[simpits-chat] Long time in coming

[Rob Hommel]

Brian:

I think I would only get into trouble with N2 but a couple of drinks of
absolute zero would be nice for a change. Don't know how to make one it's
really quite easy Absolut Vodka and N2 chilled dewer flask leave the spoon
in the container. Takes a real brave person to drink one wait a couple of
minutes prior to drinking the N2 will boil off fairly rapidly. You can
substitute Dry Ice for N2 in a pinch but the effect is not as dramatic. I
used to mix them with a stick of celery in it and break the shatter the
celery as an ice breaker at parties. A similar effect maybe accomplished
with a banana if you need to drive a nail. Got to find a really good bar
someday and get them to mix me one.

The $500 price tag is more than I remember N2 costing, I remember the stuff
as being fairly inexpensive. Natural gas was more expensive in fact at the
time. It is a by-product of many gas extraction processes, the waste so to
speak. The price of dry ice (CO2) was up last time I checked as well still
fairly inexpensive.

We had a great discussion on the subject of Torr's a while back what is the
vacuum range you are going to trying to achieve with this new monster
chamber? That project looks more and more interesting every time I look at
it, good luck Buck Rogers.

Keep 'em Flying
Rob Hommel

-----Original Message-----
From: simpits-chat-bounces at simpits.org
[mailto:simpits-chat-bounces at simpits.org]On Behalf Of Brian Sikkema
Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2003 8:51 PM
To: rhommel at tacoma.net; Non-tech or other tech related messages for Simpits
Subject: Re: [simpits-chat] Long time in coming

Lol. Yeah, "mysterious" purposes always lead to trouble, for me at least.
Federal arrest warrants not withstanding, they're generally more trouble
than they're worth. Fun, though! :)

We do have 3 N2 tanks in the lab, but they're kinda expensive to fill up. We
run through about $500 of nitrogen per test, roughly 2 dewers worth.
http://www.me.mtu.edu/~bjsikkem/ASPL/ - look in the vacuum pumps section to
see our dewers - nice big ones! :) (I've really got to update that site,
though). But hard as hell to haul across campus to the physics department.
They've got the corner on the local N2 market, unfortunately. But it's
definitely fun stuff. Saw an episode of Leno a while back, they were making
ice cream with it. Aparently it tasted to pretty good, but he was momentarly
concerned with the cost of N2. Then he exclaimed "Wait a second! I'm rich!
Have someone deliver some of this to my house, pronto!" Funny stuff.

Anywho, the old tank is about 5' in diameter and about 10' long. The new one
is 6' diameter and 12 long - though it looks a heck of a lot bigger than the
old one, mainly because of the door setup. On the old tank, the door is
almost half the length of the tank, whereas the new one the door is just the
end, no volume to it.

And the rocket science is always fun. Unfortunately this semester has been
so busy I haven't had too much time to work in the lab, but next semester
looks very promising. I'm inheriting a small uncompleted hall thruster from
one of the grad students, so hopefully by the end of the semester I'll have
that up and running *fingers crossed*

Brian


----- Original Message -----
From: "Rob Hommel" <rhommel at tacoma.net>
To: "Non-tech or other tech related messages for Simpits"
<simpits-chat at simpits.org>
Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2003 11:58 PM
Subject: Re: [simpits-chat] Long time in coming


> Brian:
>
> Not a problem. I would most likely get into trouble with it, doing
> something entirely foolish like making huge front surface mirrors for
> "mysterious" purposes. Deer spotting airliners anyone? Any spare tanks
> of N2 around the lab your not using I will take off your hands. Cryonics
> is an interesting subject even if you are just planning to use the N2 to
> clean pesky insects out of the shop. umm.. Giant Dewer flask needed,
> perhaps ebay.
>
> I really need to find a real reason to have toys like that around. I
> know a giant scanning electron microscope. How big was that old vacuum
> chamber again? Ever burn a hole in a grasshopper with an electron
> microscope? I was surprised to find titanium in the sample I tested
> years ago.
>
> How goes the rocket science these days Brian?
>
> Keep 'em Flying
> Rob Hommel
>
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