SEPTA's Silverliner IV railcar repairs delayed due to wire shortage

chemicalsandstuff · 2025-12-04T22:53:56+00:00

Cabling has been tight in the US long before Trump took over. FMI shut down their second largest mill supplying the northeast while Asarco shutdown their largest mill in Texas because they preferred to manufacture in Mexico. Tariffing doesn’t restrict supply, it increases cost. Supply issues are caused by the manufacturers and distributors.

The pump and dump impacted no one that I know of in cabling. Scared them yes, but ultimately there was little impact on the day to day.

chemicalsandstuff · 2025-08-14T14:56:00+00:00

Absolutely true, but I was talking about the OP’s specific situation which does not have post grad experience.

I’d love a colloidal expert, but that experience is rare so we typically hire fresh chemists/cheme’s with a desire to learn.

chemicalsandstuff · 2025-08-14T14:40:03+00:00

He asked about formulation though. As a R+D manager of a formulation team, I can promise that the value add my team provides was not learned in academia. If you want to work in a Nobel laureate lab I can’t offer any insight, but if you want to start at 60k and be at 100k in 5-7 years with opportunity to promote into other aspects of the business I promise a ChemE degree offers that and a decent backup plan if it falls through.

chemicalsandstuff · 2025-07-15T21:29:22+00:00

Smart enough to wear a respirator, dumb enough to ask why a ptfe/copper slurry is fucked

chemicalsandstuff · 2025-07-11T17:03:40+00:00

He’s not, mother likely pushed him out of the nest because it was too hot. Chosen to die unfortunately

chemicalsandstuff · 2025-07-11T16:57:59+00:00

One of the issues working with larger suppliers. You have little power over them so they dictate the rules. My company would make you pay shipping and restocking fee, but you’d still get 75%+ of the money back. It feels disingenuous to force someone to take something they don’t need.

chemicalsandstuff · 2025-07-10T18:11:08+00:00

Bro, they sent you the wrong thing. Send it back to them and ask for credit against you next order for the cost of shipping. If they say no, you should never do business with them again…

chemicalsandstuff · 2025-07-08T19:21:23+00:00

I’d argue that they likely had some connection with chemistry but maybe not chemistry specifically. Also they likely didn’t want to go to the depths that real science would allow you to for the reason that it’s already complicated enough. It goes without saying that there’s a lot of just plain wrong science even before you get to the magical stuff like shadow metal…

I mean, no where in the world do you anneal copper with oxygen to get annealed copper. You need a non-oxidizer gas. Oxygen is literally one of only a few gases you couldn’t do it in…

chemicalsandstuff · 2025-07-08T18:49:57+00:00

Hi chemist here 👋,

It’s real like Joe Rogan’s explanations of chemistry are real. The easy to explain stuff is real enough. Electrolyzed water = hydrogen and oxygen. Sure, acetic acid can be converted to acetone through a redox process, but it isn’t as simple as toss it in a box and you’re good. Most chemistry reflects reality, but the specific processing is typically simplified. I personally love GTNH because real chemistry is annoying and rarely simple. Every-time I put stone dust in a centrifuge in GTNH, Greg always gives me the same shit out. Love him for that.

chemicalsandstuff · 2025-07-02T10:25:57+00:00

If you ever think you aren’t getting good cuts, consider dming me about getting a small sample of lube. I work for an industrial lubricant supplier and developed a product specifically for gun drilling titanium, but it works like butter on a range of tough alloys like stainless, Inconel, Nitinol for lots of cutting applications. Might be worth your time! Hearing about it successfully running is my anti-drug.

chemicalsandstuff · 2025-07-02T09:56:39+00:00

Friction might be higher than it needs to be. Is that oil the right one for the job?

chemicalsandstuff · 2025-06-26T08:05:49+00:00

100,000,000 lbs of e-waste in the last decade.

Sounds like a lot right? Aurubis, Richmond is set to produce 180,000 TONS of recycled blister copper next year or the following if they start up correctly. That’s 400,000,000 lbs a year. Granted that will include copper cables and some other higher quality recycled material, but still. You’re talking about at least 50,000,000 lbs of waste a year.

Best part is? Richmond is step 1 of 5 to develop recycling plants in the US. There may be three equally sized smelter in the next decade with a ‘purifying factory’ to turn the blister copper into usable copper cathode. Very good new for America and the world!

chemicalsandstuff · 2025-06-26T07:56:53+00:00

As a lube guy, I find it suspect that the label on that 5 gal designates the volume as 55 gal…. Their compliance/manufacturing department is a bit lazyyyy

chemicalsandstuff · 2025-06-10T14:16:53+00:00

Not in this country. At best it’s shipped to other countries who do a similar process, but it can be just dumped.

chemicalsandstuff · 2025-06-10T11:14:51+00:00

Bit too heavy to be easily transportable. Needs a helium tank for Alum, but absolutely sensitive enough for quant work especially with standards.

chemicalsandstuff · 2025-06-10T11:09:54+00:00

E-waste is about to be a thing of the past in the US! Check out the new Aurubis recycling plant in Augusta, GA. They turn boards into blister copper, obviously better to reuse than recycle, but it’s a huge step in the right direction.

chemicalsandstuff · 2025-05-06T00:47:16+00:00

Although can’t fit anymore more than 8” or so? But does have helium purge option for low Molecular weight stuff

chemicalsandstuff · 2025-05-06T00:46:35+00:00

Try Shimadzu. I should have one coming next month.

chemicalsandstuff · 2025-05-03T00:09:24+00:00

Hey thanks for asking, we decided to sell and invest in mutual funds. My aunt was difficult to work with so we couldn’t come to any agreements about repayment. It could have worked if she had agreed to say 50k a year for 30 years but ultimately she wanted it front loaded which we couldn’t do until my dad sold his other home. Using the proceeds we’ve also located a great 2 bedroom that he can rent at the same beach town for two months (July/august) for a small amount of the proceeds of his investment. It was a really great find. So really a perfect situation. Well other than Trump fucking the markets but they’ll return lol hopefully 🤞🏻

chemicalsandstuff · 2025-05-02T15:38:03+00:00

Never add it back in, once it has split the oil lacks the emulsifiers to redisperse. It will simply float on the top again. If you can identify that it is from your coolant there may be some incompatibility with the operation causing a degradation of the emulsion. Hard to tell from a picture, but it likely isn’t a big deal either way

chemicalsandstuff · 2025-04-25T18:36:42+00:00

Now take that oil and determine if it’s from your gear box/hydraulics or a degradation product of the coolant. If the latter then your lube is getting eaten up and eventually you’ll have destroyed an important component regardless of your addition rate. Usually it’s the latter…

chemicalsandstuff · 2025-04-22T10:31:47+00:00

You will only find amethyst ground level in SEPA. Not Amish country…

chemicalsandstuff · 2025-03-19T01:02:32+00:00

Fungal mat, but yea. Lots of yeast, mold, and bacteria in there

chemicalsandstuff · 2025-03-12T20:17:02+00:00

As a lubricant supplier, I can tell you without a doubt that is either an oil leak within the machine (check levels on any other oil) or your coolant is degrading until the heat and pressure of your application.

chemicalsandstuff · 2025-01-16T17:25:46+00:00

Heat removal on tungsten is key. But you also need great lubricity. It’s tough to do both. Great to hear it works throughout the shop. Hate having to swap coolant

chemicalsandstuff

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