SPIDERMAN'S COSTUME
Spider-Man's
costume was sewed and designed by himself out of typical
synthetic stretch fabric when he was just starting out his career
as Spider-Man. With the original intent of using his powers and
abilities for enterteinment rather than crime-fighting, Peter
Parker created a costume that used bright reds and blues as well
as an intrincate web pattern to highlight his amazing "
Spider-like " powers. Although his days in the enterteinment
industry were short-lived, Spider-Man has continued to use his
original costume to fight crime. There have been several
different suits he has worn from time to time ( some more
effective and unique than others ), but through the years he has
always returned to his traditional reds and blues.
SPIDERMAN'S WEB-SHOOTERS
Spider-Man's web-shooters
are twin devices worn on his wrists which can shoot thin strands
of a special "web-fluid" at high pressure. The web-fluid
is a shear-thinning liquid ( virtually solid until a shearing
force is applied to it, rendering it fluid ) whose exact formula
is as yet unknown, but is related to nylon. On contact with the
air, the long chain polymer knits and forms and extremely tough,
flexible fiber with extraordinary adhesive properties. The web
fluid's adhesive quality dimishes rapidly with exposure to air. (
Where it does not make contact with air, such as attachment disk
of the web-shooter, it remains very adhesive.) After about 1
hour, certain imbided esthers cause the solid form of the web-fluid
to dissolve into a powder. Because the fluid almost instantly
sublimates its anaerobic liquid/solid phase transition point,
there is no clogging of the web-shooter's parts.
The spinneret
mechanism in the web-shooter is machined from stainless steel,
excepr for the turbine component wich is machined out of a block
of teflon and the two turbine bearings which are made of amber
and artificial sapphire. The wristlets and web fluid cartridges
are mainly nickle-plated ancaled brass. The wristlets have sharp
steel nipples wich pierce the bronze caps when the cartridges are
tightly wedged into their positions. The hand-wound solenoid
needle valve is actuated by a palm switch that is protected by a
band of spring steel which requires a 65 pound pressure of
trigger. The switch is situated high of the palm avoid most
unwanted firings. The small battery compartment is protected by a
rubber seal. The effect of the very small turbine pomp vanes is
to compress ( shear ) the web-fluid and then force it, under
pressure, through the spinneret holes which cold-draws it (
stretches it: the process wherein nylon gains a four-fold
increase in tensile strength ), then extrudes it trough the air
where it solidifies. As the web-fluid exits the spinneret holes,
it is attracted to itself electrostatically and thus can form
complex shapes. The spinneret holes have three sets of
adjustable, staggered openings around the turbine which permite a
single web line, a more complex, spun web line, and a thick
stream. The web line's tensile strength is estimated to be 120
pounds per square millimiter of cross section. The 300 p.s.i.
pressure in each cartridge is sufficient to forcea stream of the
complex web pattern and estimated 60 feet ( significantly farther
if shot in a ballistic parabolic arc ).
