Don't try this at home !!
http://www.hanford.gov/rl/?page=542&parent=506
wow that's scary. I bet that that could easily happen to a lot of people here
quote:
Originally posted by mookaloid
wow that's scary. I bet that that could easily happen to a lot of people here
if we all swept up our filings we could make a bomb and try it out on a speedy scamera
quote:
Originally posted by theconrodkid
if we all swept up our filings we could make a bomb and try it out on a speedy scamera
that anoys me, if he did £11k's worth of damage he should be made to pay it back from his wagies..
although good on him for blowing one up, shame on him for getting caught
[Edited on 19/10/06 by graememk]
quote:
Originally posted by Schrodinger
quote:
Originally posted by mookaloid
wow that's scary. I bet that that could easily happen to a lot of people here
Hence the reason for the post
I did, a very similar thing, making a goped with a chainsaw engine, I grinded off the body of the chainsaw aluminium casting to leave the intergral
engine, I caught the vice that the casting was in, one spark and the whole lot flashed, I was ok except for a few burns where my overalls and tshirt
melted to me,
I was about 13/14, lesson learned!
Anyone scientific types know the real threat level from this.... coz damn thats scary!
The solid rocket boosters on the space shuttle contain a mixture of combustible chemicals and Aluminium powder - enough said!
Also anyone old enough remember the mess made of HMS Sheffield during the Falklands war?
Missile to the ammunition store but the fire lasted for hours because the aluminium bulkheads on the ship burnt
http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/viewthread.php?tid=53744
i find it hard to believe something like this can happen at the scale we are using these materials...
if thermite itself needs a white hot source to ignite (welding maybe, but those are sparks not a flame)
quote from wikipedia: "Conventional thermite reactions require very high temperatures for initiation. [...] Even when the thermite is hot enough
to glow bright red, it will not ignite as it must be at or near white-hot to initiate the reaction."
the amount of aluminium powder we can generate would theoretically be just about enough for a small spark or flame.
i believe this is quite around the last things to worry about in the build process...
first comes the danger of catching your extremities in a grinder, or poking your eye with the welding torch.
then comes drilling yourself,
then comes welding while it is raining and/or lightning is present,
then is the danger of inhaling asbestos from the mucky old sierra drum brakes,
then is the danger of having a limb cut off due to nasty acids in certain worn out washers,
then is gasoline or brake fluid shoot up your eye or nose.... and maybe.. just maybe can the mixture of all your grinding waste ignite in a sudden way
(just out of boredom i guess)...
Thermite fun...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrCWLpRc1yM
Thermic lances burn quite warm too, do a google search.
The chances of getting the right conditions at home in the garage are small. I certainly didnt have any problems grindng steel and ali with a
multipurpose disc in an angle grinder over summer.
You certainly shouldnt grind ali with a normal grinding wheel anyway as it clogs it up and can lead to the wheel shattering if you are not careful.
David
We had a good one in the woodwork department at school we all had DUX pencil sharpeners that were cast ally with a steel blade. One of the bullys
micked one and proceeded to sharpen it on a grinding wheel great until he hit the blade the sparks ignited the ground ally and steel pile on the
bench, very dramatic though no injuries from the fire same can't be said for the master's tawse (belt) on the bully's hands!
Caber