed at me because she and her mother use to play with it as kids no big deal.

So, you all are saying that having a quart mason jar 1/4 full of the stuff in our basement as a 7 year old wasn't a good idea?

And me floating steel ball bearings and putting my fingers in it wasn't a good idea? It's funny how the cool metal feels swishing it around.

Oops. When does the twitching start. Or did I stunt my growth and would have been 6'6" instead of 6'4"?

Or will I need Cialis in a couple years? :dribble:

The first sign is an addiction to long, long, motorcycle rides Ignacio, then the wilting peter comes soon after...

Gonna be at WFO this weekend? See you there.

Ignacio sez:

Oops. When does the twitching start. Or did I stunt my growth and would have been 6'6" instead of 6'4"?  Or will I need Cialis in a couple years?

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Back in the older days when men wore hats all the time, hatters used to form and recondition hats using mercury salts. Hat makers handled mercury-soaked fabric and sometimes got mercury poisoning, a condition that affects the nervous systems. Exposure would cause uncontrollable twitches and trembles, making them appear demented to the casual observer. Hence the expression, "Mad as a hatter."

Normally I would shake you hand, but I see it is already shaking :wacko:

Alan

Well, the big question from everyone I called was "How much was it". If it was less than a table spoon it was no big deal but I had more than that as most of the container came out and was all over the place. Plus since I wanted the tool itself removed I didn't want to just throw the whole thing in the trash. If it had just been in big puddles also not a big deal but for me it was very small particles all over the place. Under my tool box, behind many different areas, and the vapor was more of a concern to me than touching it. It wasn't a rash decision to call either. I was probably at my neighbors a good hour before we both agreed as much as I hated to do it that it was the best thing to do.. I don't regret calling really while some will say it was extreme and shooting black powder rifles sniffing sulfur might be worse for me I did what I thought best...

Hey, don't kid around about that stuff. I used to play with it as a kid, too. See what happened to me? :dribble:

Two stories. 1. Bought my dental practice from a guy who was having medical problems. Long story short: too much fish and inhaling mercury vapors at work. He purged his system of the Hg stored in his fat tissues OK, but the guy was 3 days from pituitary ablation before a 3rd physicial properly diagnosed the dentist's Mad Hatter syndrome.

2. The guy I bought the office from had mercury sitting in vials all over the place. I put them all away in a drawer. (mistake) A nitwit employee dumped the drawer and broke a vile and about 1 pound of mercury went onto the carpet. She was pregnant. I was EXTREMELY concerened, and called the state board of health. Overkill? Maybe. They sent a team over with sniffers and found that the only area that was a problem was where the spill was. Solution? Gave them ALL the raw mercury in the office and ripped up the carpet and disposed of it per their instructions. Threw out the drawar, too. As they were leaving, they told me that since it was ME who called, not my employee, they'd wave the $25000 fine. Gee thanks.

I got most of the spilled mercury up with a wisk broom and a piece of paper. I'm glad the BOH took it all away. If your dentist still uses siver, I hope he/she is using the precapsulated type, not the pellett and liquid technique. YIKES!

:bigeyes:

And let me reiterate what Rad said: Hg and vacuum cleaner: BAD solution.

As to the wet vac. A friend of mine has a boat down at Table Rock lake in southern Missouri and on his dock a few boats down, a young man spilled gasoline in his boat and sucked it up with a wet vac. Guess what happend next? Burnt up a brand new hundred thousand dollar dock (big fancy dock) and several boats, including an old rebuilt classic wooden sailboat.

And let me reiterate what Rad said: Hg and vacuum cleaner: BAD solution.

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Yea, I said I thought about it, meaning it went through my head and then the very next thought was the exhaust port/vapors and a big NO.

Um, Sparky? Did the fire department send you the 'bill' yet?