In sailing, a spar is a round pole of wood or metal, used on a sailing ship. In modern usage it almost always refers to the mast, but historically it was also used for booms, gaffs, yards, etc. Spars of all types are used in the rigging of sailing ships to resist compressive and bending forces, and to provide support for the sails. Wooden ships from the age of sail often carried many extra spars of all types for repairs while at sea. The spar deck of a frigate was so named because it was used to c ...

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Metal Bending:

Psychokinetic ability to bend metal objects.

(See also: Metal Bending, Psychic, Psychic Dictionary, Parapsychology, Parapsychology Dictionary)

A bi-metallic strip is used to convert a temperature change into mechanical displacement. The strip consists of two layers, usually iron and copper. The two layers are joined together to form the strip. Owing to the difference in the constants of expansion of the two materials, a flat strip will bend one way (toward the iron part) if heated, and in the opposite direction if cooled below its normal temperature. In some applications the bi-metal strip is used in the flat form. In others, it is wrapped into a coil, which giv ...

See also:

Bi-metal, Bi-metal - Fundamentals, Bi-metal - Applications, Bi-metal - Thermostats, Bi-metal - Thermometers

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A coppersmith is a person who generally works with copper and brass. Coppersmiths lay out, cut, bend, and assemble pipe sections and pipefittings from copper. They also manufacture tanks, hot water systems, roofs and other sheet based items from copper, brass, sometimes and other metals. Coppersmiths started to be phased out in the late 1970's early 1980's and the trade is now generally taken over by the sheetmetal trade, and the practises used can sometimes be close to the plumbing trade. There are very few coppersmiths left in the trade. Most have found other occupati ...

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Crimping is joining two pieces of metal or other malleable material by deforming one or both of them to hold the other. The bend or deformity is called the crimp. Crimping is most extensively used in metalworking. It is not generally used of specialised connectors that are designed to be deformed, but only of workpieces. Crimping is commonly used to join bullets to their cartridge cases, and for rapid but lasting electrical connectors. Because it can be a cold-working technique, crimping can also be used to form a strong ...

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The balance wheel is the part of a mechanical watch that facilitates even passage of time, analogous to a pendulum in a pendulum clock. The balance wheel rotates in both directions, and its movement is attenuated by the balance spring. As the wheel rotates back and forth the impulse jewel strikes the pallet fork, which in turn allows the escape wheel to advance. Since the mass of the balance wheel, and the spring coefficient of the balance spring are known, the amount of time between impacts of the impulse jewel and pallet fork is kno ...

Including:

• Balance wheel - Self compensating balance wheel

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Uri Geller (born December 20, 1946 in Tel Aviv, Israel) is a famous but controversial alleged psychic and television personality. Originally a magician in Israeli nightclubs, he then became well known for a number of years for performances featuring claimed paranormal abilities such as telekinesis, dowsing and telepathy; metal objects were bent and watches were apparently stopped or made to run faster without any apparent physical force being applied to them. Although many people believe he is a psychic, he also has numerous cr ...

Including:

• Uri Geller - History
• Uri Geller - Controversy and criticism
• Uri Geller - Parallels to stage magic
• Uri Geller - Disagreements over measuring success
• Uri Geller - Controlled testing
• Uri Geller - Litigation

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The Berkeley Pit is a gigantic former open pit copper mine located in Butte, Montana, and is the largest Superfund site. It was opened in 1955 and operated by the Anaconda Mining Company and later by ARCO the Atlantic Richfield Company, until its closure in 1982. When the pit was closed, the water pumps at the bottom were also turned off, which caused groundwater from the surrounding basin to leak into the pit. The water seeped through metal deposits, causing it to become heavily acidic and laden with heavy metals and dangerous chemic ...

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Bender Bending Rodríguez (known simply as Bender) is a fictional sapient robot in the Futurama animated cartoon television series. He is voiced by actor John DiMaggio. A comic anti-hero, Turanga Leela described Bender as an "alcoholic, whore-mongering, chain smoking gambler", which largely sums up his personality. He curses, fights, argues, smokes cigars (to make himself look cool), drinks constantly (though, in his defense, alcohol is his primary fuel), reads robot pornography (in the form of circuit diagrams), ...

Including:

• Bender Bending Rodriguez - Hardware
• Bender Bending Rodriguez - Trivia
• Bender Bending Rodriguez - Catchphrase and Favorite Words

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Bellmaking or bellfounding is the craft of creating bells in a foundry. A practitioner of the craft is called a bellmaker or bellfounder. The term usually describes large bells forged for use in churches, clocks, and public buildings. There are two types of bells to consider - the bells which are played by striking with a clapper or stick and the bells which form the final portion of brass instruments. Bells which are rung are usually made by casting bronze into forms of a size appropriate for the pitch the bell is intended to produce. ...

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In electromagnetics and communications engineering, a waveguide is a physical structure that guides the propagation of electromagnetic waves. Waveguides can be constructed to carry waves over a wide portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, but are especially useful in the microwave and optical frequency ranges. Depending on the frequency, they can be constructed from either conductive or dielectric materials. Waveguides are used for transferring both power and communication signals. Waveguide - History. The ...

