So Simple... It's Beautiful

[Mattie]

Ha...Ha...a million ways to burn a paper clip! You could have already burned it by now!

 

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[KLaw]

I'm officially lost.

I will try to clarify. I've got a product I am bringing to the market. I've done a quick patent search and less then 10 "similar" items are out there. The businesses I've spoken to serve the market I am going after. Therefor, their input as to the need of the product gives me some initial validation. The product would be used 1 - 4 times per week or as needed / desired. It has to be heated up to bring the real benefits. Nobody is currently doing this. The "heater" should be small enough to be able to be stowed away in a drawer. Clear as mud?

 

[KLaw]

Ha...Ha...a million ways to burn a paper clip! You could have already burned it by now!

What are you talking about? Re-read the op.

 

[timmy]

A Car Cigarette lighter reaches between 1200 and 2100 degrees ! ....Not a countertop product I know, but perhaps you could reverse engineer it back to suit your particular needs ? I would think this could be made for you at a rate that would not alter your price point.

 

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[rcdlopez]

Hi,

I am very wealthy investor and I like your idea. I'm willing to invest at least umteen million dollars on this idea and the idea ONLY. Where do I send my check to? Hell, where do I send my bags full of cash? We can start a business together even though I hardly know you. You bring in the ideas, I bring in the capital, connections and champagne... for when we celebrate our fityleven billion million dollar IPO.

And remember! If you can dream it you shall achieve it!

 

[Marc B.]

I hate to keep answering your question with more questions, but I think a few things need to be clarified. Call me over-analytical, but I have a hard time getting around it. How quickly do the paperclips need to be heated? Do they need to be held at the temperature for any length of time (steady state), or is this just transient heat transfer? Are you trying to make the footprint of the oven as small as possible? Does the opening need to be any particular shape (round, flat, square?) Top-loading, front loading? I can think of a few ways to arrange 20 paperclips and bring them up to your target temp, but they don't all fit the bill. Does your oven need to be sealed, or can it have one or more open ends?

 

[MarkNNelson]

So like this, only smaller?

www.cabelas.com/product/Lee-Production-Pot/741146.uts

 

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[Marc B.]

Mini Mag Furnace used for ammunition, I think:
http://www.lymanproducts.com/lyman/bullet-casting/mini-mag-furnace.php

Mini Furnace for heating samples:
http://www.ec21.com/offer_detail/Sell_Mini_Muffle_Furnace_Laboratory--12384250.html

 

[RogueInnovation]

This is a simple problem you can figure out on your own.
Set up some parameters, search for results that fit in those constraints, select the best.

Getting guys to just brainstorm is very meh, just do diligence by searching for heating methods, noting them down, then studying them.

If we can solve it by guessing that is not a suitable barrier to entry for your product. Do this professionally and figure it out rationally.


Or maybe change the question to, "looking for heaters x size any of you heard of anything?"

 

[rcdlopez]

Ok, I'm lost now too. So I'll be the first to ask this question. Is this a F*cking joke or are we being serious guys. Sorry I just had to ask, cuz if this is a joke it's getting F*cking lame now. Kill it already!

 

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[KLaw]

I hate to keep answering your question with more questions, but I think a few things need to be clarified. Call me over-analytical, but I have a hard time getting around it. How quickly do the paperclips need to be heated? 10 minutes, not a critical spec Do they need to be held at the temperature for any length of time (steady state), or is this just transient heat transfer? just heat transfer Are you trying to make the footprint of the oven as small as possible? yes Does the opening need to be any particular shape (round, flat, square?) no Top-loading, front loading? top I can think of a few ways to arrange 20 paperclips and bring them up to your target temp, but they don't all fit the bill. Does your oven need to be sealed, or can it have one or more open ends?

@Marc B. thanks for the detailed questions.

How quickly do the paperclips need to be heated? 10 minutes, not a critical spec Do they need to be held at the temperature for any length of time (steady state), or is this just transient heat transfer? just heat transfer Are you trying to make the footprint of the oven as small as possible? yes Does the opening need to be any particular shape (round, flat, square?) no Top-loading, front loading? top so the user can easily grab the top of the clip Does your oven need to be sealed, or can it have one or more open ends? sealed

I will post a rough sketch in a minute of my original vision

 

[chrischapman]

WHY ARE WE HEATING PAPERCLIPS?!?!?!

is it just me? @rcdlopez @MJ DeMarco

 

[Yeezy]

This is a simple problem you can figure out on your own.
Set up some parameters, search for results that fit in those constraints, select the best.

