A difficult job/question?

[Rodne Gold]

We have been asked to make a display item which has a see thru cavity that is filled with liquid.
Making the item is no problem , however the liquid therein has to seperate out into 4 discrete bands , each of which has a unique colour.
2 bands is easy , oil and water , but 4 is a mission.
We have tried mixing gearbox oil and low viscosity car oil , but they do not separate out , and if they did , it would take like an hour or more , the other issue is how does one colourize the oils.
We have suggested an option of filling the cavity with high viscosity oil and inserting 3 strips (its a rectangular cavity , looks like an oil barrel) of coloured perspex and then giving them a slight positive buoyancy so they gently float to the surface if the item is turned upside down and then righted ----

We were considering using water , castor oil , glycerine and normal gearbox oil as the 4 liquids , but i think the 2 oils and the water glycerine wont separate and once agian , colourants are an issue.

Anyone offer suggestions?

[Mike Null]

Rodney

Have you ever seen those multi-colored beverages they concoct at fancy bars? Don't know the contents but the colors separate until stirred.

[James Stokes]

Is there any way to put a divider cap inbetween the colors? Or do the colors have to mix?

[James Stokes]

Or how about jello.

[Dan Hintz]

The problem with the drinks is they work on differences in specific gravity alone... shake them up and the alcohols never separate. The oil and water work on both specific gravity and the insolubility of the oil in water.

Try searching on multiple layer emulsions and hydrophilic / hydrophobic surfactants... you may come across a home-based experiment where someone found a good mix.

[Rodne Gold]

Colours/fluids have to mix and then separate in a min or 2 - ie it has to do this whenever shaken and or turned upside down etc.
basically , its for an oil co , shell , and the colours represent the make up of the cost of a oint, so its basically 60% gold, 18% red, 10% blue and the rest a light gold or yellow. Qty is 500 units, 150mm high , 75 mm wide, 20mm thick, we charging at $20 a unit.

[Steve Clarkson]

Don't forget vinegar......try mixing THAT with oil!

Also....how do you keep the liquid from leaking out of the award? Will weldon create a water-tight bond between two pieces of acrylic?

[Dee Gallo]

I'm sorry I can't help here, but it never ceases to amaze me: the variety of problems and solutions that come up on the Creek. This is a true Brain Trust!

[Martin Boekers]

Maybe a search through the site Instructables may have the answer.

Beware though it is a habit forming site. many unusual things there.
The other night I made carbonated fruit from instructions I found there.

Good reference site.


Marty

[Scott Shepherd]

It's really simple, actually. It has to do with density. If you take 4 glasses of water, all different color and put different amounts of salt in them, they will have different densities and they will separate.

Really, come on, I thought everyone knew that.



Okay, now for the truth, I had no clue, went to Google and found this page- Might work, might not It might mess up when you shake it, I don't know.

http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/...stack-of-color

[bruce cain]

Maybe this might work?

http://books.google.com/books?id=vWX...um=8&ct=result

[Doug Griffith]

That is a tough one and could be one of those customer requests that just can't be done. At least not the way they want it. Even if you can find 4 fluids that separate, you still have to deal with coloring them - in the right order. A solution for a 3rd color could be a solid. something like sand. How about silicone? as in silicone brake fluid.

Good luck,
Doug

[Rodne Gold]

Basically , its 15mm perspex , a rectangular block with a square hole in the middle , using silcon , we are sticking a 3mm clear full plate on front and back.
There is a front and back cladding of 1.2mm thick anodised aluminium etched with logos and lettering and these have a square hole so you can see the enclosure for the liquids , this all cladding hides the glue marks or silicon marks , the edge of the block is wrapped right round with anodised ally , so it looks like an ipod or whatever , the screen is the window with all the colours. The single saeam of the edge wrap is at the bottom.

What i have done is speak to the client and said that this colour banding is way beyond our expertise and field , but shell tech guys might have an answer re differing densities and colouring of oils etc , so let THEM call us. Otherwise im going with the "floaters" in a viscous oil , easy to stack em if we cut em in strips and they will always come up the right order etc.

[Dan Hintz]

Maybe this might work?

http://books.google.com/books?id=vWX...um=8&ct=result

Considering the toxicological properties of at least one of the fluids listed is unknown, I would suggest against this one

The salt one is great for density demonstration purposes in a classroom, but it won't hold for more than an hour or two (unshaken) as the salt will eventually equalize.

Dyes have to also be immiscible between each fluid so they don't taint the color of the others... it may start out as 4 different colored layers, but after a few shakes it would be a muddy mess. Still layers, but each would have the same color.

Rodne, this isn't an easy problem and i think you're right to have the company take on the informational portion of the project. Two layers would have been a breeze, three a bear, but four is going to require some advanced knowledge of multiple chemicals and their interactions. Of course, they all have to be toxicologically inert for when they leak.

[Margaret Turco]

I keep thinking of sealed clear pouches of liquid, but I'm not sure how to accomplish it.... Like a baggie of jello.