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United Nuclear
United Nuclear sells some scary stuff. Looking for some uranium? They've got it. As well as super radioactive ore. They'll ship it right to your front door. Plus, chemicals to build explosives. It all has a jokey feel to it, but the more I look at the site, the more convinced I become that it's real. I think it's a store for science hobbyists that's purposely going for the 'mad scientist' feel.
Categories: Science
Posted by Alex on Thu Feb 24, 2005
Comments (51)
More from the Hoax Museum Archives:
I don't understand why you'd think this site isn't real. All of the items for sale are legal and legitimate.

Low levels of radioactivity, when experienced infrequently, aren't nearly as deadly as you seem to think.

There are many amateur scientists and hobbyists experimenting with these materials and advancing human knowledge in the process.

Buy one of their spinthariscopes and then tell me it doesn't fascinate you.
Posted by Aaron Muderick  on  Fri Feb 25, 2005  at  06:00 AM
It's real:
http://www.makezine.com/blog/archive/2005/02/nothing_says_i.html
Posted by PlantPerson  on  Fri Feb 25, 2005  at  07:25 AM
You are all nuts, This is fake. They sell everything you need for a small nuclear rocket. No way can that be legal for youre run of the mill scientist. Besides, this site is also a good way to catch really dumb terrorist's. Think about it. This is a way for "THEY" to catch you.
Posted by X  on  Fri Feb 25, 2005  at  07:57 AM
It would be a pretty crappy nuclear missile you built with the things on this website - yuo would be better off buying the uranium rocks and dropping them on people.

You need some weapons grade stuff to build a nuclear weapon - highly unstable material which you can only get from processing radioactive material (Uranium 232?) in a controlled environment (i.e a nuclear power station) I'm not sure of the exact requirements, even to make a 'dirty' bomb you need much more radioactivity than this.

<a href = "http://www.antenna.nl/wise/uranium/rup.html#UORE"> Uranium Radiation Levels</a>

I may however be interested in some sheet metal plans for a jet engine... mmm
Posted by matzusdog  on  Fri Feb 25, 2005  at  08:16 AM
Gosh, only 20 dollars for tobermite uranium ore. This would make the perfect gift for my dad! If only I knew how to store it.
Posted by Citizen Premier  on  Fri Feb 25, 2005  at  08:27 AM
Actually, if you know where to dig, you can just dig up your own radioactive ore. It's nature, and is all around us. As stated by others, levels of toxicity are low in this stuff. Now try buying the stuff required to process this into weapons grade and that's when THEY would visit you!

😉
Posted by Mark-N-Isa  on  Fri Feb 25, 2005  at  09:16 AM
The page looks legitimate to me. Nothing there you could build a nuclear bomb with. I did like their hydrogen car page and the linear accelerator they built.
Posted by JoeSixpack  on  Fri Feb 25, 2005  at  11:37 AM
All right, I went and got me a little more educated. Ok, I know you can not make nuclear weapons outa this stuff NOW unless you plan on Nukeing a small ant hill. My mistake. This is a legite site. I might even order some, I never had radioactive rocks before.
Posted by X  on  Fri Feb 25, 2005  at  01:04 PM
Check out the quote from the About Us page....

"United Nuclear was formed in 1986 by Los Alamos scientist, Bob Lazar. Bob had previously worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory ( specifically in the Meson Physics facility ), involved with experiments using the 1/2 mile long Linear Particle Accelerator. He eventually decided to break away and start his own company. Bob moved from Los Alamos, New Mexico to Las Vegas, Nevada in the summer of 1986, and there the new company was formed and named United Nuclear. "

This is the same guy that's also been all over the news claiming to have been at Area 51.

-Brad
Posted by Brad  on  Fri Feb 25, 2005  at  01:15 PM
Yeah,
Not only did he work at Area 51 (for like 47 hrs total) but after working there for just 1 day (according to him on Discovery) he figured out the fuel supply for the supposed "recovered UFO". Something all the previous scientists had failed to do despite working on it since it's supposed crash in 47. Not that I think the government is up front about ANYTHING... but Lazaar is just looking for attention and is full of shit, but at the same time somewhat clever in that he knows not only can you not prove his claims, you can't disprove them either.
Posted by Mark-N-Isa  on  Fri Feb 25, 2005  at  01:25 PM
He claims he figured out the UFO fuel supply? now I wonder if his homemade linear accelerator is for real. Sigh
Posted by JoeSixpack  on  Fri Feb 25, 2005  at  01:32 PM
" ... As well as super radioactive ore. They'll ship it right to your front door." ...
If it's all the same to you, I'd rather they ship it to someone else's front door.
Posted by Big Gary C  on  Fri Feb 25, 2005  at  05:00 PM
Hmmm. This is pretty silly: .
Personally, I think the site is about 75% real, and 25% silliness. In some ways it is not unlike http://www.sciplus.com .
Posted by Katey  on  Fri Feb 25, 2005  at  08:51 PM
So, a little "1.5 inch across" sample of radioactive uranium torbernite is safe to handle and leave in the house?
Posted by Citizen Premier  on  Sat Feb 26, 2005  at  12:58 AM
Who are "THEY", and why do they want to visit me? Should I have tea ready? How rude, "THEY" should at least call first so I can have some tea biscuits made or something..."THEY" are about as rude as some of them gover-mint types...
Posted by catlady  on  Sat Feb 26, 2005  at  01:57 AM
Now unless my memory is really going bad, possible I admit, THEY are the people who say various things and THEM are the people who come to get you.

