S9 · E23
Yesterday · 3 hr 20 min
BS
Boring Science For Sleep
Sleepless Scientist
Settle in for quiet stories about ordinary work, ingenious inventions and the science behind everyday things. A warm narrator guides you through real workshops, tools and daily routines, with gentle humour and room to drift off. Choose a subject that catches your curiosity, then let the story keep you company. Share a favourite topic or a simple bedtime hello in the comments. New episodes daily.
- 28 episodes
- daily
- Avg 2 hr 36 min
- English
Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.
- BSS9 · E23Tuesday · 2 hr 36 min
Woven Wire Sieves and the Sizing of the Mesh | Science for Sleep
Woven Wire Sieves and the Sizing of the MeshSettle in for a quiet exploration of Woven Wire Sieves and the Sizing of the Mesh. This episode follows Woven Wire Sieves at the Workbench; Choosing the Metal for the Wire; Drawing Wire to a Consistent Diameter; Setting the Warp on the Loom; Weaving the Openings into the Cloth; Inspecting, Cutting and Handling the Woven Sheet; Fitting the Cloth into a Sieve Frame; Understanding Mesh Count, Aperture and Open Area; Measuring Openings and Checking the Specification; Taking and Preparing a Representative Sample; Moving Dry Material Across a Single Sieve; Stacking Sieves and Weighing the Fractions; What Particle Shape Means for Sieve Size; Fine Powders, Blocked Openings and Wet Sieving; Cleaning, Checking and Returning the Sieve to Its Shelf.Boring Science For Sleep offers warm narration and gentle atmosphere for bedtime listening. Listen closely or let the details drift past. You are welcome to leave a bedtime hello or suggest a subject for another night.
- BSS9 · E23Monday · 2 hr 30 min
Broom Making and the Binding of Broomcorn | Science for Sleep
Broom Making and the Binding of BroomcornSettle in for a quiet exploration of Broom Making and the Binding of Broomcorn. This episode follows Broom Making and the Binding of Broomcorn: A Working Tradition; The Branching Head of the Broomcorn Plant; Growing a Crop for Its Brush; Harvesting Without Spoiling the Heads; Curing the Brush and Keeping It Dry; Removing Seeds and Sorting Useful Brush; Preparing a Straight Wooden Handle; Building the Inner Bundle and Outer Cover; Binding the Brush to the Handle; Flattening the Head and Sewing It Firm; Trimming and Inspecting the Finished Broom; How a Broom Moves Dust Across a Floor; Whisk Brooms and Other Work for Shorter Brush; The Workshop, Its Suppliers and Its Customers; Wear, Repair and a Place on the Hook.Boring Science For Sleep offers warm narration and gentle atmosphere for bedtime listening. Listen closely or let the details drift past. You are welcome to leave a bedtime hello or suggest a subject for another night.
- BSS9 · E23Sunday · 2 hr 37 min
Tennis Balls and the Stitching of Felt Covers | Science for Sleep
Tennis Balls and the Stitching of Felt CoversSettle in for a quiet exploration of Tennis Balls and the Stitching of Felt Covers. This episode follows Tennis Balls and the Stitching of Felt Covers: The Historical Starting Point; Choosing Wool and Understanding Its Fibres; Making the Covering Cloth; Drawing Two Pieces Around a Round Ball; Hand Sewing a Cover in the Real-Tennis Tradition; Mixing Rubber for a Resilient Shell; Moulding the Two Rubber Halves; Closing the Core and Establishing Pressure; Cutting and Preparing the Modern Covers; Bonding the Felt and Forming the Visible Seam; What Happens During a Bounce and a Flight; Measuring a Finished Ball; Sorting, Marking and Packing; How Play and Weather Change the Cover; Recovering Materials at the End of Use.Boring Science For Sleep offers warm narration and gentle atmosphere for bedtime listening. Listen closely or let the details drift past. You are welcome to leave a bedtime hello or suggest a subject for another night.
