SLAG

EGAD ! I.F.I. Guys & Gals, Progress marches inexorably onward. Would you believe wires only three atoms wide, made from diamond? I kid you not. Check out, http://phys.org/news/2016-12-world-smallest-diamonds-wires-atoms.html Best wishes , good fortune, and good health; for the new year 2017, everyone. SLAG

Mr. Evans, The cost of photovoltaic cells is dropping month by month. Important new advances seem to be announced roughly every eight weeks on average. Soon solar power will be competitive with nuclear energy and also, hydroelectric power in many places. This disruptive technology has already happened to the coal industry in the last decade or so. Shale hydrocarbons and advanced hydro fracking has delivered energy to power plants at (if my memory serves me correctly) a third or quarter the price. I posted an article on this development sometime during the past summer. I hope the whole I.F.I. family has had a wonderful Christmas day. (Chanukah too). SLAG. Proud member in good standing of the Honorable I.F.I. Technology and Metallurgy sub-group. All I.F.I. members are welcome to join. (remember there are no dues!).

WAYNE, Thank you for the heads up. I suspect that the French technologists are aware of it and have taken it into account. Regards, SLAG. __ __ __ __ __ MARC1, The article did intimate that the technology was not yet "road worthy' for regular use. Improvements are necessary in order to make the concept practical and affordable. Also, many climates would probably not be suitable. For example where there is snow cover, such as much of Canada and the Northern U.S.A. (but the southwest ... ). Thanks fellas for your interest and input. You are formally invited to join our merry sub-group of enthusiasts. There are NO dues. Regards, SLAG.

Mod Note: The thread was retitled to better reflect the content. By JOVE !!!, Fellow technology & metallurgy enthusiasts, Technology developments are coming fast and furious. A French consortium has just announced an exciting new tech. development. Would you believe a solar energy collecting road surface? I kid you not! Road surfaces are used only 20% of the time by cars. The rest of the time they just sit there . So collecting solar energy is a good second job. We, in these United States have enough roads to do the job. Please consult this reference, for further details. http://phys.org/news/2016-12-road-paved-solar-panels-powers.html We wish you all a very merry Christmas, and a wonderful, healthy, and prosperous new year. Regards to all, SLAG.

Smoggy, Thanks. And the same to you, manifold. Regards, SLAG.

Sturd59 Welcome aboard. I sure miss the real Thai food. Merry Christmas! SLAG.

Anchronist58, Merry Christmas to you and Sheila. The posted articles are mainly for interest and entertainment. There is no need to study them nor to do research. I am glad that you and Ausfire are devoting some of your valuable time to suggest a more suitable title for this exalted i.f.i. sub group. Regards and a happy holiday to all. SLAG.

Aus, Thank you for your kind and considerate Christmas greetings. It is appreciated. The name for the group may sound tame, and it is open for a change. Do you have a more suitable suggestion? All suggestions are welcome and will be given serious consideration. Regards, SLAG.

Aus., Yes I wholeheartedly agree with you. We live in exciting times! Rejoice you are now a member in good standing of the honorable I Forge Iron, Technology and Metallurgy Enthusiasts group. Merry Christmas to you and yours. SLAG P.S. Gallium does not come cheap. SLAG.

GADZOOKS !!, A new technological development has been announced. It concerns an advancement in liquid metals that can form stretchable electronics, & soldering without heat to read the exciting details consult, http://yearinreview.cenmag.org/liquid-metals-went-work/ This very exciting article is, in my opinion, a must read for the majority of i.f.i. technology and metallurgy enthusiasts. Happy holidays to all (may Santa's elves (or Black Peter for all the folks of the Netherlands persuasion), send you lots of coal. SLAG.

Hark! Technology and metallurgy fans, The first p.e t. chewing bacterium microorganism has been found. The common plastic pet (poly-ethylene terephthalate) is used for manner of things. About half of it is recycled. The other half ends up in land fills. Thousands of tons of it. Recycling uses a high temperature and pressure to break down the plastic to its components ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid. (they are then chemically recombined to make new p.e.t. plastic). Lo and behold, they have discovered a bacterium that does the same job at room pressure and at temperatures that are in the low eighties Fahrenheit The very exciting details can be found here, http://yearinreview.cenmag.org/worlds-first-pet-munching-microbe-discovered/ Merry Christmas to all at i.f.i. SLAG.

Tubalcain 2, I suspect the smith is German. Also, a lot of us on I. f. I. are overweight. Mr. Hofi modified the Habermann hammer, when he developed his Hofi hamer & the rest is history. SLAG.

