Growth Spurt 01 2016-06-13

[Jabberwonky]

I haven't used thermite myself, although I've been tempted to try out some of the little pre-packaged "hot-shot" thermite packets which are used to weld a ground rod to a ground wire. Much more secure than using clamps or screws or solder. If I lived in an area prone to lightning I'd be more tempted to do it, to help protect my home in the case that lightning decided that it wanted to get up-close-and-personal with my ham and TV antennas.

You use antennae to attract lightning to cook ham?
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I'mma have to try that...

[FreeFlier]

Thermite is basically self-melting metal . . . it's not all that bad.

Of course, I've done welding, and I worked in a foundry for 6-9 months, melting and casting metal for a living . . . in that time, I was the only one on the crew that didn't go to the hospital for burns.

You also seem to have experience with explosives and military time under your belt.

I don't have much hands-on experience with explosives, but I remember things. And my father was a blaster, and in addition to the stories I inherited all of his manuals, etc, and have added to them.

The thermite grenades (read: thermite in a paper bag, wrapped with duct tape) we use are mainly for getting through roof/floor hatches, safes, vehicle sabotage, and creating a big,distracting, noisy, long-duration light.

They do a very good job. I've seen what this stuff does to engines and metal doors. It's probably the most dangerous substance we use.

I would actually doubt that . . . I suspect you use other things that are actually more dangerous, but you're so used to them that you don't think about them.

I'd rate propane and gasoline as more dangerous than thermite, because they are explosive under the right conditions (I swear it rained flaming boards for 15 minutes!), much more easily ignited, and mobile on their own, being fluids. Thermite just sits there, if it gets dispersed it becomes less dangerous, and it's really pretty hard to light.

. . . . It's great stuff to weld with

It is.

You can also cast with it, which is pretty close to the way you weld with it.

. . .

. . . though it's a little bit dated right now, since the CCCP (Soviet Union) doesn't exist at the moment.

That's just what the GRU wants you to think!!!

Pretty much.

Actually, I don't expect the actual CCCP to return . . . they'll call it something else.

Eh, thermite's not that bad. It's stable and not prone to easy ignition. Safer than most firecrackers. You just have to be absolutely sure of where you put it before you light it up.

Yep.

I've got some scars on my right arm from a thermite grenade. A guy had the grenade stuffed in a loop on his harness. Apparently he'd watched too many Hollywood movies, because he had the spoon of the grenade outside the loop and the pin loosened for easier pulling. And it was more easily pulled, by a tree branch he was walking by. So the grenade ignited in his harness, and he ran around screaming and flailing until I grabbed him and yanked his harness off. I had a glove on and body armour protecting part of my arm, so it didn't do that much damage to me. I was still fully able to use that arm to slap the guy alongside the head multiple times.

He survived this experience?

And why was he even carrying the thing in the first place? It doesn't have much use in most operations, because AFAIK it's basically to be placed on something to destroy it.

I haven't used thermite myself, although I've been tempted to try out some of the little pre-packaged "hot-shot" thermite packets which are used to weld a ground rod to a ground wire. Much more secure than using clamps or screws or solder. If I lived in an area prone to lightning I'd be more tempted to do it, to help protect my home in the case that lightning decided that it wanted to get up-close-and-personal with my ham and TV antennas.

You use antennae to attract lightning to cook ham?
.
.
.
.
I'mma have to try that...

Do you know how the microwave oven was invented?

Hint: the first production model was the RadaRange.

And I know how to make white phosphorus . . . and red. The only materials that are at all hard to get are sulfuric acid and that soda compound . . . the rest of it is just knowing how to do it.

--FreeFlier

[AnotherFairportfan]

I've got some scars on my right arm from a thermite grenade. A guy had the grenade stuffed in a loop on his harness. Apparently he'd watched too many Hollywood movies, because he had the spoon of the grenade outside the loop and the pin loosened for easier pulling. And it was more easily pulled, by a tree branch he was walking by. So the grenade ignited in his harness, and he ran around screaming and flailing until I grabbed him and yanked his harness off. I had a glove on and body armour protecting part of my arm, so it didn't do that much damage to me. I was still fully able to use that arm to slap the guy alongside the head multiple times.

