Just Washed Up

Backscratchers, chemistry, and random stuff I like... itchthatbitch.com

[llibblog]

Phony Top Ten Rankings

I don’t post a lot, but when I do, you can believe is has some meaning. Recently I checked some so called "Top Ten Rated Sites” links. I wanted to see how my product, with over 99% five star rankings, compared with other similar backscratching products. HAHA. In their phony top ten ranking dreams. All they turned out to be were Amazon sponsored links to sell products from paid Amazon sites for peddling Amazon sold products. I don’t care if Amazon sells product, or if others sell on Amazon, but artificial hyped rankings that are not representative of ALL sellers is deceptive and cheap. An example;  

 “ABOUT USSavantmag.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.” Yup. That’s a direct quote from the about us section of the above website. Just not true, or at best, half truth. It is classic click bait that can be easy to believe at first, but on close examination is just misleading and really false advertising.

The best rankings are from bona fide customers that actually buy the product and then leave a review. Believe then, not a hyped headline.

Consumer, beware.

Bill Grant Creator/Maker ItchThatBitch.com

[llibblog]

The Making of a Backscratcher: From Apprentice to Artisan

Even a well-conceived, uniquely designed product with universal appeal can still benefit from improvement. This is especially true with artisanal handmade products, like a backscratcher, that require skill and workmanship to produce.

A prototype is rarely a masterpiece - it's a conceptual design that improves as the maker creates successive copies. An actual example, from concept through production, is my ItchThatBitch back scratchers. The original idea came from the design of the old-fashioned fly swatter - a twisted wire with a piece of screen or later, plastic mesh on the fly-smacking end. The thought was that several wires twisted together would make a decent back scratcher. The idea was not to make the best back scratcher in the world (though it now is), but to make a funny and useful Christmas stocking stuffer for my three grown children.

As an avid do-it-yourselfer, I am proficient at many handy man household tasks. I learned these skills on my own, before the era of YouTube and with only a few “how to” books to guide me. But when I started making backscratchers, I quickly realized that proficiency does not always equate to mastery, and it doesn't guarantee truly professional results.

I bought a roll of galvanized steel wire at the hardware store, and using a common shop vice and vice grip pliers, twisted the wires to form the original ItchThatBitch backscratchers. They were kind of rustic, but also kind of cute - and most importantly they really, really worked. The family encouraged me to make more and try to sell them online or at craft shows, but I was pessimistic. I really felt the design needed more - something to set it apart from cheap disposable imports.

A year later, while still procrastinating and not much further along, I considered making a backscratcher out of long-lasting stainless steel, so it would be unbreakable. I made up a prototype, added the numbered ID tag and wrote up a lifetime warranty, and decided on a name I thought would be memorable: ItchThatBitch.

It took another five months to get a web site built, write product descriptions, take photos, and go live. In retrospect, I wasn't really ready, but if you wait till you are, you'll probably never start. I was soon breaking even and happy about that, but our review services were sending some negative feedback about the backscratchers being too bendy and even too scratchy.

It's a real wake up to get a product complaint, especially since I'd received good reviews so far. But I was listening. I started using a heavier stainless steel wire with a polished finish. I also switched to jewelry-grade brass and copper wire trim. In addition, I made small but important changes to the manufacturing process and began including a small piece of wire file with each purchase. All this resulted in a sturdier, easier-to-use backscratcher, and a way for customers to adjust “scratchiness.”

The favorable reviews went up, and something else happened, too. After making close to 100 ItchThatBitch backscratchers, the handle and fingers were more uniform and the models with wire wrapping had neater, tighter coils. Now I regularly get feedback from customers that appreciate my product for being “well made” and “professional.” My now multi-year process of creating, making and continually refining and improving ItchThatBitch backscratchers has made me especially appreciative of professional artisans, craftspeople and jewelers.

I’ve learned that even though the original design needed improvement and the original fabrication was less than perfect, something now exists that otherwise would not. Along the way I went from apprentice to master of a narrow niche: the best back scratchers in the world!

