Possibly the creepiest thing we’ve seen all season, here’s mercury(II) thiocyanate’s decomposition initiated by heating. The terrarium adds a nice effect, like we’re watching some kind of sand monster out of Star Trek. Video queued to 1:20, when the action starts. One Facebook commenter noted, “I guess when you burn mercury thiocyanate, it opens up […]
Titanium is really cool for a lot of reasons, but this Instructable by, ah, “Thursday” highlights one in particular: It is incredibly easy to anodize, and produces really striking colors when anodized. So, you know, if you’re interested in anodizing this is an way to start experimenting. Thursday has stripped the anodizing process down to it’s absolute minimum here: small titanium bits, white vinegar, a stack of 9V batteries, and a counterelectrode. Now I want to see somebody use all those differently-colored rings to make a chain-mail photomosaic.
I love PVC pipe: It’s weatherproof, cheap, commonly available, easy to work, and easy to join temporarily or permanently. Apart from a slightly icky environmental footprint, the only serious drawback of PVC pipe is that it’s ugly, owing largely to the fact that it’s usually available only in white, off-white, gray, or (sometimes) black. PVC can be painted, sure, but getting a good finish requires careful surface preparation, and even then the paint tends to flake or wear off with time, weather, and/or handling.
But, as you’ll know if you’ve ever tried to remove a purple primer stain, it is possible to indelibly colorize PVC pipe. I got curious about what was in purple primer, and a bit of digging revealed that it’s just clear primer plus purple dye. I reasoned, then, that I ought to be able to make my own “purple primer” in whatever color I wanted by adding solvent dye to clear primer. Long story short: It works, and it works great. You can read all about it here.
If you’ve ever used a magnetic stirplate before, you know how handy they can be. Scientific equipment is often way, way more expensive than it should be, and if you’ve ever priced commercial stirplates you may have been shocked at what some companies get for a device that is, ultimately, just a motor with a […]
Rob Cockerham–who has previously brought us spring shoes, a sweet Doc Ock costume, and How Much is Inside?, among other delights–wanted to serve a six-pack out of a solid block of ice. The block had to be cast with openings that would hold the bottles tightly but still let them slip loose when somebody wanted one. It took a bit of trial and error, but he eventually got the process figured out. The whole story is here. Rob hasn’t tried it yet, but he thinks, as I do, that one of these will probably float in a swimming pool fully loaded. Nice work, Rob! [via Boing Boing]
Now through September 30, 2010, we’re offering 50% OFF all of our Science Room products in the Maker Shed. This is a great deal for any chemistry hobbyists, teachers, or schools. Just remember to use coupon code “MADSCIENCE” at checkout to receive your 50% OFF!
This is understandable, really, because the chemical composition of many crayons, even if you ignore the wax binder and just focus on the coloring, is extraordinarily complicated, containing many different pigments carefully blended to achieve just the right color. Even if the formulations weren’t trade secrets, it’d be doubtful if many of them could be fit on a crayon label in a legible typeface.
