Well, It's been a long time since I've been on this web shooter project, and it seems that there are alot of questions that have been recycling since I started this thing with Thebatsam. So I think it would be beneficial to do a little refresher basics course.
What is a
webshooter?
according to wikipedia: Shortly after getting his powers, Peter Parker develops a special synthetic
polymer adhesive that has spider web-like properties, as well as wrist-worn launching devices. Upon release, the webbing
dries into an extremely tough,
flexible, adhesive fiber. One account described a single strand as stronger than piano wire and it is perhaps as strong as real spider silk or
Kevlar. In Spider-Man: The Ultimate Guide, one strand of webbing is described to be strong enough to bind the Hulk and hold him prisoner, but only
if the Hulk were to hold still and let the webbing sufficiently dry. Also, according to recent volumes of The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, the tensile strength of the webbing is equivalent to 120 lb (54 kg) per square millimeter in cross-section and
is comparable to nylon with extraordinary adhesive properties
So, you'll notice that I made a few words and phrases bold. That's because they are important.
1.)polymer adhesive? A polymer is a set of monomers. A monomer is a small link in a chain of molecules. Think of polymers as plastics. (plastic is to a polymer as a square is to a rectangle. All plastics are polymers, not all polymers are plastics.
2.) It mentions twice that the polymer has to dry. That implies that the polymer is in fluid form and contains a
Solvent. a solvent is a material that dissolves another material. For example acetone is a solvent. If you want to see what it looks like to dissolve something:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9Jx8NRkWTo Once the acetone evaporates, the styrofoam will harden back into a shape. While styrofoam is USUALLY a solid, when you put it into acetone, it becomes a gel/ liquid.
3.)flexible, adhesive fiber: Did you know that not all polymers can make a fiber? Some are really good at becoming films, some rock hard, and others are stringy. Some are naturally sticky. Some are slippery.
4.) It's compared to nylon and kevlar. What are nylon and Kevlar? They are a special "family" of polymers called Aramids. Aramids are polymers with excellent strength and resistance to heat. they are super strong. They have good solvent resistance. That makes them really hard to dissolve, otherwise we could just use them.
So what do we learn about our "WEB fluid?"
1.)It is a polymer that is a strong, fiber forming, adhesive(sticky) and soluble. It must also be somewhere between the strength of nylon and kevlar. It also says spider silk, but... There is such a difference between spiders that I can't tell which spider's web they are talking about.