Bill Grant Creator/Maker ItchThatBitch.com

[cenchempics]

HOMEMADE ROCKET ENGINE

Rockets are visually spectacular examples of combustion reactions put to use. Unfortunately, says Andres Tretiakov, a lab technician at St. Paul’s School in London, “most rocket engine demonstrations cannot be done in the lab unless you use a small model rocket motor. Even then, copious amounts of smoke are released.” But this rocket engine, which Tretiakov made from a tube of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) connected to an oxygen hose, is a great—and manageable—example of a combustion reaction. With oxygen flowing through the tube, Tretiakov ignites the open end of the PMMA, which functions as both the housing of the rocket as well as its fuel. As the PMMA burns, it gets oxidized and produces carbon dioxide and water. Running this engine for more than a minute can melt the PMMA, so, for now, Tretiakov has no plans to use it to launch any real rockets.

If you’re planning to do the demo in your own lab, make sure you do it in a well ventilated area and that a steady flow of oxygen is going through the tube, as incomplete oxidation of PMMA can create carbon monoxide.

Submitted by Andres Tretiakov

Do science. Take pictures. Win money. Enter our photo contest here!

Chemistry teachers, Tag your submission with #K12ChemPics to participate in a special photo contest for the chance to win lab equipment for your classroom!

[cenchempics]

BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER

Not only is blood thicker than water, it also has lower surface tension. Droplets of low-surface-tension liquids spread when they touch a surface, which means that blood can stick to medical implants and equipment. In some cases, this interaction can even obstruct blood flow and cause clots. That’s why Arun Kota and Ketul Popat’s labs at Colorado State University designed a surface coating that is superhemophobic—or highly repellent to blood. The coating is made of a multitude of TiO₂ nanotubes packed together and standing up on a titanium surface. The researchers decorated the nanotubes with Teflon-like fluorocarbon molecules, which, in addition to the surface roughness introduced by the nanotubes, help reduce interactions between most liquids and the surface. Less interaction means less spreading, as shown by the very round droplets of blood (bottom, from left), plasma, and water that can roll off the surface with ease.

Credit: Kota lab/Colorado State University (read the paper)

More Chemistry in Pictures and C&EN stories:

A simple method yields a wrinkly, water-repellent surface

Sprayable superhydrophobic coating reflects pee back at urinators

[sciencefriday]

This team of early female astronomers created the star classification system we use today.

In the late 19th century, astronomy was a growing field. At the time, Edward Pickering, the director of the Harvard College Observatory, was working to create a classification system for stars by capturing the light from these distant celestial objects onto photographic glass plates. A team of female assistants and astronomers meticulously maintained and analyzed these delicate negatives. In her new book, The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars, Dava Sobel shares the stories of these female “human computers” and how their work helped to advance the field of astronomy and the role of women in science.

This team of astronomers included Williamina Fleming, who was once Pickering’s maid but eventually became a supervisor to the group and went on to identify hundreds of variable stars. And Henrietta Swan Leavitt’s observations about the luminosity of stars would shape later ideas about the expanding universe.

Listen to the interview here.

[Photos courtesy of The Glass Universe]

[cenchempics]

Crystal close-up

James Hope, a science teacher at Millfield in Street, England, wanted to show his students that minerals such as table salt aren’t the only substances that form crystals. So Hope instructed his students to cut a sliver of copper about 1 mm wide and put it on a microscope slide with a drop of 0.1 M silver nitrate solution. The students watched the piece of copper at 100× magnification and saw fractal patterns of silver crystals sprouting from the copper’s surface. What they were observing was silver(I) ions in the solution picking up electrons from the copper metal to produce silver metal, which plated out as a crystal. At the same time, copper ions entered the solution, turning it blue.

