I suspect it's a long shot -- but, is there a newsgroup that deals with materials, *generally*, wrt their properties and characteristics? (metals, plastics, rubbers, etc.)
I.e., to be able to contrast suitability of various types for specific applications?
As Don suggests, rec.crafts.metalworking. It'll do TWO things for you: one, there's a bunch of smart people on there who are active or retired machinists; and two, you'll never, ever again think that s.e.d is the worst newsgroup for political posting.
Oh and three -- it'll motivate you to learn everything you can about how your newsreader filters out unwanted people, posts, and topics.
I want to be able to look at particular characteristics and evaluate the tradeoffs between different materials in achieving that set of desired characteristics.
E.g., a (particular) metal may be more durable than a (particular) plastic -- but, has thermal properties that maybe undesirable. A (particular) rubber may be more comfortable (e.g., to hold) but may fare poorly in prolonged UV exposure. etc.
So far, I've been dealing with individual "experts" -- each with some special knowledge about a particular type of material (e.g., I just found a "ceramics" guy). But, they tend to *not* know about other materials. So, while they can tell me the pros and cons of *their* particular material-of-interest, they can't put it in perspective contrasted with other materials (of which they are not expert -- or often even *familiar*!).
That task ends up falling on me. And, I'm far from qualified to evaluate all of these issues -- plus issues that I may not even have considered quizzing these folks about! -- to come up with a "viable compromise".
I was hoping for a "group" that was more "generalist". I.e., so someone stressing the virtues of "material A" could, in the next breath, indicate it's tradeoffs against "material B" -- without relying on a "material B expert" to be able to put the "material A" claims in perspective (wrt material B).
Experts with narrow focus are only of help if your goals lie entirely in their field of expertise! :-/
Hmm, Sound like you want old farts.. for which here or rec.metlacrafting will fit the bill. I've done stuff with hard plastics... delrin, nylon, teflon, Acrylics (machine cast but not extruded.) Soft stuff not so much.
Of course the first thing to do is try and copy something else you like.
Well, not just age/fartiness but, also, the right sorts of experience.
That's the problem: folks have experience with a small subset of particular *type* of materials. So, they can't give "testimony" as to how those things compare with other (unrelated) things.
Yes. I've been "accumulating" items for quite some time just to get a feel for how they fare in different environments. E.g., leave something on the dashboard to see how hot/tacky it gets; "handle" something a lot to see if it accumulates dirt/oils from your skin, how well it "cleans up"; run it over with the car; etc.
Of course, bringing one of these to one of the "experts" and trying to get them to elaborate on its properties (and *identify* it!) usually puts them on the defensive (all you can expect by way of an "answer" is a generalization).
Yeah, ask a lot of questions, but in the end you have to do leg work yourself. I tend to go looking for basic books on the subject. (the trick is to find the good ones.) I'm still not sure what you are trying to do. For a flexible covering I like natural materials. cloth/canvas/cotton, leather...
Yup. And, I learn about additional "issues" as I get exposed to problems that pop up with *other* materials and then have to revisit other materials and update what I know about them based on these "new criteria". E.g., I'd considered how materials might react to exposure to *water*. But, had never considered other materials (e.g., liquids) to which they would *likely* be exposed -- often with significant problems!
Heh heh heh... the same as learning to ask the *good* questions!
Initially, I'm looking for materials to use in packaging (enclosures). But, for a variety of (different) environments. E.g., some sit outdoors, others are *worn*, still others in SOHO environments, etc. And, the "hazzards" (and "threats"!) that each are exposed to similarly vary. So, there's no *one* solution.
Additionally, each has an associated *cost* (up front and recurring). So, I also have to figure the cost (to the user) for "routine replacement" vs. a more "durable" implementation.
I guess I'll keep on the same path I've followed so far...
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