Jeez! I just figured out how Peter can use so little fluid. He didn't use expansive fluid, the fluid was just so strong, it only took a two to three millimeters in diameter of fluid to support his weight (The tensile strength of his webbing is 120 pounds per millimeters per cross section) . Not only that, but considering his adhesive skin allowing him to bond to anything, he could hold on to even a thread while most people would slip. Also, I found this description on a web site about more gecko glove info:
Spider-Man's web-shooters were twin devices worn on his wrists which could shoot thin strands of a special "web fluid" at high pressure (note: The fluid itself is pressurized at 300 psi, but the actual number has been known to change). The web fluid was a shear-thinning liquid (virtually solid until a shearing force was applied to it, rendering it fluid) whose exact formula was unknown, but was related to nylon. On contact with air, the long-chain polymer knited and formed an extremely tough, flexible fiber with extraordinary adhesive properties. The web fluid's adhesive quality diminished rapidly with exposure to air. (Where it did not make contact with air, such as attachment disk of the web-shooter, it remained very adhesive). After about 1 hour, certain imbibed esters caused the solid form of the web fluid to dissolve into a powder. Because the fluid almost instantly sublimated its anaerobic liquid/solid phase transition point, there was no clogging of the web-shooter's parts.
The spinneret mechanism in the web-shooter was machined from stainless steel, except for the turbine component which was 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 were mainly nickel-plated annealed brass. The wristlets had sharp steel nipples which pierced the bronze caps when the cartridges were tightly wedged into their positions. The hand-wound solenoid needle valve was actuated by a palm switch that was protected by a band of spring steel which required a 65 pound pressure to trigger. The switch was situated high on the palm to avoid most unwanted firings. The small battery compartment was protected by a rubber seal. The effect of the very small turbine pump vanes was to compress (shear) the web fluid and then force it, under pressure, through the spinneret holes which cold-drew it (stretches it: the process wherein nylon gains a four-fold increase in tensile strength), then extrudes it through the air where it solidified. As the web fluid exited the spinneret holes, it was attracted to itself electrostatically and thus could form complex shapes. The spinneret holes had three sets of adjustable, staggered openings around the turbine which permitted a single web line, a more complex, spun web line, and a thick stream. The web line's tensile strength was estimated to be 120 pounds per square millimeter of cross section. The 300 p.s.i. pressure in each cartridge was sufficient to force a stream of the complex web pattern an estimated 60 feet (significantly farther if shot in a ballistic parabolic arc).
Basic - materials you need
Distinguishing Features
Twin hinged wrist bracelets, double-tap pressure activated trigger, external cartridges, three options for nozzle opening, low fluid level warning indicator.
Webshooters:
Spinneret nozzle mechanics:
Step by Step build tutorial
Without his trusty web-shooters, Spider-Man would be nothing but an incredibly strong, sharp-witted guy in tights. Not bad, but not the friendly neighborhood wall-crawler we know and love. A webless Spider-Man would be reduced to handcuffing ne’er-do-wells. He’d have to pause and set up a tripod to capture snaps for the Daily Bugle. Worse yet, if trouble broke out on the other side of the city, he’d be forced to hail a cab or catch the subway. A crime fighter at the mercy of crosstown traffic? A sorry sight indeed. The web sets Spider-Man apart, giving him the freedom to quickly and gracefully navigate New York and allowing him to stop runaway subway cars and catch free-falling innocents-and best of all, it’s the web that makes him a stand-out in the superhero crowd. Constructing this important accessory is the first step in becoming as effective and distinctive as the worldwide web-slinger himself.
Step 1: Engineer a highly adhesive, shear-thinning, air-hardening/dissolving, nontoxic, fire-resistant polymer with three times the tensile strength of steel.
Anyone who passed high school chemistry should have little or no trouble with this step. Just make sure your concoction lives up to the following performance specs:
•
It’s extremely strong: When you’re using it to swing dozens of stories above the street, keep a school bus from teetering over a cliff, or hold an archvillain at bay, you want your web to be nothing short of indestructible. Pound for pound, Spider-Man’s sticky strands have three times the tensile strength of galvanized steel. That means an 1/8 inch (3.2 mm) of web will hold up to 6,000 pounds 2,722 kg)!
• It’s a shear-thinning liquid: Shear thinning or shear thickening refer to the effects of a shearing force (say, being forced through a nozzle at high speed) on a fluid’s viscosity. Spidey’s fluid is shear thinning-stored in a near-solid state inside his web cartridges until it passes through the shooters’ nozzles.
• It hardens, then dissolves upon contact with air: Being a superhero isn’t always about roundhouse kicks and daring escapes; sometimes it’s just about being a good neighbor. The always-conscientious Peter designed his webs to turn into powder 60 minutes after coming into contact with air. Otherwise, given all the web-slinging Spider-Man does, Manhattan would start looking like the world’s biggest haunted house.
