It's a long, hot, summer day, with nothing much to do. Why not throw on a pair of skates and go ice skating? No rink? No problem!
A contraption, resembling a hollow "platform" sandal, straps on to a shoe and becomes an ice skate, allowing the rider to skate freely along the streets.
First, the large hollow "platform" supporting the sandal is filled with water, then left to freeze overnight. In the morning, the actual platform (which is coated with anti-stick material so it doesn't stick to the ice) is removed, leaving a large block of ice stuck to the bottom of a now-normal-looking sandal. Spikes with barbs protrude from the bottom of the sandal to keep the ice attatched. The wearer than straps the sandal over their shoe, similar to old-fashioned roller skates, and glides along a thin plane of water.
The Ice Skates wouldn't last very long until the spikes hit the ground, but just long enough for a pleasant ride around the neighborhood. And they can simply be re-frozen again. Simple, durable, re-usable, and lots of fun.-- tboyz007, Aug 07 2005 Ice-skate fan-car Ice-skate_20fan-carWouldn't really work either... [wagster, Aug 20 2005] I'm not entirely sure why anyone would want to do this instead of roller skating/blading.-- pooduck, Aug 07 2005 The last time someone suggested something like this, I got an ice cube from my freezer and tried sliding it across fairly smooth concrete. Of course it didn't slide, it only does that in children's cartoons. But, with some effort, I could grind it along, leaving a trail of ice chips. Before the cube ground away, I was able to draw a fishbone.
Tboyz007, welcome to the Halfbakery. I appreciate that you write well and spell correctly.-- baconbrain, Aug 07 2005 Let's put the wheels all along the road and just have tarmac-bottomed cars. ;)-- not_only_but_also, Aug 08 2005 No, the obvious solution is inflatable roads and tarmac tyres.-- pooduck, Aug 08 2005 Paul Bunyan used to have cooks' helpers lace sides of fat to their feet and skate on his griddle to grease it up for pancakes.-- reensure, Aug 08 2005 How would you turn?-- Antegrity, Aug 08 2005 Turning could be achieved by adding pressure to one side.-- tboyz007, Aug 08 2005 You would turn the same way you would turn if you had concrete blocks strapped under your feet. With the added risk that if you clomped your way over something really smooth, your feet would slide out of control and you'd fall.
This a cartoon cliche, not an idea. It's not original, and it won't work. Think about it in reverse--glue a brick to each shoe and go out on ice. You'd be either walking or falling, not skating, but at least you'd have something solid on your feet.
Tboyz007, this is not a good time to be playing troll games. Keep up the good writing, but give a lot of thought to what you are writing about, and give some respect to the folks who have been around a while.-- baconbrain, Aug 08 2005 I've seen no evidence of particular trollish behaviour, nor of disrespect. It may have been deleted. Anyway, folks who have been around for a while do not deserve respect simply because they have been around for a while. Of some you would wish they would stop being around for a while and start being around for a while some place else. (not you [baconbrain])-- zeno, Aug 08 2005 Thanks, [zeno]. I am considering the possibility of a troll here because this idea is so very cartoonish, yet written well and spelled correctly. Nothing has been deleted that I know of.
The answer to [Antegrity] was too flippant, I thought. Giving any thought at all to a question about turning would lead to the realization that there would be no way to get started with these skates, if they would actually slide. The trouble with short answers is that you really don't know what the writer is thinking, so I'm guessing that he's being silly, which I'm tired of, or a troll, which is disrespectful.
Age and seniority does not qualify one for respect, true. Spending too much time on the Halfbakery probably qualifies one for a padded cell.-- baconbrain, Aug 08 2005 AHA! Thank you for the added insight [baconbrain]. [tboyz007], I will watch you like a hawk.-- zeno, Aug 08 2005 Sorry, I didn't know playful ideas could be so insulting.
Since this idea is simple to create, I will test it and report back with results. If it doesn't work, I'll delete it. If it does, I'll post pictures somewhere with a link.-- tboyz007, Aug 08 2005 If you are wearing socks with those sandals I'll fishbone this idea so fast...
[tboyz007], it's not so much that [baconbrain] feels insulted as he is wary of your intentions. Newbies around here are generally viewed at arm's length for a period of time until they show their true colours. Be patient, grasshopper, and seek knowledge. A baker who is too aggressive often ends up with only bones.-- Canuck, Aug 08 2005 My favorite thing about this idea is that I know exactly what the idea actually is just by reading it once.
The concise, coherent writing style is appreciated and I suspect that the ideas will get better. My first idea wasn't fishboned to death, but it was lame whereas my last idea was...uh...okay bad example. Do try again [tboyz007].-- half, Aug 08 2005 what [half] said, I imagine.-- po, Aug 08 2005 Yes, [tboyz007] don't get the wrong idea, it's just that we have to be very carefull lest trolls overrun us and steal all our ideas to become rulers of the world. It is a dirty war but halfbakers will prevail, MWHAHAHAHAHAAA! (sorry, I was just washing my hands and was in dire need of a blowdryer you see?)-- zeno, Aug 08 2005 haha ok, I get it. Sorry for being impotent in my earlier annote.
