This ferrofluid fountain would possibly be the most surreal fountain ever because the possibilities are endless.

Quick run down: Ferrofluid is a fluid that responds to magnetic fields.

So thanks to linear engines you can have a fluid that runs up hill or follows a complex track on a wall.

An electromagnet suspended from the ceiling would only be able to hold so much ferrofluid before it would come dripping down.

Powerful magnets would crystalize the fluid into jagged shapes dependent on the magnetic field. Considering that speakers use magnets to produce sound you can see how this fluid could change with music provided.

What fountain is complete with out an arc? Powerful magnets properly positioned could make such an arc curve around other objects.

Plus, if let's say the ferrofluid was oil based and there was a pool of water, linear engines could move the ferrofluid in a serpentine route in, out and all around the water.
-- sartep, Dec 01 2003

See phoenix's anno, 10/30/01 http://www.halfbake...luid_20wall_20thing
[waugsqueke, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004]

Our Glass, Ferrofluid Timepiece http://www.halfbake...rofluid_20Timepiece
[phoenix, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004]

Some ferrofluid information http://www.dansdata.com/magnets.htm#ff
Courtesy of [FarmerJohn]. [phoenix, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004]

e.mia.me' (.PDF) http://www.tamar-sc...download/emiame.pdf
A document describing one artist's ferrofluid fountain. [phoenix, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004]

Dyson water foutain http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3046791.stm
[sufc, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004]

This sounds utterly fascinating!

Would ceiling located electromagnets be capable of creating stalactite shapes of ferrofluid or would the suspended ferrofluid be topographically homogenous? Or, do the ceiling electromagnets come into play only for distorting the surface of the ferrofluid as it remains more or less pooled on the lower horizontal surface?
-- Tiger Lily, Dec 01 2003


silly questions - what colour is this stuff? is it thick like custard or engine oil?
-- po, Dec 01 2003


Gets my 'YES YES YES!' vote for the week. Counting down until someone figures out a ferrofluid clock... <later edit> apparently I'll be counting backwards, which is somehow appropriate.
-- RayfordSteele, Dec 01 2003


I'd like one which spelled out my name in the most complex was possible. Egocentric me, eh? +
-- Fishrat, Dec 01 2003


Sorry [sartep] but I have to vote against this. Using ferrofluids in a fountain seems like an obvious extension of the technology to me and ANY ferrofluid fountain is likely to be surreal.
-- phoenix, Dec 01 2003


(New Edit) You should have posted the idea so we could all see it. Some of the best things turn out to be obvious extensions of technology. Like the 100th year anniversary of putting an engine on a box glider. That PDF is still quite different than what I described, thus not as obvious first described.

Po, for a while I was considering something like a magnetic jello cube fountain with just enough plastics to be a cube when not in motion and then immersing that in small ammonts of water.
-- sartep, Dec 01 2003


I worry about you, sartep! and lay off his phoenixness... :)
-- po, Dec 01 2003


Ok, sorry. I did a search for ferrofluid fountains on halfbakery too and didn't see your anno phoenix. It's one of those ideas that I had for a long time and did a pretty extensive search on the web because I thought surely someone built this by now. I'm still keeping it.
-- sartep, Dec 01 2003


a fountain in which water flow takes on new shape and/or direction according to music. no idea of its inner workings, but it sounds cool as hell.
-- superman9k, Dec 01 2003


sartep, thats alright, he's big enough to fight his own corner!
-- po, Dec 01 2003


Talking of surreal fountains, I saw a lovely fountain at the Miro museum in Barcelona. I looked at it for ages, thinking there was something odd about it, before I realised the fluid being used was mercury.
-- hippo, Dec 01 2003


Hell, I'm so big I don't even _fit_ in the corner.
-- phoenix, Dec 01 2003


<grin>
-- po, Dec 01 2003


Wear pointy shoes. Helpful if you need to kill cockroaches who are cornered.
-- thumbwax, Dec 01 2003


Are you The People's Phoenix?
-- sartep, Dec 01 2003


I saw a photo montage of a ferrofluid fountain in Wired once. Can't find it now, but it was essentially this.
-- waugsqueke, Dec 01 2003


Sounds gorgeous... It's faaaaaar better than a Lava Lamp! The only drawback is not being able to toss in a penny and make a wish.
-- spacecadet, Dec 01 2003


Crap, I was just going to post Ferrofluid Falls but it looks like it's a couple of years obsolete. (+)
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Jun 25 2005


+ let's read some good ideas here.
-- xandram, Jun 11 2010


I am thinking about setting the ferrofluid alight. I am wondering about ferroflame. I think the smoke should be magnetic too although only in the way crappy iron dust is magnetic. Unless the iron oxidizes in the heat. In which case there would only be the beauty of a flaming, smoking pool of oil.
-- bungston, Jun 11 2010


Hi, any word on this? Is it too expensive to produce - is that why no one's done it? Or maybe too messy?
-- FIREborn, Jan 13 2011



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