Flame Proof - Starlite (can withstand temperatures of 2,700 degrees Centigrade)

alternative science ^

[-=[_Super_Secret_Agent_]=-]

Too hot to handle

In April 1993, the defence magazine Jane's International Defence Review announced the discovery by a British amateur inventor, Maurice Ward, of a thin plastic coating able to withstand temperatures of 2,700 degrees Centigrade

The reason why it was a defence magazine who first published news of This revolutionary invention is that the coating is so resistant to heat that it can make tanks, ships and aircraft impervious to the effects of nuclear weapons at quite close range -- and hence is of great interest to the military mind.

A little later that year the whole nation had an opportunity to see for themselves the effectiveness of Maurice Ward's new paint on BBC Television when it was featured on "Tomorrow's World". Presenter Michael Rodd showed viewers an ordinary chicken's egg that had been painted with the new coating. The paint was so thin it was not visible. Rodd then dramatically donned welder's visor and gauntlets, lit up an oxyacetylene torch, and played the flame directly onto the egg for several minutes.

When he removed the flame, and cracked the egg on the table top, viewers were able to see that the coating was so heat resistant that the egg was still raw and had not even begun to cook.

This invention, a simple paint that can render anything impervious to very high temperatures, has been the holy grail of chemical research for more than fifty years. Teams of scientists in the world's greatest industrial and defence laboratories have poured billions of pounds and hundreds of man-years into the search for such a substance -- a quest which made Ward's discovery even more extraordinary.

Ward's invention is remarkable enough, but the story of how he came to make it, and the resistance he encountered in getting anyone to believe him, is even more remarkable.

Maurice Ward comes from Blackburn and has no professional scientific background. The closest he has come to the chemical industry was when, as a young man, he drove a fork lift truck in the warehouse of ICI. For the past two decades, he has earned a living as a ladies hairdresser.

Part of his income was derived from selling his customers hair preparations such as shampoo, conditioner and hairspray. To maximise his income he rented a small workshop, bought standard chemicals and mixed and bottled his own brand hair products.

In the best traditions of Ealing Comedy, it was when playing around mixing up chemicals in his 'skunk works' that Ward stumbled on the formula that had eluded the finest minds in chemical research.

Realising at once the value of his invention, Ward wrote to Britain's major chemical companies, offering to demonstrate his material to them. Every one sent him the standard brush-off letter they send to cranks and crackpots. After the "Tomorrow's World" demonstration, Ward stopped getting the brush-off and starting getting offers instead.

One consequence of his contacts with chemical companies was that the head of research of ICI's paint laboratory left the firm and went into partnership with Ward to exploit the discovery commercially.

One other interesting consequence is that the large corporations who had rejected his initial approaches in such a knee-jerk fashion, conducted internal inquests to find out what had gone wrong, both with their own research and with their dealings with the outside world.

On the face of it, it was perfectly understandable that Ward's claims should be ignored since he was merely an amateur, with no scientific training and no track record in research.

ICI's own paints laboratory held an internal audit and what they found puts this claim in an entirely different light. For the audit showed that the most scientifically qualified of its research chemists had contributed to the least number of patents, and the fewer scientific qualifications the staff possessed, the greater the number of patents they had contributed to. In the most striking case of all, the person who had contributed to most ICI's patents had no scientific qualifications at all.

It seems that Maurice Ward's greatest strength as a researcher was that he had not been taught how to think.

In the light of examples such as this, the phrase 'Alternative Science' seems less a contradiction in terms and more a harbinger of something that professional science is likely to see more and more of in future.

[struggle]

Remimds me of that flameproof coating in Fahringheit 451.

[atomicpossum]

I heard about this fellow a few years ago, but never heard anything more.

Would this material be helpful in Dick Rutan's new orbiter?

[spoiler2]

"Ward's greatest strength as a researcher was that he had not been (formally) taught how to think."

Most important sentence in the whole article!! (formally) is my own insertion.

[Red Badger]

No more ASBESTOS UNDERWEAR! I'll be donning STARLITE!

[BenLurkin]

If real this would be very useful to anyone looking for a better way to deal with the heat from re-entry.

[DSBull]

Maybe Saddam would be interested in the stuff.
I understand that where he is going is is very, very warm.

[finnman69]

Perfect for steel fireproofing

[Fierce Allegiance]

Don't always need the degree to be good at what you do!

You might find interest in this.

[AndrewC]

The paint was so thin it was not visible. Rodd then dramatically donned welder's visor and gauntlets, lit up an oxyacetylene torch, and played the flame directly onto the egg for several minutes.

When he removed the flame, and cracked the egg on the table top, viewers were able to see that the coating was so heat resistant that the egg was still raw and had not even begun to cook.

