[Noisebridge-discuss] do you have some ferrofluid i can use this weekend?

[Alex Glowaski]

Nothing to contribute here, but this is awesome!



On Jul 13, 2012, at 2:21 AM, Brink Of Complexity <brink.0x3f at gmail.com> wrote:

> Well shucks, my ferrofluid is in storage, and I'm in NY.
> 
> However, obtaining more, at least the dirty opaque variety, is pretty darn easy.
> 
> Automatic transmissions routinely make the stuff.  The older the transmission the better.  As the parts of the transmission grind together, what eventually turns the transmission oil black is a superfine metallic dust, which ends up as a suspension in the oil. There are actually strong toroidal magnets in the bottom of the transmission pan to catch it, and what they catch ends up being a thick ferrofluidic sludge.  Thanks to that, you can actually SEE the magnetic field shapes around the magnets when you pull off a transmission pan! The magnets in my last tranny had an awesome 12-fold radial symmetry pattern!
> 
> I'm sure a transmission shop would be happy to give you as much as you want, since they're otherwise just going to throw it out, and they probably have to pay for proper environmental disposal, so you'd be doing them a favor recycling it. 
> 
> Don't call asking for ferrofluid, just ask for freshly gathered transmission pan sludge. Might even want to go there and explain that you want just the metallic oil stuck to the magnets from a freshly pulled pan, and not a whole barrel of randomly mixed transmission crap.
> 
> - Brink
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