Puzzle 4 U :-)

[Swampy]

Here's one for you to ponder whilst you're knocking out the mind-numbing bread and butter items;

If you melted glass in a torch in space, a zero-gravity vaccuum, what do you think the finished would it look like?

I mean, we rely on gravity and shaping tools to help shape the form.

What if it was just a free-form blob rolling about, kept in the flame by being joined onto the end of the rod.

and if you poked a bubble into it, when you got back to earth, the bubble would be a vaccuum, right?

Would the colour or texture of the surface be smooth and would the colours react differently in a vaccuum?

[prairieson]

Well... the combination of zero-g and surface tension tells me the resultant shape is gonna be *very* spherical.

And yes, a bubble would be a vaccuum. In fact, I suspect the bubbles we make now are in a state of partial vaccuum anyway... creating an inclusion at 1000+ degrees, i.e. highly expanded air, is bound to result in at least some vaccuum when at room temp.

[somberbear]

they do this already ... with sonic ovens.

and its pritty neat ... it produces supirior cristal matrixes that you cant get on earth.

in therory also devite would happen less becouse it doesnt mix as much.

things would naturaly be sphriacal.

[Kool]

Here's one for you to ponder whilst you're knocking out the mind-numbing bread and butter items;

If you melted glass in a torch in space, a zero-gravity vaccuum, what do you think the finished would it look like?

I mean, we rely on gravity and shaping tools to help shape the form.

What if it was just a free-form blob rolling about, kept in the flame by being joined onto the end of the rod.

and if you poked a bubble into it, when you got back to earth, the bubble would be a vaccuum, right?

Would the colour or texture of the surface be smooth and would the colours react differently in a vaccuum?

Wouldn't it be hard to light a torch in a vacuum? :D

K

[FosterFire]

Also, I was jusr reading that space isnt really a vacuum. It has molecules, just really far apart. I think temperature differential would be a problem.

[Stagger Lee]

I think the force from the flame would be the real problem............

[gotglass?]

why would temp be a problem if you were say bustin out prodo on the space shuttle or intl. space station where you could have a zero g environment without being in a vacuum ?

[somberbear]

if you use pre mix you will get a jet effect

a surface mix will have less propultion value due to the way it mixes and force it does. but it would push you around more then the glass.

thats why they use sonic glory holes.

in a light oxy inviroment stuff like velcro is explosive (lost one of the first apolo crews if i remeber right)

[Kool]

Something just occurred to me...you know that other thread that Bear started, "You might be addicted to glass if..." -- well, I'd say we all might be addicted to glass if we sit around theorizing what may or may not happen if you were able to work glass in a vacuum, space, another dimension, or wherever...I think a non-glass addict would probably look at us and call us a bunch of glass geeks...but they just wouldn't know.

K

[Swampy]

:-)

Some people look at someone else and eye-rape them.

I look at a piece of boro and drooooooool at what me and it could get up to

[FLAGSTAFFglass]

Ive also heard the thing about using sound waves to keep the molten glass where they want it , like floating in the center of the kiln. So could you move it around by screaming at it if it pissed you off?? Seems like the sound waves and force of your exhaling lungs would "scare it" to the back of the kiln. How satisfying would that be if a piece was really battling you with everything to scream at it and have it retreat like a greasy tour rat when the paddy wagon shows up. Maybe its just me, cause screaming at the glass on earth just hurts my already dry throat and I know the glass is just defiantly laughing at me.

Crazy new art form........have the circle of people screaming at the molten glass to mix it and give it shape?????

[hookedonsilicate]

heres one to add planets are round because they were basicly molten globs of elements dont see how in that state they were any different then a hot glob of glass

[onion]

yeah nasa uses acoutic generators in zero g environment to melt crazy substances like titanium into glass, because as it cools in a no stress environment theres no chance for a sort of *seed* to form the molecular matrix of the metal, basicly turning it into glass on cooling

[maui greenstone]

Yeah i read that in popular mechanics about a year ago. The pop up into space and make glass out of steal and other metals. They were throwing ball bearing at the stuff and no chips.

[onion]

and some of the stuff theyre making had a optical clarity like 1000 times that of boro??? something like a fiberoptic cable that stretches for new york to paris without a repeater

[maui greenstone]

I remember that too. Man if they get into mass production of that stuff i would love to try and work with some.

[eternalfrost]

hookedonsillicate - the earth is asctually more of a shpereoid lol. the equater is actually longer then going from pole to pole because the earth spins and gets stretched out.

haha should be interesting to see where glass working goes when orbiting colonies start sprouting up :P
no more spinning things to keep them even!! heh