Getting guys to just brainstorm is very meh, just do diligence by searching for heating methods, noting them down, then studying them.

If we can solve it by guessing that is not a suitable barrier to entry for your product. Do this professionally and figure it out rationally.


Or maybe change the question to, "looking for heaters x size any of you heard of anything?"

Agree, asking some forum members how to heat some paper clips seems like a sketchy road to starting a business.

 

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[Kymberly]

I want to heat up 20 large, metal paper clips to about 375 degrees. Obviously, obtaining the paper clips is the easy part. The "heater box" must be small and easily stowed away when not in use. Usage would be about 4 times per week. I've already tested the idea via placing the clips in the oven and it works perfectly. I've spoken to 17 biz owners and they have validated the need - yes -all of them.

What "heater boxes" are already out there that I could use? I will be more specific if i get any responses. Also, if this is not the right forum for this question, I'd certainly be appreciative of other suggested websites.

Originally, my thought was to heat a small metal strip (with a protective housing) and just slide the clips on to the strip. However, I gotta think there is already something out there . Any ideas?

As always, I appreciate the help.

Soldering iron with temperature control? Small, portable, heats up quick, cools down quick (in this case to 900 degrees max)
Of course it's usually used to solder electrical components together, but without the solder, I'm pretty sure the heat will do what you want with a paperclip.

http://www.newark.com/tenma/21-1590...32K5SC3U|pcrid|41566056141|plid|&CMP=KNC-GPLA

 

[firmwear]

This is a simple problem you can figure out on your own.
Set up some parameters, search for results that fit in those constraints, select the best.

Getting guys to just brainstorm is very meh, just do diligence by searching for heating methods, noting them down, then studying them.

If we can solve it by guessing that is not a suitable barrier to entry for your product. Do this professionally and figure it out rationally.


Or maybe change the question to, "looking for heaters x size any of you heard of anything?"

How do you "do diligence?" I have seen you write this more than once. Are you telling him to be diligent?

 

[firmwear]

Ok, I'm lost now too. So I'll be the first to ask this question. Is this a F*cking joke or are we being serious guys. Sorry I just had to ask, cuz if this is a joke it's getting F*cking lame now. Kill it already!

Relax.

I think he is serious.

He is just asking for some ideas. Ideas are free, anyway.

Nobody here owes him their idea; likewise, he does not owe anybody an explanation.

 

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[z6Evolved]

Come on guys, he's just looking for an easier way to smoke his oils and waxes. Bongs are too pedestrian.

 

[AllenCrawley]

How do you "do diligence?" I have seen you write this more than once. Are you telling him to be diligent?

Due Diligence

1. General: Measure of prudence, responsibility, and diligence that is expected from, and ordinarily exercised by, a reasonable and prudent person under the circumstances.

Read more: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/due-diligence.html#ixzz3AKR4jxYN

 

[NECST]

how about just make a paper clip hanger that drops into a toaster?

 

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[KLaw]

This is a sketch of my initial vision

 

[MarkNNelson]

Ahhh, I get it now. I remember in college, we'd heat a penny on top of a light bulb, and then throw it to somebody. Their natural instinct was to catch it, and hilarity would ensue.

This is the executive toy version of that, right???

 

[Berters]

Why do these businesses need to outsource their paperclip-heating needs? Or is this a part of something bigger?

 

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[RogueInnovation]

How do you "do diligence?"

You outline needs and you search at the same time.
So doing diligence on a heater for example means seeing if what you are designing is even possible first, then looking at capacity and requirements for the end user second, then looking at costs and availability etc third, then looking to see if it can be altered or added to to meet your exact needs.

An example might be that you look up all forms of heating, that you subtract anything that reacts with metal (like microwaves, liquids etc).
You then might look at cost per unit/what overall runs cheaper according to size and what size you'll need for the scales you might likely use, and the availability (is it a small item that is produced on mass or is it a one off industrial purchase?).
What is the JOB that needs to be done, what is prefered by the consumer, how should the end process flow together with other elements of the business? Do people heat clips themselves (is this a consumer appliance, or self serve, that means you need something safer and with a capped higher end so it doesn't light fires or burn people) are employees heating it (similar concerns, but they can be trained or given special gloves and equipment) or can this be automated and industrial churning out 1000s per second?

