# Gallium spoon "trick" - what's the trick? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 21, 2013, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gallium-spoon-trick-whats-the-trick/653522 "2013-03-21T04:04:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gallium-spoon-trick-whats-the-trick/653522/1 "2013-03-21T04:04:55Z")
Gallium is solid at room temperature\* but melts in your hand (melting point: 29.76°C or 85.57°F), and is [available on Amazon](http://amzn.com/B0051GY9VO) for $1 per gram. Some reviewers are suggesting that you also buy the [gallium spoon mold](http://amzn.com/B0061DPTW4) so that you’ll have a really cool magic trick. But what’s the trick? Sure, you’d have a spoon that melts after a few moments of handling but what’s so magical about that? It would have to be a pretty amazing trick for me to plunk down $120, and I’m just not seeing it. Feel free to weigh in with any cautions you might know about - is it safe to handle liquid gallium? What happens when it melts in a bowl of warm water, or if somebody uses the Ga spoon to stir their coffee? Do the liquids combine in any way with the Ga, thus rendering it impure? \*YMMV - it would probably be liquid all the time here in Thailand. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gallium-spoon-trick-whats-the-trick/653522/2 "2013-03-21T04:17:34Z")
Spoon bending? > **[Spoon bending](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoon_bending)** > > Spoon bending is the deformation of objects, especially metal cutlery, purportedly by paranormal means. It is a common theme for magic tricks, which use a variety of methods to produce the effect. Performers commonly use misdirection to draw their audience's attention away while the spoon is manually bent. Another method uses a metal spoon that has been prepared by repeatedly bending the spoon back and forth, weakening the material. Applying light pressure will then cause it to bend or break. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gallium-spoon-trick-whats-the-trick/653522/3 "2013-03-21T04:19:43Z")
You say “oh, you need a spoon to stir your coffee, here…ha ha it melted!!!1!” That’s the trick. I don’t know anything about Gallium, so I’d probably do it while I was standing there and could stop them from drinking it, as opposed to just leaving it in the silverware drawer so it happens at some random point in the next few days. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gallium-spoon-trick-whats-the-trick/653522/4 "2013-03-21T04:27:31Z")
[Here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvRcUeWjBu0) it is in warm water. [This](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaMWxLCGY0U) actually looks like something more fun to try. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gallium-spoon-trick-whats-the-trick/653522/5 "2013-03-21T04:36:55Z")
Lots of info on melting metal spoons here- [http://theodoregray.com/PeriodicTable/PopularScience/2005/02/1/index.html](http://theodoregray.com/PeriodicTable/PopularScience/2005/02/1/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gallium-spoon-trick-whats-the-trick/653522/6 "2013-03-21T08:13:21Z")
[The Disappearing Spoon](http://www.amazon.com/Disappearing-Spoon-Madness-Periodic-Elements/dp/0316051632/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1363853483&sr=1-1&keywords=the+disappearing+spoon) is a good book with interesting stories about many different elements, including gallium. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gallium-spoon-trick-whats-the-trick/653522/7 "2013-03-21T08:33:56Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > [This](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaMWxLCGY0U) actually looks like something more fun to try. You know that point in the video where he says “I know what you’re thinking; what happens if I try this with a full can”? That’s exactly what I was thinking. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gallium-spoon-trick-whats-the-trick/653522/8 "2013-03-21T09:00:20Z")
"Melts in your mouth . . . " ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gallium-spoon-trick-whats-the-trick/653522/9 "2013-03-21T13:55:40Z")
… and in your hand. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gallium-spoon-trick-whats-the-trick/653522/10 "2013-03-21T14:11:49Z")
