Torricelli Mercury Stick Barometer - Explanation and Repair

In this video I repair my antique Torricelli barometer (mercury stick barometer) with air bubbles (air locks) in it. I explain how does this type of barometer work and how it was invented. This device measures atmospheric pressure and gives you a weather forecast.
You can support me on Patreon:
/ diodegonewild

[@paulfontaine7819]

Here is a translation Baromètre selon Toricelli: Barometer according to Toricelli Beau Fixe: Nice Stable Beau: Nice Variable: Variable Pluie ou Vent: Rain or Wind Tempète: Storm

[@DiodeGoneWild]

Thanks :)

[@ultralife7727]

DiodeGoneWild I confirm this translation 👍

[@mani5446]

tu m'a couper l'herbe sous le pied :(

[@lothean]

Damn, too slow

[@paulfontaine7819]

Tu m'as coupé l'herbe sous le pied: You have cut me the grass under the foot. You took the wind out of my sails.

[@mortlet5180]

I really love your diagrams. You even took the time to correctly draw the meniscus of both water and mercury! :)

[@COBARHORSE1]

MRLT Wow! You're right! I didn't notice that.

[@pauldevereux623]

i have been looking at the bubbles in my much valued family heirloom Toricelli barometer for 5 years since it was layed it down flat during a house removal and have been unable to get repaired anywhere. I am very happy to have found this relatively simple solution. Thanks so much

[@paulfontaine7819]

Great you shared your 3 ideas about how to remove the air with us. Lovely how the seringe affects the air bubble. It is an impressively simple and effective method.

[@carrotsandcats]

0:46 "Fixe beau" means the weather will be nice for the entire day, "Beau" means just the weather is nice, "Variable" means the weather will be unstable either a little bit nice or just cloudy, "Pluie et Vent" means that is raining or windy, and "Tempête" means that is storming. Nice video btw :)

[@kevinporter9797]

AWESOME!!!! I love the things you tear down and have a discussion on it, and my hobby (Electronics) anything, and everything to do with electronics. I really enjoy watching, and learning. Thank You!!

[@computerexpert5533]

My hobby is the same heres my interest computers,electronics,vintage stuff and (because i like this) cats and dogs

[@TheRealThisIsAlex]

New video after one day? This is great! Thank you for your videos and work!

[@DiodeGoneWild]

Yes, after the loooooong delay :).

[@zolatanaffa87]

DiodeGoneWild: Real life first of all !

[@teh60]

Your videos are always very detailed, nice job.

[@Willam_J]

I love old barometers, and that one is beautiful. I’m glad that you were able to make it work properly again. Hang it in a nice location and enjoy it! :-)

[@AscanioBorsato666]

wonderful repair ! Yours videos are wonder lessons for me and my friends 11 special tnx DiodeGoneWild , u re a specialist !!

[@Cheese_1337]

"tied to the wall, so it doesn't fall" good rhyme

[@jp040759]

Good job on restoring it.

[@boonedockjourneyman7979]

That was fun. Do more. It is interesting that you can speak many languages of science.

[@1marcelfilms]

Your drawings are very nice as always

[@stephenbowden4766]

Very well done video ,Thanks for the information.

[@deepVAroots]

Interesting lesson. Thanks

[@123grobari]

congratulation 70k subs

[@DiodeGoneWild]

Thanks :)

[@williama29]

I say you are brave to do this and also to handle Mercury without issues i like being educated by your videos

[@commonmogoreanu7135]

As far as I understand, the level in the tank is pretty important because the level in the column is measured relative to the level in the tank. That's how you can calibrate your unit.

[@DiodeGoneWild]

Yes, the level in the tank affects the level in the tube. I probably overfilled it by 2 or 3 mm. But the callibration is most likely done by sliding the entire tube up or down in the rubber gromets. The mercury is supposed to be just a few mm above the bottom of the tank when the tube is filled all the way to the top.

[@J.T323]

Thank you so much for this video...

[@computerexpert5533]

Diode gone wild i put it through google translate and what you said about the weather was correct top is best bottom is storm

[@electronic7979]

Useful video

[@brs8285]

Your are the best!

[@thomas930409]

Very nice!

[@abdelhakimallal3753]

you are the best :)

[@zx8401ztv]

Thats a nice simple design, very little to go wrong if mounted correctly. That torricelli chap looks like he came from a 1970's pop band, big boots and mad hair :-D

[@DiodeGoneWild]

Yes, that's the simplest way to measure pressure. This is why this was the first type of barometer ever, invented centuries ago. I've drawn the caricature according to some pictures on the internet :). He really looks mad :).

[@SianaGearz]

Well he did work with mercury, as did hatters, so there is that.

[@DiodeGoneWild]

Hatters worked with mercury compounds to process felt, not with elemental mercury. But if Torricelli really had a giant tank of mercury in his poorly ventilated lab for prolonged time, like in this picture: d1w9csuen3k837.cloudfront.net/Pictures/2000x2000fit/9/5/9/107959_evangelista-torricelli_mepl-10798277.jpg He also could have been mad :).

