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Commercial Flamethrower Successfully Crowdfunded
ColdWetDog writes: You've always wanted one, of course. Zombies, the occasional alien infestation. The neighbor's smelly roses. You just need to be prepared for things. You can get freeze dried food, AR15's, enough ammo to start a small police action (at least here in the U.S. -- YMMV), but it has been difficult to get a modern, portable flamethrower until now. CNET has a brief explanation on the XM42, which doubled its Indiegogo funding target in just a few days.
"....where the real money from the movie is made. Spaceballs-the T-shirt, Spaceballs-the Coloring Book, Spaceballs-the Lunch box, Spaceballs-the Breakfast Cereal, Spaceballs-the Flame Thrower.... The kids love this one."
https://www.indiegogo.com/explore?filter_title=water+well
The snow season is almost past us.
I'm not up on my flamethrower laws but is this legal in any of the 50 US states?
Chris Byars, CEO of Ion Productions, the company behind the XM42, told me: "It is legal where there are no laws or codes written against such a device."
Incoming legislation in 3... 2... 1...
"Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies."
I know from Myth Busters they are not legal in California.
There are different types of flamethrowers. Agricultural flamethrowers are legal but have a range of inches to over a foot. A military flamethrower throws a fuel gel mixture tens to hundreds of feet. Stage flamethrowers are for special effects and also have short range and non-sticking fuel. This article's device seems to be trying to extend the ag and stage effects end a little bit.
there just has to be.
no, there are different types of flamethrowers with differing fuels, see my other comment.
The Geneva convention only forbids flamethrowers in certain situations, look it up. Two armies roasting each other in a field is perfectly fine by the GC
The U.S. military still has flamethrowers and practices with them
On a more serious note but nonetheless just as funny, the liability suits from this should be hilarious.
I'm sure this has hundreds of uses!
Such as erm...... uh....... well... bonfire lighter! Er, and you know.......... other things!
Now this on the other hand....
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A flamethrower is primarily useful for clearing bunkers.
Squirt a jet of flame through the firing slit on a concrete bunker, and it quickly ceases to be a threat to the guys on the outside.
Like a demolition charge, it's utility is pretty limited, but when the right (or wrong, depending on perspective) situation comes up, there's no substitute....
"I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
"We're receiving color feedback, and it seems gold is a likely contender as well"
gold flamethrowers...
idiocracy is upon us
If ever there was a weapon that would be classified as only a weapon of terror with no practical application beyond fear.
This is it.
I hope this fails, and i'm an NRA member who is often caught saying things like "from my cold dead hand"
Reminder that 'flame *throwers*' throw *napalm*, which, I'm pretty sure, is illegal even for governments to use since the Geneva convention.
I think you can make your own napalm-like substitute out of gasoline, styrofoam, and benzene. Apparently it works almost as well as the real thing, but I've never tried it myself.
If I can be modded down for being a troll, can I be modded up for being an orc, or a balrog?
Gasoline and vaseline.
"Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
Sorry to the 90% U.S.ians here on /. for my upcoming rant, but bear with me please:
WTF? I mean, seriously, WTF??? Who in hell would think that what the world needs now is a small concealable commercially available *FLAMETHROWER* ?!??. This is so bizarly US american, words fail me.
When's the first one going to run amok with one of these? Who's gonna pay the medical bill of the first rampage victims with 80% burnt skin for life? The people who built this thing? ... I hope as soon as the first one falls victim to one of these, that these people get sued into next wednesday big-time USA style. Better would be they'd abandon the project alltogether.
Does anybody here know what a gastly cruel final effort weapon this is? Seriously folks. Even as a military weapon Flamethrowers are about as wicked as it can get - even hardboiled hardcore SS members would instantly surrender at the mere sight of the "Churchill Corcodile", a british tank with a flamethrower attached. Which shows they actually can, in rare cases, have a 'use' - if I may use this notably unfitting verb in this context - as a last ditch (no pun intended) effort in marginal scenarios, such as finally and once and for all bringing down a totalitarian regime bent on ruling the planet by ethnic cleansing and such. And communicating to members of such a regime that you're effing serious and now won't stop short of total surrender.
But a commercially available flamethrower for "normal" people? "normal" in double quotes(!!). Jebus H.B. Crickey, this is so sick words fail me. However, this guy pretty much puts the finger on the insanity.
My 2 cents.
We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
Well, if you have a shotgun that you don't care much about, you can buy some "Dragon's Breath" shells for it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D...
Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
don't forget trench cleaning
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
We played around with what were known as 'Flame Effects Generators', also known as 'Fire Cannons', for years out at Burning Man. We even shot them directly at people, clad in fire suits of course (search YouTube for 'Dance Dance Immolation'). As far as I know no one ever got hurt, or even burned a little, and we compared notes a lot. But these were all pressurized propane. The subject line above was something of a motto. These things use liquid, and the potential for an accident is pretty high. I've used FEGs for years, but I wouldn't want to be within a city block of a liquid based flame thrower.
One early year a guy had a kerosene-based torch, a big one. I heard him tell the Black Rock Rangers, "You know, if anything goes wrong here you're gonna have to move 2,000 people 100 yards in about 20 seconds".
Oh come now folks, just look it up.
It's practically on Recipes.com.
Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
Let's be clear, absolutely no-one is going to be using this as a weapon. It's not even a "last line of defense" weapon for home invasion, because while some may want to watch the world burn, they have different feelings about their own home specifically.
There are actually some pretty valid uses for this thing - farming an pyrotechnic displays being just two. There are a lot of people in the U.S. with large properties that could have very good uses for these things.
But basically, this is just fun, because fire is fun. Anyone who fails to see that has had irrational fear of EVERYTHING so deeply ingrained into them I cannot possibly see how they can function in real life.
People always accuse people who like guns, and now fire, of being fearful. But it seems to me like instead, those afraid of such things are the ones always afraid, and without any real joy.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
A flame thrower, however powerful, is a short range weapon. A zombie by definition doesn't feel pain. Result? Getting up close and personal with a zombie . . . only now it's a flaming zombie.
... how could this have any hope of not being classed as a destructive device?
For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
That's definitely an outdoor weapon.
Gasoline and vaseline.
Gasoline mixed with powdered laundry detergent also works fairly well.
The Geneva convention does not apply. Neither am I going to war, nor are any of the affected parties non-combatants. I do not plan to use it on POWs or on shipwrecked people.
Not to mention that I never signed it and I, as a person, cannot become a signing party considering that only nations can.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Basically a disposable, one-shot flame thrower that's set off by a trip wire. Used by the Russians and the Germans in WW2.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
For when you really want the kids to stay off your lawn.
Concealed flamethrowers in action:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
Calvin Bambi eyes. . .
Er, when you say "clearing".....?
[fearing the worst].
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If something goes wrong, you're carrying a boatload of highly flammable material while playing with fire. Sounds like a setup for a Darwin award.
linquendum tondere
Have gnu, will travel.
How about flamenwerfer
Have gnu, will travel.
It needs a sayhellotomylittlefriend tag.
Anybody want to buy a date? Drum up enough interest in the pool and you could make a killing.
Why is Snark Required?
Er, when you say "clearing".....? [fearing the worst].
Burned the people inside to death or near enough so they stopped fighting. What do you think the flamethrower did? Spewed chocolate bunnies inside to make the enemies lapse into a diabetic coma?
Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the (supposed) good of its victims may be the most oppressive
ag flame thrower is a very different thing, just a torch with flame inches long to maybe a foot
I made a flamethrower in middleschool, kerosene powered by pressurizing old propane tanks. They are a lot safer than a lot of you seem to think. No, nobody got hurt and it's a huge hit at 4th of July parties. What's with the sudden need to regulate absolutely everything? Flamethrowers are federally unregulated, and only illegal in two states, one of them (Of course) being California. I doubt anybody is going to get hurt using this device, it doesn't even preform all that well for the price tag. The one I made (On a budget of "Random stuff I had laying around") had a range of around 50 feet, at a pressure of 120 PSI. It's a pretty simple device to operate. Don't point it at things you don't want to burn. If you are too stupid for that, don't force regulation on the rest of us who enjoy having fun.
"illegal even for governments to use since the Geneva convention."
Who takes notice of the Beneva Convention these days?
Many of the current groups of combatants (ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, Hamas, Houthis, Hezbollah etc) never signed the Geneva Convention, and certainly don't follow it.
Others have had a change of Government since back then, )like Russia and Iran, so don't feel bound by it.
And if you're a state fighting against such people (Like Israel) you realize that you're fighting at a severe disadvantage if you 'follow the rules' and they don't.
Spewed chocolate bunnies inside to make the enemies lapse into a diabetic coma...
I think that's a wonderful idea. Say, I've been looking for a potential Kickstarter for some time now...
Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
Everybody wants to buy a date. How much?
Human Rights, Article 12: Freedom from Interference with Privacy, Family, Home and Correspondence
Well sure, since if you do it wrong, you're going to be royally screwed :-)
"Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
Well, this IS slashdot. I suspect most people here have PLENTY of Vaseline on-hand.