Xrays from Scotch Tape

Explains why my Dad thought duct tape was one of the most powerful devices on Earth.

I worked at the 3M plant in Perth Ontario back in the '80's... and what I can say is that there are huge electrostatic forces at work on the tape machines. There were static discharge finger grids all over the 200' machine.. and ESD training was mandatory for everyone. (especially me, mixing chemicals in vats) we all wore copper filament discharge wires in/on our boots.

Perhaps the tape also stores some of this static electricity produced during manufacture, adding to the effects?

In addition to the static charges of unwinding and calendering of the 'web', they also use radioactive sources to measure and control adhesive application while the machine is running at dozens of meters per second... maybe there are radioactive particles trapped in the adhesive....??

Chris

Many years ago when we still used photographic film to take pictures I noticed strange lightning bolt like streaks on the very end of the negative once it had been processed. I realized that it was where the end of the film was taped to the spindle so next time I was in the darkroom and loading the film into the developing tank I waited for 30 minutes to allow my eyes to become as sensitive to light as possible. I then opened up the film canister, unrolled the negative and watched carefully as I peeled back the tape that attached it to the spindle.

There was a clear and very visible static discharge that looked very much like miniature lightning bolts that were obviously exposing the light sensitive emulsion on the film that when processed looked light lightning streaks.

I have also seen the static from 3M tapes blow the crap out of a field effect transistor. Static electricity damaging field effect semiconductors is nothing new but what was interesting about this case was that the tape never came in contact with the semiconductor it was just waved over the top of it at a distance of about 1 cm. That means that the damage must have been caused by the electric field that the static charge generated rather than the static discharging into the semiconductor. While you don't need that strong an electric field to damage a field effect device generating it at a distance of 1 cm needs some very seriously high voltages. I don't know if the voltages in air would be high enough to produce X-rays but static discharges can produce some strange effects so I wouldn't at all be surprized.

I too have seen the discharge effects in the 3M plants. ScotchTape, microfilm, magnetic tape. It is truely spectacular phenomonon.

In the picture you can see the discharge at the point where the tape departs from the roll, and I have always speculated that the roll itself might look like a huge capacitor. This might contribute to the necessary energe to produce X-rays

Have you never bitten into a wintergreen Lifesaver (with your mouth open) while looking into a mirror in a dark bathroom?

Try it.

The image below is from the article and shows an X-Ray of a finger taken with X-Rays that were generated from tape.

I don't know why I didn't think of this before, but I wonder if it would be possible to create a tape based device that could be used in emergencies to take X-ray images. Something like a polaroid film that is mounted on an adhesive dressing like material that you place on one side. Then on the other you have another adhesive dressing like material that you attach to the area being examined. Then when you peel the tape back it generates the X-rays that pass through the area being examined and expose the self developing film on the other side.

The whole thing could be packaged as a single use disposable kit that could be carried in emergency medical kits.

This has been on my mind for a long time;I wonder if a pulsed laser could be timed to coincide with the collapsing bubble(s) to increase the energy of the collapse,possibly to the point of fusion?I have not seen anything along these lines,and I am sure I may have over looked something,and I am sure it has occurred to someone else.

I cannot find the video where Seth Putterman,UCLA demonstrates Neutron emission from a hand held device and talks about the possibility of fusion during the creation of certain crystals,which quickly disappears after exposure to atmosphere.He talks about this in a lecture at UCLA.

The NY Times now requires a subscription to view their article which I linked to previously.

Any help locating the video will be appreciated.

Thanks in advance for all help rendered on this matter

Is this the video?

YES! THANKS!