(drum roll) the salad spinner centrifuge

[Fox in the Stars]

I found a couple of salad spinners cheap at Wal-Mart and made centrifuges. I made the pen-holder with 1/2" PVC tubing and cut it with a dremel. Mine didn't have good side columns for the nib to rest, so I wired a square of rubber to the side to hold and cushion it. I happened to have an unused belt for a vacuum cleaner we've since gotten rid of (it's hard to find one that works worth a dang when you have pets...), but if I use that up, I think I'll go to the plumbing section of my hardware store; red rubber packing sheets are really cheap.

[GBM]

As a former H model Slick driver ( C/158th/101st Airborne)... my first thought was that after using ' 100 mile per hour tape' to hold it on the rotor... you are going to need some good cleaner to get the sticky off the pen....and ... surely someone on this board would have two pens that needed that work at the same time.... so with one on each rotor the imbalance would be negligible....

Greg

[rogerb]

Yes, GBM, I thought of 'one per blade', but question whether the centrifugal force at the end of a 'copter blade is actually as great as in a salad-spinner? (Someone will have the figures!)

 

On the subject of balance, wouldn't it be even better to fit two, diametrically-opposed, penholders, or 3 at 120 degrees (like many helicopters' blades)?

I find my salad-spinner rather hard to control unless it is either very lightly-loaded(with salad), or the load is 'evenly distributed'!

Edited February 7, 2009 by rogerb

[sarai]

Stumbled over this tread. And did get my laugh of the month.

 

:ltcapd: :ltcapd: :ltcapd:

 

 

Don't lady's journals often have hints of what to do with old or broken tights? Well, I suppose one can wrap the nib in a lot of tissues and put it in the tights (nib pointing outward) and spin, and, behold, the centripetal force did its job again!

[pen2paper]

Stumbled over this tread. And did get my laugh of the month.

 

:ltcapd: :ltcapd: :ltcapd:

 

 

Don't lady's journals often have hints of what to do with old or broken tights? Well, I suppose one can wrap the nib in a lot of tissues and put it in the tights (nib pointing outward) and spin, and, behold, the centripetal force did its job again!

glad this thread has spun around again;)

about those tights.. my, far too vivid for my own good, imagination, Imediately thought, should the nib break through, the propelled instrument could revisit the scene of David & Goliath...ouch!

Edited July 18, 2009 by pen2paper

[Ron Z]

Imediately thought, should the nib break through, the propelled instrument could revist the scene of David & Goliath...

 

:hmm1: Have to check the original text. May have been a fountain pen instead of a stone. Maybe a CS Dinky..... note the reference to "small" and "smooth."

[Alice L]

Mount a piece of self-adhesive absorbant padding (may I say panty liner?) on the wall of the spinner next to the nib. It will absorb all the ink, leaving the spinner clean. Works like a charm! Not as much fun, maybe, but a lot less cleanup.

[DadsEsterbrook]

Stumbled across this. About fell out of my chair, laughing. Especially since, about a week ago, I saw an article on Make's website about chem labs using salad spinners as low-cost centrifuges (zip-tie a pair of test-tube racks to opposite sides). Apparently, they haven't thought of lawn mowers or helicopters, yet. My own thought was to mount my pens on one of those 3-arm lawn sprinklers. Rinse and centrifuge simultaneously!

[TheToadMen]

Guys,

You're not thinking big enough. Take a yet engine:

 

http://www.airplanegeeks.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/jet_engine.jpg

 

It can take about 34 pens at once! And talking about rotation speed: a small jet engine generates 130 HP and 36.000 rpm (think what you could do with a modern enige up to 50.000 HP).