[@jy1235689]

Looks super duper

[@davidsimonsouthferriby5394]

Thank you, very explanatory will try later and let you know how I get on if you don't here any more I'm dead

[@derektodd4126]

Back in the day, My mother swore by a barometer we had in the hall way for weather forecasts. We didn't have digital Oregan stuff back then.

[@LucasPereiradaSilva]

12:54 I would still trust the mercury barometer. I use just water when calibrating some thermometers, a cold bath with ice and a hot bath with boiling water. My calibration was out by just one tenth of a degree Celsius compared to an HEISE high precision temperature probe, which costs thousands of dollars

[@matejnemergut]

Prosím ukáž nejakú teslovu cievku na tomto chanli VTTC ,SGTC alebo SSTC . Prosím 🙂

[@iIiWARHEADiIi]

As you said you could use rubber from soviet era pipette or something similar inserted into container and closed with cup with a small hole.

[@arthurhagen3826]

Great video, thanks! And if I may, a question ... can this kind of barometer be calibrated by adding or removing mercury?

[@DiodeGoneWild]

Yes, in a certain range, if it doesn't overflow and the sump doesn't get empty either.

[@arthurhagen3826]

@@DiodeGoneWild thanks! I try it out this weekend!

[@yurigagarin4974]

cool😎👍

[@dosgos]

Great cartoon!

[@preetlohtia9238]

hey you are alive

[@paulfontaine7819]

It would be nice to see a ruler in mm next to the mm Hg scale. The Hg level in the bottom tank changes with atmospheric pressure, that must be compensated for in the mm Hg scale. So I expect both don't match.

[@davidsimonsouthferriby5394]

Not everyone's the same

[@incandescentwithrage]

I strongly approve of Evangelista's moustache

[@Cheese_1337]

i hope you will save these drawings :d :D

[@zolatanaffa87]

Another way to avoid evaporating Mercury is to put instead of water a little bit of liquid paraffine (vaseline oil) so that do not evaporate

[@jingarjay8754]

wow can you do a video on all your meters?thats a strange question lol

[@lajoswinkler]

Provided that there are absolutely no air bubbles in the column when the tube is horizontal, Toricelli's barometer is necessarily _absolutely correct_ , but needs to be calibrated with respect to your local elevation. It's a gold standard instrument for air pressure and you can safely calibrate anything other with it.

[@andrejz.1156]

I like to watch your videos with some good beer .

[@zolatanaffa87]

Andrej Z. Do not drink the DiodeGoneWild's fire estinguisher! if you drink it, Diode can no longer do his dangerous experiments :-))

[@andrejz.1156]

Diode can always get a new one or fill an empty one . *)

[@ddtblack]

Torricelli's face tho! Lmfao

[@Honzamares69]

Dobrý den, mám takovýto barometr, je možné vám napsat a poradit se s opravou? :-)

[@SianaGearz]

I suppose a safe version can be made with Galinstan, its density is half a high as that of mercury, and if you mount it with the bottom to the floor, it will still fit inside living spaces.

[@DiodeGoneWild]

I also thought about this many times! But the problem is the quick oxidation and stickyness of Gallium and its alloys. I'm not sure if it would stick to glass in vacuum or not. If it sticks, you won't be able to read it. I have some Gallium, it's sticky as hell. Maybe it gets less sticky in the Ga In Sn alloy, I don't know. I have some Galinstan thermometers from Geratherm, where it doesn't stick. I'm not sure how it's done. Is it some special glass, or just no oxygen? ...

[@satriyawibowo4548]

1:42 wow nice human picture..

[@DolezalPetr]

hustý

[@paulfontaine7819]

How is this device calibrated? By the amount of Hg in the system?

[@DiodeGoneWild]

It could be callibrated by changing the amount of Hg in the tank, but as far as I know, the level should be just a few mm above the bottom of the tank when the column is at the top of the tube. The callibration is probably done by shifting the entire tube up or down in the rubber rings (gromets).

[@IlTransistorSelvatico]

I ve 2 Torricelli at my home in italy

[@carmelaliparulo3900]

Il Transistor Selvatico bravo

[@IlTransistorSelvatico]

TheFair GamerChannel ?? Italiano?

[@carmelaliparulo3900]

Il Transistor Selvatico si 😐

[@IlTransistorSelvatico]

TheFair GamerChannel ah che pirla Hahaha

[@zolatanaffa87]

transistor selvatico e the fair gamer: due pirla?sono italiano anche io e allora? terzo pirla? :-)))

[@manogaranm4627]

please explain computer switch mode power supply with schematic diagram !

[@hhaanniiss]

Cigaretový filtr jako ucpávka? Stálo by za pokus

[@jaakko200987654321]

hello!!!

[@DolezalPetr]

co bude v dalším videu ?

[@WojtasProduction]

Where u from?

[@DiodeGoneWild]

From Czech Republic

[@dosgos]

Dodgy Health & Safety!!