I had a professor in Materials Science who brought a Melting Spoon into class and showed it meltying in hot coffee. He then poured off the coffee and poured the molten metal into a mold and cast a new piece. The Melting Spoon typically uses a low temperature eutectic, though, such as Wood’s Metal, or one of the newer, low-T alloys, rather than pure Gallium.Here, for instance, is Theo Gray’s Mad Science page on the Melting Spoon: > **[7 Mad Science Experiments You Can Do At Home But Probably Shouldn't](https://www.neatorama.com/spotlight/2010/02/13/7-mad-science-experiments-you-can-do-at-home-but-probably-shouldnt/)** > > ... ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gallium-spoon-trick-whats-the-trick/653522/11 "2013-03-21T16:09:22Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > You know that point in the video where he says “I know what you’re thinking; what happens if I try this with a full can”? That’s exactly what I was thinking. Don’t they make some aerosol cans out of aluminium? ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gallium-spoon-trick-whats-the-trick/653522/12 "2013-03-21T19:35:26Z")
> [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](#): > > Feel free to weigh in with any cautions you might know about - is it safe to handle liquid gallium? What happens when it melts in a bowl of warm water, or if somebody uses the Ga spoon to stir their coffee? Do the liquids combine in any way with the Ga, thus rendering it impure? Per [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallium#Precautions), it appears to be relatively non-toxic, except for soluble gallium salts and only in higher amounts and not due to the metal itself. On the other hand, some of the other materials commonly used, like the Wood’s metal suggested by **CalMeacham** , are highly toxic; Wood’s metal includes [lead and cadmium](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood%27s_metal) (link includes a table of several other low-melting alloys, many of which have lead and/or cadmium, presumably there are others as well). As an aside, [galinstan](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galinstan) (melting point -2°F) can be used in place of mercury if you want a non-toxic alternative to play with (it sounds expensive though; $199 for 50 grams from the first Google result, plus it tends to stick to things). ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gallium-spoon-trick-whats-the-trick/653522/13 "2013-03-21T20:11:38Z")
> [@Michael63129](#): > > Per [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallium#Precautions), it appears to be relatively non-toxic, except for soluble gallium salts and only in higher amounts and not due to the metal itself. > > On the other hand, some of the other materials commonly used, like the Wood’s metal suggested by **CalMeacham** , are highly toxic; Wood’s metal includes [lead and cadmium](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood%27s_metal) (link includes a table of several other low-melting alloys, many of which have lead and/or cadmium, presumably there are others as well). > > As an aside, [galinstan](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galinstan) (melting point -2°F) can be used in place of mercury if you want a non-toxic alternative to play with (it sounds expensive though; $199 for 50 grams from the first Google result, plus it tends to stick to things). Galinstan is kinda hard to get, too. There’s a single supplier. When I wrote to him a while back in order to get a sample, he was out of it. And I observed that there were other low temperature eutectics. Wood’s metal is pretty old. You can get newer ones, with lower melt points and lower toxicity: > **[Fortis Metals | Passion for Metals](https://www.fortismetals.com/?page=low-melting-point-alloys)** > **[Fusible alloy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusible_alloy)** > > A fusible alloy is a metal alloy capable of being easily fused, i.e. easily meltable, at relatively low temperatures. Fusible alloys are commonly, but not necessarily, eutectic alloys. > Sometimes the term "fusible alloy" is used to describe alloys with a melting point below 183 °C (361 °F; 456 K). Fusible alloys in this sense are used for solder. > Fusible alloys are typically made from low melting metals. > There are 14 low melting metallic elements that are stable for practical handling. These are... [http://gizmology.net/fusiblemetals.htm](http://gizmology.net/fusiblemetals.htm) ---
**Author:** ![CannyDan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cannydan/32/548_2.png) [@CannyDan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CannyDan)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gallium-spoon-trick-whats-the-trick/653522/14 "2013-03-21T20:30:41Z")
Back in high school we made some Wood’s metal spoons and put them in the teachers’ lounge by the communal coffee pot. Then hung around at class break to see the reactions. I think it pretty much cemented the belief that lounge coffee was the worst liquid substance in the entire world. Later we recovered most of our metal from the coffee cups in the garbage can. We didn’t give much thought to toxicity. It was, after all, high school. 😉