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Pastimes : THE SLIGHTLY MODERATED BOXING RING
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To: Lazarus_Long who wrote (13829)6/1/2002 6:06:28 PM
From: Ish  Read Replies (2) of 21057
 
<<"Mad as a hatter" comes from the fact that mercury was applied to those beaver-pelt top hats that rich financiers wore in the 1800's. The hatters applied the mercury with small brushes. To get a sharper point on the brush, they LICKED it. Whoops!>>

You mixed two things there, at your age it happens. The beaver hair went into the hats. Beaver hair has little hooks on it that makes it lock together. Mercury was added to the soaking solution.

The sharper points on paint brushes happened at LaSalle, Illinois. Westclock company. Back in the 50s and 60s watches and clocks glowed after the lights were turned off. Young women worked in the factory painting radium on the numbers. Paint, lick the brush. They used to have a neat sporting show in the building until a couple of years ago, the floor was radioactive.
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