Tag Archives: Tool

Fire Extinguisher

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Fire Extinguisher

Fire extinguishers can save lives…

  • Fire extinguishers are emergency items used in the case of a small fire.
  • ‘Fire extinguishers’ are also known as ‘extinguishers’.
  • Fire extinguishers are typically in the form of a cylindrical container that is generally red in colour for high visibility, with squeeze style handles to release the contents.
  • Fire extinguishers contain a fire extinguishing substance and a pressurised agent as the propellant, and can be handheld or on wheels with different extinguishers used for different fire types.
  • Handheld fire extinguishers are typically 0.5 to 14 kilograms (1.1 to 30.9 pounds) in weight.

fire extinguisher, red, white, bottle, handheld, holder, Australian, single, Ten Random Facts, Emergency tool

  • The earliest known and patented fire extinguisher was invented by Ambrose Godfrey, a German chemist, in 1723 in England, and used gunpowder and fuses for expelling the liquid.
  • The first modern style portable fire extinguisher, a copper container filled with potassium carbonate and pressurised air, was invented by George William Manby, a British captain, author and inventor, between 1810 and 1820.
  • Fire extinguishers typically contain substances of  either water, dry chemicals, wet chemicals, foam or carbon dioxide to extinguish fires.
  • Fire extinguishers are typically found in public and commercial buildings, houses, and land water and air vehicles.
  • Fire extinguishers should be periodically checked and maintained, as damage can cause incorrect discharge and ruptures that lead to deaths and explosions.

 

Bibliography:
Fire Extinguishers, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_extinguisher
History of Fire Extinguishers, 2011, Fire Safety Advice Centre, http://www.firesafe.org.uk/history-of-fire-extinguishers/

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Tape Measure

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Tape Measure

What would you do with out a tape measure?

  • Tape measures are rulers that are flexible and are used for measuring.
  • ‘Tape measures’ are also known as ‘measuring tapes’.
  • Tape measures are primarily very long rectangles made of metal, plastic, cloth or fibreglass, or sometimes paper, that include markings in increments according to a specific system of measurement.
  • Tape measures are typically used in tailoring or construction, the latter often using metal tapes.
  • Tape measures are typically stored rolled in a circle, and sometimes they retract into small containers, and these types of tape measures were originally referred to as ‘spring-click tapes’ and are now commonly called ‘retractable tape measures’.

Tape measure, Metric, yellow, White, Metal, Construction, Tailor, Blue, Purple, Fibreglass, Ten Random Facts, Measuring Tape, Three

  • Metal tape measures used for construction purposes are semi rigid when extended, typically have a perpendicular metal tab to hook onto objects, and sometimes they include specific markings to mark out trusses and studs in house construction.
  • Englishman, James Chesterman from Sheffield, invented, or improved upon, the retractable tape measure in 1829, which was successfully patented, and then later improved upon by Alvin Fellows in Connecticut’s New Haven, in the United States, on 14 July, 1868.
  • The longest tape measure in the world is gold plated and was made in 1956 by a surveyor and tape-maker, Justus Roe, and it measures 180 metres (600 feet).
  • Tape measures are often double sided, with metric measurements on one side, and imperial on the other.
  • Retractable tape measures usually have a stop mechanism so that they tape can be extended and held into position, and then released with the press of a button.

 

Bibliography:
Tape measure, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tape_measure
What is a Tape Measure?, 2014, WiseGEEK, http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-a-tape-measure.htm

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Wrench

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Wrench

Tighten your brain with these wrench facts.

  • Wrenches are gripping tools used to tighten or loosen objects by rotating them, particularly nuts and bolts.
  • ‘Wrench’, the typical American term, is also known as a ‘spanner’, especially in British English or a ‘spanner wrench’.
  • Wrenches have a long history and have been used for various purposes including the straightening of spear shafts and similar, and the term was used before 1790, while the word ‘spanner’ has been used from as early as 1630.
  • Special alloy steel is typically used to make high quality wrenches and are typically plated with chrome for corrosion prevention.
  • The first patent of a wrench is commonly attributed to Solymon Merrick in the United States in 1834, however, an earlier patent of a similar one was granted in 1832 to Henry King from Springfield, Massachusetts, in the United States, and King’s wrench was an ‘improvement in the rack wrench’.

Wrench, Silver, Monkey, Box End, Open End, Combination, Silver, Small, Big, Chrome, 14mm, 15mm, Kinchrome, ten Random Facts

  • Wrenches commonly have an end with either a c or u shaped opening and/or a notched hole, which is used to grip the nut or bolt.
  • Popular wrenches include box-end, combination, open-end, flare nut and adjustable, with the latter having a movable clamp.
  • Wrenches can cause injury, particularly by slipping, if used incorrectly such as by using on a incorrect angle or a different nut size.
  • Wrenches come in a range of sizes that have the size usually stamped on the tool, with imperial tools numbered in fractions of inches and metric tools in millimetres.
  • Wrenches with nut-shaped sockets can have 6, 8, 12 or 16 sided holes for gripping.

 

Bibliography:
Crawford P, Spanner Jaw Sizes, 2013, Dundee Satellite Receiving Station, http://www.sat.dundee.ac.uk/~psc/spanner_jaw.html
Wrench, 2014, Encyclopaedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/649432/wrench
Wrench, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrench

 

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Gas Cylinder

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Gas Cylinder

No balloon helium without gas cylinders.