• It’s nontoxic: It wouldn’t do much good to save Mary Jane from plummeting to her death only to have her die of poisoning an hour later. Same goes for any criminals you might ensnare (you’re a crime fighter, not a murderer). And since your web turns to powder, there’s also a risk of polluting the city’s air and water.
• It’s fire resistant: Spidey’s been known to whip up a web shield when battling fire-wielding foes, and with good reason: A typical web can withstand temperatures in excess of 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit (538°C). And if he has enough warning, he can switch to a special web fluid that handles up to ten times that temperature.
• It’s highly adhesive: Your web is only as good as the strength of its bond.
Spider-Man’s web may be tougher than steel, but that wouldn’t count for much without its ability to form an instant, virtually unbreakable bond with almost any surface.
Piece of cake, right?
Step 2: Store the polymer in tiny cartridges and add a propellant.
Once you’ve perfected a web fluid formula, you’ll need a vessel to carry it in. Peter uses refillable metal cartridges, each about the size of a small cell phone battery. A single cartridge typically yields about 1,000 yards (914 m) of webbing, depending on the thickness of the stream (see Step 4). This kind of efficiency is possible because the fluid is stored in a near-solid state under tremendous pressure with a propellant. Propellants are usually the vapor of a nonflammable liquid that has a boiling point below room temperature. In aerosol cans, the most common are hydrocarbons (which have the drawback of being flammable) and nitrous oxide or “laughing gas” (which isn’t flammable, but may render you incapable of performing your spider-duties).
Step 3: Construct spinneret nozzles.
Spider-Man’s web shooters don’t fire one solid “string” of material. In fact, a close-up of his webbing would reveal smaller strands that have been joined together like rope. The advantage is obvious-it’s much, much stronger-but getting it that way requires some ingenuity. Peter found his answer in a spinneret nozzle. A “spinneret” (named for the spider organ that excretes silk) is similar to a shower head or pasta press in that it has a collection of holes through which a substance is compressed, creating thin strands of material or streams of liquid. When the web fluid is forced through the spinnerets, what had been a near solid is sheared into multiple streams. And since this is a shear-thinning liquid, the act of compressing it through the spinneret returns the web substance to its fluid state. But it doesn’t stay that way for long: The instant the web fluid exits the nozzle and hits the air, it begins to expand and harden. And by the time it’s a few feet from Spider-Man’s wrist, it’s a solid (albeit a very sticky, stretchy one).
Step 4: Make the nozzles adjustable so the webbing’s consistency can be altered.
The right tool for the right job. Spider-Man’s web shooters have nozzles of varying shapes and thicknesses, allowing him to change the type of web he dispenses. For getting around the city, he uses a relatively thin strand to conserve fluid. However, if he’s trying to keep a chunk of skyscraper from crashing onto innocent bystanders, he can instantly increase the web’s thickness. When the situation calls for something a bit more delicate (say, mounting a camera or balling up street clothes), the webbing can be sprayed as a fine mist. At the other end of the spectrum, when Spidey really wants someone or something to stay put, he can dispense the web fluid as an ultra sticky paste.
Step 5: Build wrist-mounted housings for the nozzles.
The housings (or “wristlets”
need to be durable without being heavy, tight without being constrictive, and small enough to stay concealed beneath your costume- but not so small that they run the risk of buckling under pressure (Spider-Man’s are slightly wider than a sweatband). Start by taking plaster casts of each wrist and using them to make molds. Next, pour molten metal into the molds (for best results, use a metal with a high strength to weight ratio, such as a titanium alloy). Once the metal has cooled, grind down any rough edges and weld the spinneret nozzles to the underside of the housing. For added comfort and slip-proofing, you may also want to consider lining the insides of each wristlet with rubber cushioning.
Step 6: Add a trigger mechanism.
Like the gunslingers of the Old West, web-slingers need to be quick on the draw. Spider-Man’s trigger extends from just beneath the spinneret nozzle to the top of his palm, where it widens into a small disk. To fire, he simply taps the disk twice (in rapid succession) with his middle and ring fingers. This double-tap feature helps avoid dangerous (and let’s face it, Freudian) misfires. The longer the second tap lasts, the thicker the strand.
Step 7: Keep plenty of spare cartridges on hand.
Each of Spider-Man’s web-shooters holds ten cartridges: one attached to the nozzle, and nine spares lining the outside of the wristlets. The efficiency-minded Peter Parker even created a mechanism that automatically changes cartridges when one runs dry! You’d think that 20 spares would be enough, but just to be on the safe side, Spidey also wears a belt that holds an additional 30 cartridges.