You don't need an arm to kick someone's ass.

{Or balls}

[AnotherFairportfan]

I haven't used thermite myself, although I've been tempted to try out some of the little pre-packaged "hot-shot" thermite packets which are used to weld a ground rod to a ground wire. Much more secure than using clamps or screws or solder. If I lived in an area prone to lightning I'd be more tempted to do it, to help protect my home in the case that lightning decided that it wanted to get up-close-and-personal with my ham and TV antennas.

You use antennae to attract lightning to cook ham?
.
.
.
.
I'mma have to try that...

Of course. Haven't you ever seen Ratatouille?

Also:

snake4.png (73.11 KiB) Viewed 9533 times

[Catawampus]

I would actually doubt that . . . I suspect you use other things that are actually more dangerous, but you're so used to them that you don't think about them.

Every time you drive a car, you're hurtling along in an unrestrained metal box containing a series of explosions of a highly volatile aerosolised fuel whilst sitting atop a large tank of even more of that fuel. A lump of mostly unresponsive material sitting quietly is much less exciting than that.

He survived this experience?

Armoured vests make decent heat shields, to a limited extent.

And why was he even carrying the thing in the first place? It doesn't have much use in most operations, because AFAIK it's basically to be placed on something to destroy it.

They tend to have useful effects on things such as breech blocks, munitions stockpiles, radar systems, delicate electronics. . .really ugly statues. . .annoying yappy dogs. . .lids that just won't come loose from jars. . .

And I know how to make white phosphorus . . . and red.

Ah, but how about red mercury?

[Alkarii]

The only mercury worth your time is Freddie Mercury.

[FreeFlier]

I would actually doubt that . . . I suspect you use other things that are actually more dangerous, but you're so used to them that you don't think about them.

Every time you drive a car, you're hurtling along in an unrestrained metal box containing a series of explosions of a highly volatile aerosolised fuel whilst sitting atop a large tank of even more of that fuel. A lump of mostly unresponsive material sitting quietly is much less exciting than that.

Yep. Or when you light the gas fireplace, grill or stove . . .

He survived this experience?

Armoured vests make decent heat shields, to a limited extent.

He was wearing an armoured vest on his head? (I was thinking of his surviving the percussion accompaniment . . . )

And why was he even carrying the thing in the first place? It doesn't have much use in most operations, because AFAIK it's basically to be placed on something to destroy it.

They tend to have useful effects on things such as breech blocks, munitions stockpiles, radar systems, delicate electronics. . .really ugly statues. . .annoying yappy dogs. . .lids that just won't come loose from jars. . .[/quote]Explosives work just as well or better for all of those except breechblocks . . . and decently even for that if you know how.

And I know how to make white phosphorus . . . and red.

Ah, but how about red mercury?

I remember reading about it, but I can't remember uses . . .

--FreeFlier

[AnotherFairportfan]

And I know how to make white phosphorus . . . and red.

Ah, but how about red mercury?

I remember reading about it, but I can't remember uses . . .

--FreeFlier

Mostly swindling would-be nuclear terrorists, it would appear.

[FreeFlier]

And I know how to make white phosphorus . . . and red.

Ah, but how about red mercury*?

I remember reading about it, but I can't remember uses . . .

Mostly swindling would-be nuclear terrorists, it would appear.

That would explain why I didn't remember uses.

Red phosphorus is an allotrope of phosphorus; it's much more stable than white. I don't remember hearing of violet or black phosphorus before, though.

--FreeFlier
*link added

[Dave]

You use antennae to attract lightning to cook ham?
.
.
.
.
I'mma have to try that...

Not to cook ham, so much as to finish cooking ham.

