Can't wait for this weekend.

[coffee]

The wife and Daughter are going to Chicago this weekend and I have the weekend free to work on some still life photography. I have lots of new ideas that I'm dying to get at.

One of which is going to be new water sculptures. I made a new drip dispensing system that cost me all of 5 dollars. I made a mariotte siphon out of a windshield washer fluid bottle. I then whet to a pet store and bought a thin water hose and bought some plastic adjustable air valves for controlling the drip count. On testing, it works great. No photos yet though, just in the testing stage to make sure it is water tight.

My goal all along with water drop sculptures have been to capture drop collisions and the wonderful designs they make. But one of the problems I've always ran into was the drops would not always hit in the exact same spot to allow for good collisions. Now with what I have build, and once set up securely, I'm confidant that these drops will be lined up and colliding on command now. I also learned some new backdrop techniques for these.

For those into water drops, here is a fast look at what a mariotte siphon looks like. I then attached the lone hose to the outlet tube, and the valve at the end. This way I have some flexibility to move the valve where I want and keep the bottle in a stationary position.

http://www.martin-waugh.com/?p=19

[Hype]

Looking forward to seeing the results :)

Dont forget to to take a photo of the set up also so we can see how you did it. A behind the scenes if you like :)

[coffee]

Looking forward to seeing the results :)

Dont forget to to take a photo of the set up also so we can see how you did it. A behind the scenes if you like :)

Oh sure I will do that as long as it works. :)

[DoctorJazz]

Wish I had thought of this before, but the system you have figured out makes me think of an IV fluid drip where you adjust the flow to drops/sec. .......although
what you have figured out is much more accessible. Look forward to seeing the
results!

[coffee]

Wish I had thought of this before, but the system you have figured out makes me think of an IV fluid drip where you adjust the flow to drops/sec. .......although
what you have figured out is much more accessible. Look forward to seeing the
results!

Hi Sandy. Thanks for the post. Yes I thought of the IV drip thing too. But getting your hands on that sort of stuff is hard and probably very expensive. I've known about the Mariotte Siphon for some time, but never took the time to make one. I guess it's mainly due to the fact that I couldn't for the life of me come up with where I could get a valve that would work properly. Then the other day it hit me to check the pet store fish accessories. I've had fish many years ago and remembered adjusting the air to supply the tank. At least in the sink it works great. My next hurtle in the morning will be to set this mad scientist thingy up so that there is no movement at all as I adjust the drop rate.

FYI: when making the Mariotte Siphon, a hot glue gun works great for sealing up the tubes.

[Kaye]

I have also tried a couple of things which not much success.

Joseph, I checked out your link and this looks promising.
I just had a thought of something else that may be simple, but have not tried.
Have you ever had rabbits or guinea pigs? You know the small bottles that turn upside down with the sort of ball bearing at the bottom to allow a drip when touched by small animals. Perhaps a small sort of fine needle shaped insertion in this may give a regulated drip. Very cheap if it works.
P.S. Designed to hang upside down.

[coffee]

I have also tried a couple of things which not much success.

Joseph, I checked out your link and this looks promising.
I just had a thought of something else that may be simple, but have not tried.
Have you ever had rabbits or guinea pigs? You know the small bottles that turn upside down with the sort of ball bearing at the bottom to allow a drip when touched by small animals. Perhaps a small sort of fine needle shaped insertion in this may give a regulated drip. Very cheap if it works.

Yes, when I was in the pet shot, I looked at this as well. The problem is that there would be no way to control the drip count, or shut it off when needed. A control valve would still be needed for what I'm trying to do.

My last set up before I have a go tomorrow was to use a small ziplock full of water. Cut a small part of the corner out and get the drips going. But with this, the control isn't there. But the big problem was always controlling where the drops hit. There was just too much movement in the bag to get a controlled drop. Plus the fact that if I needed a fast drop rate, I would just stick the end of a paper clip in the hole and try and widen it. But a little ripped pieces of plastic at the hole would always interfere with the drop rate. Then since you moved the bag, I would have to go through the focusing process all over again, and hope that the drop rate doesn't slow down. Which it did all the time as more water is released. This is what makes the Mariotte Siphon so great. It will dispense the same amount of water no matter the amount of water in the bottle, as long as the level stays above the outlet tube. I don't know physics, but I think it's due to the Head pressure staying the same. So if that is a constant, and I have a valve to control the drip rate, and the fact that the drops hit the same spot once I have everything secure and immovable, I can then concentrate on the photography end of the process.

At least that's how things are working in my head anyway. hehe :)

[Kaye]

Joseph, I can only wish you good luck with your drips, and really hope the new method works well. Can't wait to see the results even if it only works half well! I know they will be good. Best of luck.