Has anyone seen an Edmund Scientific catalog recently? The last one I saw was maybe five or ten years ago and I seem to remember it had quite a bit of odd stuff in it. Maybe this guy is trying to compete with Edmund Scientific and is going for publicity as a way to catch up quick?
Posted by Christopher Cole  on  Sat Feb 26, 2005  at  09:07 AM
You can go to a yellow pages lookup & search for explosives & buy stuff...now, whether or not you'd have to prove you were demolitions on a construction site would be another thing. I never really checked into it..
Posted by Maegan  on  Sun Feb 27, 2005  at  05:09 AM
Edmund Scientific split into two companies, "Edmund Scientific's Scientifics", and "Edmund Industrial Optics" (who chooses these names? geez). If you order something on their website, you'll get their catalog for a few years. They still have most of their quirky stuff, but some of the more dangerous things (like 3 x 4 foot fresnel lenses) are sadly lacking.

for the fun stuff: http://www.scientificsonline.com
for the expensive lasers, lenses, filters, etc: http://www.edmundoptics.com
Posted by Splarka  on  Sun Feb 27, 2005  at  05:30 AM
So, a little "1.5 inch across" sample of radioactive uranium torbernite is safe to handle and leave in the house?
Posted by Citizen Premier on Fri Feb 25, 2005 at 11:58 PM

ihad an earth science professor that kept a blockof the stuff sitting on his deskin his office
Posted by tim  on  Sun Feb 27, 2005  at  04:22 PM
It always amuses me when people seem to believe that radioactivity is something found in a lab.
If you ever get access to a gigercounter, take a walk with it along a railroad track, or breakwater. Odds are in less than an hour, you'll find some VERY hot chunks of ore bearing granite.
For even more fun, take one antiquing. Radium dail clocks, vials of radium paint, old pottery with radioactive glazes, even old bottles of "radium tonic", and dentures treated with americurium (to give them a "lifelike" look) can be found all over the place.
Just one warning though, DON'T DO WHAT THIS KID DID! http://www.dangerouslaboratories.org/radscout.html
Posted by Captain DaFt  on  Sun Feb 27, 2005  at  06:51 PM
Here's a good FAQ if this site's gotten anyone interested in collecting radioactive rocks as a hobby.

http://www.crscientific.com/radiation.html

So it may be a somewhat more dangerous hobby than macrame, but it's probably safer than some other hobbies like mountain biking or collecting classic cars.
Posted by Matt  on  Mon Feb 28, 2005  at  08:21 AM
For those extra-paranoid about radioactivity, your body contains approx (uCi = microcurie):
.000030 uCi of Uranium
.000003 uCi of Thorium
.12 uCi of Potassium 40
.00003 uCi of Radium
.4 uCi of Carbon 14
.0006 uCi of Hydrogen 3
.001 uCi of Polonium

Unenriched uranium is about .710 uCi/g so you'd have to eat .75 grams of pure uranium metal (much more of diluted ore) to even double the amount of reactions in your body.

If that doesn't calm you down, try looking up the radioactivity of NoSalt, or check out what is in your smoke detectors.

Still spooked? All light is radiation. Everything from Gamma rays to ELF rays are radiation. Only the frequencies above mid-ultra violet are ionizing, meaning the wavelengths are small enough to knock electrons off track. They are more dangerous, but only when improperly used/encountered.

Still spooked? Ok... All the isotopes of tungsten have been found to be radioactive, they all have measurable half-lives. Same for bismuth (think pink medicine). In fact, every year we lose a few more "stable" elements. The fact that their half-lives are on the order of a few quadrillion times longer than the age of the universe doesn't matter. We used to think uranium was stable.

Still? OK, helium, all our lovely party balloons and blimps float because of radiation, the decay of primordial isotopes release helium nuclei into underground gas deposits, where helium is extracted. Once used, it is released into the atmosphere, where it escapes earth's gravity and is never returned.

Still? Ok.. all matter is radioactive, the half-life of a proton is only about 10^40 years, all protons now in existance will decay away eventually (and there doesn't seem to be a ready source of them). This means all matter will break down eventually, into smaller matter, and energy.

You are surrounded by radiation, you are part of it, you will eventually become it. Fearing it outright does no good. You must respect the radiation, like a fast car, beautiful woman, or website forum. Know what radiation will kill you, make you sick, spook the neighbours, get you arrested, and heat your food.