A lightning bolt delivers a lot of heat, for a very short period of time... not long enough to reliably cook a ham all the way through. You really don't want to be eating undercooked pork... trichinosis is a nasty disease. Use a conventional oven and a meat thermometer to make sure that the ham is cooked all the way to the center.

But, a lightning strike is a great way to crisp up the outside of the ham at the end, while leaving the center nice and juicy... sort of like super-carnitas.

And, any good mad-scientist cook would love the opportunity to take out the ham for its final basting, sprinkle on the last few pinches of carefully chosen spice from a secret recipe, and then host it up the tower and scream at the culinary gods, "Give my creation... life!!!"

Ya gotta love traditional cuisine.

Ah, but how about red mercury*?

I remember reading about it, but I can't remember uses . . .

Mostly swindling would-be nuclear terrorists, it would appear.

That would explain why I didn't remember uses.

The Wikipedia article is incomplete. There's evidence that is a deliberate hoax, created by the British government's various clandestine intelligence departments, under orders from the head of state... sort of a modern equivalent to the "man who never was" hoax that so ably tricked the Nazis prior to D-Day.

So, this time, it was the Queen who fronted reddy mercury.

[GlytchMeister]

Right, electricity flows along the surface of conductors. The ham would end up with a Lichtenberg figure of extra-crispified meat or glaze.

[Warrl]

Unless you put a big metal spike through the center of the ham, connected to the antenna/mast.

Then, I would guess, you get shredded ham.

[Just Old Al]

The Wikipedia article is incomplete. There's evidence that is a deliberate hoax, created by the British government's various clandestine intelligence departments, under orders from the head of state... sort of a modern equivalent to the "man who never was" hoax that so ably tricked the Nazis prior to D-Day.

So, this time, it was the Queen who fronted reddy mercury.

Really? REALLY? And you have the temerity to complain about my cantileiver joke?

Yes, I can tell you're channelling Doc Webster, Gods rest his soul.

Al

[TazManiac]

Yes, but what did the Snake say?

[Typeminer]

Unless you put a big metal spike through the center of the ham, connected to the antenna/mast.

Then, I would guess, you get shredded ham.

That might work.

In the mid- to late 60s, someone gave my mother a thing to cook hotdogs that was not much more than two parallel aluminum bars with spikes, each hooked to one wire of an electrical cord. You stuck the ends of each hotdog on a pair of spikes to complete the circuit (there were 6 pairs, as I recall), plugged it in, and had perfectly cooked hotdogs in 60 seconds.

We loved it! (Mom, not so much.) I'm sure the thing had no timer, and I'm not sure it even had a power switch. The instructions were something like, "For the love of god, do not operate longer than 1 minute."

[AmriloJim]

Typeminer, you are correct. The Presto Hotdogger did not have a power switch... the base housed the skewer rails and the lid had the power cord contacts. Mate the cover to the base and AC was applied to the rails.

hotdogger70.jpg (33.96 KiB) Viewed 9470 times

The original design featured posts on the ends of the skewer rails, which mated to recessed sockets, but it was still possible to touch the AC contacts. A second generation design turned the lid into a tunnel into which the skewer tray slid, making the AC contacts less accessible.

hotdogger80.jpg (42.38 KiB) Viewed 9469 times

[Typeminer]

^ Yep, that's IT! The older one. I even recognize the booklet.

Yes, kids, we had kitchen toys with naked line current, and Granny made sure we had all the artificially flavored sodium cyclamate we could stand!

(How did we get to be this old?)

[Dave]

(How did we get to be this old?)

You were intelligent enough not to believe that the Presto Hotdogger was some form of sexual enhancement device.

[Alkarii]

Hell of a way to catch a buzz...

Could you imagine going to the doctor with that predicament?

"Okay... What. The hell. Did you do?"

"Ummm... I was trying to cook a wiener?"

[AnotherFairportfan]

In the Navy, we took a power cord, soldered nails to the ends (with a hundred-watt light mbulb on one side in series), stuck the nails into the ends a hot dog lying on an insulating surface, and plugged it in.

When the light went out, the hot dog was ready.