This I "gotta see".

[Fierce Allegiance]

Dude, its a PAINT coating. Ever spill paint thinner in the "underwear area"?

Good luck doffing the starlite skivvies!

[Red Badger]

Story sounds just like the story of the Carlson guy who created the first "XEROX" copy. All the BIG WIGS (IBM, RCA, KODAK, GE) told him to go and play with his toy, They knew what businesses wanted and he was a fool......

[-=[_Super_Secret_Agent_]=-]

http://www.alternativescience.com/flame-proof.htm

ther is a photo.

[Bikers4Bush]

It would be helpful to a lot of things. Like what would happen to engine parts if you were able to coat them with this material, heatless friction.

[Red Badger]

OK, so I'll get a BODY ARTIST to cover my @$$.......

[LtKerst]

I read about "Starlight"
But if it is so great...where are the products?
This is the same stuff as the Moler "Spaceship" basicly
a plane with fans to make it lift, but it doesnt really fly around. Moler shows it around, to raise money, but rarely demonstrates it's abilities. The Military already far surpassed it's abilities. and there is no civillian cheap flying Car.

Starlight, even if it is used by the military, would by now have civillian uses. Firewalls of cars, fireproof housepaints,baby cribs, gloves, heatshields. but none exist.

[Constitution Day]

Thanks! I'll check it out in a little while; headed to lunch now.

[atomicpossum]

http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread58803/pg1 is a page with a lot of links and some discussion about this material. BEWARE THE POP-UPS, THOUGH.

[stevio]

Cool. I mean this is going to be hot. Because it keeps things cool.

[Ditto]

This revolutionary invention is that the coating is so resistant to heat that it can make tanks, ships and aircraft impervious to the effects of nuclear weapons at quite close range -- and hence is of great interest to the military mind.

But the neutron blast is still going to kill everyone inside while the shock wave blows it to bits.

I wonder what "alternative physics" this writer practices.

[js1138]

What happened to StarLite?

[Sender]

Wow...very cool. This sounds like the ideal paint for the Space Shuttle and reentry vehicles.

[Aquinasfan]

For the audit showed that the most scientifically qualified of its research chemists had contributed to the least number of patents, and the fewer scientific qualifications the staff possessed, the greater the number of patents they had contributed to. In the most striking case of all, the person who had contributed to most ICI's patents had no scientific qualifications at all.

LOL! Reminds me of Milton Friedman's quip that "when you pay for research, that's exactly what you'll get."

The alternative: offer rewards for specific results.

[js1138]

Starlite seems to have insulated itself from success. It certainly isn't burning up google.

[js1138]

junk science ping

[Scythian]

Where is that quote from ...

For the audit showed that the most scientifically

[Blood of Tyrants]

Won't itch nearly as bad either!

[Scythian]

In 1993 viewers of the BBC's Tomorrow's World were treated to a curious sight. Presenter Michael Rodd donned a welding mask and gloves, fired up an oxyacetylene torch and used it to attack an apparently ordinary egg. After four minutes the egg was cracked open to reveal its interior, still raw and runny. The secret? A thin coating of Starlite, a miraculous, heat-proof substance invented by a middle-aged hairdresser from Blackburn.

Maurice Ward had no scientific background. He did like to tinker, however, and inside his rented workshop he created his own brand of hair products, using ordinary chemicals and a food mixer. He stumbled upon Starlite and its heat-proof properties by accident and, realising that he had something special on his hands, began contacting chemical companies.

At first Ward was dismissed as a crackpot inventor, but following a brief mention in Jane's International Defence Review and the Tomorrow's World demonstration, defence and chemical companies took notice. More articles in intelligence and business journals followed, reporting that Starlite had withstood a simulated 10,000 C nuclear blast and shrugged off a high-powered laser beam.

Countless applications could be imagined for this tough, lightweight material: from ship, aircraft and spacecraft design to body armour and kitchen equipment. Concerned that a corporate giant would steal his recipe, Ward refused to patent his invention, revealing only that it contained 21 components, mostly organic polymers, borates and ceramics.

Rumours soon circulated. Some said bidders included Nasa and the US department of energy, others said the plans had been stolen and a secret factory was producing Starlite for the US government while other governments had tried in vain to replicate the mixture. There was talk of billion-dollar buyouts, stockmarket flotations, even a Maurice Ward Starlite Technology Centre staffed by Nasa employees. Then everything went quiet.

The last word was in 1997, when a spokesman announced that Ward was close to a major deal with an aircraft interiors manufacturer. Ward was then enjoying his new hobby - harness racing. By 2002 his horses were still running. But whatever happened to Starlite?

