Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
GOclimb
Trad climber
Boston, MA
|
|
|
Dec 18, 2005 - 01:26pm PT
|
"Spent CO2 cartridges, like from pellet guns and stuff, those are cool too. When we were ten my friend made like a dozen of those, drilling out the hole, adding powder, and sealing them up with waterproof fuses."
Those nitrous cannisters work great too. Y'know, they call them whippets, I think because they're used for whipping cream.
Oh, and as for those directions posted above for making a pipe bomb... *way* too complicated. All you need is a short length of pipe threaded on both ends - can buy in any hardware store. Drill a hole the size of your fuse, screw a cap on one end, fill with powder, screw cap on the other end, and you're done. No welding needed!
Fun thread, thanks! It's been a while since I was a teen. Beyond the statute of limitations, I'd like to think. Anyway, nice memories.
I'll add one more little bit. Pyrotechnics, this - not explosion. But another use for that spent lighter, before you throw it into the fire.
Take a bic lighter apart, and you'll find the flint held in place up against the steel barrel by a spring. Pull out the spring, stretch it out, and attach the flint to one end of the spring. Hold the other end. With another lighter, heat the flint up until it glows brightly (bright yellow, not red). Then hit it. We used to flick it with one of those unbreakable plastic combs that were popular in the eighties, but a well shaped stick might work just as well. You get a huge bright shower of sparks.
Cheers!
GO
|
|
Jaybro
Social climber
The West
|
|
|
Dec 18, 2005 - 02:32pm PT
|
"saline valley"-Batrock ... Okay, now I got it, knew something seemed familiar
|
|
Wheatus
Social climber
CA
|
|
|
Dec 18, 2005 - 04:15pm PT
|
I witnessed a few camp fire parties at Camp 4 that had some interesting pyrotechnics. Someone would yell "fire in the hole". Everyone would run from the camp fire in all directions. A large explosion and a fire ball would light up Camp 4 like daytime. Spent GAZ canisters were used. Very impressive. This was usually followed by a visit from the rangers to break up the party.
|
|
TGT
Social climber
So Cal
|
|
|
Dec 18, 2005 - 10:53pm PT
|
Once there was a car camping campground that butted up against the back of camp four.
A group of us nobodys religated to the back of C4 were tokeing away and watching a group of turons from New Jersey trying to start a campfire with about a two foot diameter log newspaper and no kindling. The beer and the smoke amplified the hysterics from us spectators, (I think Tobin might have been one of them)
until we saw one of them come back out of the dark with a five gallon gas can.
The dead silence of disbelief.
A NO! in unison!
Slackjawed we witnessed a fireball worthy of Falluja
Shortly followed by sirens,rangers, fire trucks and a quick escorted exit for the New Jerseyans.
|
|
Batrock
Trad climber
Burbank
|
|
|
Dec 18, 2005 - 11:36pm PT
|
Rajmit,
It takes about 2 min. before the top blows. Superhot coals work the best. I wish I knew how to post a video. I have one I took using my digital camera that lasts about 2 min. Maybe I could email it to someone and they can post it up? I am at the firestation till morning and dont have access to it.
|
|
Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
|
|
|
Aug 24, 2007 - 01:41am PT
|
This thread was before my time, but I should chip in.
Many years ago, I worked several summers in the bush in northern B.C., doing geological exploration. They have explosives in some camps, for seismic work. All very carefully controlled, of course. However, one thing about explosives is that they're not really returnable, for obvious reasons. So if you have some left over at the end of the season, you have to dispose of it. Responsible people of course find some barren place where it can be set off, and just make a hole in the ground. I've heard - apocrypha - of a few camps where, because they wouldn't be coming back the next season, they blew up the outhouse instead. I believe it involves lowering the charge into the hole, for maximum effect.
There's also a book by Ian McNaught-Davis, called Red Peak. About a joint British-Soviet expedition to the Pamir in 1962. At that time pressurized fuel cylinders were a new thing, and to the deprived Soviets a new universe. There were quite a lot left over at the end of the expedition, which the British wanted to trade or barter with the Russians. The Russians figured that if they just waited, the British would leave them anyway, and they'd get them for free. So the British started a big fire on one side of a large rock. They sat on the other side with boxes of cylinders, throwing them over the top and waiting for the explosion.
That might be described as a high pressure sales technique.
A friend in camp once on a rainy day emerged from his tent to fire up the stove. He dropped his lighter in a puddle, after starting the stove, and after shaking off the water, put it down by the stove to dry. A few minutes later it took off like a tiny rocket, whizzing about camp.
|
|
mingus
Trad climber
Grand Junction, Colorado
|
|
|
Aug 25, 2007 - 07:29pm PT
|
I'm impressed by such creative and inspired stories of things that go-boom. I worked 11 years as a ski patroller, and you never get over the thrill of a good avalanche control morning. It is sort of the yin and yang of stress's -- like weird hours and the thought of blowing yourself up, or hoping your partner doesn't get buried...and the absolute thrill of putting a shot in the 'sweet spot' that makes an entire basin run.
But since we are relating different styles of explosion, there is one that is simple if you know a friend in the ski industry.
It was nearly midnight at Crystal Mountain, Washington. We hadn't seen the sun for weeks, but it was the New Year's torch parade where everyone burns holes in their clothing as they ski from the top to the base with flares. I had the priveledge of being with a trio of friends that were erecting a tripod of bamboo poles to set a twenty pound bag of fertilizer on. Working by headlight, everything was put in a safe zone, because this was part of the evenings celebrations. I had no idea how big this was going to be, but all you need is a two pound hand charge with extra long det-cord so you can get far enough away...and that little two pound charge connected to a large bag of fertilizer, in the middle of a Cascade winter night is as much fun as you are going to have for a couple of decades. It explodes laterally hundreds of feet. My co-workers were closer, and I saw them sillouetted by the flames with their arms outstreched....very cool and very crazy!!