Submitted by James Hope and his pupils at Millfield

Do science. Take pictures. Win Money. Enter our photo contest here

More Chemistry in Pictures and C&EN stories:

Seed money

Saving endangered photographs

Using pocket change as a tool in the lab

[llibblog]

Picking the Perfect Gift

Five Tips to Make Your Next Gift a Success

For major gifts like graduations, anniversaries, weddings and retirements, most people fall back on the standard gift cards, or something from a registry, or even a charitable donation. But it's always better to take some extra time to learn about what the recipient wants and needs. In other words, the gift is not about you, it’s all about the recipient.

Here are five tips to make your gift-giving a success, and your loved one very happy! Your gift should be:

Thoughtful – So the recipient will know that you really care.

Useful – Don’t just give something that will be re-gifted. Your gift should be of actual use to your loved one.

Memorable – Pick something original, cool, and neat and not something everyone else has. It should show original thought or knowledge about the recipient's tastes.

Needed – The last thing you want your special friend to think is, “What am I going to do with this?” For a lot of us, what can be more needed than a good back scratch from a friend, or – a back scratcher that really works?!

Personalized – It's rare to receive a one-of-a-kind gift that fits all of the above requirements. It is even more rare and special to receive something personalized and unique.

I personally know of one product that fills all of the above five requirements, because I make it!  

It's the ItchThatBitch Backscratcher. Reasonably priced in the $20 range, my backscratchers are hand made in the USA out of stainless steel with copper, brass or silver solder trim, and each one comes with a unique stamped serial number and lifetime warranty. On request, I can personalize the serial number tag with a short engraved note to your giftee.

This is a new and truly unique product that only a few people have. It's only been available since June 2015, but our rave reviews show that people really love our backscratchers!

Get your perfect gift at ItchThatBitch.com. You can also see how these unique backscratchers are made on YouTube.

[oliverthecorgi]

We liked the back scratcher but only for a little bit. Then we decided it was more enjoyable as a chew toy.

[llibblog]

LOL, another use for cheap wooden scratchers - dog toys! Because we all know they don’t scratch that itch of a bitch very well...

[swiftlysafe]

[llibblog]

The Death of the Backscratcher (As We Know It)

Actually, the back scratcher has not died, but my innovation in back scratcher design has rendered obsolete all of the cheap and short-lived, easily breakable junk import back scratchers. It’s about time. My backscratcher is virtually indestructible, and lasts for a lifetime (with a corresponding guarantee).

The decline of a product that is inferior, shoddily made, and requires continual replacement should not be mourned, but celebrated. Unbendable and breakable telescoping cheap imported back scratchers should be – and deserve to be – relegated to the “FAIL, don’t buy” list of junk products.

The ItchThatBitch backscratcher is a throwback to the times when products were made in the USA to last forever, not just until the next model year. Not only does my backscratcher last, it does an unparalleled job of scratching your back. Your bitch of an itch is no more with my custom-made, unique, one-of-a-kind backscratcher. Plus, it's dishwasher safe!

Even though each ItchThatBitch back scratcher is different and has its own serial number, the scratching fingers are functionally the same. On top of that, these scratchers don’t ever break or fall apart. This does present some long-term problems. A back scratcher that really works, doesn’t break and lasts forever could reduce future sales. Well, that’s the price you pay for perfection.

Some people might say that we're just making claims and falsely bragging about being the best back scratcher. But our customers have consistently given us five-star ratings after purchasing our backscratchers – using an independent, third-party review system.

To be fair, we weren’t always five star. We had some early creations that were not the best, but we listened to customers and modified accordingly, and now sell a product that is as close to perfection as it gets.

If you help us get even closer to perfection with a suggestion on how we can improve, and we're able to incorporate your suggestion into our designs, we'll send you a free back scratcher!

So, even though most back scratchers have died (or will shortly) we can celebrate the near-eternal life of the ItchThatBitch backscratcher, with you and for you when you need it.

Buy yours at ItchThatBitch.com, and watch how it's made on YouTube.