The idea of diligence is that you keep pushing the envelope and searching for valid concerns that spring up off of each contingency of use.
You do it fairly rapidly because most questions are dead simple to answer, and at the end you will know exactly what you need for the system.


Its the same for any biz opportunity
Lets say that toilets have just been invented and everyone is using newspaper to wipe. A man comes up to you and says there has to be a better way and you build a business around it. You cannot instantly say "oh lets invent toilet paper" because it being on a roll at a certain size isn't obvious cuz before you have only ever used newspaper, the manufacturing proceedure that makes it soft isn't known to you, you have to make sure it flushes and doesn't clog, invent the little squares, double layers, etc etc

You call it doing diligence because it requires you to endure maybe ten steps, all with substeps that are bound to be somewhat uninteresting or tedious but crucial.

Some guy skips diligence, he creates a wipe pad similar to hand tissues you use after washing your hands.
- Its too big
- It rashes your sensitive area
- Its so thick and clunky you dont get it all clean
- It clogs

So you need to push diligently at the problem to help spur its evolution.
Size changes
Solutions for making it more comfortable
Maximise and streamline utility
Water solubility (no wax etc)



This diligence process IS the work of business, you should be able to do it at the drop of a hat.
For example, in a restaurant
IS IT CLEAN
IS OUR FOOD FRESH and do we cycle all inventory bi daily/weekly according to section
Are all utensils being handled/washed/dried properly
Do cooks have clean hands and hair nets
Are all items stored correctly (don't want milk display cases getting hit by the sun etc)

That has to be instant, you have to pull all that out of thin air and keep wondering if you got it all, you have to keep cycling over different aspects and constantly make further progress on simple stuff.

Guys on the internet can't do diligence for you unless its their area of expertise and you already have most of the diligence done, and they can check it and make sure you don't forget anything (a second look helps).

You can't ask a person to figure out "the perfect solution all in one" because "you are sure it should exist". It might not exist, or it might be everywhere, you just need to start checking.

Diligence isn't FUN times, so its up to the guy making the profit that has to burden the responsibility, if you don't then thats idiotic and your business is never going to work, cuz you are as lazy as an old dog on a porch in the summer.

More or less thats diligence

 

[RogueInnovation]

This is a sketch of my initial vision

This seems awefully expensive for your intended use; to create a customised heater for clips.
As a science project this is really easy, you go to the hardware store, and you get the gear you need. You make it up and connect it to a small battery; the resistance in the plating can heat the clips, just make sure you add a fuse type device so it clicks off at the right heat, and have a switch.


Lets say I'm heating stones in a nice little display case for hot stone therapy and selling this case to spas.
I'd probably create an electrical hot plate and have its max cap set low, and add a few levels of heat option.
BUT I can't create that until its validated by orders cuz the manufacture of this special size and shape appliance is expensive.
Seems like a big risk to me.

I'd search for heating pad components
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heating_pad

Go to an engineering forum, and figure out the easiest route to assembly.

 

[rocksolid]

How about a simple bic lighter? or a Handheld torch like these

http://www.lowes.com/Tools/Welding-Soldering/Handheld-Torches/_/N-1z0wcii/pl#!

 

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[cautiouscapy]

Lets say I'm heating stones in a nice little display case for hot stone therapy and selling this case to spas.

It's called a slow cooker/crockpot...I see many rebranded crockpots in beauty spas ;-) and sold at a premium.

 

[pickeringmt]

Autoclave - a desktop sterilizer.

This thing still makes no sense to me.....

 

[AllenCrawley]

If anyone is interested in following the white rabbit, search youtube for Nitinol, the metal that paperclips are made out of.

 

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[Swoop]

If anyone is interested in following the white rabbit, search youtube for Nitinol, the metal that paperclips are made out of.

Hmm interesting material. Never knew that.

I think I see what the OP is going for. I can't say I think this is a necessary invention or a problem that really needs solving, but I could be wrong. Best of luck!

-Swoop

 

[MJ DeMarco]

search youtube for Nitinol