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Solder Skating

 Skating on a sheet of metal.
  (+5, -2)
(+5, -2) 		  [vote for,
against]

Garry Bettman, the commissioner of the NHL, seems to be worried about making Hockey popular in the USA. The problem is that in many states there is never any outdoor rinks where people first learn how to play.

The way skating works is as follows. The pressure from the skates forms a small amount of liquid water from the ice. This allows the blade to slide along the ice.

I propose that the NHL replaces conventional skates with Solder skates. These skates will have blades that operate at high temperatures; high enough to melt the sheet of metal which will replace the ice, but also low enough that the metal becomes solid again very quickly.

With sheets of metal instead of sheets of ice, people will be able to play hockey all over the world, and then Garry Bettman will be able to increase his salary.

—AllStar, Nov 01 2007

Low melting point metal alloy http://en.wikipedia...wiki/Wood%27s_metal
A metal that melts at a much lower temperature than solder [Srimech, Nov 01 2007]

Lower melting point metal alloy http://en.wikipedia.../wiki/Field's_metal
A metal that melts at a much lower temperature than Wood's metal [MaxwellBuchanan, Nov 01 2007]

Plastic 'Ice' http://www.recordne...29/NEWS01/509290322
Couldn't find a better article quickly... [neutrinos_shadow, Nov 02 2007]

Eric Sodler http://www.noosfere...f.asp?numlivre=7129
Il est un auter de fiction scientifique qui a une beacoup nom de plumes, which apparentament sont plus difficile pour le spellings, ou les misdirections typographique. [zen_tom, Nov 02 2007]

Why ice skating works http://www.newscien...pery-character.html
Ice skating doesn't work because of the pressure, so the basic tenet is flawed. [m homola, Nov 06 2007]

More interesting info on the top layer of ice. http://www.edwardwi...com/Columns/ice.htm
100x more electrically conductive than ice [Ling, Nov 06 2007]

[link]






       How on Earth can one play hockey whilst skating?
—MaxwellBuchanan, Nov 01 2007
   

       There are metal alloys that melt at a much lower temperature than solder. I have linked one. I wouldn't like to think about the cost of making a whole skating rink out of one though...
—Srimech, Nov 01 2007
   

       Re link - Field's metal melts at a much lower temperature than Wood's metal (abouit 60°C). It's also relatively non- toxic, and only slightly more expensive than silver.
—MaxwellBuchanan, Nov 01 2007
   

       Whats Sodler?
—jhomrighaus, Nov 02 2007
   

       Eric Sodler, 1943-1981, inventor of the Wood's Metal Skating Rink.
—MaxwellBuchanan, Nov 02 2007
   

       There's also plastic 'ice' skating available. <linky>
—neutrinos_shadow, Nov 02 2007
   

       [jhomrighaus] Solder is an alloy of tin and lead (and sometimes traces of other things) that melts at a relatively low temperature. It's probably well known to a lot of engineers because it's useful for making electric circuits and joining pipes for plumbing.
—Srimech, Nov 02 2007
   

       I know what SOLDER is! What is SODLER?
—jhomrighaus, Nov 02 2007
   

       <Must....... resist...... temptation..... to...... laugh.....>
—jhomrighaus, Nov 02 2007
   

       There are persitant rumors that Sodler may not have died after all but may have moved on to a life of crime fighting as the Silver Surfer.
—jhomrighaus, Nov 02 2007
   

       //He had a skin of solid metal when they finally got him out.// The sad thing is that the first person on the scene failed to realize that the lifelike metal statue actually had Sodler inside. Due to an administrative error, he was put in storage for several months while the building changed hands. The new owners had him on a plinth in the lobby for a further three months before a visitor recognized him and put two and two together (it was the frozen 'oh sh..' expression on his face that raised their suspicions). By that time, the "statue" had started to bulge as a result of the build-up of decay gases, not unlike a gruesome can of Surstromming. They had to evacuate the building and bring in a specialist team to remove him, in case he exploded. For several years thereafter, the metal "shell" (which had to be cut open, but was then reassembled minus its contents) was exhibited in one of those "Believe it Or Not" museums just outside Topeka, until it was crushed when the World's Largest Peanut fell on it in a freak accident. The whereabouts of the flattened statue are now unknown, though Sodler's remains were cremated and are now kept by his family.
—MaxwellBuchanan, Nov 02 2007
   

       What [Max] said first. How can you play hockey whilst skating? Would that not really confuse the game?
—vincevincevince, Nov 02 2007
   

       This could get a little dangerous around the goal with molten metal being flung up by fast approaching attackers skates as they stop to take the shot.
—jhomrighaus, Nov 02 2007
   

       [zen_tom] Look at the cover of the book in your link, the author of the page made the same error.
—jhomrighaus, Nov 02 2007
   

       not being gifted in the art of french canadian speakerating I did not know that. I tip my hat to our francophonic friend.
—jhomrighaus, Nov 02 2007
   

       Merci beaucoup! C'est juste un matter de swapping le odd word en Francaise, et passez le sentence sur une manglé grammatique!
—zen_tom, Nov 02 2007
   

       Yo hablo espanol un poco, no habla Frenazo. La linguas auque semejante presente distinto.
—jhomrighaus, Nov 02 2007
   

       Iay lsoay peaksay igpay atinlay.
—jhomrighaus, Nov 02 2007
   

       Yeah, well, I'm fluent in gerbil Polish.
—MaxwellBuchanan, Nov 02 2007
   

       No, they'd become statues, like that poor brave Sodler boy.
—shapu, Nov 02 2007
   

       Gerbil polish? For getting the stains off your gerbil? Not going to enquire as to the nature of the stain, just so long as the little fella made it out alive.
—the dog's breakfast, Nov 03 2007
   

       Not "Gerbil polish", "gerbil Polish". It's like pig-Latin but higher pitched.
—MaxwellBuchanan, Nov 03 2007
   

       welcome to the halfbakery [Allstar], if you are "new" - have a croissant [+]
—xenzag, Nov 04 2007
   

       Ice skating does not actually function due to any pressure. The thin layer of liquid water (a few molecules thick) exists on the surface of the crystal structure because the water molecules on the surface don't have any support for their crystal form at the air-ice surface. This is why ice is slippery in general, not just when you have skates on. The thickness of this layer reduces as the temperature drops. That's why cross country skiing and ice skating get harder when it's colder. Based on the above, I'm not sure if solder skating, or sodler skating, could actually function. If you stood still would you just keep sinking? The idea of being able to skate in any climate is definitely appealing.
—m homola, Nov 06 2007
   

       See link about conductivity of ice. If on solder, a high current could be passed under the blades to melt it. By the way, lead/tin is now not used, and new regulations are in force. However, I have a concern about the lifetime of the soldering joints. The lead/tin goes brittle in about 15 years. But the new eutectic alloy? I don't know, but it will potentially affect most electrical appliance lifespans.
—Ling, Nov 06 2007
   
      
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