What are /r/BISMUTH's favorite Products & Services?

From 3.5 billion Reddit comments

https://www.amazon.com/Bismuth-Chunk-pounds-99-99-Pure/dp/B01F5SBBEA/ref=sr_1_4?crid=19WS7V0IRZ0QA&dchild=1&keywords=bismuth&qid=1610406388&sprefix=Bismu%2Caps%2C178&sr=8-4 this is the stuff I bought, is there something wrong with it?

yup! just placed an order with the shop Element83.

there are sooo many good choices on there! If you haven't already heard of his shop, you should check it out! I was talking to him about an order and he's very helpful and nice!

Well, if you're interested in buying bulk bismuth, rotometals.com is the best priced bismuth online, for both small and large quantities.

As for common pitfalls, I can't really give you anything unless I knew more what kind of grow you're planning on doing. If you want to grow some decently sized crystals, I'd recommend getting at least 10 lbs of bismuth. You might want to buy a pair of forge/grill gloves for handling it as well. I use leather gloves myself. Finally, there are two main methods for producing bismuth crystals. You can attempt to grow them on top of a pool of molten bismuth and pull them out with pliers, or you can slowly cool that pool of bismuth until they grow in from the sides, before pouring off the excess liquid and removing the crystals from the sides of your pan. I strongly recommend the second option, as it's much easier to calibrate and create large crystals with.

I'd recommend getting a pair of gloves like these Grill Armor https://www.amazon.com/Grill-Armor-Extreme-Resistant-Gloves/dp/B00ZORPCGG. They are certified for 932F. When i first started I had used a pare of welders gloves and the heat from my pot handle melted my glove.

I would also say wear some sort of arm coverings to you get burned by the inevitable splashing of molten metals. Unless you want to end up with burned marked arms like I have since I am a dumbass.

i am using an old canon t2i, with this macro lens
https://www.amazon.ca/Tamron-AF-90mm-2-8-SP/dp/B00021EEA4

the room i am shooting in is lit with philips hue lights so i can set the ambient colour, after that i literally would just hold up my phone with a strongly colored image at the best angle to get nice specular highlights.

the crystals will be covering a 36x40" flat surface. i'm def not using nail polish on all of that. it'd take an eternity. alright, well thank you!

edit: I think this will work: https://www.amazon.com/Krylon-6-Ounce-Crystal-Acrylic-Coating/dp/B001K65K26 and I already have a bunch that i use to preserve paintings, so should be good! let me know if you've heard otherwise about acrylic coating.

fishing sinkers advertsied as 'lead free' are a cheap source these days.

Looks like $<10US on amazon http://www.amazon.com/Bismuth-Gram-Ingot-Chunk-99-99/dp/B00ZQC6W1I/ or try a site like http://www.buybismuth.com/#!shop/cqae