Thread: Actual Testing OMG - Alcohol and Razors

Interesting read, thanks for the experiment.

Geez Glen, glad you put an end to all that debate
But seriously, thanks for doing the experiment, very interesting.

Originally Posted by baldy

Geez Glen, glad you put an end to all that debate
But seriously, thanks for doing the experiment, very interesting.

Yes indeed. Time for another double Chivas!

Originally Posted by Caledonian

I don't think we have to look much further than the fact that alcohol exposed to the air is colder than that air, colder than water would be, and the razors become cold with it.

Actually, the alcohol would be the same temperature as the surrounding air. Alcohol FEELS colder on our skin because it evaporates so quickly.

Originally Posted by Caledonian

\Kinetic energy is the energy which an object has by virtue of its motion, examples being a bullet or a brick you drop on your toe. If the alcohol has kinetic energy, i wouldn't stand in its way. There are quotation marks in the thread that mentioned it, and it would be useful to know the source being quoted, so that we can avoid it.


I think the most important information to be gleaned from this experiment is that the "rust" produced was mostly the relatively harmless black oxide, and extremely shallow. In no way did it confirm the results seen in the previous thread. I still think the presence of another metal in a conducting liquid is the most likely explanation for what happened there.

First Part - That is not all that kinetic energy means. For example, temperature is a measure of the average kinetic energy of the atoms/molecules of an object. I believe that the words kinetic energy in the quotation are referring to internal kinetic energy, not the kinetic energy you describe.

Second Part - Maybe I missed something, but was there a description of how deep the "harmless black oxide" goes? I think everyone's least favorite type of corrosion is the black stuff. Red comes right off the surface, leaving black behind. Getting the black out is usually more difficult, and it often leaves behind pitting. On the other hand, light surface staining may come right off with a metal polish. So the depth, which I didn't see mentioned, is really important to know. Also, I'm not sure at what stage people apply alcohol to their razors, but if it's after the razor is honed to shave ready (such as upon receiving a new razor from a shop/honer), any unnecessary corrosion to the edge can have a negative effect on the shave, so even the lightest oxidation can cause problems.

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

First Part - That is not all that kinetic energy means. For example, temperature is a measure of the average kinetic energy of the atoms/molecules of an object. I believe that the words kinetic energy in the quotation are referring to internal kinetic energy, not the kinetic energy you describe.

Second Part - Maybe I missed something, but was there a description of how deep the "harmless black oxide" goes? I think everyone's least favorite type of corrosion is the black stuff. Red comes right off the surface, leaving black behind. Getting the black out is usually more difficult, and it often leaves behind pitting. On the other hand, light surface staining may come right off with a metal polish. So the depth, which I didn't see mentioned, is really important to know. Also, I'm not sure at what stage people apply alcohol to their razors, but if it's after the razor is honed to shave ready (such as upon receiving a new razor from a shop/honer), any unnecessary corrosion to the edge can have a negative effect on the shave, so even the lightest oxidation can cause problems.

Actualll\y that was, I think, all kinetic energy means. The scientific community distinguishes it clearly from heat energy.

Kinetic energy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

No doubt we will hear from gssixgun if the corrosion experienced in this test is hard to remove. I think it won't be.

Alcohol will be colder than the air if evaporation is taking place, and many people have been convinced (although imputing to it the wrong effect, I believe) that it is.

The quote is talking about the molecular level, and the molecules certainly have kinetic energy regardless of whether or not one would say the alcohol has kinetic energy as a system. There is nothing incorrect about that statement.

If you want to look at wikipedia, look here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat and search the page for "kinetic."

I thought this thread was going to be about another SRP get-together

Originally Posted by hoglahoo

I thought this thread was going to be about another SRP get-together

Now that is funny!!!!!

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

The quote is talking about the molecular level, and the molecules certainly have kinetic energy regardless of whether or not one would say the alcohol has kinetic energy as a system. There is nothing incorrect about that statement.

If you want to look at wikipedia, look here Heat - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia and search the page for "kinetic."

That quote refers to heat energy added to a system being stored as kinetic energy of the particles. Atomic energy, far greater in magnitude, exists in the bonds that hold the atoms together. But heat is not being added, and atoms are not being split. This is a distraction from the valuable information we have seen in this experiment.