What did they use mica for?

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - What did they use mica for?

Posted: 1/2/2006 4:47:35 AM EDT

There's an old mica mine near my parent's house and we used camp and explore there. It's from about WWll era.
Any ideas what they used the mica for?

Posted: 1/2/2006 4:51:07 AM EDT

[#1]

insulator, used in (some) capacitors...

Posted: 1/2/2006 4:52:53 AM EDT

[#2]

Formica of coarse

Seriously, I think it was used in electronic insulation.

Posted: 1/2/2006 4:55:35 AM EDT

[#3]

Used to find it in old toasters. I guess it was used as an insulator/reflector.

When I was a kid we used to see who could peel it apart and come up with the thinnest largest piece.

Posted: 1/2/2006 4:57:13 AM EDT

[#4]

Quoted:
insulator, used in (some) capacitors...

Yup...

Powdered mica is sometimes used as a case neck lubricant when resizing rifle brass.
You can buy the stuff through Midway, Midsouth, or Brownell's...

Posted: 1/2/2006 4:58:01 AM EDT

[#5]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mica

(I won't make it hot - you could have just looked it up.)

Posted: 1/2/2006 5:17:34 AM EDT

[#6]

well, my brother owns a really pretty, well made, antique woodstove. we live in texas, so it's still in his garage, but it's got little windows in the door to check the fire. they're "glassed" in mica.

Posted: 1/2/2006 5:24:00 AM EDT

[#7]

It's sometimes used as a window into a furnace as it's VERY heat resistant and an excellent heat insulator.

Almost every vacuum tube ever made uses mica discs that hold all the tube elements in their correct relative positions.

That'd be several billion tubes....

CJ

Posted: 1/2/2006 5:33:54 AM EDT

[#8]

Heat and electrical insulators and lubricant.

Mica has the highest dielectric constant of all natural materials. I don't know about its thermal conductivity.

Posted: 1/2/2006 5:37:49 AM EDT

[#9]

It also finds considerable use as a filler in cosmetics, paints, drywall mud, plastics, and as a lubricant
in its finely ground form.

It's non-toxic, non-carcinogenic, and chemically is very nearly inert.

It's very much a product that's in heavy use NOW.

CJ

Posted: 1/2/2006 5:39:51 AM EDT

[#10]

Mica disks were used in the sound reproducers in old Victrolas, as the diaphragm that the needle vibrated to send the sound up the tonearm.

Posted: 1/2/2006 6:59:50 PM EDT

[#11]

Quoted:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mica

(I won't make it hot - you could have just looked it up.)

I could have but this place is more fun than Wikipedia, and we have some pretty smart guys here.

Posted: 1/2/2006 7:08:11 PM EDT

[#12]

Quoted:
Quoted:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mica

(I won't make it hot - you could have just looked it up.)

I could have but this place is more fun and more accurate than Wikipedia, and we have some pretty smart guys here.

Posted: 1/2/2006 7:17:43 PM EDT

[#13]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mica

(I won't make it hot - you could have just looked it up.)

I could have but this place is more fun and more accurate than Wikipedia, and we have some pretty smart guys here.

Nine guys in this thread spoke from personal knowledge and had the answers. Pretty impressive.

Posted: 1/2/2006 7:21:20 PM EDT

[#14]

IIRC mica was also used for lantern globes and back in the day in places when glass was hard to find it made a good enough window to allow some light in during the day.

Posted: 1/2/2006 7:27:33 PM EDT

[#15]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mica

(I won't make it hot - you could have just looked it up.)

I could have but this place is more fun and more accurate than Wikipedia, and we have some pretty smart guys here.

but wiki is not the only site....google works...thats how i found the wiki site...and there are a hell of a lot more than 9 sites returned in a search

Posted: 1/2/2006 7:30:04 PM EDT

[#16]

http://www.icrmica.com

http://www.icrmica.com/icrmica_mica_introduction.html

Posted: 1/2/2006 7:32:12 PM EDT

[#17]

mica is cool shist!!!!

Posted: 1/2/2006 7:33:37 PM EDT

[#18]

interesting: a table listing the purposes of different forms of mica

www.icrmica.com/icrmica_micapowder_flakes.html

Posted: 1/2/2006 7:35:29 PM EDT

[#19]

Man, mica seems to be pretty useful - like the world would notice if it were gone...

Posted: 1/2/2006 7:36:18 PM EDT

[#20]

Posted: 1/2/2006 7:48:50 PM EDT

[#21]

Quoted:
http://www.icrmica.com

http://www.icrmica.com/icrmica_mica_introduction.html

You sir, are a total killjoy.

I prefer to come here and ask my friends, sorta like a conversation. I know how Google works, I even have a post on Wiki Diki, la dee doo!

That is boring and I dont get to see who, in my group of friends, posesses the knowledge I seek.

Posted: 1/2/2006 8:06:08 PM EDT

[#22]

Quoted:
mica is cool shist!!!!

SRM

Posted: 1/2/2006 10:16:52 PM EDT

[#23]

Quoted:
Quoted:
http://www.icrmica.com

http://www.icrmica.com/icrmica_mica_introduction.html

You sir, are a total killjoy.

I prefer to come here and ask my friends, sorta like a conversation. I know how Google works, I even have a post on Wiki Diki, la dee doo!

That is boring and I dont get to see who, in my group of friends, posesses the knowledge I seek.

Cause you HAVE friends here, bud

They pretty much won't piss in your cheerios.

It's much more fun to pick brains here