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organic Release Method

Posted: 30 Mar 2017, 14:21
by JanaXXX
Hi Folks,

i have an idea for a release method. Its very simple and kind of fail safe (if not, please share your doubts):

I thought about fixing a piece of organic material into a high position (a stiff piece of Lettuce or a flower with a smooth stem...) so that it's sticking out of the edge. My english is not the best, so i'll add a picture :?

The Idea is to simply put the Key on top of the part that is sticking out. Now you simply have to wait untill the Lettuce or Flower or whatever to go limp which will drop the Key. For now, it's only a theory i want to share with you, but i think this one can become a very acceptable release method, once someone found the best material. By using different types on plant/vegetables you can increase or decreade the time you'll have to wait until the key drops :) If you use a stem of a flower, you'll be able to put the stem through the hole of your Key which is more elegant. I already thought of different things: A thin plate of carrot, cucumber, Flowers, Lettuce,... The problem is to find the right plant for this. You must be 100% sure it will go limp and not just dry out and still remain stiff. I have the best feeling with Iceberg lettuce, but i will not be able to test it at the moment.
release1.png
So, what do you guys think? :wink:

Re: organic Release Method

Posted: 31 Mar 2017, 01:48
by Maid_Lauren
You might be waiting for a long time unless your cat comes along and knocks it over.

Re: organic Release Method

Posted: 31 Mar 2017, 16:49
by JanaXXX
Maid_Lauren wrote:You might be waiting for a long time unless your cat comes along and knocks it over.
Do you really think so? I know this is a release method for a couple of hours, but i think i.e. a leaf of lettuce will definetly become weak enough to drop the key within a forseeable time period, especially when you're working with some additional weight at the key...
I know this would require a lot of testing to find the best suitable material, but the positive thing is: You can individually change the length of the scenario by altering the thickness of the object.
Imagine a lenghtwise cucumber, cut in half, peeled and with a little bit salt on it. On the front end put on a piece of duct tape to put the key on so that it can slide down easily.

Well, i will test it some day and report the results, for now i just wanted to share the idea before i forget it again :)

Re: organic Release Method

Posted: 31 Mar 2017, 17:56
by KinkInSpace
Actually, I don't think this will work at all. I think the key will be too heavy or may fall off due to balancing issues.

Also, if it holds, it may hold forever. Plants do store water and it takes many days, upto weeks before they start to become soft.

Re: organic Release Method

Posted: 31 Mar 2017, 19:08
by Natale
Sounds like an original and creative idea but experiment with it first. The unknown time may be an attractive idea but as others have said, it could be days or forever.

A key pushed into a blob of Silly Putty stuck on a wall would be a similar idea- while that WILL fall eventually, it would be difficult to even roughly estimate the time. It could be minutes, hours or even days.

Re: organic Release Method

Posted: 02 Apr 2017, 12:21
by ligotagegrenoble
Hallo JanaXXX,

My initial reaction to your idea was "this is sort of nuts". But in light of the context that you describe in your other post,

http://forum.boundanna.net/board/viewto ... =6&t=10998

your idea could be brilliant. It sounds like you have few occasions to practice SB, but when you do have an occasion you have the house to yourself for a week at the time and you seem to look for intense and long sessions. Here the large spread in release time could be a nice extra. Here is what I mean by "spread". Of course you will have to experiment. And I agree that iceberg lettuce is a good place to start. When you repeat your experiment several times, I will sure that you will get a sizable variation in the release times from one experiment to the other. It depends on the freshness of the lettuce, the humidity and temperature of the room, and on the leaf that you pick.
JanaXXX wrote: Well, i will test it some day and report the results, for now i just wanted to share the idea before i forget it again :)
Please do report results, I would be very interested.

Cheers,
ligotagegrenoble

Re: organic Release Method

Posted: 03 Apr 2017, 10:45
by JanaXXX
ligotagegrenoble wrote: Please do report results, I would be very interested.
Thanks, i will post results. For the mentioned session i'm going to build an icelock aswell which would need some testing anyway, so i will be able to test the veggie release the same time.

Re: organic Release Method

Posted: 04 Apr 2017, 22:21
by Fred Canty
I suggest a different approach.

Image

It is a scale with 2 arms. On one arm, a bucket with water. On the other arm, a bucket with Calcium Chloride (sold as anti-mold in my country).

If you are in a dry place, the water will evaporate; if you are in a wet place, the calcium chloride will absorb water. So, it doesn't matter the humidity, the scale will move.

I have never tested it. It is just an idea.

http://bdsm-diy.blogspot.com.br/

Re: organic Release Method

Posted: 09 Apr 2017, 07:07
by Sir Cumference
A nice idea, but.......


