Re: Riding after heavy manual labor

On 5/29/2024 12:04 PM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

On Wed, 29 May 2024 07:45:11 -0500, AMuzi <am@yellowjersey.org> wrote:
 

On 5/28/2024 9:59 PM, Frank Krygowski wrote:

On 5/28/2024 4:10 PM, Tom Kunich wrote:

>
2. You believe that a small dent that doesn't actually
stretch the metal cannot pop back out

>
Wait, Tom! Are you _STILL_ claiming your frame tube had a
dent, and your normal riding caused it to somehow cure
itself, that the dent popped back out???
>
Wow! That really is one for the record books!

 

Most links are to academic papers with paywall but here's an
overview:
>
https://www.britannica.com/science/slip-crystals

 Methinks "cold flow" would be a more applicable mechanism.
<https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cold%20flow>
That's where Tom leans on his bicycle frame, which then slowly flows
in the desired direction.  How he was able to do this from inside the
frame tubing is left as an exercise for the believers.
 There is also SMA (shape memory alloy):
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shape-memory_alloy>
which can be deformed when cold but returns to its previous shape when
heated, which Tom does with a breath of hot air.
 I really wish that Tom would introduce his amazing technology to the
automobile industry.  My Subaru has numerous dents from trees and
branches falling on it during several years of winter storms.  It
would be really nice if I could just push or heat the dent and have it
return to its original shape.

Too bad the body panels weren't plastic. Our previous car, a Mazda 3, had huge blind spots. Because of those, I was backing _very_ slowly out of a very tight parking space in a pedestrian rich area, inching my way back as I cut the wheel sharply.
That maneuver put a concrete pedestal in my blind spot the entire way. The right rear corner of my plastic "bumper" hit it and got dented in. Very embarrassing! My insurance company estimated ~$800 to fix it, and because of my deductible sent me a check for $300.
Since it was winter, I delayed the repair but drove with embarrassment. But one day when the temperatures got into the 40s, I took a heat gun and some rags into the garage. Patiently heating and pressing the plasic panel both inside and outside, I managed to push the dent back out almost perfectly. A bit of touch up paint covered minor scratches. When I traded the car in, not a word was said about the repair. Oh, and I pocketed the $300.
It was much, much easier than similar metal repairs I've done. But then, I don't have Tom's magic touch.
--
- Frank Krygowski