On Sat, 30 Apr 2005, Michael Foster wrote: > > What brand is the vac? I gotta try this.
Very cool! A low-humidity environment is probably the key to this. Powder impact on plastic should charge both the powder and the plastic. I've never seen it happen with my vacuum in Seattle, so it might be our humid weather rather than the particular brand of device. Also, a bit of greasy salty filth can make a surface too conductive. Or a microscopic bit of oil on the plastic can coat the dust and halt the charging (this is how "clothes dryer sheets" eliminate static cling.) A brand new vaccum cleaner might create vicious sparks, but after a few hours of operation the sparks would stop again, unless the plastic interior was thorougly flushed with soapy water, alcohol, etc. I've noticed that, while cleaning plastic to create electrostatic effects, you have to *flush the surface* with a stream of liquid. If instead you scrub with alcohol-soaked paper towels, the surface remains contaminated. (((((((((((((((((( ( ( ( ( (O) ) ) ) ) ))))))))))))))))))) William J. Beaty SCIENCE HOBBYIST website billb at amasci com http://amasci.com EE/programmer/sci-exhibits amateur science, hobby projects, sci fair Seattle, WA 206-789-0775 unusual phenomena, tesla coils, weird sci
