A much more practical survival use for silver (clothing)

[Iskander]

Okay so maybe silver isn't as practical for purifying water as I'd hoped for, no biggie. This however could be a very important discovery for all survival enthusiasts. Basically it is taking advantage of silver's perfect thermal conductivity and using it as an insulator in clothes. I really hope this hits markets soon.

http://kingworldnews.com/incredible-...nge-the-world/

The article reads a bit like a sales pitch, but it's very interesting regardless.

That's all I have to say about silver for now. I don't want to be forever known around here as "that silver guy" lol I'm just very interested in all the many applications (which are growing on a daily basis). This is the main one that really belongs here in these forums, I feel.

[Iskander]

Kinda bummed this didn't get any responses. I think this is an exciting possibility, if it really is as practical and useful as the article makes it sound. Could become something every single person here adds to their list of survival essentials.

[hunter63]

Thomas Edison....maybe the best inventor, in his day.... (and thief of other's inventions) once said.....
"I not going to say this idea failed.......I going to say I have proven that there are 10000 ways that it doesn't work".

Hang in there man, you may still find something that will use all that silver........Good luck.

[Tokwan]

pawn shop?

[Iskander]

What's wrong with this idea/use? It's cost effective too. This isn't something I could practically do on my own with my personal silver stack, rather it's just a product that I look forward to buying in the future if it works as well is intended to. Silver gloves would be nice. I have low blood pressure and my hands are always cold. Regular gloves are okay but the silver could really help to trap the heat in that much more.

[hunter63]

Now lets not get all jumpy again.......It is OK to agree or disagree....
Was just trying to be nice and respond to the thread.

I personally do not see a need or use, so choose to not be concerned......

Will I be sorry in the future?...Maybe....You have first dibs on "I told you so".

[Iskander]

Lol nah I'm not upset others don't think it's a good idea, just curious as to why. This isn't the place to brag on silver's countless uses for us humans (you have more around you all the time than you even realize) but this particular use just seems like an awesome survival use, no?

[pete lynch]

That link just times out.

[kyratshooter]

Thomas Edison talked about constant striving in the face of technological adversity, but PT Barnum is more applicable to this particular application. There's one born every minute.

The reasons this is not a good idea are listed right there in the crackpot article. It is untested, it is expensive, it breaks down with use and it is not a renewable resource. And if the article is correct, which you are depending on for the positive assumptions, the supply will be gone in 50 years.

[Rick]

The thing that confuses me is if silver is a conductor.....wouldn't it just conduct heat right out of you? I'm trying to wrap my brain around a conductor being an insulator. I probably should toss a bazinga in here.

[crashdive123]

I believe that trying to use silver as an insulator is relying on very little to do with how silver actually works. As Rick said, as a conductor it works great, but as an insulator...not so much.

[Lamewolf]

The thing that confuses me is if silver is a conductor.....wouldn't it just conduct heat right out of you? I'm trying to wrap my brain around a conductor being an insulator. I probably should toss a bazinga in here.

You got it all wrong Rick, you got to wrap the conductor around your brain to make it work as an insulator ! Yep, I'm cold so I'm going to wrap cold metal around me so I can warm up !

[finallyME]

Basically a space blanket that breathes. The article claims that it traps heat from radiation. That is the basic premise of a space blanket. It would also mean that if there was a large air current on the outside, the convection would pull heat from the silver nano-wires. I guess that would solve the other problem they are researching....something that keeps you cool in hot environments. Of course, if all it does is reflect radiation....then any reflective metal would work...like aluminum.

[TXyakr]

I was sold on the idea when I saw the photo of a cute blonde chic looking at the guy in a awesome silver sweater on that "World News" website and thought "Hey that could be me, I've gotta get one of those!"

But then reality set in when I read Rick's down to earth analysis on how the silver nano-wires might actually "heat sink" away my body's heat. And finallyME suggested that aluminum conducts almost as well but is much cheaper. Then I remembered that I generally avoid cotton apparel while wilderness camping. OH dog gone it! I will just need to rely on by wonderful, magnanimous personality to attract those beautiful blonde snow bunnies I meet so frequently while hiking in the wilderness. LOL

Heck that silver would probably just block the pheromones I seem to give off in great abundance judging by the throngs of women folk who follow me throughout the wilderness. Perhaps I ate something and got lost in a fantasy…. ha ha ha

[TXyakr]

Seriously!!! Columbia's Omni-Heat has been around for years and works on this basic principle fairly effectively:



Cost is not super low, but it holds up fairly well, actual third parties have tested it (watch the video linked above) and it does NOT USE COTTON!!! or Silver.

