Make vacuum pre-loaded spherical air bearings without special tools

A new technique to make graphite air bearings without precision tooling. I show how to make spherical, cylindrical, and flat bearings that are also vacuum pre-loaded, meaning the bearing is captive.

David Preiss' excellent video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuzoEe_ykmM

10mm thick graphite sheet: https://www.amazon.com/Graphite-Smooth-Polished-Surface-200MMx100MMx10MM/dp/B07S2RDQ6P

2" ball bearing: https://www.amazon.com/Inch-Chrome-Steel-Bearing-Ball/dp/B0074VCP8S

Small 10-32 hose barb fitting: https://www.mcmaster.com/5047k11 Linear bearing shaft: https://www.mcmaster.com/6061k35

Fusion360 CAD files: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1fj6zJ9GlZ07WB6jVrltPNsvqsU06qTAP?usp=sharing

12x18 granite surface plate: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LWBEEH8

Applied Science on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/AppliedScience

DIY mass spectrometer measures potassium in dietary salt substitute

How to build and operate a simple mass spectrometer. Please ask questions in the comments, as always.

Scientific American article: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-amateur-scientist-1970-07/  $7.99 is a good value for the entire back issue in plain PDF format, and an example of a publisher being reasonable.   I'm happy to support this.

Original Dewdney paper: https://sci-hub.tw/https://doi.org/10.1119/1.1969211

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isotopes_of_potassium
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ionization_energy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_ionization
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyroradius

https://www.patreon.com/AppliedScience

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezME4_xMMnk

Teardown of a "date back" or "data back" camera and description of how it works: A micro LCD projector with incandescent light bulb! https://www.patreon.com/AppliedScience

Cryogenic treatment of drill bits: tested 2X lifetime and microstructure analysis

I bought some HSS stub drills, and treated half of them with liquid nitrogen, which improved their wear resistance dramatically. I also look at the change in microstructure with an electron microscope.

Performance of cryogenically treated M35 HSS drills - http://sci-hub.tw/10.1007/s00170-011-3616-8
Performance of cryogenically treated HSS tools - http://sci-hub.tw/10.1016/j.wear.2006.01.017
Effects of Cryogenic Treatment on the Strength
Properties - http://sci-hub.tw/10.1088/1757-899X/229/1/012014

LN2 generator video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PWESWqhD8s
Heat treatment of steel video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulfCxDsVTWo

Source of drill bits: https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/125/2508

Temperature logger (discontinued, unfortunately): https://www.adafruit.com/product/3081

3M fine polishing pads: https://www.amazon.com/Tri-M-Ite-Polishing-Abrasive-Assorted-Sheets/dp/B07CP9CCH4/

Delorean patent on cryogenic torsion bar: https://patents.google.com/patent/US4378658

Steel grain structure inspection, and overall great channel for material analysis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuHofNW40Yw

Steel grain structure video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SIr2sBHxA4


Applied Science on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/AppliedScience

UV laser creates disappearing ink in normal printer paper

Ordinary printer paper is darkened by a high power UV laser, and then the affected area disappears in four minutes!  This is caused by fluorescent brightening agents that are added to printer paper, which are temporarily overloaded by the intense UV light. It seems that oxygen plays a role in this, as hydrogen peroxide applied to the marks cause them to disappear instantly, and prevent them from being formed again by the laser. Performing the experiment in argon appears to slow the disappearing ink effect.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/(E)-Stilbene
http://abchemitrans.com/dokumenty/Brochure_OPTICAL_BRIGHTENERS.pdf
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19440049.2014.934302?mobileUi=0&journalCode=tfac20
https://patents.google.com/patent/US20140339462A1


https://www.patreon.com/AppliedScience

"Bouncy" sulfur hexafluoride gas in tennis balls?

Testing myths about gas inside tennis balls.
Note:  I should have added that all of the gases tested would have the same bounce height in a perfect no-loss system.  The reason that SF6 bounces higher is because it heats less during compression, lowering the amount of possible thermal loss.  Argon heats more during compression, and can lose more energy because of thermal transfer from the gas into the cylinder walls, where it is not restored upon decompression.  Things are more complex in a tennis ball, though:  Most of the losses are in the rubber shell, and not in the thermal dissipation of the fill gas.  It's hard to estimate, but I'd say that the highest fill pressure, with a high-gamma gas would prove to be the most bouncy since it would cause the rubber shell to deform the least.  The amount of compression in a tennis ball is very low, and any effect due to the gamma of the gas will be extremely small.  Fill pressure will have a dramatically bigger effect.

