BigMouth Posted September 29, 2010 Report Share Posted September 29, 2010 Is there anyone in Shetland that sells helium in disposable containers? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted September 29, 2010 Report Share Posted September 29, 2010 J W Gray & Co. (maybe) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMouth Posted September 30, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2010 Thanks. I will give them a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
breeksy Posted September 30, 2010 Report Share Posted September 30, 2010 You probably don't want to hear this, but helium is a non-renewable resource, that is running out, and will probably be gone in 30 years or so. It is used for things that are more important than balloons (eg MRI scanning equipment), so maybe people should think twice before buying helium balloons (or even helium for balloons). It may just be the latest scare story (the oil has been running out for as long as I can remember) - but it might just be a valuable resource that is being wasted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted September 30, 2010 Report Share Posted September 30, 2010 You probably don't want to hear this, but helium is a non-renewable resource, that is running out, and will probably be gone in 30 years or so. It is used for things that are more important than balloons (eg MRI scanning equipment), so maybe people should think twice before buying helium balloons (or even helium for balloons). It may just be the latest scare story (the oil has been running out for as long as I can remember) - but it might just be a valuable resource that is being wasted. You're right. I didn't want to hear it. It might be rare on Earth but, 20% of all matter in the universe is Helium. Anyway, how do you know that Bigmouth didn't want it for his MRI scanner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
breeksy Posted September 30, 2010 Report Share Posted September 30, 2010 Anyway, how do you know that Bigmouth didn't want it for his MRI scanner. Ummm... because the title of the post was 'helium for balloons'... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shetlandcars Posted September 30, 2010 Report Share Posted September 30, 2010 Is there anyone in Shetland that sells helium in disposable containers? ThanksAnyway, how do you know that Bigmouth didn't want it for his MRI scanner. Ummm... because the title of the post was 'helium for balloons'... To attach to his new MRI scanner for its grand opening of course! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted September 30, 2010 Report Share Posted September 30, 2010 Ummm... because the title of the post was 'helium for balloons'... Cough.. Um.. OK Anyway, I'm pretty happy that there is so little Helium in the atmosphere.. All radioactive metals give off Helium as they decay. The solar wind removes Helium from the upper atmosphere at almost the same rate (slightly lower) as it is produced and there is about 2 million years worth of it in the air we breathe. There is enough radioactive metal on Earth to keep this going for a little while yet. Trapping it in cylinders for use in balloons etc. does not stop this cycle, just slows it down a bit. After all, sooner or later, all Helium will find it's way back into the atmosphere. Now, if you want to argue about just who gets to use this limited/unlimited resource.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
breeksy Posted September 30, 2010 Report Share Posted September 30, 2010 Nah its okay Colin. I was just referring to what a nobel prize-winning scientist announced as news last month. But I am open to the possibility that you know more about it than he does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fjool Posted September 30, 2010 Report Share Posted September 30, 2010 Trapping it in cylinders for use in balloons etc. does not stop this cycle, just slows it down a bit.I think helium is not recovered from the air, but extracted from natural deposits in the Earth. http://www.science20.com/news_releases/next_on_the_endangered_list_helium Because of how the US is privatizing its stock of the gas, prices are artificially low, which is encouraging a pattern of consumption that may leave us without significant supplies of the gas midway through the century. http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2010/07/science-policy-gone-bad-may-mean-the-end-of-earths-helium.ars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted September 30, 2010 Report Share Posted September 30, 2010 But I am open to the possibility that you know more about it than he does. I don't think so.. Got my information a while back when I read an extract from a creationist article that claimed that the density of He in the atmosphere prooved(?) that the Earth could not be more than 2 million years old. Just had to do some research.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted September 30, 2010 Report Share Posted September 30, 2010 [i think helium is not recovered from the air, but extracted from natural deposits in the Earth. Helium can be recovered from air but, it is a very expensive way to do it. Nearly all commercial recovery is from natural gas reserves. Because of how the US is privatizing its stock of the gas, prices are artificially low, which is encouraging a pattern of consumption that may leave us without significant supplies of the gas midway through the century. At which point, I presume, there will be a global collapse in the party balloon market.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fjool Posted September 30, 2010 Report Share Posted September 30, 2010 ^ Not to mention a dramatic reduction in humorous squeaky voice gags. We'll have to switch to using sodium-hexaflouride for the reverse of these party treats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikel Posted January 22, 2011 Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 So anyway where can we get bottled helium to blow up balloons in Shetland? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMouth Posted January 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 Sorry foLks. Cloud 9 Balloons on the mainland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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