- BSS9 · E23Saturday · 2 hr 34 min
Accordion Bellows and the Folding of Cardboard | Science for Sleep
Accordion Bellows and the Folding of CardboardSettle in for a quiet exploration of Accordion Bellows and the Folding of Cardboard. This episode follows Accordion Bellows and the Folding of Cardboard: The Work Behind the Instrument; Following the Air Through the Accordion; Paper Fibres and the Strength Hidden in a Thin Sheet; Choosing Card for a Flexible Structure; Laying Out the Pleats on a Flat Sheet; Scoring, Creasing and Making the Concertina Fold; Adhesives, Paste Brushes and Drying Under Control; Leather Gussets and the Changing Shape of a Corner; Decorative Papers, Cloth Hinges and Bellows Tape; Fitting the Metal Corners; End Frames, Gaskets and the Final Assembly; How Bellows Pressure Becomes a Musical Note; The Worker’s Hands and the Player’s Bellows Movement; Checking Airtightness, Alignment and Unwanted Sounds; Wear, Repair and Returning the Bellows to Rest.Boring Science For Sleep offers warm narration and gentle atmosphere for bedtime listening. Listen closely or let the details drift past. You are welcome to leave a bedtime hello or suggest a subject for another night.
- BSS9 · E23Friday · 2 hr 39 min
Sandpaper Making and the Sorting of Grit | Science for Sleep
Sandpaper Making and the Sorting of GritSettle in for a quiet exploration of Sandpaper Making and the Sorting of Grit. This episode follows Sandpaper Making and the Sorting of Grit: Entering the Trade; Choosing a Mineral That Can Cut; Breaking the Raw Material into Useful Grains; Sorting Grit with Screens, Air and Water; Making a Backing That Survives the Work; Preparing the Adhesive; Laying Down the First Adhesive Coat; Placing the Grains; Adding the Size Coat and Setting the Bond; Turning the Coated Web into Sheets, Discs and Belts; Inspecting a Finished Abrasive; Using Sandpaper on Wood; Working Metal and Preparing Other Hard Surfaces; Keeping the Cutting Surface Clear; Sorting the Remaining Sheets at the Bench.Boring Science For Sleep offers warm narration and gentle atmosphere for bedtime listening. Listen closely or let the details drift past. You are welcome to leave a bedtime hello or suggest a subject for another night.
- BSS9 · E23September 17 · 2 hr 29 min
Wood Screws and the Cutting of Spiral Threads | Science for Sleep
Wood Screws and the Cutting of Spiral ThreadsSettle in for a quiet exploration of Wood Screws and the Cutting of Spiral Threads. This episode follows Wood Screws and the Parts You Can See; The Geometry of One Turn; Preparing the Metal for a Screw Blank; Forming the Head and Cutting the Slot; Making Threads with Hand Tools; Teaching a Lathe to Follow a Thread; The Cutting Edge, the Chip and the Groove; Shaping the Taper and the Point; Rolling a Thread Between Dies; Measuring, Finishing and Sorting the Batch; The Wood Around the Thread; Preparing the Pilot Hole and the Head Recess; Turning the Screw and Feeling It Seat; How a Screw Joint Holds Through Use; Fitting a Hinge and Leaving the Door at Rest.Boring Science For Sleep offers warm narration and gentle atmosphere for bedtime listening. Listen closely or let the details drift past. You are welcome to leave a bedtime hello or suggest a subject for another night.
