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I Forge Iron

Today I learned . . .


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Learned the difference between self rising and all purpose flour.

One of my drill sgt. told me something years ago that has stuck with me since. " A day that goes by with out learning at least 1 new thing is a wasted day. Does not matter what it is or how trivial, just learn something new."

 

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  • 1 month later...

About "memory metal". Pretty neat stuff can be deformed into just about any shape then when heat or electricity is applied it will return to its original shape. I know this is no surprise to the more sciencey folk but i thought it pretty cool. NASA is supposed to be using it for the wheels on the next Mars rover from what i understand. 

Could be kind of fun maybe to slip into some ones stock pile. Bang out a nice scroll then when reheated returns to original shape. ( that is meant in jest, i am pretty sure it would not work like that)

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But if it did work like that…

I’m picturing the frustration my youngest son experienced when I put those trick candles on his birthday cake. He was blowing hard enough to get a sailboat up to speed, and as soon as he’d run out of air, they relit. 
Of course I thought it was hilarious. 

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I got to play with memory metal way back in the 60s. Dad did a lot of aerospace work and he had all sorts of interesting and or classified metals around. At the time NASA was experimenting with memory metals for self deploying elements on satellites and deep space probes.

The couple types I got to play with were very different from each other. You couldn't "crumple" either in your hand. The piece of sheet was about as thick as an aluminum can and about as stiff as a beer steel can. Yes, can opener days! The other was a strip like a noodle and was really stiff. Both were malleable and took shapes well. 

Neither took a lot of heat to return to mill shape, I'm thinking about 300f. we just brushed it with a bernzomatic torch held at a distance. 

Dad spun a number of types I never got to see let along mess with, mostly electrically activated. What they were for was classified and I'm pretty sure I wasn't supposed to know about any of it let alone play with it. Once.

The stuff REALLY sparked my imagination, I did nothing for years but envision things unfolding and erecting themselves. I think anymore electric motors and motivators are powerful and reliable enough memory metals lost a lot of jobs.

Frosty The Lucky.

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I gather that the memory metal nitinol (from nickel + titanium + Naval Ordinance Laboratories) is being used a lot these days in medical devices. For example, extractors for kidney stones and gallstones get deformed a lot on their way up a catheter, but using nitinol wire allows them to spring back to their preformed shape once it gets to the stone. I believe that some companies are also using nitinol to make 3D-printed stents.

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  • 2 weeks later...

So i have heard that word 3 times in different places today. So i too have learned a new word. Had to look it up after 3 times but hearing it used i had a good idea from that. 

I have a piece of good stout honey suckle i have been aging for about 3 years now. I planned on making a a shillelagh out of. Little more than waist high, has a big 3 way fork on one end and about 1" - 1 1/2" thick. I dont have a stone chimney or lard to do it proper but i have been keeping it greased down. Maybe a good project for inside during the up coming cold spell. 

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