Sorry not so much a DIY question but an intriguing one that I couldn't find
a clear answer to.

I knocked a couple of large icicles of the roof and caught them as they
fell.
While holding them in my hand they barely melted.
Yet when I stuck one in the sink leaning on the stainless steel tap you
could see it instantly meting into the shape of the tap!!

I thought maybe the tap was hot as its a mixer but it was cold.

I take it there is a logical reason for this?

On Dec 10, 1:02 pm, "Steven Campbell" no@thanks wrote:
Sorry not so much a DIY question but an intriguing one that I couldn't find
a clear answer to.

I knocked a couple of large icicles of the roof and caught them as they
fell.
While holding them in my hand they barely melted.
Yet when I stuck one in the sink leaning on the stainless steel tap you
could see it instantly meting into the shape of the tap!!

I thought maybe the tap was hot as its a mixer but it was cold.

I take it there is a logical reason for this?

heavy metal tap* (aka thermal mass) all @ (say) 18deg C vs frozen
water @ (say) 0 deg - no contest ;)

* poss attached to metal sink? metal pipework? filled with water
confortably above 10deg? = huge heatsink/"coldsink"

Jim K

On Dec 10, 1:02*pm, "Steven Campbell" no@thanks wrote:
Sorry not so much a DIY question but an intriguing one that I couldn't find
a clear answer to.

I knocked a couple of large icicles of the roof and caught them as they
fell.
While holding them in my hand they barely melted.
Yet when I stuck one in the sink leaning on the stainless steel tap you
could see it instantly meting into the shape of the tap!!

I thought maybe the tap was hot as its a mixer but it was cold.

I take it there is a logical reason for this?


To follow on from Jim K's explanation:
Your hand is hot, but it is also a relatively poor conductor of heat.
That means the icicle was effectively only being melted by a
(relatively cool) few mm of skin.

The tap was much cooler, but it is an excellent conductor, so the
whole tap was melting the icicle.

On Dec 10, 1:18*pm, Martin Bonner wrote:
On Dec 10, 1:02*pm, "Steven Campbell" no@thanks wrote:

Sorry not so much a DIY question but an intriguing one that I couldn't find
a clear answer to.

I knocked a couple of large icicles of the roof and caught them as they
fell.
While holding them in my hand they barely melted.
Yet when I stuck one in the sink leaning on the stainless steel tap you
could see it instantly meting into the shape of the tap!!

I thought maybe the tap was hot as its a mixer but it was cold.

I take it there is a logical reason for this?

To follow on from Jim K's explanation:
Your hand is hot, but it is also a relatively poor conductor of heat.
That means the icicle was effectively only being melted by a
(relatively cool) few mm of skin.

The tap was much cooler, but it is an excellent conductor, so the
whole tap was melting the icicle.

It also explains why used tea bags get hotter as you hold them. The
relatively low temperature heat takes a few seconds to travel through
the outer skin layers to the nerves.

John

On Dec 10, 1:23 pm, John wrote:
On Dec 10, 1:18 pm, Martin Bonner wrote:



On Dec 10, 1:02 pm, "Steven Campbell" no@thanks wrote:

Sorry not so much a DIY question but an intriguing one that I couldn't find
a clear answer to.

I knocked a couple of large icicles of the roof and caught them as they
fell.
While holding them in my hand they barely melted.
Yet when I stuck one in the sink leaning on the stainless steel tap you
could see it instantly meting into the shape of the tap!!

I thought maybe the tap was hot as its a mixer but it was cold.

I take it there is a logical reason for this?

To follow on from Jim K's explanation:
Your hand is hot, but it is also a relatively poor conductor of heat.
That means the icicle was effectively only being melted by a
(relatively cool) few mm of skin.

The tap was much cooler, but it is an excellent conductor, so the
whole tap was melting the icicle.

It also explains why used tea bags get hotter as you hold them. The
relatively low temperature heat takes a few seconds to travel through
the outer skin layers to the nerves.

John

mmm they are always too hot when I squeeze em !
(but SWMBO is unaffected (and I am a lot lardier/insulated than she
is....)

Jim K

"Martin Bonner" wrote in message
...
On Dec 10, 1:02 pm, "Steven Campbell" no@thanks wrote:
Sorry not so much a DIY question but an intriguing one that I couldn't
find
a clear answer to.

I knocked a couple of large icicles of the roof and caught them as they
fell.
While holding them in my hand they barely melted.
Yet when I stuck one in the sink leaning on the stainless steel tap you
could see it instantly meting into the shape of the tap!!

I thought maybe the tap was hot as its a mixer but it was cold.

I take it there is a logical reason for this?


To follow on from Jim K's explanation:
Your hand is hot, but it is also a relatively poor conductor of heat.
That means the icicle was effectively only being melted by a
(relatively cool) few mm of skin.

The tap was much cooler, but it is an excellent conductor, so the
whole tap was melting the icicle.

-----------------

Thanks for the clear explanations Martin and Jim. It makes sense once
explained like this. I thought the stainless steel had some properties that
melted the ice but then couldn't quite work out why a stainless steel ice
bucket wouldn't do the same!!!!

But all clear now.

Cheers.

"Steven Campbell" wrote in message
o.uk...


"Martin Bonner" wrote in message
...
On Dec 10, 1:02 pm, "Steven Campbell" no@thanks wrote:
Sorry not so much a DIY question but an intriguing one that I couldn't
find
a clear answer to.

I knocked a couple of large icicles of the roof and caught them as they
fell.
While holding them in my hand they barely melted.
Yet when I stuck one in the sink leaning on the stainless steel tap you
could see it instantly meting into the shape of the tap!!