[rant ends]
Posted by Splarka  on  Tue Mar 01, 2005  at  01:07 AM
The site may or may not be legit. Some items, like the mortor tube seem to be well, suspect.

However, before you buy the hydrogen car kit, or any such: you might want to google search "Bob Lazar" who seems to run the site.

A really interesting link:
http://www.serve.com/mahood/lazar/timeline.htm
Posted by ZPL In Sh  on  Tue Mar 15, 2005  at  11:56 PM
The site is real. I have ordered from it numerous times. Yes, you can buy dangerous items from it, but ask yourself this, how much can you get from a hardware store. You can get potassium chlorate as welding supplies, fertilizers (such as ammonium nitrate although it is not always a high enough purity for explosives). You can get potassium nitrate as stump remover, and charcoal and sulfur to make a halfway decent black powder. It is scary, but you can do it. For some people it is the only way until they find UNSS or Skylighter.
Posted by robert  on  Fri Apr 01, 2005  at  08:05 PM
You may think I'm fulla crap here, but reading the above post just reminded me that I put a six-pack of beer (cans) in the freezer.

FIVE HOURS AGO.
:gulp:

I rescued them, although I hid behind the freezer door when I grabbed them. Ever seen a frozen can explode? It can blow the door open on your freezer.

It was the home-made explosive thingy that reminded me they were there, though, so thanks. At least they never exploded (not frozen solid YET, but all you have to do is open it and it would freeze from the air contact...) But if they had, I woulda posted a pic for you guys...

As for safe radioactive substances, they're all over. Read the back of your smoke detector sometime.
Posted by Rod  on  Fri Apr 01, 2005  at  08:28 PM
You are all very humorous. There are a lot of people, like me, that regularly visit the United Nuclear web site to check up on the progress of their hydrogen system...as we are greatly anticipating the release of their hydrogen conversion kits which will allow us to convert our automobiles to hydrogen power and be able to fuel our cars with some water and the power of the sun.

There is a lot of crap on their website specifically geared towards science teacher types. There are also a lot of things on their website that might teach you a thing or two.
Posted by govern mint type  on  Fri May 20, 2005  at  02:05 PM
Hello Folks,
I was forwarded an email that someone here received from a customer - asking if we were a legitimate company because of some comments he saw on a web page.
He gave us the address and this is apparently the site.
Yes everyone, United Nuclear Scientific Supplies is a legitimate business, and have been in business for quite some time.
Aside from the sales of unique scientific equipment, we are a primary Government contractor designing, building, repairing and maintaining radiation detection equipment for various national laboratories. We are also provide consulting services and are in the development of a Hydrogen Fuel System Retrofit Kit for late-model internal combustion engines.
We supply most schools & universities with scientific equipment and also specifically tailor ourselves to the home experimenter... offering some very hard to find scientific items.
Although we still have a lot of work to do in our Experiments & Projects sections, we also try to provide a source for the more interesting and unusual experiments & projects that are typically left out of your ordinary chemistry & science publications.

-United Nuclear Scientific Supplies
email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
website: http://www.unitednuclear.com
P.O. Box 851
Sandia Park, NM. 87047
505-286-2831
Posted by Bob, United Nuclear Scientific Supplies  on  Mon Aug 01, 2005  at  11:09 PM
United Nuclear is completely legit and you can buy the stuff on their pages. I've bought depleted uranium from them as well as deuterium oxide. They really are a great company. They also sell exotic radioactive isotopes, but only in micorsopic quantities, embeded in plastic disks.

Uranium is only mildly radioactive. Uranium ore is perfectly safe to handle and have around. It is toxic if ingested, but so are many things. Elements such as radium or plutonium are over a million times more radioactive than uranium is. Uranium ore occures naturally all over the US and all over the world. It is only midly radioactive.

There is radiation all around us, coming from space, minerals in the ground and natural isotopes like carbon-14 and potassium-40. Handling uranium ore is only a drop in the bucket of radiation you're exposed to every day.

There is nothing scary or illegal about anything United Nuclear sells.
Posted by Steve Packard  on  Sat Aug 13, 2005  at  10:28 AM
Hey, Steve: didn't you know that exposure to depleted uranium affects your ability to spell simple words? Good Lord, look what it's done to GWB... "Nuke-ya-lur"... I rest my case, and get a dikshunerry
Posted by Hairy Houdini  on  Sat Aug 13, 2005  at  10:35 AM
"Still spooked? Ok... All the isotopes of tungsten have been found to be radioactive, they all have measurable half-lives. Same for bismuth (think pink medicine). In fact, every year we lose a few more "stable" elements. The fact that their half-lives are on the order of a few quadrillion times longer than the age of the universe doesn't matter. We used to think uranium was stable." (sparkla)

*BUZZZZZZ*
Bismuth is actually not radioactive. It has the highest atomic number for a stable element. (this info was from the UN website: http://unitednuclear.com/bismuth.htm)
Posted by Kevohill  on  Wed Aug 17, 2005  at  08:44 PM
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