Parts sharing. Thanks Larry....

Recently Larry Pfeffer requested a sample of the Ebony Star Laminate* samples I mentioned in an earlier post. The samples in that post were offered to anyone who requested them. I simply required a SASE be mailed to me. In his request he offered me 2 Oillite bushings in return for the samples. Being that I have been toying around with an extruder design I greatly accepted. To my surprise he also included a very generous sample of some Ceramic blanket insulation. I have a blog post on that material coming soon.

I mailed him 3 samples along with 2 LEDs, one Super bright 25000MCD Orange and One UV. I also included some resistors. While neither of our extras were necessary nor was the the offer for the bushings from Larry, We both threw them in because we had extra and we thought the other might be able to use them in a project down the road.

This is truly as open source as it can get. We both hope that the community will swap , trade, or barter more like this. We already freely share ideas worth great sums of money so why not trade a few components / materials that we have left over and may not use for a good while.

I would like to thank Larry for his kindness in giving me the ceramic insulation and the busings. I am sure that I will use both on my reprap build.

Below I have attached links to several photos of Larry's package to me. The links are to my photobucket account so you do not have to worry about spyware, or viruses infecting your machine.

Total package
[i152.photobucket.com]

Bushings
[i152.photobucket.com]

Bushings with 5mm LED for size comparison.
[i152.photobucket.com]

Large image to show bushing surface detail
[i152.photobucket.com]

Ceramic Fiber Insulation
[i152.photobucket.com]

Ceramic Fiber Insulation removed from bag. This is an image from the blog post I am writing right after this post.
[i152.photobucket.com]




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/12/2009 10:31PM by SCphotog.

Charles,

Thanks for your kind words; you're most welcome. Sharing a few small/light parts by mail is easy, so why not? I was merely trying (on a smaller scale) to follow Wade's exemplary action -- a full set of extruded reprap parts for a case of beer strikes me as very generous, even for primo beer (which I hope it was!)

Another reprapper was kind enough to send me some flexible mica, asking nothing in return (though I offered bushings and ceramic fiber.) IMHO, these actions are a good start; I hope they'll continue.

Reprapping has gotten two good ideas from amateur astronomy/telescope making: this low-friction laminate, and the technique of making worm gears on a lathe. I'm not coming up with what reprapping could make in return. I'll have to ponder that (modulo my relative ignorance of astronomy/telescope-making), and I invite others to share any notions they have.

---

Larry Pfeffer,

My blog about building repstrap Cerberus:
[repstrap-cerberus.blogspot.com]

Reprap could print for astronomy:

Larger collimation knobs for those of us with Newtonian scopes. Would have to insert a nut in the knob some how.

Dovetail mounts (once we figure out support materials)

Protection boxes to hold individual eyepieces

Mounting rings to hold green laser pointers.

Eyepiece holder for mounting on rocker box or tripod legs capable of holding 5+ eyepieces

Those are just a few off the top of my head. I am sure there are many many more things that could be printed by an astronomer with a reprap or repstrap. Once the machining capabilities is ironed out there is unlimited possibilities for reprap and astronomy.

Back on topic.

I too hope that we are just the tip of the ice burg with reprappers sharing parts and components they may have left over.

I bought some ceramic fibre but I am bit worried about using it. Googling around I found it can be as carcinogenic as asbestos and I know of someone who died from handling some asbestos cloth 30 years earlier.

---

[www.hydraraptor.blogspot.com]

Nop,

I am *not* and expert on this, but my impression is that the danger from asbestos (and similar fibers) is from inhaling small (e.g. broken off) fibers.
I don't recall any special safety instructions included with my order, but I'll look in the box again. Meanwhile, I treat it gently (don't crush it or crease it) and keep the rest in a plastic bag. I did wipe my tin snips and my work surface after cutting the pieces to cover my extruder and to send to Charles.
The fibers do seem more delicate ("crunchy") than typical fiberglass.

I suspect that a light coating (of the fiber mat) with sodium silicate (AKA water glass) would bind most of the surface fibers in place, lowering the risk of airborne fragments. I may try that, esp. since I have a pint of it -- more that I expect to use in ceramic cementing.

-- Larry

Larry_Pfeffer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Nop,
>
> I am *not* and expert on this, but my impression
> is that the danger from asbestos (and similar
> fibers) is from inhaling small (e.g. broken off)
> fibers.
> I don't recall any special safety instructions
> included with my order, but I'll look in the box
> again. Meanwhile, I treat it gently (don't crush
> it or crease it) and keep the rest in a plastic
> bag. I did wipe my tin snips and my work surface
> after cutting the pieces to cover my extruder and
> to send to Charles.
> The fibers do seem more delicate ("crunchy") than
> typical fiberglass.
>
> I suspect that a light coating (of the fiber mat)
> with sodium silicate (AKA water glass) would bind
> most of the surface fibers in place, lowering the
> risk of airborne fragments. I may try that, esp.
> since I have a pint of it -- more that I expect to
> use in ceramic cementing.

Your mostly right about asbestos. The fibres, which depending on the material and how it is handled can be released relatively easy get into your lungs and stay there. They can also remain airborne or in the environment for a relatively long time.

I don't much about ceramic fibre but with something of that sort, I would recommend a face mask and googles, and wear a long sleeve shirt, pants and gloves. Have a bath and wash your clothes when done.