I thought maybe the tap was hot as its a mixer but it was cold.

I take it there is a logical reason for this?


To follow on from Jim K's explanation:
Your hand is hot, but it is also a relatively poor conductor of heat.
That means the icicle was effectively only being melted by a
(relatively cool) few mm of skin.

The tap was much cooler, but it is an excellent conductor, so the
whole tap was melting the icicle.

-----------------

Thanks for the clear explanations Martin and Jim. It makes sense once
explained like this. I thought the stainless steel had some properties that
melted the ice but then couldn't quite work out why a stainless steel ice
bucket wouldn't do the same!!!!

But all clear now.

Cheers.



When I was a wireman in a communication equipment factory I used to with
thumb and forefinger regularly stroke the solder off the wires when tinning
them,
Then throw the molten solder on to the bench.

Obviously it was a skill learned. I had my iron set for 350C

Gary

On 10/12/2010 13:02, Steven Campbell wrote:
Sorry not so much a DIY question but an intriguing one that I couldn't find
a clear answer to.

I knocked a couple of large icicles of the roof and caught them as they
fell.
While holding them in my hand they barely melted.
Yet when I stuck one in the sink leaning on the stainless steel tap you
could see it instantly meting into the shape of the tap!!


This is ongoing development work being done in the future to send real
terminators (not the fancy T2 movie type) backwards through time. For
the moment it looks like they have mastered morphing into inanimate
objects, but give it some time and they'll morph into representations of
you....

--
T-800 C

On Fri, 10 Dec 2010 05:18:26 -0800 (PST), Martin Bonner wrote:
On Dec 10, 1:02Â*pm, "Steven Campbell" no@thanks wrote:
Sorry not so much a DIY question but an intriguing one that I couldn't find
a clear answer to.

I knocked a couple of large icicles of the roof and caught them as they
fell.
While holding them in my hand they barely melted.
Yet when I stuck one in the sink leaning on the stainless steel tap you
could see it instantly meting into the shape of the tap!!

I thought maybe the tap was hot as its a mixer but it was cold.

I take it there is a logical reason for this?


To follow on from Jim K's explanation:
Your hand is hot, but it is also a relatively poor conductor of heat.
That means the icicle was effectively only being melted by a
(relatively cool) few mm of skin.

The tap was much cooler, but it is an excellent conductor, so the
whole tap was melting the icicle.

One picky addition. Stainless is not a particularly good conductor
of heat. Is it possible the tap is some ferrous alloy, plated.
Also, it's likely that the icicle was warming up the whole time
and that it was just starting to melt naturally when put in the sink.


--
http://thisreallyismyhost.99k.org/10...1514075127.php

Steven Campbell used his keyboard to write :
Sorry not so much a DIY question but an intriguing one that I couldn't find a
clear answer to.

I knocked a couple of large icicles of the roof and caught them as they fell.
While holding them in my hand they barely melted.
Yet when I stuck one in the sink leaning on the stainless steel tap you could
see it instantly meting into the shape of the tap!!

I thought maybe the tap was hot as its a mixer but it was cold.

I take it there is a logical reason for this?

Metal is more conductive than your hand, therefore it will give up its
heat faster to the ice.

--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

Jim K wrote:
On Dec 10, 1:23 pm, John wrote:
On Dec 10, 1:18 pm, Martin Bonner wrote:



On Dec 10, 1:02 pm, "Steven Campbell" no@thanks wrote:

Sorry not so much a DIY question but an intriguing one that I
couldn't find a clear answer to.

I knocked a couple of large icicles of the roof and caught them as
they fell.
While holding them in my hand they barely melted.
Yet when I stuck one in the sink leaning on the stainless steel
tap you could see it instantly meting into the shape of the tap!!

I thought maybe the tap was hot as its a mixer but it was cold.

I take it there is a logical reason for this?

To follow on from Jim K's explanation:
Your hand is hot, but it is also a relatively poor conductor of
heat. That means the icicle was effectively only being melted by a
(relatively cool) few mm of skin.

The tap was much cooler, but it is an excellent conductor, so the
whole tap was melting the icicle.

It also explains why used tea bags get hotter as you hold them. The
relatively low temperature heat takes a few seconds to travel through
the outer skin layers to the nerves.

John

mmm they are always too hot when I squeeze em !
(but SWMBO is unaffected (and I am a lot lardier/insulated than she
is....)


You need one of these
http://www.lakeland.co.uk/tea-tool/F.../product/12644


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

On 10/12/2010 15:20, pete wrote:

Also, it's likely that the icicle was warming up the whole time
and that it was just starting to melt naturally when put in the sink.



To expand on Tim's reply - the icicle outside probably wasn't much below
zero. Held on your cold skin(perhaps 10 if you've been working outside)
not much happens. Don't forget that the body is designed _not_ to lose
too much heat on a cold day.

You then stick on the tap, which is likely warmer than your skin, and
has a much higher conductivity. The temperature rapidly comes up to
zero - and then melting starts. The temperature stays at _exactly_ zero
as the energy goes in to turn ice into water.

The tap is of course bolted to the warm pipes and sink...

Andy

[Default] On Fri, 10 Dec 2010 17:53:05 -0000, a certain chimpanzee,
"The Medway Handyman" , randomly
hit the keyboard and wrote:

You need one of these
http://www.lakeland.co.uk/tea-tool/F.../product/12644

The phrase, "you need one of these", is an oxymoron when referring to
anything in the Lakeland catalogue.
--
Hugo Nebula
"If no-one on the internet wants a piece of this,
just how far from the pack have I strayed"?