The water is currently freezing for the ice skates (I imagine it will take a very long time). I can't wait to test them out! Due to material constraints, I used a cheap pair of flip-flops, toothpicks for spikes, and a shoebox for the removable "platform." It'll work the same way though.-- tboyz007, Aug 08 2005 [tboyz007], you are messing with us right?-- zeno, Aug 08 2005 No. I'm creating these to see if they work or not. Seems to me like a better way of testing an idea than posting it on a website. I'll also let you know that I haven't voted for my own idea yet, and won't until I see if it actually works or not. And what's a troll anyway?-- tboyz007, Aug 08 2005 I never vote for my own ideas, I leave that up to you.
I think it's really great that you are doing it, please tell us the results here.
A troll (as far as I understand it) is somebody who does not take this site seriously and posts ideas just to mess with it or to be nasty and obnoxious. So you see, if you are sincere and are really trying to make the ice "skates" because you think this is a good idea, then you are not a troll. If however you have been lurking and decided to play with the users here a little, then you are a troll. Or it could be that you are a former user and now wish to mess with us to take revenge.
The best way to deal with a troll is to ignore it which is why we say: do not feed the troll. I am feeding you right now because I like to believe in the honesty of of mankind in general. If you appear to be a troll you will be starved to death here.
If you keep posting your ideas you might eventually become a fully fledged halfbaker and you will look back on your first idea with a warm feeling(because some firsttimers get abuse the likes of which I sometimes would not even whish upon a troll)
So, I'm curious as to what it will be.-- zeno, Aug 08 2005 Oh, I'm not trying to mess with anyone. I posted this idea thinking that it would work (or not thinking, as the case may be). Due to the apoplectic response, I've questioned whether it'll work or not, and now I'm out to test it. I apologize if I have come across as trollish or obnoxious.-- tboyz007, Aug 08 2005 You will wear a helmet when testing won't you?-- zeno, Aug 08 2005 I'll give it a mercy bun cause he's a new guy and he's got 007 in his name.-- doctorremulac3, Aug 08 2005 I'll have my neighbor's daughter test out the skates and I'll photograph that... for anonymity purposes, of course (nothing to do with personal safety). I'll have her wear a helmet. Maybe I should wrap her in bubble wrap first though...-- tboyz007, Aug 08 2005 This'll work fine on a giant sheet of 3/4 in. steel heated to about 212 F. Don't fall.-- oxen crossing, Aug 09 2005 I'm taking off my fishbone. Thanks for making me laugh. Good luck.-- baconbrain, Aug 09 2005 I'm sure this would work on a rink of aligned, up-turned ice-skate blades.-- coprocephalous, Aug 09 2005 I find it hard to envision this as doable on other than an acrylic coating of a driveway with good side visibility and a big mattress at the edge of the road or pavement. Good luck. Take lots of pictures and find out if the neighbor has allergies before you treat her cuts and scrapes, eh?-- reensure, Aug 09 2005 There is a chance that this could be made to work, under certain conditions which preclude skating around the neighborhood. The first of those conditions is a very smooth surface. The second condition is the use of ski wax.
Let me explain something. Back in the old days, cross country skiers would wax the bottoms of their skis with just the right choice from a range of hardnesses of wax. They'd pick the wax depending on temperature and snow type, and wax with care and a scraper and a brush. If they got it right, the ski wax would stick to the snow when they stepped, and slide on the snow when they glided. I've done it, but it's gone out of use, mostly. So most folks don't know about it, which could make you some money.
Here's what you do: Rent a gymnasium and a floor waxer, and buy buckets of ski wax. Start experimenting and practicing. You'll need the gym at one temperature to apply the wax, and another for skating. The temperature of the ice blocks will be important, as will the bubble content, and the shape. Try different brushes, scrapers and buffers on the wax. Work on your skiing technique--it should be possible to step and glide, but probably not possible to do a skating push sideways. You might be able to work out a way to turn corners gracefully, but you will not be able do do dynamic figure skating.
