From: SFPhysics@aol.com
Date: Sat, 24 Apr 1999 19:45:39 EDT
Subject: Magnetic Shapening, must be April 1st again!
To: pinhole@exploratorium.edu
Microphotographs of dulled blades show that small fractures occur along tool
steel blade edges of all kinds, be it a razor, lathe tool, shaper tool,
chisel, etc. How arranging the magnetic domains could sharpen a blade and
replace lost material due to fracturing and ablating is something that would
need major changes in the laws of Physics. Shapening a tool edge such as a
knife actually involves taking off more of the blade material and leaving a
mircoscopic sawtooth edge created by parallel scratches resulting in
"microteeth" or as in the shaving blade making sure the edge comes down to a
very fine wedge point that can cleave the hair strands easily by applying
force to a very small area. Dull blades simply put a larger contact area to
the hair and tend to push the hair rather than cleave it. Aren't wedges
wonderful?
Because magnets are poorly understood by the general population they border
on the mystical and have been used to fight anemia, tired feet, sore backs,
etc. just because people believed that the magnetic field would draw the iron
in the blood to spots on the body where it was needed. If that were true I'd
wear magnets in my hat to get more hair..... say there's an idea.......
Al Sefl
SFPhysics@aol.com