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Registered Member #72
Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 08:29AM
Location: UK St. Albans
Posts: 1659
I tend to buy citric acid by the 10kg lot every couple of years from the same supplier on the net. I live in perhaps the world's hardest water area, and use it for defurring the washing machine, and keeping the chrome taps sparkling to the wife's approval. The supplier sells it for "bath bombs", citric + bicarb + soap + smelly stuff + binder + sparkly bits make a thing that fizzes when you throw it in the bath, I understand some females like them.
I used to be able to get 35% HCl from the local builder's merchant for removing toilet scale. Now I can only get "patio cleaner", which is weaker HCl + more expensive. I think they lob a few surfactants in there as well to justify the increase in price.
Duty-free ethanol gets my vote. If ever you are invited to a medical students' party, be very very wary of the punch or fruit cup!
Registered Member #2261
Joined: Mon Aug 03 2009, 01:19AM
Location: London, UK
Posts: 581
Nicko wrote ...
I think what annoyed HMRC (*) most is that you were buying it by the barrel load
Not sure where you got that idea? Just to be clear, I wasn't buying any - I'm just saying it would be nice if it was practical to use ethanol as a common solvent, but sadly it isn't.
Registered Member #1334
Joined: Tue Feb 19 2008, 04:37PM
Location: Nr. London, UK
Posts: 615
IntraWinding wrote ...
Nicko wrote ...
I think what annoyed HMRC (*) most is that you were buying it by the barrel load
Not sure where you got that idea? Just to be clear, I wasn't buying any - I'm just saying it would be nice if it was practical to use ethanol as a common solvent, but sadly it isn't.
It was a (small) attempt at a joke (just to be clear!). Mind you, joking about HMRC is probably not a good idea!
Small story - I didn't realise the Customs & Excise officers are technically never off duty. We had a party once where a bunch of my ner-do-well friends were in the kitchen discussing the merits of "phoenix" companies. Another guest, who just happened to a C&E officer, went in to refill her glass and had to have a polite mention to them that perhaps they really should be careful where they discuss such things! She was very nice about it,
Registered Member #30
Joined: Fri Feb 03 2006, 10:52AM
Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Posts: 6706
Yes, customs officers, tax inspectors, airport security etc. aren't known for their sense of humour!
The biodiesel subject is an interesting one. While it'll never replace fossil fuels, it's a great way to recycle used cooking oil. If I remember right, the chemicals needed to convert waste vegetable oil to biodiesel are methanol and sodium hydroxide.
Some diesel vehicles will run fine off straight vegetable oil. I once heard a story (may have been a legend) that a cash'n'carry in England was selling drums of cooking oil cheaper than diesel. Taxi drivers were buying it and using it as duty-free fuel. Customs & Excise did clamp down on this.
An interesting question: If you have an electric car, are you supposed to pay road fuel duty on the electricity?
Registered Member #2571
Joined: Sat Dec 26 2009, 12:02AM
Location: Aberdeenshire
Posts: 17
I think my problem was that i had ordered Ammonium Nitrate, Picric Acid and a large amount of Mercury. That had to get someones attention. Actually, i'm rather glad they came round, it's reassuring to know that these things are watched. Nothing got confiscated, they just warned me that i'd need to contact the local firearms officer if i was planning on making explosives! BTW i was using the picric acid as a staining agent for microscopy, The mercury for all sorts of fun stuff, and the ammonium nitrate for small fireworks.
I don't think that it was a honeypot as i actually received my first order, i only got the plain clothes after putting in a second order.
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