Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] shapeable incompressable filler..any ideas?

["John R. Farrington" <jrf@austin.ibm.com>]

I've got to jump in and make a quick comment on the
'shapeable incompressable filler', especially with respect to
the 'industrial ping pong balls'.

A week or so ago, someone mentioned 'industrial ping pong balls'
as a potential filler material.  Someone else questioned whether
or not they actually existed.

Well, I happened to go out to a local pub that night.  We were
sitting there chatting about 'industrial ping pong balls' and
the subject came up that some beers have plastic balls inside 
of them so that when you open the can, pressure is released
from the ball giving the beer a 'fresh from the tap' character.

We proceeded to cut open a "Young's Oatmeal Stout" can of beer,
only to find inside, yes, an 'industrial ping pong ball'.

This was a hard plastic hollow ball, perhaps just a bit smaller
than a normal ping pong ball.  Much tougher though.

We had a 200+ pound guy stand place it on a hard floor, and stand
on it with some reasonably hard-soled shoes.  The ball didn't
break.  That's a lot of pressure being applied in a non-uniform
matter.

He was able to stomp his foot hard on it and get it to crush
though.

These things might serve a purpose as a shallow-ish filler
material.  It would at least be fun collecting them!

-John

ps.  There was another beer that also had the same ball in
     it.  We believe that it was a "Bellhaven".