What's in a hydrometer?

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franc1969

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Well, $/! @/#. My hydrometer broke and dropped all its little pellets in my grape juice. Thankfully I had just read my fermented buckets, and was only reading new juice in a graduated cylinder. This was a standard new hydrometer with thermometer. And of course a replacement for the one I broke last month.
So this got me thinking, what are those pellets? Do they use lead, or not that chancy a material around food products?
 
So lead it is. I assumed it probably was the cheapest/easiest, and the glass is sealed. Until it's not, 2hich is why I'll be switching to a plastic graduate for this, and not dropping straight into the buckets anymore. I don't really want to rack unexpectedly.
The thermometer is easy! Alcohol, or some petroleum product in higher reading ranges.
 
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