Try searching in, http://blacksmithing.org/resources/howto/ Give it a try. If you are unsuccessful I will break out my notes to find it and send it to you. SLAG.

Mr. Freeman, Check the F.A.B.A. website and pull down the 3 or so examples of the "three point tongs". One of those references shows how to make them and also,how to make a tool that makes their construction easier. They are extremely useful, and versatile. Mr. Brazeal intimates that it would take him too much time to make them for sale. I believe that he stated 2 or 2.5 hours. Perhaps so, but they are well worth the effort, for a personal set. Merry Christmas, or Chanukah, or Kwanza, to all, SLAG.

I know them as universal tongs. Please consult the F.A.B.A. web site using the term "universal tongs". There are two articles concerning them. SLAG.

Glenn, I suggest that this post be pinned. Kozzy thank you for sharing this information with us. SLAG.

Soup can rusting out? I suggest that you paint the new can on the inside and also the outside. It should last longer. Just saying. SLAG.

I previously discussed the potentially poisonous effects of ingested heavy metals, in this thread . A much greater problem is the dust from grinding. The component that are the abrasive particles. They are very fine, and are easily breathed in. The size is small enough for the particles to lodge deeply in our lungs. Some of those particles are silicon carbide and aluminum oxide. (and less likely, chromium oxides i.e. the green rouge). One such occupational disease is, for example, silicosis. (caused by silicon, or silicon carbide particles.) It is fatal and there is no cure. But it comes about after years of particle exposure. And rarely from a single exposure Many particles are scavenged by our cells and disposed of. But less of the more deeply lodged particles, are moved out Those particles are of a particular size that gets the white blood cells to start an immune reaction. Part of that response is an inflammatory reaction . Chronic inflammation eventually attacks cells In the lung leading to widespread destruction. This is the same mechanism that is involved in C.O.P.D. (chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder). In that medical condition the pollutants ingested are cigarette and air pollution particles). Using a respirator is a good first measure. But it is not the complete step. Grinding particles remain in the air long after the grinding session is over. And the dust can still be breathed in. Also, those particles settle on all the surfaces of the shop. Touching a surface, such as the work bench, or walking along the dust laden floor sends those particles into the air again. This will continue to happen until the dust is removed. The better measure is to grind with a very efficient dust extraction system, that collects the particles.That system must be capable of filtering very out fine dust particles. Collected dust disposal should be carefully done. Alternatively the grinding can be done outside with a strong fan blowing the dust far away. This is not practical measure for most of us who resort to grinding metal. Regards to all and best wishes to all for a wonderful Christmas, or Chanukah, or Kwanza or other festivities. SLAG.

Your brother and his family are now on the list. SLAG.

Vaughn, Central casting Da, Agreed. SLAG.

Charles, You and Sandy are still in our thoughts and prayers. Good news, just in time for Christmas. SLAG.

Mr .Quade, Very nice knife. May I make a few suggestions for improved function of your chef's knife? Grind the sharp edge at the base of the blade. It is very easy to cut your hand as the knife is grasped ahead partially of the handle. That is, the thumb and forefinger rest on the blade at the base of the blade. Japanese knives retain the sharp edge but there is an indentation at the blade's base where it is grasped. (many chef's will still grind the knife's sharp corner down a little, just to be on the safe side.). The chief source of blade failure occurs at the place where the handle and blade meet. Professional chef's knives are upset at that position That raised section serves as a reinforcement for the blade. If the preceding description is not clear, consult a picture of a chef's knife on the net (Google etc.), to see good examples. Or drop by a knife store, and check it out. (eg Canadian Tire in a pinch, or Bed Bath & Beyond, if there is one in Canada). Again you have done an excellent job. I am jealous. SLAG.

Wonderful job, CTB, Cardiologists want to be loved, and appreciated too. I hope one of those twenty eight pills is a multivitamin with minerals. Live long and prosper, my friend, SLAG.

TBCLN 2 Undoubtedly they will be expensive at first. I say that because they will be, most likely, be patented, and, also, be the product of a patented process. Fear not. That form of diamond is very tiny. (actually the product of nanotechnology). And the main use for them will probably be for mounting on the tip of drilling tools and cutting tools. In other words, I do not think that they will be used for jewelry. But who knows Johnson Matthey and DeBeers Inc. have done some marvelous things in the past. Tubalcain 2, welcome to the I forge Iron "Technology Enthusiasts" subgroup. You are a most welcome addition to our group. Best regards, SLAG.

T. P. You ARE very naughty. After watching the Feldman video I had to change me nappy! SLAG.