Klarinet Archive - Posting 000844.txt from 1998/09

From: "Tim Roberts" <timr@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Aluminum & Plastic Buffets
Date: Wed, 23 Sep 1998 18:18:19 -0400

On 23 Wed, 23 Sep 1998 08:48:48 +0100 (BST), Roger Shilcock wrote:
>Aluminium also notoriously suffers from "creep", even at room temperature.
>Finally, when you've made your instrument and you haven't set the place on
>fire and you've kept the dust out of your workers' lungs, what do you *do*
>with the dust and shavings? ...

Here's an admittedly off-topic but interesting true story about aluminum dust.

In the original cast for The Wizard Of Oz, Ray Bolger was cast as the tin
woodsman, and Buddy Ebsen was cast as the scarecrow. Ebsen was a fabulous and
lanky dancer; that would have been a real treat to see.

However, Bolger *really* wanted the juicier part of the scarecrow. Eventually,
he made such a stink about it that the producers agreed to swap parts with
Ebsen.

The silver face of the tinman was made from aluminum dust, and they were using
a sprayer to apply it. Unfortunately for Ebsen, after just a few days he
contracted a life-threatening case of aluminum poisoning from the dust which
landed him in the hospital.

By the time they hired Jack Haley to replace him, the make-up department
settled on making the aluminum dust into a paste and painting it on. Even so,
Haley developed an eye infection from the stuff.

--
- Tim Roberts, timr@-----.com
Providenza & Boekelheide, Inc.

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