- BSS9 · E23September 16 · 2 hr 28 min
Envelope Making and the Fold of a Paper Blank | Science for Sleep
Envelope Making and the Fold of a Paper BlankSettle in for a quiet exploration of Envelope Making and the Fold of a Paper Blank. This episode follows Envelope Making and the Shape of a Paper Blank; When the Letter Became Separate from Its Cover; The Fibres That Hold the Sheet Together; Choosing Paper by Weight, Surface and Direction; Drawing the Envelope Around What Must Fit; Templates, Cutting Dies and the Spaces Between Blanks; What Happens Inside a Crease; Hand Folding a Pocket in the Right Order; Permanent Seams and the Behaviour of Wet Adhesive; The Closing Flap That Waits for Water or Pressure; From Folding Motions to Coordinated Machinery; Printing on a Sheet That Will Change Shape; Cutting and Patching the Address Window; Checking the Finished Envelope by Measurement and Use; Counting, Packing and Leaving the Envelope Ready.Boring Science For Sleep offers warm narration and gentle atmosphere for bedtime listening. Listen closely or let the details drift past. You are welcome to leave a bedtime hello or suggest a subject for another night.
- BSS9 · E23September 15 · 2 hr 29 min
Toothbrush Making and the Setting of Bristles | Science for Sleep
Toothbrush Making and the Setting of BristlesSettle in for a quiet exploration of Toothbrush Making and the Setting of Bristles. This episode follows Toothbrush Making and the Setting of Bristles; Shaping a Handle from Bone; Sorting Natural Bristles into Usable Parcels; Drilling the Head and Connecting the Holes; Drawing the Tufts into Their Sockets; Making Synthetic Filament; The Small Mechanics of a Flexible Bristle; Moulding the Modern Handle; Laying Out the Tuft Field; Picking One Tuft from the Filament Supply; Setting a Tuft with a Metal Anchor; Trimming the Working Surface; Rounding the Ends and Forming Tapered Tips; Securing Bristles with Anchor-Free Assembly; Checking the Finished Brush and Closing the Package.Boring Science For Sleep offers warm narration and gentle atmosphere for bedtime listening. Listen closely or let the details drift past. You are welcome to leave a bedtime hello or suggest a subject for another night.
- BSS9 · E23September 14 · 2 hr 31 min
Rubber Erasers and the Mixing of a Soft Compound | Science for Sleep
Rubber Erasers and the Mixing of a Soft CompoundSettle in for a quiet exploration of Rubber Erasers and the Mixing of a Soft Compound. This episode follows Rubber Erasers and the Pencil Marks They Meet; Bread Crumbs, Early Rubber and the Stationer’s Counter; From Tree Latex to Dry Rubber; Long Molecules and the Meaning of Softness; The Batch Sheet and the Weighing Bench; Factice, the Oil-Derived Part of the Compound; Mineral Fillers, Abrasives and Colour; Working the Compound Between the Rolls; Sheets, Resting Stock and Measured Charges; Sulfur, Heat and the Curing Press; Cooling, Trimming and Cutting Individual Blocks; Measuring Hardness and Watching a Mark Lift; Plastic, Kneaded and More Abrasive Alternatives; Sleeves, Product Marks and the Packed Box; A Small Correction and a Place Beside the Pencil.Boring Science For Sleep offers warm narration and gentle atmosphere for bedtime listening. Listen closely or let the details drift past. You are welcome to leave a bedtime hello or suggest a subject for another night.
- BSS9 · E23September 13 · 2 hr 32 min
Gramophone Records and the Pressing of Grooves | Science for Sleep
Gramophone Records and the Pressing of GroovesSettle in for a quiet exploration of Gramophone Records and the Pressing of Grooves. This episode follows Gramophone Records and the Pressing of Grooves: The Flat Disc; Arranging a Performance Around the Recording Horn; Preparing the Wax Recording Blank; Cutting Sound Into a Moving Spiral; Microphones, Amplifiers and the Recorded Take; Growing the First Metal Copy; Fathers, Mothers and Working Stampers; What Goes Into a Shellac Record; Mixing, Rolling and Portioning the Compound; Fitting the Stampers and Placing the Labels; Pressure and the Filling of the Grooves; Cooling, Releasing and Trimming the Disc; Inspecting What the Press Has Made; The Needle, Soundbox and Spring Motor; Sleeves, Shelves and the Record at Rest.Boring Science For Sleep offers warm narration and gentle atmosphere for bedtime listening. Listen closely or let the details drift past. You are welcome to leave a bedtime hello or suggest a subject for another night.