[@DiodeGoneWild]

I've seen way dodgier, like dipping entire hands in mercury, shooting bullet made of frozen mercury, boiling and distilling mercury, sucking mercury into a tube by mouth, ... see Cody's lab, Taofledermaus, NileRed, King of random...

[@vaclavtrpisovsky]

Evangelista Torricelli 1643: _plays with mercury_ 1647: *_*dies*_* Don't follow his example!

[@DiodeGoneWild]

It's no wonder if he really lived in a room with a tank of mercury like in this picture: d1w9csuen3k837.cloudfront.net/Pictures/2000x2000fit/9/5/9/107959_evangelista-torricelli_mepl-10798277.jpg I handle mercury way more responsibly.

[@hass2363]

Hello You have in your site Mercury tilt circular You buy? How many please

[@vaclavtrpisovsky]

You actually live 245 m above sea level (or 172, if you're in your Mělník apartment). So readjust your barometer.

[@markp4503]

Czenglish hype

[@sucharplays6344]

MarekUK čenglish 😂😂

[@westelaudio943]

Mercyuri is veri denzheruuuuuuuus

[@vgofron]

1. If you have access to a 3D printer, you could print the missing lid. 2. You probably should pour some water above the mercury, to minimise mercury evaporation. Since the density of water is much lower, it won't affect the pressure measurement significantely. The same also applies to your storage bottle with mercury.

[@SianaGearz]

I have a 3D printer and wanted to print something else for him anyway, but how is it going to help? Normally, the prints are fairly airtight, the barometer will show a reading of perhaps an average of the last 3 months, so it will show altitude instead of weather. Or if i build a section of a cap without surface layers and just a free standing infill lattice, it will not vapour seal the mercury, it wouldn't be particularly safe. Water won''t help for very long, it will also evaporate through the infill-only cap.

[@vgofron]

There has to be some opening on the lid to let the air in, maybe a small hole on the top, which would be then covered with some air-permeable membrane. Perhaps you could find some pictures, how the original lid looked like. It's true, that water on the top of the mercury would evaporate over time, but he could use some mineral oil (e.g. paraffin oil) instead.

[@teslakovalaborator]

Ohdaduji důvod neaktivity: Dovolená Vysoké napětí

[@DiodeGoneWild]

Naštěstí jen ta dovolená :) Ale už se pracuje na dalším videu...

[@FaysalKhalashi]

I'm 27th viewer ✌️✌️

[@alexshute8627]

Faysal Khalashi™ good for you

[@alex_lightning4523]

If you put a bit of Water on the mercury than it is impossible for the mercury to evaporate

[@DiodeGoneWild]

That's true, but I'd have to keep adding water, because it would evaporate instead of the mercury :). That's why I decided for the balloon. The balloon also protects it against spillage if it was tilted and the paper roll failed.

[@mihau_pe]

Baloon will degrade over time (few weeks i think).

[@DiodeGoneWild]

a balloon will degrade, but definitely not in few weeks (if not inflated). I even have few 10 years old balloons (never inflated) and they are not degraded. Now I tried inflating them and they don't burst. But of course, an inflated balloon degrades fast.

[@mihau_pe]

Lol, of course, I really didn't thought through my submit. :D I've been trying to use a rubber bands to keep my cables tidy and after few months they completely turned into a soft and sticky dirt, but they were stretched (like inflated baloons).

[@zolatanaffa87]

Michal Penkala: the problem of the rubber that disintegrates around the cables does not arise only from the tension of the rubber but also from the plasticizing oil present in the sheaths of cables to make them soft: over time a small amount of this oil comes out of the plastic (it spreads from plastic to rubber ) and modifies the consistency of the rubber, by loosening the molecular bonds that undergo mechanical tension they break and break up the rubber

[@cerealnmilk8060]

nice drawing...😂

[@rumahhafidzahbekasi1354]

9th comment

[@Anthony_The_Chicken_Licker]

Please do fake Chinese products 😭😭

[@SianaGearz]

So there are products that claim to be Chinese but really aren't? Well that would be hilarious if Germans one day started counterfeiting Chinese products.

[@gustavoyo291]

Ese dibujo de representa a Evangelista Torrichelli es mentira porque ese no es el !!!!!! porque en realidad es Guy Fawkes ! o simplemente V .

[@sunsingh3993]

??????I don't understand anything

[@FaysalKhalashi]

where is the cat 😒😕

[@DiodeGoneWild]

I was recording from another location :).

[@FaysalKhalashi]

DiodeGoneWild long time no videos 😑 please come back soon

[@DiodeGoneWild]

I'm sorry for the long pause. I was travelling. There's so many things to do in summer. But I'm already working on the next video!

[@rolandgallone6513]

Not very helpful if you have lots of air bubbles all the way up the tube! This is only good if it's near the bottom.i noticed he used a tube with a few small air bubbles at the bottom so it was easy! Try it with multiple airlocks and his way is rendered useless