Google drive link : https://drive.google.com/open?id=10gktbl7YQve5IKNAak1L0wIS_g_4BVEW
 Nike Air: https://news.nike.com/news/nike-air-max-sustainability

EPA SF6 use: https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-02/documents/conf00_smythe_paper.pdf

100 kg load cell: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077YHNNCP/
Instrumentation amplifier: https://www.ebay.com/itm/INA114-Instrumentation-Amplifier-Module-1000-Times-Gain-Adjustable-Single-Supply/272973857983

SF6 on eBay:  https://www.ebay.com/itm/Sulfur-Hexafluoride-SF6-18-lb-Tank-New-full-cylinder-Insulating-Gas-SALE/283464688564

Tennis ball patent: https://patents.google.com/patent/US4358111

SF6 data sheet: https://npeinc.com/manuals/General%20Electric/GEBK-IBvendor/ALLIED%20CHEMICAL.PDF

SF6 worldwide usage: https://www.ipcc-nggip.iges.or.jp/public/gp/bgp/3_5_SF6_Electrical_Equipment_Other_Uses.pdf


General adiabatic resources:
http://rogercortesi.com/ideas/public/gasspring.html 
https://arxiv.org/pdf/1708.01282.pdf
http://isjos.org/JoP/vol1/Papers/JoPv1i1-2Tennis.pdf
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Sound/souspe3.html

https://www.patreon.com/AppliedScience

How corrosion inhibitors protect metal: synthesis in the lab and testing

Laboratory synthesis and systematic testing of a corrosion inhibitor commonly found in engine oils.  This inhibitor is the reaction product of 2,5-dimercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazole and oleic acid.

Source of recipe: https://patents.google.com/patent/US4193882

Water fogger: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TN5EUUE/

Source of DMTD: https://www.amazon.com/TCI-America-Bismuthiol-B0593-25G-95-0/dp/B0727V9DQY/

Oleic Acid: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BLUTRO2

https://www.patreon.com/AppliedScience

Photos from Bay Area Maker Faire 2006 onward

2006 - I attended as a spectator, and was completely inspired.  It was the best event of the year for me, and I knew I'd be coming back as an exhibitor.

2007 - I started on my Maker Faire project early in the year, and built an autonomous model helicopter that used ultrasonic beacons to locate and orient itself in space.  This was long before the drone craze, and small flying devices were still pretty new.  Overall, the helicopter didn't fly very well, but I still had an absolute blast.  Most Makers were situated in Fiesta Hall in those early days.

2008 - I teamed up with my friend Peter, and built a set of "interactive furniture" -- furnishings that provided additional features to the owner.  We had a coffee table with a rheoscopic fluid disc, a table with a refrigerator inside, a table with an espresso machine inside, a watering can that could be controlled via web interface, and speaker stands that are also aquariums.

Another friend, also named Peter, brought his electric bikes, and did a great job explaining how different hybrid drive systems worked.

2009 - I helped Peter again with his electric bikes.  There was a lot interest in alternative commute vehicles.  This was long before the scooter craze, etc.

2010 - I built a liquid nitrogen generator from an old cell phone RF filtering device (it used superconductors, and needed cryo to make the filters efficient).  I also brought my rheoscopic coffee table again.

2011 - I built a scanning electron microscope in part because Maker Faire gave me the inspiration and venue to show it off.  Youtube was also a draw, but I think without getting feedback and excitement from the crowds at earlier Faires, I may not have done it.

2012 - I brought a bunch of demos of "liquid lens technology" or electrowetting.  This includes the demo of moving a stream of water with an electrically charged object.  I don't know what happened to my photos.  I also brought the SEM again.  I was interviewed by Mark Frauenfelder this year, I think, and also gave a talk on the SEM.

2013 - Cookie perfection machine!  I built a somewhat silly robot to mix ingredients to make a single cooke -- allowing ingredient proportions to be changed for each one.  Again, photos seem missing.

2014 - I built a ruby laser, and did demos of blasting holes in thin steel objects.

2015 - I decided to built a true DIY project, and developed plans for folks to build their own rheoscopic disk from common parts.  I wrote an article for Make Magazine describing this project.

2016 - I attended as a spectator, which is a very fun way to experience the Faire after having gone as an exhibitor for many years.

2017 - Spectator again.  I'm not sure where my photos went.  At some point in life, I made the effort to be more "in the moment", which meant less snapping photos, and constantly handling a cell phone.

Maker Faire has had a tremendously positive impact on my own development as a creative person, and allowed me to meet like-minded folks that I would never have been able to find otherwise.  We need to make sure this positive impact is continued in other venues, or by helping Maker find a way to continue in another form.  I'm very interested and willing to help.