There are three all-important factors in the choice of a release mechanism:
- reliability
- reliability
- reliability

The ice lock is a prime example: If the room is above freezing, the ice will melt.
The precision may not be impressive, but it is inadvertent that it will happen.

I like the lead-delay for the same reason. It uses a well described materials property. A roll of solder is very homogenous and you can test it in the exact way you are going to use it.

Mechanical and electronic timers are technically very complex, but they are produced in large numbers, and have proven themselves reliable.


That actually changes the three important factors to:
- reproducibility
- testability
- reliability


Preferably it "fails safe", ie a failure equals release or at least not a "fail dangerous".

Using a candle is an example of the last. It is testable, reproducible and reliable, but it can burn your house down with you tied in it!

Re: organic Release Method

Posted: 12 Apr 2017, 10:34
by JanaXXX
Good point.

Also i have a little Update: I came across the idea when i removed the weeds from my garden. So, a few days ago i made a test. I was removing some "Lions Tooth" (German Name for that plant - the yellow flower which produces these little parachuted seeds) and while it remained in the sunlight it dried out very quickly and after an hour or so, it was completely limp. So i thought: Take one fresh piece of that flower and check the time it will need to drop any weight. I did it so, but i took the flower inside my flat, and fixed it to a cupboard like in the picture, and you know what? After 4 or 5 hours it still was stiff and juicy!!! Looked totally the same like a fresh plucked one :shock:

So, i think i will not continue testing this method... But maybe i'll come up with some other ideas soon.

Greetings!

Re: organic Release Method

Posted: 19 Jun 2017, 00:52
by ligotagegrenoble
Hello JanaXXX, Hello All,

I finally had a chance to do a test run of my own. To be clear: I did read the discouraging
results that you have posted on March 30th. The reason why I wanted to give it another try
is that I thought that the initial idea of salad was better than the "Löwenzahn" / dandelion
flower that you used for your test. Salad does have a tendency to get very limp and weak
as soon as it dries.

My test setup is shown on the photograph below:
salad_0h00.jpg
This is the start of the experiment (I had just installed the salad), let's call
it t = 0h00. The temparature was 27.4 °C, at a relative humidity (r.h.) of 48 %. In other
words, a really hot day. The test salad was not exposed to direct sunlight. The test
support consists of a piece of wood on two food tins/cans. The total height of the wood
and the tins is 19 cm, and the diameter of the tins is 7.5 cm. Two kinds of salad are used:
endive and a thick type of scarole. The keys are also quite different.


After one hour (t = 1h00, temperature 27.4 °C, 48 % r.h.) not much had happened:
salad_1h00.jpg
The first two keys fell after 1h38 (pink) and 1h40 (black). Here is a picture taken at
t = 1h40 (27.4 °C, 49 % r.h.):
salad_1h40.jpg
The green key was next at t = 2h58 (27.6 °C, 50 % r.h.):
salad_2h58.jpg
Followed by the blueish one at t = 4h07 (27.8 °C, 50 % r.h.):
salad_4h07.jpg
Continued in the next post (too many attachments).

Re: organic Release Method

Posted: 19 Jun 2017, 00:55
by ligotagegrenoble
[Continued from previous post]

Then something unexpected happened. This photograph was taken at t = 7h00 (28.2 °C,
50 % r.h.):
salad_7h00.jpg
The perspective of the camera has been changed w.r.t. previous photographs to show how the
remaining two keys remain "glued" (there is no actual glue in this experiment) to the
leaves - despite the fact that the leaves are completely limp and hanging right downwards.
Uh !


The metal key finally did drop at t = 9h45 (28.2 °C, 51 % r.h.):
salad_9h45.jpg
As of right now (t = 12h00), the black one to the right (in the last picture) is still
on the salad !


In conclusion:

- This would likely have taken way longer on a day that is less hot.

- One could have predicted the order in which the keys fell.

- Quite some spread in the release times (-> extreme sessions).

- This "glued" thing is scary.

I would not use this release method without a person checking on me after some time.
Safety first kids, please use the same level of precaution.

Cheers,
ligotagegrenoble

Re: organic Release Method

Posted: 19 Jun 2017, 01:12
by bound_jenny
That looks too unreliable for me. Ice is far more predictable.

So is Sir C's L-delay (wire solder).

In any case, one shouldn't play with one's food. :rofl:

Jenny.

Re: organic Release Method

Posted: 19 Jun 2017, 05:02
by Sir Cumference
Thanks for doing the test.

It kind of takes the speculation out of the speculation.

Veggies sticking to things when they dry/wilt/rot is not that uncommon. Just think of the dried up spinach that is still there when you open the dishwasher.
It could be solved by putting a small piece of plastic bag between the salad and the key. The key is not likely to stick to the plastic.

But I agree that there are too many uncontrollable parameters to consider "the salad delay" reliable.