 

And if the engine is reversed, you're pen is instantly dried as well:

http://www.aviationearth.com/jet_engine.jpg

 

It could fit right into you garage:

http://www.setcoscenic.com/images/432_jet_engine.jpg

 

and if you haven't got the time or space for it, you could do it while driving to work (talking about multi-tasking):

http://www.cynical-c.com/archives/bloggraphics/VW_Rear_Dr_Open1_PScopy.jpg

http://noisetu.be/mirrors/jet_beetle/files/SCOOTE2PScopy.jpg

 

If you're depending on public transport only, write to your local senator to get one of these:

http://witfactory.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/jet_engine_school_bus.jpg

http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/table_of_malcontents/images/2007/04/12/jettrain1.jpg

 

Warning: don't forget to remove the nib section first or it might slightly damage the engine:

http://www.foxnews.com/images/493044/2_61_bird_strike_md11.jpg

http://www.thewarthogpen.com/81_0987_files/987_4.jpg

 

But back to the original topic: it is also possible to hook up the jet engine to the salad spinner.

There is already the 'Speedy Slice' so I think they can easily convert this to a salad spinner at TWSBI's??

http://www.geekologie.com/2007/12/20/jetengine-toaster.jpg

 

Here you can see the first tests at the TWSBI workshop: looks like Speedy thinking about how to get the ink stains off the engine, before returning it to Boeing.....

http://www.businessfacilities.com/blog/uploaded_images/GEengine-763893.jpg

 

WOW, unbelievable what fun you can have with a topic about fountain pens and a salad spinner: my partner thought I was choking on something while reading this post and almost called an ambulance. I think you guys might be serious/bored enough to actually try all these options. My salad will never look the same .....

http://boingboing.net/images/alien-salad.jpg

Edited July 19, 2010 by TheToadMen

[Plusfoursmax]

Whilst tramping the web for ideas on furniture manufacture, I chanced across Matthias Wendel's site; he made what he thought was a useless machine. A pen shaker for faulty ballpoints. I told him that actually that would be very useful for pen repairers. He was tickled!

http://woodgears.ca/gear/cycloid.html

His site is amazing, everything that can be made from wood is, including scaffolding, table saws, band saws, hinges and as his site suggests, wooden gears.

[Ron Z]

Cute. The only downside is that without a basket around it, you'll spray ink around the room an all over yourself. A centrifuge is an amazingly efficient way to pull ink out of a pen.

[pajaro]

Should be pinned. I don't know how many times I have told newbies complaining about how hard it is to flush a Parker 51 to hunt for this thread.

[MercianScribe]

Anyone any access to photos/vid that was on this thread and has now gone the way of all things? I confess, I'm not following any of the descriptions, so I need some visuals. Relevant visuals.

[Freddy]

Mat- follow link to first post..which has excellent photographs with written explanation..........

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/12704-drum-roll-the-salad-spinner-centrifuge/?p=116874

 

Fred

 

Ah..Spiffing....Absolutely spiffing two dead twenty five to go....

 

~ Basil

[MercianScribe]

Mat- follow link to first post..which has excellent photographs with written explanation..........

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/12704-drum-roll-the-salad-spinner-centrifuge/?p=116874

 

Fred

 

Ah..Spiffing....Absolutely spiffing two dead twenty five to go....

 

~ Basil

Cheers Freddy.

For some reason the pictures are only loading half the time on both my computer and my mobile it seems.

[Ron Z]

The pictures are hosted on my website, and they're all there and visible. I would assume its an internet problem on your end.

[MercianScribe]

Thanks Ron. It was glitchy for a another couple of days, and seems fine now... no idea what that was about!

 

Maybe I should expect thousands of men named Agent Smith in black suits and shades...!

Edited November 7, 2017 by MercianScribe

[Datanotlore]

Oh man I’m about to go make one of these! Maybe I can finally get all the water out of my Visconti power fillers!

[bsenn]

 

I found an adjustable speed laboratory centrifuge something by like the one in this video. Works a treat!

 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://m.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DN23Rk9U20Ks&ved=2ahUKEwi1lIa9y6_eAhWkT98KHSyqCiYQtwIwAHoECAgQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3DFYL7WVzPm5yVLKNB7Yyf

[Chouffleur]

I found an adjustable speed laboratory centrifuge something by like the one in this video. Works a treat!

 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://m.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DN23Rk9U20Ks&ved=2ahUKEwi1lIa9y6_eAhWkT98KHSyqCiYQtwIwAHoECAgQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3DFYL7WVzPm5yVLKNB7Yyf

 

How does it do on arugula?