Obviously, we're going to need an empty jar to compare with the ones full of weather... you know, to act as a control.
Ross is a Postgraduate student in Metallurgy and Materials at the University of Birmingham... he also has access to a glovebox!
A TARPEY wrote:
I spoke to Ross about the glove box. He can't do good vacuums (vacuua, I suppose), say 0.1 atmospheres or so, but he can easily do you 99% argon if you like...
Mon, 17 Jun 2002
From: "nicola pugh"
Subject: Re: Revised Exhibition Dates
Good day to you Mr Barlow,
Independent witnesses have been prepared to testify that you are the man with the glove box (don't try to deny it!).
I don't know how much Andy explained about the project, but does it sound feasible to evacuate a couple of 30cm3 glass jars to as much as of a vacuum as possible? 99% argon sounds good too...
Nikki Pugh
Date: Tue, 18 Jun 2002
From: "Ross Barlow"
Subject: Re: Revised Exhibition Dates
Hello Nikki,
Congratulations with the exhibition! I haven't been sadly, but what Tarpey described I liked!!
The problem is getting the lid back on. It is easy to evacuate a jar, but not easy to put hands in a vacuum chamber and screw on a lid. What I think we can do is this: There exist plastic bags with gloves attached for use in opening up nasty chemicals and things in places where you don't really want to let them out. You put jar of nasty chemical into plastic bag and seal the end. Then you turn the sticky out-ing gloves inside out and put your hands into the bag - to open the jar of nasty chemicals in what is now a sealed environment. Now -in theory at least- I reckon we could stick one of the turny-inside-outy-handy-bags, with your jar already inside, onto a vacuum hose. This could then be turned on. My hands (or yours for that matter) would then be kind of sucked into the bag from the outside (are you understanding any of this!!??) where the lid could be attached. Instead of a weather forecast for the area we could attach a guage and tell the reader how good the vacuum was, and what the rm temp. was etc. Hmm. Vacuums don't last very well as you know.. I wonder how we could do a good glass/metal seal around the lid... I'm going to have to think about this and maybe get some experienced materials science help!!
Argon is easy, since that's what the glove boxes work under. Shove jar in port, evacuate, fill with argon, open and take jar into glove box, screw on lid, take out.
Whats the easiest way for me to have a couple of jars? -I'm well up for developing my artistic nature!!
Hope you are well,
Ross
Date: Wed, 19 Jun 2002
From: "nicola pugh"
Subject: Re: Revised Exhibition Dates
> Congratulations with the exhibition!
>I haven't been sadly, but what Tarpey
> described I liked!!
Ah! The power of the imagination - that's what its all about!
I like the idea of the turny-inside-outy-handy-bags. I reckon the way to go is - for want of a better expression - to erm, suck it and see. The beauty of this sort of thing is that the concept counts for as much as the actual realisation. Not that I'll be able to rest until I have an empty jar...
In the meantime you should know that its a glass-plastic seal that we're after (PP lids, I think). Neil suggested putting glue around the screwthread before closing the jar and waiting for it to set before removing it. He also suggested evacuating one of those rubber-seal-clippy-jar-wossnames at the same time and sealing the little jar inside of that.
Hmmmm. Something to mull over whilst I melt some jamjars!
Thanks for your help/enthusiasm!
Nikki
From: "Ross Barlow"
Subject: Re: Revised Exhibition Dates
Date: Sat, 22 Jun 2002
HI Nikki,
...I was mulling the problem over with Alex Bevan and the glue method may be quite good. - Stick epoxy around lid and screw together. Evacuate in glove box chamber and leave for x time for epoxy to set... The possibilities are endless and people really seem to be getting interested.
Cheers,
Ross
