From the local BBC News

300 People in attendance !

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-12303519

The only thing I recall about LLandow – when I lived near there – was the Hangar full of furniture that the actor Lesley Phillips part owned.

On cleaning up stainless and other parts – a proposal from my father in law that I have also tried is Spirits of Salt i.e. 18% HCl solution available from the local hardware store.

Immerse the parts in enough solution for a day or so and after the fizzing has died down – wash in plenty of clean water.

As long as the solution is not too strong the stainless and alloy comes out pristine without any muck on it. If too strong it comes out clean – but a slightly darker colour..

The HCl solution can also be used for leaning the patio afterwards…

I have tried Bilthammer and found it worked well when warm and strong.

I bought an Hg thermometer a couple of years ago – one of the last as they were claimed by the supplier to be no longer available due to HSE/EU regulations. So you probably cant buy them anymore.

Seems a pity as I recall many a happy chemist undergraduate hour chasing mercury balls around the edges of a fume cupboard with a flask of flowers of sulphur in one hand and a dropping pipette in the other..

And another from my undergraduate days – where does mercury come from – HG Wells…..

Hg being symbol for mercury and HG Wells being a noted author etc. etc. –

Alright I am sorry it is late..

P.S. I would be more worried by copper sulphate eating aluminium…

Graham – sorry it is too far away from here to attend.

On youths and history – it is down to the parents.

My daughter is doing GCSE History this year. Her teacher challenged them to find primary sources of data to back up “Recruitment” – she has been in the city library twice this week looking through the microfiche of the 1914 and 1939 papers.

One thing she really liked was the evacuees from Newcastle in 1939- one lady referred to not wanting the poor mites to suffer that same as what happened to those that were bombed in Spain – i.e. a reference that Guernica was understood even up here. So my daughter has now been off critiquing Picasso.

Also that the farm lads entering service were being discouraged as their ample frames did not fit the average “Tommy” uniform and they had run out of the XL versions quickly.

There is an interest – you just have to feed it.

The 108s that strafed the beach and the pilot – were meant to be Prillers aircraft – he was a consultant on the film.

I thought he flew a FW190 (Black13?) on the actual day.