Shakiness makes the hand illegible and the eyes and kidneys are damaged. In horology, we encounter mercury in barometers, compensated pendulums and miniature watch batteries. It has long been used in the dangerous process of Fire Gilding. The Gold was dissolved as an amalgam in mercury, painted onto the base metal of the clock cases and then heated to vaporise the mercury leaving the gold coating the base metal. The air filled with poisonous mercury vapour.
Most watch batteries are now Silver oxide, but the older batteries contained mercury.
Other Metals A number of other metals can produce a short lived illness called metal fume fever if they are heated to a temperature above their melting point. Silver, Nickel, Zinc, Copper, Cadmium, Tin, Aluminium and Antimony have all produced this disorder. It is not fatal, but the symptoms of nausea, thirst, headache, exhaustion and aching limbs are most unpleasant. Cyanide Potassium Cyanide is described as a cleaning agent by most of the older instruction books, though it rejuvenates gilded work a treat, it really has no place in the workshop today. Even in very small quantities it is rapidly fatal.