Here's how you make money: Tell people you are going to do it, and sell seats to people who think it will be funny to watch, but don't realize it's impossible. Use the ticket money to make big bets with people like me, who know it's impossible. (Don't let folks walk on the waxed floor, and remember that a gymful of people will raise the room temperature.) Then perform your quiet little show, and collect your bets. Get the people who don't even realize there was a trick to it to protect you from any angry bettors. Oh, and send me a percentage.-- baconbrain, Aug 10 2005 Welcome, newbie! I saw this idea the other day and wanted to annotate so bad, but my account was fubared, put thanks to [jutta] I am back. I have baked this idea...sort of. I texas we do something called "ice Blocking". It is where you sled down a grassy hill on a big block of ice, and then when the ice block gets too small, we normally try to stand on them. It is a very bruising and numbing experiance, (especially if you soak the hill with water first. heeheehee) but on really hot summer days, it is cheaper, and more fun then going to a water park. So if you are on grass, then your idea will work great. But the idea of doing it on the street, or similar, is probably a bust. But I will bun your idea for reminding me of some old memories!
added later: By the way, toothpicks will get soggy, and therefore not hold very well. I have tried it before. But if you are lucky your toothpicks will hold up!-- babyhawk, Aug 10 2005 I think your thanks might be rather misplaced babyhawk but nice to see you again anyhoo.-- po, Aug 10 2005 sorry [po] I fixed it. I am not sure what I was thinking. But I am glad to be back.-- babyhawk, Aug 10 2005 Read Larry (Ringworld series) Niven's short story, "What Can You Say About Chocolate Manhole Covers?" That discusses this very topic.-- elhigh, Aug 12 2005 Ive actually done most as exactly waht tboyz said. It is truly possible i had a cup out side full of water from rain and it froze over night. I decided to playwith it on the drive way and it slid perfectly well, a ice cube will deffirnately not work it is not smooth enough and deffinately large. Try to make free a big oven pan full of water and than try you will most likely glide smoothely along the concrete. So this contraption is already halfbaked.-- mpco, Aug 12 2005 //I decided to playwith it on the drive way and it slid perfectly well,// But, sadly, once you add weight to it, it will not slide so well. Not on concrete at least, unless you have some hella-smooth concrete, which is hard to find. I am just waiting to see how his trial run works out.....[tboyz007] you still alive?-- babyhawk, Aug 12 2005 Sliding on a frosty driveway still frozen from the freeze last night is easy. I do it all the time. Then I salt it so I won't do it again. I want to see you try this on a nice hot summertime driveway.-- oxen crossing, Aug 12 2005 [o_c] who was that challange meant for? :)-- babyhawk, Aug 12 2005 [tboyz007], [mpco], and any other supporters, I'm not keeping track.-- oxen crossing, Aug 13 2005 zeno, I never take this site seriously.-- RayfordSteele, Aug 13 2005 Ok, I'm starting to get worried about [tboyz007] and his neighbor's kids. I hope there's a reasonable explanation for the silence, like the water still hasn't frozen, or the cardboard box leaked all over the freezer and a significant other (spouse, parent, etc) put the kybosh (sp?) on the project. Just say the word, and I'll give it a whirl, [tboyz007].-- oxen crossing, Aug 14 2005 Sorry for the lapse in notes. I needed a few days to do a bunch of different tests, and I can only do one test a day... So here are the results:
I had put water in a deep cooking sheet (similar to what mpco suggested) and floated a sandal with toothpicks sticking out of the bottom on top. It froze nicely overnight, and with a few knocks the ice block fell out. It was relatively warm out, definetely not hot, but nice and sunny. I only made one ice block, and realized that this is the best way of doing it. It didn't slide very well on the street, but on the smooth concrete in my backyard, it worked like a charm. The concrete needed to be watered down first, to create a slicker surface. The block slid nicely though. It was a similar feeling to learning how to skateboard: uneasy and unbalanced, but there was movement.
The idea would work better if it were shaped like a snowboard, with places to put your shoes. That way you could use one shoe to push and the other to stay on. I'll try to post pics.-- tboyz007, Aug 18 2005 Good to hear you're OK.
So, sounds like it works. Cool. How much movement? Fast, like skating, or what?
Any chance for a short MPEG? Lots of still digital cameras can do this. Maybe you can borrow one if you don't have one.
If you need webspace, I can put a few pictures up, for a while anyway.
My email is in my profile.
[+/-] changed to [+]-- oxen crossing, Aug 18 2005 way to go [tboyz007]!! I still prefer it on the grass. It hurts less when you fall. ;) But I think it is awesome that you went out and tried it. You have a positive vote in my book. (Or is it: a positive vote *from* me in *your* book? either way works for me.) :)-- babyhawk, Aug 18 2005 Hey, thanks for the support!
It didn't slide nearly as well as skating, and it took some pushing, but once you got it started is slid pretty nicely.
I took some MPEG footage. I'll try to upload and e-mail it ASAP.-- tboyz007, Aug 20 2005 Waytago [tboyz007]! I posted something similar for a car (link) but when I tried to freeze blocks of ice onto the axles of a toy car I had real problems getting ice to stick on. I ended up doing a photoshop mockup as I couldn't get photos of the model.-- wagster, Aug 20 2005 That's great [tboyz007]! Would love to see images!-- zeno, Aug 22 2005 Hi tboyz007. I like your idea and would like to have a chat. Could you send an email my way? Thanks-- ungenius, Dec 03 2008 Be careful [tboyz007], you could be...BBCed. Or Gorman-ed.-- AbsintheWithoutLeave, Dec 03 2008 random, halfbakery