- BSS10 · E1September 12 · 2 hr 31 min
Piano Hammers and the Shaping of Felt | Science for Sleep
Piano Hammers and the Shaping of FeltSettle in for a quiet exploration of Piano Hammers and the Shaping of Felt. This episode follows Piano Hammers and the Shaping of Felt; Leather Coverings and the Growth of a Felt Trade; The Structure Inside a Wool Fibre; Scouring, Opening and Carding the Wool; Water, Movement and the Making of Felt; Measuring the Sheet and Planning the Taper; Wooden Mouldings and the Supporting Underfelt; Forming, Bonding and Separating the Hammer Heads; Filing the Curve Without Losing Its Shape; Boring the Heads and Hanging the Set; The Hammer’s Journey Through the Action; Compression, Contact Time and the Colour of a Note; Matching the Crown to Its Strings; Needling and Listening Across the Keyboard; Wear, Care and the Hammer at Rest.Boring Science For Sleep offers warm narration and gentle atmosphere for bedtime listening. Listen closely or let the details drift past. You are welcome to leave a bedtime hello or suggest a subject for another night.
- BSS9 · E23September 11 · 2 hr 30 min
Umbrella Making and the Fit of Folding Ribs | Science for Sleep
Umbrella Making and the Fit of Folding RibsSettle in for a quiet exploration of Umbrella Making and the Fit of Folding Ribs. This episode follows Umbrella Making Begins with the Open Shape; Earlier Materials and the Division of the Trade; Giving a Thin Steel Rib Its Working Shape; Preparing the Shaft, Handle and Ferrule; Seating the Rib Roots in the Crown; Stretchers and the Geometry of Opening; Rivets, Clearances and the Feel of a Joint; The Runner and Its Spring Catch; How Compact Ribs Fold into a Shorter Bundle; Choosing Cloth for Water, Weight and Movement; Cutting the Gores to Fit a Dome; Sewing the Canopy without Losing Its Shape; Mounting the Cover and Balancing Its Pull; Checking the Finished Fit and Locating Repairs; Drying, Furling and Setting the Umbrella Aside.Boring Science For Sleep offers warm narration and gentle atmosphere for bedtime listening. Listen closely or let the details drift past. You are welcome to leave a bedtime hello or suggest a subject for another night.
- BSS9 · E23September 10 · 2 hr 31 min
Graphite Pencils and the Clay Inside the Core | Science for Sleep
Graphite Pencils and the Clay Inside the CoreSettle in for a quiet exploration of Graphite Pencils and the Clay Inside the Core. This episode follows Graphite Pencils and the Change from Stone to Manufactured Core; The Carbon Structure Inside Graphite; Clay as a Carefully Chosen Working Material; Weighing the Recipe and Choosing a Hardness; Purifying, Grinding and Kneading the Batch; Extruding Strands and Drying Them Straight; Firing the Clay Without Consuming the Graphite; Wax Treatment and Tests at the Core Bench; Selecting Wood and Preparing Pencil Slats; Cutting Grooves and Closing the Wooden Sandwich; Shaping, Finishing and Identifying Each Pencil; Sharpening Wood and Core into a Working Point; Paper Texture and the Formation of a Pencil Line; Drawing Lines, Tones and Useful Workshop Shapes; Lifting Graphite and Leaving the Page at Rest.Boring Science For Sleep offers warm narration and gentle atmosphere for bedtime listening. Listen closely or let the details drift past. You are welcome to leave a bedtime hello or suggest a subject for another night.