A Bic-in-the-fire is fun, but never do this anywere without having all humans and animals at a great distance.
|
|
CAMNOTCLIMB
Trad climber
novato ca
|
|
|
Aug 25, 2007 - 07:38pm PT
|
A few years ago, ok about 20 years, sitting around a campfire in TM, the "bic in the fire" was really a GAZ fuel can. Before you could say boom climbers were running for cover. How many climbers can hide behind a skinny tree? About five. I was young and fast back then and I was the third person seeking shelter behind that tree. The explosion was a dud but the risk is to great to play macho.
Brian
|
|
Robb
Social climber
Under a Big Sky
|
|
|
Aug 26, 2007 - 12:46am PT
|
"Son, I just have one word for you"
"What's that sir?"
"Thermite".............
the script to the real Graduate!
|
|
Jello
Social climber
No Ut
|
|
|
Aug 26, 2007 - 01:53am PT
|
Mike Kennedy and I went in to K2 Basecamp back in 1979 to try a climb on nearby Skyang Kangri. We had about 15 porters and really weren't well provisioned for a couple of months in the Karakorum. To our delight and horror, however, we discovered a gigantic dump of garbage mixed with usable stores of food, fuel, various items of gear, used condoms, panties and so on. This pile was left by a French expedition the previous year that had employed 1,500 porters to carry in all the crap.
Anyway, our stay was made much more pleasant in some ways by exotic canned fois-gras, marmalades , etc. Apropros of this thread, our kitchen shack was turned into a multi-stove near commercial-grade kitchen by dint of some large multi burner stoves and the five-gallon cannisters to fuel them.
When we were finished with our epic on Skyang Kangri, there were still many of these full fuel bottles left, along with tons of French garbage. Michael and I did our best to pile up and set the garbage alight and did succeed in getting a roaring trashfire going before following the small group of porters who were carrying our gear out, down the glacier.
Just for fun, our last addition to the fire was five of the large fuel containers. We chucked them into the flames and ran like hell, giggling like schoolboys. We stopped after five minutes or so and waited expectantly for the big bangs, which never came. Finally, we decided the fire must somehow have gone out. We shrugged our shoulders in mild disappointment, and started the long trek out to Skardu. An hour later though, our attention was attracted to the first of five, fairly closely spaced, distant muffulled booms.
This somehow made the remainder of our walk just a little more pleasant!
-Jello
|
|
jstan
climber
|
|
|
Aug 26, 2007 - 08:38am PT
|
After reading the above I realize how lucky I was to have had a boring childhood. While dynamiting rocks one day my dad gave me the job of driving the 42 Dodge further away from the planned explosion. I was only eight or nine at the time and as I had not yet got the hang of driving, I left the emergency brake on. By the time I got to the far end of the field smoke was pouring out from underneath the car and my father was running toward me yelling at the top of his lungs. I think it was at that point I began to distrust his judgment. There were 100 sticks of dynamite in the seat right behind me. Any reasonable person would have been running away.
Since I have already told the cow sh#t story once there is no need to go into that little affair.
|
|
Caveman
climber
Cumberland Plateau
|
|
|
Aug 26, 2007 - 11:30am PT
|
Many years ago a caver friend told of an earthquake in the Appalachians that measured 4.0 on the Richter. He said the quake was manmade. Something about a deep mine and 1500lbs. of anfo.
The fed has been keeping an eye on cavers for sometime now. With threads like this....welcome to the club!!:)
|
|
philo
Trad climber
boulder, co.
|
|
|
Aug 26, 2007 - 12:40pm PT
|
Years ago while working as a groundskeeper on a golf course I mowed over a Bic lighter. I was driving one of those full sized tractors with the outrigger mowing discs. All of a sudden there was a tremendous explosion off my left out rigger. Not knowing what happened I stopped the tractor and got down to investigate. Shards of Bic were everywhere. One of the discs was substantially scorched. If that lighter had gone off in a pocket that explosion would have been more than enough to remove body parts. I was very impressed to say the least.
|
|
cintune
climber
Penn's Woods
|
|
|
Aug 26, 2007 - 01:57pm PT
|
My brother-in-law took a butane torch to a bic, in a pie-plate, in his basement, one bored-off-his-ass evening. He was wearing glasses, and so only lost his eyebrows.
|
|
deuce4
Big Wall climber
the Southwest
|
|
|
Aug 26, 2007 - 02:41pm PT
|
|
|
Cuckawalla
Trad climber
Grand Junction, CO
|
|
|
Aug 26, 2007 - 07:24pm PT
|
fun around the fire:
|
|
Cuckawalla
Trad climber
Grand Junction, CO
|
|
|
Aug 26, 2007 - 07:24pm PT
|
Grease Bomb Deuce?
|
|
deuce4
Big Wall climber
the Southwest
|
|
|
Aug 26, 2007 - 11:21pm PT
|
yep, nice big #10 can full of two weeks of bacon grease, heated to near boiling, then a cup of cold water (tied to a 12 foot oar) poured into it.
Looks like the next photo, the fellow close to the flame didn't fare so well.
|
|
k-man
Gym climber
SCruz
|
|
What was that guy's name who showed us the "Can of Corn" trick at the Needles??
Now that is some serious fun, although we used up all our canned food...
|
|
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!