Having handled insulating fibreglass before I can tell you it can be quite nasty stuff, the scratchy/itchy feeling it gives you when it gets on your skin is not pleasant

Yes I got it because I don't like fibre glass much. The ceramic cloth I got seems to give off lots of short fibres. They don't seem to irritate my skin though like fibre glass does. Whether that means they are bigger diameter so less dangerous I am not sure.

I suppose I could compare some fibres under the microscope.

I bought it from an eBay shop and it didn't come with any safety data. It is intended for insulating kilns.

---

[www.hydraraptor.blogspot.com]

Nop,

Believe me when I tell you that my initial run-in with fiberglass insulation was *painful!*

I was ~12 years old, working on roofing cabins at a summer camp (and poorly supervised.) The first day, I was lying on the !@#$% stuff, without a shirt (hot summer day), as I nailed on the replacement roofing. The ensuing 24 hours were *not* fun, though they sure taught me a lesson.

Sometimes I'm surprized I survived my childhood....

---

Larry Pfeffer,

My blog about building repstrap Cerberus:
[repstrap-cerberus.blogspot.com]

Nop: Be careful with that stuff...

Product and Safety Information
Ceramic cloth is refractory fiber. It is classified in Group 2b (possible human carcinogen)
by International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). POSSIBLE CANCER
HAZARD BY INHALATION. It can also cause irritation to skin and eyes.

[www.gasketsinc.com]

---

-------------------------------------------------------

Hell, there are no rules here - we're trying to accomplish something.

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.

Thomas A. Edison

I am probably doomed then as a big roll of it just came rapped in bubble rap so by the time I opened it I had fibres everywhere. I got plenty on my hands but they didn't irritate.

Seems like everything I want to play with is carcinogenic: MEK, Acetone, Cadmium, etc.

---

[www.hydraraptor.blogspot.com]

The fibers in the sample Larry sent me seemed to be fairly tightly packed and do have some type of bonding agent holding them together. The same dangers present themselves with fiberglass insulation. Several years back my grandfathers construction company got a huge fine from OSHA and DHEC for not requiring employees to wear respiratory, eye, and skin protection when installing blown-in fiberglass insulation. The OSHA officer said that airborne glass fibers from the insulation is just as dangerous as asbestos and silicon dust (sand dust). It can produce silicosis type illness and can possibly cause cancer down the road. The fine was in the $20k range and he was given several thick stacks of info to pass out. I had the job of organizing and getting the materials out to the workers. In that task I did take the time to read the info and ever since I have worn respiratory protection as well as safety glasses any time I work with a fibrous material.

Here is a tip from the roofing world that might lend a hand to those who are highly irritated from the little bit of fiberglass insulation you have to handle with the reprap project. Spray your arms and tops of your hands down with a light coat of hairspray before handling the fiberglass. This will prevent 90% of the fibers from poking you and causing irritation. When finished it also helps the fibers wash off. Roofers I know do them when tearing old shingle roofs off. I know one who worked for my grandfather for 35 years who bought aqua net hairspray by the case and always had 2-3 cans in his truck tool box.

Quote

airborne glass fibers from the insulation is just as dangerous as asbestos

I hope not, some public information adverts in the UK recently implied that a single exposure to asbestos, e.g. an electrician drilling into a wall containing it, was enough to kill him.

---

[www.hydraraptor.blogspot.com]

nophead Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> airborne glass fibers from the insulation is just
> as dangerous as asbestos
>
> I hope not, some public information adverts in the
> UK recently implied that a single exposure to
> asbestos, e.g. an electrician drilling into a wall
> containing it, was enough to kill him.
>
That's usually only the case if he's a heavy smoker. In the US we eventually lost considerably more people from asbestos exposure of US workers in WWII shipyards than we did in combat.

---

-------------------------------------------------------

Hell, there are no rules here - we're trying to accomplish something.

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.

Thomas A. Edison

A couple of other insulating options are insulating cement, like Kast-O-Lite, $98 for 25 kilos:
[www.budgetcastingsupply.com]

and fiberglass pipe insulation:
[expressinsulation.com]

In my opinion, the fiberglass pipe insulation should be easier to handle than a fiberglass blanket. If the inner lining can not handle the heat of the extruder, it could be wrapped around insulating cement applied to the extruder.

I think the OSHA papers I read on the Fiberglass were talking about the airborne fibers being more dangerous in a silicosis way than a carcinogenic way.

I am still waiting on my acceptance into the builders blog. I am ready to blog my test on the heat resistance of the ceramic insulation Larry sent me. I used a small torch with a 1200 degree flame and after 5 straight min of direct exposure onto the surface of the insulation I noticed no signs of deterioration, melting or charing. I have photos and much more to blog about.

Greetings all,

I just received a packet from SCphotog (Charles) with three samples of the Ebony Star laminate, along with bonus LEDs (UV and a high-brightness) and resistors.
I'm very much looking forward to experimenting with all of these (and my kids want to see what minerals we can make fluoresce with the UV LED.) Again, I'd like to encourage reprappers to post regarding things to swap like this; it's truly win-win.

My experimenting with these new toys will have to wait until after the long weekend (Mon. is a US Holiday), since I'm going to be busy at a local science-fiction convention, [2009.arisia.org]

---

Larry Pfeffer,

My blog about building repstrap Cerberus:
[repstrap-cerberus.blogspot.com]

Glad you got it Larry. I have been MIA here for the last week or so. Sports season on top of wedding season is picking up and most of my time is spent either taking photos or editing them.