- BSS9 · E23September 9 · 2 hr 31 min
Victorian Matchmakers and the Work of a Match Factory | Science for Sleep
Victorian Matchmakers and the Work of a Match FactorySettle in for a quiet exploration of Victorian Matchmakers and the Work of a Match Factory. This episode follows Victorian Matchmakers and the Everyday Need for a Light; Finding Your Place Among the Factory Trades; Choosing Timber That Can Become Thousands of Splints; The Cutting Machine and Its Repeated Small Decisions; Sifting, Aligning and Loading the Dipping Frames; Sulphur, Paraffin and the Passage of Heat; Building and Applying the Ignition Head; Drying, Releasing and Cutting Down; Making the Sliding Box, Often Beyond the Factory; Filling, Closing and Preparing Matches for Sale; Wax Vestas, Fusees and the Information on a Label; Piecework, Deductions and the Matchwomen’s Organising; Phosphorus Exposure and the Limits of Factory Precautions; Safety Matches and the Effort to Change Production; A Small Flame and the End of Its Work.Boring Science For Sleep offers warm narration and gentle atmosphere for bedtime listening. Listen closely or let the details drift past. You are welcome to leave a bedtime hello or suggest a subject for another night.
- BSS9 · E8September 8 · 2 hr 14 min
Fall Asleep as a Tile Decorator in Seventeenth-Century Delft
Step into a quiet Delftware workshop and follow the careful routine of a historical tile decorator. Discover how painters prepared their pigments, handled delicate brushes, and kept each bristle soft enough to create crisp blue lines on glazed ceramic tiles.This gentle journey through traditional Dutch pottery explores the repetitive skills, simple tools, and small workshop habits behind Delft tile painting. Settle in for a calm look at a forgotten craft, where patience and precision shaped every finished tile.
- BSS9 · E7September 7 · 2 hr 41 min
Fall Asleep as a Salt Hewer in the Historic Mines of Salzburg
Step quietly into the Salzburg salt mines and follow the forgotten routine of the salt hewers who worked beneath the mountains. Discover how they cut and carried salt, cared for their tools, and left their leather shoes behind at the end of a long shift.This gentle journey through historical mining explores the small, repetitive details of an obscure working life, from damp passages and simple clothing to underground habits shaped over generations. Settle in for a calm look at one of Austria’s oldest industrial processes, told in the soothing style of Boring Science For Sleep.
- BSS9 · E6September 6 · 2 hr 17 min
Fall Asleep as a Frame Knitter in Industrial-Era Derby, England
Step inside a Derby knitting workshop and follow the quiet routine of a frame knitter, where every needle demanded patient attention. Discover how yarn was prepared, frames were tended, dropped stitches were repaired, and long rows of fabric slowly took shape.This gentle journey into textile history explores the repetitive rhythms and small skills behind one of Britain’s forgotten industrial jobs. Settle in for a calm, softly told account of working life designed to help you relax, learn, and drift toward sleep.
- BSS9 · E5September 5 · 2 hr 46 min
Fall Asleep as a Silk Drawboy in Eighteenth-Century Lyon
High above the looms of historic Lyon, the silk drawboy spent long hours lifting cords that guided intricate woven patterns. Discover the quiet rhythm of this forgotten textile job, from reading the weaver’s signals to repeating each careful movement as the shuttle passed below.This gentle journey into Lyon’s silk workshops explores the daily routine, tools, and patient coordination behind richly patterned fabric. Settle in for a calm look at an overlooked corner of industrial history, told in the soothing Boring Science For Sleep style.
- BSS9 · E4September 4 · 2 hr 28 min
Fall Asleep as an Oastman at a Traditional Kent Hop Kiln
In the hop-growing fields of historic Kent, the oastman kept watch over the slow drying of freshly picked hops. Discover how he tended the kiln, checked the heat, adjusted the draught, and decided when to open the kiln door without clocks, sensors, or written instructions.This quiet journey through an old English oast house explores the repetitive routines, practical judgment, and small sensory clues behind a largely forgotten job. Settle in for a calm account of warm kilns, turning hops, and the unhurried rhythm of rural working life.