Plastic and wheels

[TC Chris]

Well, the NYT just had an article about how inline skating is "in" again, plus it's really good for you. The lateral muscle movement is something we don't get much of otherwise. So, ever the fashion hound, I got out my old Bauer skates from around 1990. Haven't been on 'em in a decade at least. I could not find my wrist splints or elbow pads, but I did have the knee pads. I wore a bike helmet and figured that if I was falling I could land on my head and protect my wrists.

First, one of the top buckles broke (a plastic strap; it just split off). So I got a nylon strap with a buckle and bound up that skate. Off I went. Within half a mile the other skate's top buckle broke. I kept going. The learning curve had to be re-climbed but I did not fall. Went about 2 miles down the rec trail and back again. Hey, it's 73 degrees in Michigan in Oct.!! By the time I was home again I felt more confident.

But by the time I got home, both boots had started disintegrating at the heels. So much for the durability of plastics. I will say that these old skates have many miles on them, but still... plastic is supposed to last forever? Time to buy new skates. And find those wrists splints.

Chris Campbell

[William]

Not bad for an old guy, Chris. If that would have been me, I would have broken my neck. I have never been able to roller skate or roller blade, or any other skating that was done with wheels. Ice skating was another story, that I could do with little effort. I do know the why, wheels verses blades, I just know I can one but not the other.

Bill

[electra225]

If I were to get on any skates, I'd bust my tush. I never could skate, even when I was a kid. Same with dancing. My dad was a whiz on skates and could "trip the light fantastic" with the best of them. You have my eternal respect for even TRYING to skate at our age, let alone actually be successful at it.

Plastic that is exposed to the weather has a hard life here in God's country. A battle I am currently engaged in is to try to keep the black plastic trim on the cars black. It tends to turn white out here in the sun.

[19&41]

Most plastics seem to have a finite lifespan. It's shorter for those that have more elastomer in their makeup. Urethane foam seems to have a relatively short life, cracking and crumbling or turning to goo. Acrylic plastics will either begin to form fissures, or their surfaces may oxidize and form a opaque film over their surfaces and they will begin to emit acetic acid fumes.

[TC Chris]

This has been my long weekend for plastics testing. Today we had temps in the 70s again and I went wading to move some concrete rubble up against the seawall at the cottage. During the high water period, the waves scoured the concrete away from the wall. The water was warm enough to be comfortable on bare legs. My sister had given me some waders that her late husband had used and the felt-bottom boots for them. I wore the boots to protect my feet against rough rubble and quagga mussels, which have extremely sharp shells. I also wore gloves for that reason.

When I got back in, I noted that the boots, which were formed of some kind of plastic-coated fabric, showed flaking and cracking in the plastic (vinyl?) overlay. They were still intact and it is mostly an aesthetic issue.

Chris Campbell