[Iskander]

I've thought of the same thing Rick said, but I'm not one of the scientists researching this, so naturally I can't just draw a conclusion on a hunch and call it that. I'm guessing since the nanowires are woven into the fabric the conductive properties of the silver are holding the heat in the cotton, combining the properties of conduction and insulation. But I don't know if that's exactly how it works or not. Regardless, I'm sure the scientists at Stanford are not all crackpots.

Kryat, showing your ignorance once again. And to think I actually apologized to you, but you seem bound and determined to try to make me look like a fool ("there's one born every minute"). You like to make claims, assumptions, without actually doing your homework. You say it's expensive but taken straight from the article we have, "While it’s easy to imagine that cloth made from silver may be expensive, the researchers claim the total cost of silver needed to make a complete body suit would only cost $1 (66p)." Nowhere in the article does it say this idea is untested. It says it requires MORE testing, which means they're obviously already doing testing. Your reading comprehension and retention skills are also poor because they didn't say supplies would run out in 50 years, they said 30. But I can tell you these are very general approximations of mined silver, what's left to be got underground. And/or surplus supply, but silver is not going to "run out" because there's still going to be plenty above ground. The prices will simply go up. We're talking microscopic quantities of silver for this idea. If you want to be concerned about silver being depleted, you should be concerned about the prices of ALL your electronics going up, for starters. I on the other hand am buying silver while it's cheap so I won't be concerned in the slightest when demand outweighs supply, because that will be the time for me to cash in. Keep trying buddy, I'm sure you'll get me one of these days

[Iskander]

Also, I'm not sure what the differences are, in this article it talks about reflecting infrared radiation, and a couple other people here have mentioned other ways of doing this. Well, I have a far infrared heating pad, not sure on the materials, but it doesn't produce the same type of heat. It's a knee pad supposedly good for joints, and it produces a burning sensation if worn for too long. Like mild pepper spray on your skin, and that burn lingers for half an hour or so. Not exactly comfortable, but it's supposedly good for you. It's an unusual product though and I'm sure the infrared heat they're/y'all are talking about is different. Heat from the sun is infrared radiation too, far infrared must be something else altogether. Trust me, you wouldn't want a full body suit made out of that stuff!
EDIT: reading about far infrared now, looks like it's just further down the electromagnetic spectrum. I guess it has different applications. It's strange though, I remember being skeptical that I would feel any heat from the pad I bought. I'm not sure if it is bouncing heat from my own body? There has to be more than that at work, because why would it leave a lingering burning sensation? Sorry for chasing rabbits, I'm still new here so I haven't figured out how to trap them yet, hehe.

[TXyakr]

This article in The Wall Street Journal was more convincing for me, but as stated in all the reports about it there still needs to be more testing so I would not get overly excited just yet. And if true nano-technology was used (typically an expensive process today) the actual amount of silver used would be insignificant, no need to worry about world wide shortages.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/tiny-clo...ill-1420822730

Popular Science article linked in Kings World News link you posted in comment #1
http://www.popsci.com/nanowire-cover...ouse-wont-have

So it may work but needs more peer review. Nano tech has been around for many years now and the price should be going down, as the process improves, just like with semiconductor tech.

I still think the fabric under it should be something other than cotton. Cotton is rotten as most outdoors people quickly learn.

Perhaps the fabric under the silver could be Ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) such as Dyneema® or something that was hollow core like a synthetic polar bear hair. Heck I don't know I'm just brainstorming here.

[Iskander]

I wonder if there's a particular reason cotton was chosen? Or maybe that's just the first material they've started with. I recall reading that cotton loses 100% of its insulation when wet. Are other clothing materials not like this? Only thing I can think of is a wet suit lol

You bring up a good point about price. While the quantity of silver used will be microscopic, the process may remain expensive. Not to mention if this does work and hits the market I'm sure sellers will hype it up to drive the price up. I'm only curious in how well it may work though.

[Rick]

I didn't say the scientists were crackpots. I said I don't understand it. Slight difference.

I didn't take Kyrat's PT Barnum comment to be directed at you. I took it as a comment in general. But that's just me.

Around the brain? See? That's never gonna work. They don't make silver that small.