Vanishing Starlite

Rest assured, the US has it !!

[Blood of Tyrants]

You ain't kidding! It weighs practically nothing and protects wonderfully. Fragile spun glass tiles like on the shuttle and ablative heat shields would be a thing of the past. Of course more tests have to be run though, like how does it handle re-entry at 17,000 mph; will it have enough adhesive power to keep from getting torn off the spacecraft.

[Scythian]

See post #28

Then everything went quiet.

[quietolong]

Sounds a little " Tin Foil " for now. But! you never know.

Look at TV's inventors

PHiLO T. FARNSWORTH
http://philotfarnsworth.com/

John Logie Baird
http://www.arts.uwaterloo.ca/FINE/juhde/hills961.htm

[Protagoras]

It would be helpful to a lot of things. Like what would happen to engine parts if you were able to coat them with this material, heatless friction.

IF,,,this substance is what it claims, and if it can be produced at a reasonable cost, it will revolutionize a huge number of things. The number of applications would be enormous.

[Scythian]

More here

Starlite Technologies

Has the material Starlite become classified?

Burley Products, Ultra Hightech Starlite

[VOA]

bump

[steve-b]

Flame Proof - Starlite (can withstand temperatures of 2,700 degrees Centigrade)

That's all well and good, but I don't think it will help with the flames that result when somebody posts a mainstream American opinion on DU.

[Scythian]

Burley Products claims to be working with the inventor and has the formula, my guess is this is a scam to trick folks into investing, but check out their site

http://www.burleyproducts.com/

[LTCJ]

Starlite seems to have insulated itself from success. It certainly isn't burning up google.

It's being tested in a Tippy-Top Secret program on The Dark Side of the Sun.

[aruanan]

ICI's own paints laboratory held an internal audit and what they found puts this claim in an entirely different light. For the audit showed that the most scientifically qualified of its research chemists had contributed to the least number of patents, and the fewer scientific qualifications the staff possessed, the greater the number of patents they had contributed to. In the most striking case of all, the person who had contributed to most ICI's patents had no scientific qualifications at all.

It seems that Maurice Ward's greatest strength as a researcher was that he had not been taught how to think.

No, wrong conclusion. The more senior scientists are used to perform the more bureaucratic functions of the enterprise. The less senior scientists are those who are still in the labs doing the work. It's no wonder that someone who has been removed from the day to day experimental work would not be coming up with patentable ideas.

[aruanan]

In April 1993, the defence magazine Jane's International Defence Review announced the discovery by a British amateur inventor, Maurice Ward, of a thin plastic coating able to withstand temperatures of 2,700 degrees Centigrade

And in the intervening 11 years we've seen a giant spate of new products and processes based on this discovery.

[OXENinFLA]

Well, does this have SPACE SHUTTLE applications?

[PatrickHenry]

From the article:
Maurice Ward comes from Blackburn and has no professional scientific background. The closest he has come to the chemical industry was when, as a young man, he drove a fork lift truck in the warehouse of ICI. For the past two decades, he has earned a living as a ladies hairdresser.

Oooooooh, ooooooooh!

[Final Authority]

I thought the quote was,"the more one pays for research the more research one gets." Very similar but to the point, research must have certain measurable goals or milestones or it becomes purely academic.

[unixfox]

This story reeks of this song...

How do ya like me now?
Now that I'm on my way, do you still think I'm crazy standin here today?

[SunkenCiv]

Sounds like an ideal material for, oh, I dunno, say, a space vehicle fleet owned by Richard Branson? ;')

George W. Bush will be reelected by a margin of at least ten per cent

Election 2004 threads on FR

[Bikers4Bush]

It's staggering what this could be used for.

[cyn]

space shuttle, pah -- use it in the next generation of FR flame suits!

[Protagoras]

It's staggering what this could be used for.

Yep, I hope it's true. But like so many other things, it could be mostly hype.

[Dead Corpse]

Might actually be able to survive more than a couple minutes on an evolution/drug war/libertarian thread.

[cyn]

If L'Oreal's ordinary shampoos cause a fish kill in Ohio (in which "A chemical reaction in a plant mixing vat ... caused the shampoo to burst through a pipe and onto the roof.", one wonders what this guy's concoctions could do to his neighborhood . . . and how long before he gets slapped with some environmental fine.

joking aside, thanks for posting this -- very interesting and inspiring to see what 'amateurs' are doing in their garages around the world -- may they live long and prosper.

[Bikers4Bush]

I remember seeing a demonstration of it on camera once. Unbelievable, the guy took a blow torch to a square piece of this stuff and nothing. Not even so much as a scorch mark.

If memory serves it was on a weekly news program possibly even 60 minutes.