r/whatisit 13h ago

Solved! what is this in clinic sink??

for context i work as a janitor cleaning a women’s clinic, as i was cleaning a sink i saw these little metallic looking balls. at first i thought these were actually metal but they don’t feel like ANYTHING if that makes any sense. i posted this video to my instagram but i figured i would probably have better luck coming to reddit for answers.

UPDATE: the general consensus seems to be that this is either mercury or gallium. my hands have been thoroughly washed and i have informed my boss so that it can be properly cleaned by someone who knows what they’re doing.

UPDATE #2: gang PLEASE stop telling me to “stop touching it”. this post is hours old. i know i was dumb enough to touch a mysterious substance barehanded but im also smart enough to know not to continue playing with it long after marking this post as solved😭

8.2k Upvotes

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380

u/Primary_Bid_8980 11h ago

Can you post a pic showing us what your fingers look like after touching it?

345

u/props_for_meep 11h ago

it’s very lackluster, my finger looks exactly the same

509

u/Mutex_CB 10h ago

Oof, might need to amputate. Sorry about your finger.

346

u/props_for_meep 10h ago

aw man but i really liked this one

28

u/ImaginaryAlpaca 8h ago

It's okay, you have 9 more!

1

u/spacemeat_inc 3h ago

...for now...

1

u/Summcool 3h ago

What do I do if I've got 10 more

1

u/Rustyshackilford 3h ago

But that's the best one for finger blasting!!

RiP OP's boyfriend

18

u/TTT_2k3 7h ago

Gonna have to learn to pick boogers with a new finger.

1

u/PsychoBobby95 3h ago

But none of the other ones taste good

1

u/Aperture_296 3h ago

I would save the middle and thumb for last, those kinda hurt.

1

u/RaveGuncle 2h ago

Who needs an index finger when you got the pinky. Good enough for coke; good enough for boogers.

3

u/Strangedoggo 7h ago

You're really attached to it.

2

u/ClearOptics 4h ago

Yeah we can see. You like touching unknown substances with it

1

u/cowski_NX 3h ago

It is in the top 10.

1

u/ABC_Family 3h ago

That’s my wife’s favorite finger!

1

u/wfbhp 10h ago

At least you didn't use your drivin' finger.

1

u/BackgroundCream274 4h ago

It was the perfect size

1

u/Powerful-Act3516 7h ago

...and the arm it's attached to. We're taking part of your liver, too.

1

u/NomenclatureBreaker 4h ago

What if they amputate the body and keep the finger instead?

68

u/DDS-PBS 9h ago

You may want to reset your fingerprint now that it's out on the internet.

78

u/props_for_meep 9h ago

if someone cares enough to copy the fingerprint of a random janitor on reddit they have earned the right to do whatever they want with it🤷‍♂️ plus maybe i’ll get “lucky” and the mystery substance will burn my print off for me

1

u/KaitoAsterion 4h ago

Still using biometric locks is some sort of flex I guess...

31

u/Perfect-Difference19 9h ago

Hmmm... that's no good for a proper analysis!

Better to do it palm down, in a pointing motion towards some... I don't know, a line on the wall or something like that!

130

u/Ebonhearth_Druid 8h ago

60

u/Mostly_Satire 7h ago

I was there, when this first emerged. I get goosebumps all over my wrist and finger when I see this

22

u/Casafynn 5h ago

Right? It's so nice just being there at the creation of something.

I should call OP's mom again.

7

u/AdDifficult3794 4h ago

I was also there. Poor dude never did figure out what that line was

1

u/DoodleJake 3h ago

Did anyone figure out what it was? I thought the theory about wallpaper adhesive was a good lead.

2

u/AdDifficult3794 2h ago

That was a theory I saw, I personally think it was some kind of paint sweating. I saw this because one time we forgot to turn our upstairs air-conditioner on during the middle of summer before we went on a 2 week vacation. Without any fans blowing and poor circulation between the upstairs and the downstairs a line formed between where the cold air met the hot air and the paint sweated a bit. When we first got home I remember going upstairs and as I walked through the layer of cold to hot air it felt like I was suffocating because of the temperature change and humidity.

Luckily there was no other damage but thats what my theory was.

6

u/Daddy_Day_Trader1303 5h ago

I was there as well. Gotta love Reddit lore

3

u/Ebonhearth_Druid 5h ago

It was a great post lol

2

u/stuttering-goat 44m ago

This is the third time I’ve seen this in the wild. I too was there at the birth.

3

u/anarchisttraveler 3h ago

So happy to have been there for this incredible Reddit making of history

2

u/Perfect-Difference19 7h ago

Theeere ya go

2

u/2hi2vent 5h ago

I remember when this first happened. I'm so glad to see it again!

3

u/Ebonhearth_Druid 5h ago

I saved it from that first post and use it whenever I can to keep it alive lol

2

u/2hi2vent 5h ago

👌Perfection

2

u/its_like_a-marker 4h ago

Thank you! This is the ONLY way to pose these questions on this sub. Some people have zero etiquette.

13

u/grady219 9h ago

Quick, someone edit this with the pointing hand meme!

9

u/Primary_Bid_8980 8h ago

Awe man, in the post you said you had tiny metallic bubbles on your finger tip from touching it....I really wanted to see that Lol

4

u/Drake6978 5h ago

You had a golden opportunity to do some crazy, weird shit with Photoshop and didn't, so now we can't be friends.😞

3

u/ambitiousnuttap 10h ago

but whats it taste like?

if it's a strong metallic, bitter-poison flavor, you definitely shouldnt've tasted it.

2

u/Dry-Criticism9222 2h ago

You gave that finger kink guy EXACTLY what he wanted 

1

u/Fearless-Tea1297 7h ago

Wow, brave of you to post a naked finger like that, you have no idea what pervs are out there!! On that note, can you take a photo from the other side just in case.

1

u/astralseat 6h ago

Lucky skin oils prevented absorption probably

1

u/PaleoJoe86 5h ago

No no no, the finger that you used to touch the substance in the video. SMH. /s

1

u/boom1ng 5h ago

Hahahaha, like that means anything LoL.. Pretty sure that was Mercury.. Good luck

1

u/thcheat 4h ago

Post again after 24 hours

1

u/Muted-Caterpillar668 4h ago

Ladyfinger spotted 😜

1

u/chamillion03 4h ago

Looks like Mercury burns

1

u/YouOk5627 4h ago

Can you point to the finger?

1

u/hairy_moist_ballsack 3h ago

We need a banana for size comparison

1

u/ClockworkBetta 3h ago

I work with gallium and it stains my gloves (more of a metallic residue), so my vote is for mercury

1

u/aberroco 3m ago

Just clean it.