Feral_Peasant
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Registered: 7-7-2016
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Advice for a hobbyist?
A few years ago, I was casting bismuth with a propane torch in my back yard - controlling surface oxidation to make neat looking little sculptures. I
also regularly roast coffee, make paint/adhesives, make soil amendments for the garden, etc. in this yard - so I didn't think anything of it. An hour
or so after my project was completed, I was back inside, sitting in my attic studio. A couple of local police officers took the liberty of walking
into my house, asking a roommate, "Who might have been using a torch out back?" ... then proceeded up into my studio to find and question me.
Apparently, one of my neighbors had called to report that I was making drugs. Our interaction was quite casual, especially after I showed them the
sculptures I'd made. At the end of it, one officer turned to her partner and said, "See. I told you it was an art thing!"
Over the last few months, I've become increasingly interested in doing some projects that a clueless neighbor might be likely to again call in a
complaint about : stuff like essential oil distillation and synthesis of useful chemicals. I would prefer to do experiments that produce smoke/noxious
fumes outside, but am considering installing a proper fume hood in my garage workshop simply to shield my activities from paranoid neighbors -
particularly as there is no guaranty that the next police visit will be so friendly. Any advice?
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j_sum1
Administrator
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Make friends with your neighbour. They will be less likely to complain or jump to conclusions if they have enjoyed a few beers with you. You don't
need to discuss your future plans but showing them your "artwork" might be a good idea.
It is better if your neighbour is a ally rather than suspicious.
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NEMO-Chemistry
International Hazard
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Registered: 29-5-2016
Location: UK
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Some people lack brains unless in your country drug cooks prefer to it BBQ style out in the open with a beer in hand.
Having said that, sometime this year a guy was jailed for trying out homemade bomb recipes in his garden! He was intending terror apps so far as i
remember, he lived in a terraced house with neighbors on both side.
you can have a shotgun in the UK with a license, walk with a couple of dogs and blast birds from the sky, no one bats an eyelid! Try and distill mint
in the garden and everyone calls the police because your upto no good!
Not always easy to make neighbors friends, currently we are friends with ours. But before we moved here neighbors on both sides of us didnt speak a
word of English (one was Polish and one was Indian), the Polish neighbors were really friendly and would pop over and bring various foods and made an
effort despite the language gap.
The other side wouldnt acknowledge our existence, their son who spoke a small amount of English wasnt allowed to interact with me in any way.
We now live in a pretty rural place and our neighbor isnt that close, but they often pop over. Despite this, last year the electric company had to
fit a device to by pass our house and they put a tempory generator in for us, from the outside all you could see was two large cables hanging from the
main wires going into a box thing on the electric pole and then cables going into the garage.
They were by passing our supply because of tree work near us, it only affected our house so they isolated us for a couple of days. But we got reported
to the electric company and police for stealing electric!!
Fortunately the electric company explained to the police they had done it not us. Our neighbor says it wasnt them that reported us, but hard to see
who else could have seen the pole, as its not on view from the road.
I could probably get away with a few not to loud bangs, but it just isnt worth it. I would worry more about the 4 ltr of conc nitric acid i have and
general poking about the police like to do.
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ficolas
Hazard to Others
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Registered: 14-5-2016
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I live in a 3000 habitants town where some people are KNOWN to take electricity from the town lightning, where in the time of the year that weed
plants are grown, almost the whole town smells like weed, where at least 2 persons are KNOWN to sell MDMA and cocaine, and with known, I mean that
almost the whole town knows it...
Its better for me in a selfish way, because im probably not gonna have any trouble with my chemistry stuff (who knows anyways), but I hope I lived in
a place more like the one you live in, where people actually care about their neightbours following the law. Or where police did something other than
riding their car arround the town.
[Edited on 8-7-2016 by ficolas]
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Feral_Peasant
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Registered: 7-7-2016
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I do know many of my neighbors, and am on good enough terms with them that it was actually surprising to find that someone had called the police
rather than stop by to see what was going on. But my back yard is surrounded on three sides by apartment buildings, and so is visible to dozens of
people that I may never have met.
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