Bill, Creator and Maker ItchThatBitch Backscratchers

[llibblog]

THE LIFETIME WARRANTY

Many manufactured consumer products today have warranty or guarantee provisions. The scope of the warranty usually reflects the underlying quality and durability of the finished product. An automobile or major appliance might have up to a five year warranty on certain parts.  That’s fine for some goods, but most of us really would like to buy something once, and have it just work, forever, if possible. This is the class of products that are so good their maker offers a lifetime or limited lifetime warranty. Think about that. Lifetime. That is a long time, especially for a man made object. When I first conceived my idea for a back scratcher, it was just as a novelty item to stuff a holiday stocking, and possibly scratch an itch. But when the first models brought more than one suggestion to make them for sale, I realized that it was not just about scratching an itch. It was also about doing it better and forever. If it’s better and lasts forever, that’s something worth buying. It also can’t be a cheap import of wood or plastic, or thin gauge metal. It must be substantial, and really built to last darn near forever. The first good example that comes to mind is the old fashioned Zippo™ Lighter. They just worked forever, and if they did break, you just sent it back to Bradford, PA where they fixed it free. Now that’s a warranty to believe in. And that is the same feeling that ITCHTHATBITCH.COM has about their back scratchers. If we can’t make it to last for you, why even bother. We could have used cheaper galvanized iron like the first prototypes, but instead opted for lifetime stainless steel and other noble metals. Skin will just not erode or wear out our back scratcher. You can sit on it and it won’t break. It might bend, but it easily bends back. Another good example is Sears Craftsman™ hand tools. Break a Sears Craftsman™ hand tool and Sears replaces it, free. If everything were made like these tools we would spend a lot less time replacing broken stuff. This is just a start. If you fly fish, you’ve heard of Orvis™ fishing rods. If your Orvis™ fly rod ever breaks, even because of a car door, they will fix or replace for a small fee. But that’s just for 25 years. Rods after 2003 are $30. Of course, hammers and anvils tend to pound away or be pounded upon, have no warranty and still last and last. ITCHTHATBITCH.com Fingers™, Knuckles™, Brass Knuckles™, and Silver fingers™ will probably last that long, unless you are scratching a granite statue. Also high on my list of fantastic products with a lifetime or near lifetime warranty are Cutco™ knives. They have a forever warranty to replace if it every wears out, and they also provide a sharpening service at a nominal $7 for up to three knives, and $10 for 4 or more. This is even better than the ITCHTHATBITCH lifetime warranty, which is limited to the life of the maker and back scratcher owner. We’ve had a set of Cutco knives for over 40 years. They  repaired, sharpened and replaced as per their warranty. Another frequently overlooked warranty product is Scheaffer™ pens. A failure of the ink cartridge gunked up the mechanism, and another time, skin oil caused the rubber finger grip to fail. Twice in twenty years it has been repaired. I’m not using it much now because it’s gotten boring. It is really great to have something that lasts so long you just get tired of it. We don’t think you will ever tire of an ITCHTHATBITCH backscratcher. At the ITCHTHATBITCH.com repair and warranty department, we don’t have a guy sitting around sleeping like the Maytag™ washing machine repairman. We don’t have a repairman because our back scratchers have never broken. In fairness, we haven’t been making them that long.  If one ever does, we will fix or replace it free, and that’s a promise. The main point of this discussion is to state that if a consumer has a choice when consuming, why not consume something that will last a long time, and if it doesn’t last, at least be something that has a meaningful warranty. ITCHTHATBITCH.com offers that choice on its line of back scratchers. Don’t you wish you had that same choice on all of your other purchase choices?

[llibblog]

http://itchthatbitch.com/

[llibblog]

Back Scratcher Forever A custom handmade one of a kind serially numbered stainless steel back scratcher with a lifetime warranty. Now available at http://www.itchthatbitch.com

http://itchthatbitch.com/

[llibblog]

The back scratchers from itchthatbitch are custom handmade serially numbered one of a kind artisanal creations with a lifetime warranty

Handmade by Bill