  • ‘Gas cylinders’ are also known as ‘gas tanks’ and ‘gas bottles’.
  • Gas cylinders are hollow storage that is made to withstand highly pressurised gas.
  • Gas cylinders are typically made of non-welded and non-corrosive steel or carbon fibre, and often contain composite materials.
  • Depending on the country, gas cylinders must be tested and checked often to ensure the cylinder has not become weak or corroded, as this can be very dangerous.
  • Gas cylinders that contain helium gas have to withhold the highest interior pressure.

Gas cylinder, helium, compressed, balloon, nozzle, brown, Ten Random Facts

  • When storing, gas cylinders should be stored upright and chained down to prevent the cylinder from falling over.
  • Gas cylinders are sometimes colour coded in some countries to indicate the type of gas it may contain, although one should not rely on the colour coding as it is best to always check the label.
  • Animal bladders were used as types of early gas cylinders in the 1700s.
  • Seamless steel pipes were invented in the late 1800s in Germany by two Mannesmann brothers, Max and Reinhard, which were quickly used as gas cylinders, and are similar to today’s versions.
  • The gas contained in a gas cylinder usually exits via a valve at the top of the container.
Bibliography:
An Industry under Pressure, 2005, GAWDA, http://www.weldingandgasestoday.org/index.php/2005/06/an-industry-under-pressure/
Gas cylinder, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_cylinder

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Acrylic Paint

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Acrylic Paint

Express art beautifully using acrylic paint.

  • Acrylic paint is a paint that is made from the combination of pigment and acrylic polymer emulsion, which contains acrylic resin and water.
  • The resin used in acrylic paints was first patented in 1915 by a chemist and inventor Otto Röhm from Germany.
  • Acrylic paints began to be developed in the 1920s to the 1940s and were able to be bought commercially in the 1950s.
  • Acrylic paints is a practical paint when cleaning, as it is water soluble, making it generally easily removed with water, but once it is dried on canvas, it can prove difficult to remove.
  • Acrylic paints have characteristics that can be easily modified with mediums or water, which can affect the way it looks when dried, as well as its texture, and hardness.

Acrylic Paint, Dry, Liquid, Yellow, Blue, Green, Red, White, Tray, Tube, Easy art. Ten Random Facts

  • There are two main grades of acrylic paint, and they generally reflect the quality and how much pigment exists in the paint, with ‘artist’ or ‘professional’ grade paint being the best quality and including more pigment, with a ‘student’ or ‘studio’ grade being a cheaper paint with less pigment.
  • Acrylic paints can often resemble oil paints or water paints, or have the unique texture of acrylics.
  • Acrylic paints are often used in schools as they can be produced with non-toxic ingredients, and they are also used professionally by artists, as well as being the base or the main ingredient of water-based house paints.
  • Acrylic paints were popular during the pop art, abstract art and photorealism periods in the 1900s, and have remained very popular due to their flexible nature, providing less cracking; versatility; and their quick drying characteristics.
  • Acrylic paint is often used in techniques such as repetitive paint coats and is often glossed with a gloss medium for finishing and sealing the work.
Bibliography:
Acrylic Paint, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acrylic_paint
History of Acrylic Painting, 2014, ARTmine, http://www.art-mine.com/for-sale/paintings-submedium-acrylic/history-of-acrylic-painting

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Hourglass

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Hourglass

Hourglass… One of a boat captain’s saviours.

  • ‘Hourglasses’ are also known as ‘sandglasses’, ‘sand timers’, ‘egg timers’, ‘sand watches’ and ‘sand clocks’.
  • Hourglasses are usually made from blown glass that has a bulb at each end, joined by a ‘neck’, that is housed in a frame, enabling it to stand vertically, while the bulbs contain many fine grains, which drop from one bulb to another through the neck.
  • Hourglasses are used for time measurement, from minutes to hours, and even a year, and when the top bulb is empty, time is up.
  • The time an hourglass measures can be altered by changing the grain type, the grain amount, size of the bulb, size of the neck and the quality of the grains.
  • Hourglasses were most likely invented in Medieval Europe, possibly in the 700s by Luitprand, a monk in France, although evidence of the invention is not depicted until 1338.

Hourglass, Blue, Grain, Three minute, Water, Ten Random Facts, Sand timer

  • Hourglasses replaced waterclocks, as they did not spill in sudden movements or evaporate, condensate, or freeze, at certain temperatures like the waterclocks (clepsydra) were prone to do.
  • Hourglasses were favoured on ships, due to their ability to keep accurate time, despite the rocking of the vessel, and churches and households, for timing of events and cooking respectively.
  • The first versions of hourglasses had bulbs that did not attach with a neck, but instead were joined together by cord and wax.
  • Hourglasses in the modern era, are more commonly used for decorative purposes or timing something, such as cooking eggs or tasks in a board game, that do not need exact time measurements.
  • Hourglass ‘sand’ is often not real sand, but rock dust, marble dust, silica or fine glass beads, and the grains flow better when they are completely round, so angular grains are avoided.
Bibliography:
A History of the Hourglass, n.d, Online Clock.net, http://blog.onlineclock.net/history-of-the-hour-glass/
Hourglass, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hourglass

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