07Mar 2016 by Vincent Summers 5 Comments

How to Glue Teflon

Chemistry
Teflon® is famous for its smooth surface. Essentially nothing sticks to Teflon. It has been bragged that the only thing that can stick to it may be a gecko. This is because of the special nature of a gecko’s grip. In fact, it appears a gecko can only stick to Teflon under special conditions. So the question is: How can we glue Teflon? I Need to Know How to Glue Teflon And yet, that was the task I was given at my place of employment. I was told the use of a special chemical pre-treatment could allow objects to be glued to the slippery stuff. Since I am a chemist, the reader can rest assured this piqued my interest immensely. What was the pre-treatment, and how did it work? The…
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19Mar 2014 by Vincent Summers 6 Comments

DIY Milk Based Casein Glue

Chemistry, Entertainment
[caption id="attachment_5956" align="alignleft" width="380"] Casein Glue[/caption] Survivalists desire the skill of doing things for themselves. While they may know how to provide food for their families, could they make their own glue if the need arose for it? Would you like to know how you can make your own glue—from milk? That’s right—from milk. It's called casein glue. Elementary Adhesives There are a number of simple ways to make glues using various starches, flour, or gelatin. An improvement to these formulations is casein glue. While it requires a little effort to make, it is still not difficult and it is a superior product. In fact, it is related to some of the famous brands available at your store, including construction glue. Milk is a Natural Casein is an important phosphoprotein…
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21Jan 2013 by Vincent Summers No Comments

Vorticella – a Living Spring

Biology
Among microscopic aquatic creatures, it is the most bizarre. Vorticella looks like an upside down bell attached to a pull rope. That pull rope is actually a fibril or stalk called a myoneme,1 which has, running down its middle, an internal organelle. This spasmoneme contracts into a spring or corkscrew shape, as seen in the video below. Why is Vorticella of Interest Scientists are not ashamed to learn from the lowly creature. The contraction and elongation of its stalk appears to depend on the binding and re-release of calcium ions by the protein spasmin. What makes this of special interest is no ATP (adenosine triphosphate) is necessary to achieve the task, though ordinarily, it plays a vital role in muscle function. High Tech Plumbing? Curiously, it has been suggested this…
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