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Amateur Scientist Builds Thermite Grenade Cannon (gizmodo.com)

Posted by EditorDavid on from the flash-powder dept.

YouTube personality Colin Furze has built a homemade cannon which he's filmed launching grenades filled with thermite, "an especially nasty chemical composition made of metal power and oxide that burns as hot as 2,500 degrees Celsius." Furze once co-hosted Sky1's program Gadget Geeks, and he's since made a new career demonstrating strange science projects on YouTube. Furze's other homemade devices have included a rocket-powered go-kart and a knife that can also toast bread while it's cutting.

4 of 97 comments (clear)

  1. Re:hi by Sechr+Nibw · · Score: 4, Informative

    Thanks for playing, but he's British, not American. Try changing your TLA.

  2. He's not an amateur scientist by bigsexyjoe · · Score: 3, Informative

    If he did amateur scientific experiments or research, he'd be an amateur scientist. He is more of an amateur engineer, if you'd call him that. Not to knock him, but I'd probably just call him a guy who builds cool stuff.

    --
    Democracy Now! - your daily, uncensored, corporate-free
  3. Re:hi by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 5, Informative

    1. Thermite is perfectly legal to own. It is not regulated by the ATF whatsoever.

    We made it in high school chemistry class. Here is the recipe:

    1. Powdered aluminum
    2. Powdered rust
    3. Mix
    4. Ignite
    The stuff does not explode. It just burns, and produces molten iron. We did it on a 1/2" steel plate out behind the school, and it burned through the steel.

    Notes:
    1. Our chemistry teacher was really cool
    2. Always wear eye protection when doing stuff like this.

  4. Re:hi by Deadstick · · Score: 4, Informative

    Just curious, where does that second 'i' come from in enunciating Aluminum

    From its discoverer. He called it alumium, aluminum and aluminium in that historical order, and the different versions basically spread by diffusion.

    OTOH, "solder" has only one spelling, but two pronunciations: in Britain they pronounce the L.