Original Message: 2003 |
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This is an excerpt from an essay I posted in 2003 at my Yahoo Group, Amber Forever, in the Files Area, titled "Testing Amber"—and available as a PDF: "The problem with "aroma tests" is that they demand some sort of characterization that is usually personal/experiential and comparative. Taste is made is from combinations of sweet, salty, bitter, and sour. Smell, on the other hand, is infinitely more varied—well beyond any standard language or terms to describe any particular aromas. So, we compare one thing to another—and what this communicates might be meaningful or meaningless. Plus, frankly, lots of people do not seem to have very good senses of smell. I meet people often who demonstrate no confidence or ability to make smell comparisons or characterizations. The required tools for the hot-point test are a long, thin steel darning needle and a candle. The steel needle is important, because something like a paperclip or a length of wire will not stay hot enough long enough to do the job. A shorter or smaller needle will become too hot to hold comfortably. If a long needle isn’t available, a shorter, smaller needle will do if you place the eye-end into a piece of cork. This allows you to hold the needle without burning your fingers. A lit candle is preferred for the source of heat, rather than trying to light matches or a lighter, because it frees your hands to hold the needle and the specimen. (Once you’ve used a needle for a hot-point test, it’s no longer a very good sewing needle. Place it aside for later, further tests.) By the way, I always warn people to use real caution in testing plastics with the
hot-point. Celluloid is highly inflammable, and can practically explode into
flame. Some plastics (i.e., polyvinyl chloride), when they are burning are quite
toxic (!!). I advise working in a room with good ventilation, and carefully
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