Including:

• Waveguide - History
• Waveguide - Principles of operation
• Waveguide - Hollow metallic waveguides
• Waveguide - Transmission lines
• Waveguide - Dielectric waveguides

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Wire rope consists of several strands of metal wires twisted together. It was invented by the German mining engineer Wilhelm Albert in the years between 1831 and 1834 for use in mining in the Harz Mountains in Clausthal, Lower Saxony, Germany. It was quickly accepted because it proved superior to ropes made of hemp or to metal chains, such as had been used before. Wilhelm Albert's first ropes consisted of wires twisted about a hemp rope core, six such strands then being twisted around another hemp rope core in alternating directions for extra stability. Earlier forms of wire rope had be ...

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The barrel of a gun or other firearm is the tube, usually metal, through which a controlled explosion is released in order to propel a projectile out of the end at great speed. The first guns were made in a time where metallurgy was not quite what it is today, so the pipe needed to be braced periodically along its length, producing an appearance somewhat reminiscent of a barrel. Another explanation, tied to etymology, states that many very first firearms barrels where in fact realized, during the 12-13 century, using sma ...

Including:

• Gun barrel - Construction
• Gun barrel - Smallbore

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The vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the percussion family. It is similar in appearance to the xylophone, although the vibraphone uses metal bars instead of the wooden bars on the xylophone. The standard modern instrument has a range of three octaves, from the F below middle C. Larger four octave models from the C below middle C are also becoming more common. The vibraph ...

Including:

• Vibraphone - Technique
• Vibraphone - Vibraphone performers
• Vibraphone - Media

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Voskhod 2 was a Soviet manned space mission. It set another space milestone as one of the cosmonauts on board became the first person to "walk in space". Voskhod 2 - Crew. Pavel Belyayev - Commander Aleksei Leonov - Pilot Voskhod 2 - Backup Crew. Yevgeni Zaikin - Commander Yevgeni Khrunov - Pilot Voskhod 2 - Mission Parameters. Mass: 5682 kg Perigee: ...

Including:

• Voskhod 2 - Crew
• Voskhod 2 - Backup Crew
• Voskhod 2 - Mission Parameters
• Voskhod 2 - Mission Highlights
• Voskhod 2 - Voskhod 2 EVA Timeline
• Voskhod 2 - Voskhod 2 EVA details

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Casting is a process by which a material is introduced into a mold while it is liquid, allowed to solidify in the shape inside the mold, and then removed producing a fabricated object, part, or casing. Casting is often used for creating one or more copies of an original piece of sculptural (three-dimensional) artwork. It is also used extensively in the automobile manufacture industry, such as the casting of engine blocks or cylinder heads, or vacuum-forming of plastics and in the lost core process. The process, particularly when performed with ...

Including:

• Casting - Lost wax casting process
• Casting - Other casting processes used in creating artworks
• Casting - Casting in manufacturing
• Casting - Expendable mold casting
• Casting - Nonexpendable mold casting
• Casting - Cooling rate
• Casting - Shrinkage

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A tent is a shelter, consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over or attached to a frame of poles. It is fairly easy to assemble (pitch) or disassemble, and is usually portable. Tents may be attached to the ground with stakes and guy lines (ropes). Tents were first used by nomadic peoples, but today, their main application is camping. Modern tents are usually made of fire-retardant material. Tents range in size from single person camping tents to huge circus tents. Outdoor weddings and festivals often take place ...

Including:

• Tent - Parts of a modern tent
• Tent - Modern tent types
• Tent - Patents

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The crankshaft, sometimes casually abbreviated to crank, is that part of an engine which translates reciprocating linear piston motion into rotation. It typically connects to a flywheel, to reduce the pulsation characteristic of the four stroke cycle, and sometimes a torsional or vibrational damper at the opposite end, to reduce the torsion vibrations often caused along the length of the crankshaft by the cylinders furthest from the output end acting on the torsional elasticity of the metal. Crankshaft - DesignIncluding:

• Crankshaft - Design
• Crankshaft - Construction
• Crankshaft - Stress analysis of crankshaft

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Coppicing is a traditional method of woodland management, by which young tree stems are cut down to a low level, or sometimes right down to the ground. In subsequent growth years, many new shoots will grow up, and after a number of years the cycle begins again and the coppiced tree or stool is ready to be harvested again. Typically a coppice woodland is harvested in sections, on a rotation. In this way each year a crop is available. This also has the side-effect of providing a rich variety of habitats, as the woodland always has a range of different aged stools gro ...

Including:

• Coppicing - Current practice

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The Soviet 5.45 × 39 mm M74 round was introduced into service in 1974 in the AK-74 assault rifle, an updated version of the AK-47, and the AKSU-74 carbine/sub-machine gun. The round, which replaced the 7.62 × 39 mm round then in Soviet service, was likely developed based on Soviet observation of the American 5.56 × 45 mm round in Vietnam. The Russian military-issue 5N7 specification 5.45 mm bullets are a somewhat complex full metal jacket design. Some people have said that the Rus ...

Including:

• 5.45 x 39 mm M74 - Specifications

Read more here: » 5.45 x 39 mm M74: Encyclopedia - 5.45 x 39 mm M74