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[SilverDragon]

So, some people would call me stupid or an idiot, but I don't really care. Reading about Alchemy has made me very interested, and now I have decided to pursue it. I didn't know if I should put it here or in life advice, but it doesnt matter. I have also decided to make a journal to keep track of what I'm doing and what I'm experimenting.

Why did I post here? To see how many of you would go about calling me an idiot. Anyway, I have a basic list of what I (think) I will need, along with reading material to possibly help me.

List:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Knife
Hammer
Clean chopping board (?)
Bowls
Real Alchemy by Robert Allen Bartlett
Way of the Crucible by Robert Allen Bartlett

So, what do you guys think? Should I say "Screw it this is stupid" or continue doing something I'm enjoying?

[Max White]

I think what you are doing is great! But you need to get up to date, we have had a few advances since the days of old. Alchemists turned into chemists over time, but it was alchemists that gave us some very fundamental knowledge such as various elements.
Still, if you are serious, a study of chemistry can be very rewarding both financially and personally. Plus it is much easier to get a much more formal sort of education in the subject these days than alchemy.

Understanding the very matter that constructs the physical world is an amazing power that should be envied, and something you should strive for if such a thing interests you. Chemistry will give you that power.

[SilverDragon]

I don't want to be rude, Max. But, I'm not so interested in the known things, things people know are true.  I'm more interested in the things I believe I'll succeed in, even if I won't. Then again, who knows? Maybe magic is real. Maybe I will figure out the mythical Philosophers Stone? I'm interested because facts say it isn't real. Remember years ago, when people said animals have no feelings, their just animals? Someone proved them wrong. (I think, don't hold me to it) I think I've established the point that I won't succeed, but I'll try my hardest. Chemistry is a know subject, we have scientific facts to show it. But I digress.
Thanks for your post and "support" (not sure if you still support me), it means a lot to me.

[Max White]

 
I understand your stance, and I'm very sorry if this sounds a little preachy, but chemistry isn't a known subject! We make advances still, and will for some time, the march continues, and every day there is something new to find that nobody else on earth yet knows, but you could be the first.
If you are looking to know what is unknown, I think your studies into alchemy may be a little disappointing. We stopped studying alchemy in the way we were because we stopped finding new things. We reached the boundaries of things that alchemy could teach us, and old ideas fell silent where as new ones grew. If you want to find the future, start with the present, it is a step up from the past.

Still, what do I know? I take a model based view of reality, and know that my model is both flawed and incomplete. Maybe you will find what you are after, and if so, best of luck. I know my advice wasn't what you were after, so take it or leave it, but either way, do what you must, it is all anybody can ever ask of a man.

[SilverDragon]

No no, I understand what your saying. And you are making a good case. Chemistry is an interesting subject and I agree with you, but the only thing I know about chemistry is that it uses the table of operations, I think. Chemistry does sound like something I would be interested in, its just that life is so incredibly boring for me right now, and I always make commitments and don't follow through. I don't really want to make another failed commitment, you know? And I just want to do something fun and enjoyable that I can stick with, and now that I think about it chemistry sounds pretty much like what alchemy is. Huh. And chemistry not being a fully known subject, I suppose I can see that. Thanks again for your thought provoking post, Max.

[Caz]

Just don't heat ether over an open flame. Good luck!

[freeformschooler]

Yeah, there's still plenty of innovation to be done in Chemistry. I mean, now we have Xenon Tetraflouride, where previously we thought noble gases couldn't react with anything!

[Warmist]

One advice: first figure out what is poisonous! Lots of alchemist lead a very short life after discovering mercury, lead or other dangerous element containing compound or just a poisonous compound. Doing everything outside or under a fumehood should mitigate some of the danger, but some nasty stuff might be very deadly even if touched.

[Supercharazad]

Yeah, though I don't think you'll find anything useful, follow what these guys say. Do your work outside, wear thick gloves, wear goggles, a face mask, and make sure you follow all the correct safety guidelines. If you work with corrosives, keep in mind that they can and will scar you and give you serious burns.
If at all possible, get an eye-wash station and learn how to use it.

[cerapa]

And I just want to do something fun and enjoyable that I can stick with, and now that I think about it chemistry sounds pretty much like what alchemy is.

Don't take this wrong, but perhaps you should take up reading. Chemistry, physics, whatever, just trawl wikipedia if you like. The world is an exceptionally beautiful thing and I think everyone could gain a lot by understanding the way the it works, even if you aren't necessarily going to use it for anything.

For example, chemistry is so much more than just the table of elements. Life itself is composed of billions of chemical reactions. Everything you do from breathing to thinking is the end result of an incredibly long chain of chemical reactions. Our life could actually be considered a continuation of the reactions of the very first replicator, which evolved into what we are today.

[DeKaFu]

I'm going to derail a bit and say that if you're looking for a field full of unknowns to discover, I really have to plug for biology here. Biology is basically a subject which is so staggeringly vast and complex that we're really only starting to get a handle on how much we don't know about it.
For example, hundreds of scientists have spent decades trying to decode the genome of a single species of fruit fly, and we still don't understand what most of the genes do. That's still a hundredfold more than we understand about the human genome.
Current estimates are that there's around 8.7 million species in the world, of which only 1.9 million have been discovered and named.

Did you know that inside the cells in your body, right now, there are a multitude of proteins literally walking from one side of your cell to the other?
Did you know there's an entire species of lizards that consists of females only, which biologically clone themselves to reproduce?
Did you know that the longest known invertebrate is a deep-sea jellyfish-like thing that's 160 feet long and glows blue in the dark, and dissolves if you try to bring it to the surface? (It's actually a colony of tiny specialized animals that can only survive when joined together as a larger single creature)

Did you know there's a million more facts like these out there that nobody knows because there simply aren't enough people in the world staring at bugs?

If you want to discover new things, biology's where it's at, man. Magic ain't got nothing on nature.

[sackhead]

Alchemy is only a crude form of chemistry.what the alchemists saw as "magic" is only chemical reactions ocuring that they had no other name four. However amature chemistry and just messing about in that manner can be awsome fun my personal favourit would be the time in school i played with electroplating, which if you don't no the science can apear magical.

in summary there is so much wonder in the universe and in the sciences i dont think there is a need to delve into a pseudo-science like alchemy. pick something your interested in, lets say metals. then do some research, mess around with a few amateur experiments and enjoy your new found knowledge of how the universe relay works.

this saying i havnt read the books you mentioned and might have the wong idea of what you are trying to do.