Yes! It also made me wonder how airlines and courtrooms could screen for plastic guns, or possibly plastic bullets, in the future. It's not like criminals would follow the law to add some piece of metal, so metal detectors would be useless. And since disassembled components wouldn't have to "look" like parts of a gun, x-rays could be useless, too.
In more awesome 3D printer news:
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=20f_1369272809
"In a field where an overlooked bug could cost millions, you want people who will speak their minds, even if they’re sometimes obnoxious about it."
Told you so.
When the stars threw down their spears
And watered heaven with their tears:
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the lamb make thee?
That regulation (a metal piece in a gun) pertains to gun manufacturers. If anyone with a 3-D printer that can make guns in the privacy of their home, and not necessarily sell to the public -- what would Libertarians recommend in the future? Chang legal terms of "gun manufacturer", require gun manufacturing licenses with 3-D printer programs, or something else?
Whoosh
Brevior saltare cum deformibus viris est vita
There's a big difference between making a gun and buying one.
It will be interesting to follow the gun manufacturing industry's reaction to 3D printed guns. And how congress will respond.
They haven't wanted 'teh gummint' to interfere with their ability to make and distribute guns-for-profit. Not even when it meant better 'quality control' for their product, by monitoring distributors/dealers/sellers as part of their brand, like a franchise.
But now they've got some competition that may eat into their long-term profit margins. My hunch is they've already got analysts and lobbyists planning their next move....to limit the manufacturing process with legislative protections.
The 2nd Amendment only applies to individuals "keeping and bearing arms". That doesn't extend to intellectual property, technology patents, or the Manufacturing process. At least not currently, as far as I can tell. Am I wrong?
You are most likely correct in this assessment. Big Government will protect this group just like other big manufactures. And it will be in the name of SAFTEY.
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That "Big Government" would be members of the Republican Party, but it wouldn't be done in the name of SAFETY. No, they would likely frame it as a legitimate role for the government to protect patent-holders or licensed manufacturers. Trying not to make it look like crony capitalism, or industry lobbyists buying preferred legislation.
Yep, and your point is?
I'm not a republican.
Brevior saltare cum deformibus viris est vita
Sorry for taking so long in responding to this, I must have missed it the first time around.
A pound of smokeless powder can easily make 800 to 1500 rounds, (that range is obviously dependent on several factors, including the caliber and grain of the bullet that's being reloaded, the brand of powder, and the amount of waste in the reloading process - which is generally negligible). It's fairly common for reloaders to stock up on the core components, which means I've known individuals who had thirty to forty pounds of the stuff on hand. That isn't to say the supply would never dry up, but I somehow doubt a total ban on powder would be politically feasible. That is to say, at the point in which such measures would be conceivable, a complete ban on guns and gun ownership would seem more likely to me than a simple crackdown on reloading supplies.
Last edited by Enoch the Red; 05-30-2013 at 09:00 PM.
And, if you're really desperate: Combine nitric acid and sulfuric acid, pour that stuff on cotton, wait a bit, wash and then dry the cotton and you've got guncotton.
When the stars threw down their spears
And watered heaven with their tears:
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the lamb make thee?
By the way: I will create some guncotton for this year's final chemistry lessons.
Which means that if you don't hear anything from me after the 21st of this month, look for "German school blown sky high" in the newspapers
When the stars threw down their spears
And watered heaven with their tears:
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the lamb make thee?
Once in university, under supervision. This time I'm all on my own, though I'll have the professional lab equipment of my school, of course. And the amount of cotton will be minimal - about 25 grams in total.
There are only two real dangers to the process, though, both of which can be easily handled: Ignoring the acid fumes in the first step (for obvious reasons). And not rinsing the guncotton thoroughly (which might lead to spontaneous ignition).
When the stars threw down their spears
And watered heaven with their tears:
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the lamb make thee?
I'm a bit of a mind to make igniting the stuff a bit more spectacular: Coat your thumb liberally with potassium chlorate and your middle finger with a very tiny amount of dry(!) red phosphorus.
Snapping your fingers will create a spark you can use to ignite a bunsen burner (or previously produced guncotton )
However, the "very tiny amount" poses the problem: Too much red phosporous will create a 3rd degree burn...
When the stars threw down their spears
And watered heaven with their tears:
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the lamb make thee?
I applaud your style...but cringe at the potential negative outcome.
Brevior saltare cum deformibus viris est vita
Prediction: In three weeks, Khen will have to apologize for not using a space bar, as he no longer has thumbs and doesn't want to change his typing habits. His other one will be gone because Germans hate asymmetry.
I'mnotsurewhatyou'reimplyinghere.
When the stars threw down their spears
And watered heaven with their tears:
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the lamb make thee?
So, production of guncotton went off without a hitch. However, for the layman (or those without a professional chemistry lab) I strongly recommend using potassium nitrate instead of concentrated nitric acid - due to the simple fact that pure nitric acid contains nitrogen dioxide which will easily vaporize. And which is highly toxic. You'll still need to go either outside or use a fume hood, though, even when using the potassium nitrate.
Mixed the two acids (20 ml sulfuric acid to 17 ml nitric acid) in an ice bath to gain the nitrating acid, put 1.5 grams of pure cotton into the mixture for 10 minutes (cotton turned a light brown) and then rinsed the cotton vigorously. Lab coat, safety goggles and gloves are a must!
Then fluffed the (now white again) guncotton up a bit and let it dry for a day. Works just fine.
We don't have any pure red phosphorous, though, so I can't try the second experiment
When the stars threw down their spears
And watered heaven with their tears:
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the lamb make thee?
When the stars threw down their spears
And watered heaven with their tears:
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the lamb make thee?