The expansion rate of steam to water is actually 1600x1. I worked in a steel melt shop, and we ended up putting ice into molten baths all the time, with a resulting BOOM and steam and molten steel blowing out of the top of the furnace. You learned to be cautious. When my arms get a tan, I have a whole bunch of white spots that don't tan, due to all the small burns I got over the years.
With a big swallow of pride I must admit I'd a done something that stupid when I was a kid. No idea how I made it to adulthood. There was a lighter that came out in the early sixties that had a lil gas tank. Maybe a butane lighter? I put one a those tanks in a vise then a screw driver under the cap and gave her a whack wit a hammer. That damn brass cap went right through the garage roof.
Admit it - we all did something this stupid when we were young, stupid, and didn't know enough to realize we weren't bulletproof. I didn't do this exactly, but I did pinch a lit firecracker between my thumb and forefinger and held it there while it went "bang". It felt like somebody whacked my fingers with a hammer, and my fingers were numb for a few days. Lesson learned...
You all know that is kinda the way lead shot is made. Except the molten lead is poured at the top- of a tower into a water pond many feet down the tower shaft. And no one is standing around watching what happens when the hot lead hits the water. I agree, this guy is a dumb ass.
I made shot out of steel, the same way. We made extremely high carbon steel, to be used by companies to increase the carbon level in the alloys that they were melting. Elemental Carbon is hard to dissolve into molten steel, so we would sell the high carbon iron shot, and it was easy for the companies to add carbon to a heat, if it was a touch too low. And when I was a kid,I would hold the bullet of a .22 LR in a pair of pliers, and light a bic lighter under the primer, until it went off and shot the brass over the top of the oak tree in our front yard.
Had a buddy in 6th grade doing this stunt but his result was a bit more "spectacular": he lost his two middle fingers on his left hand (he's left handed).
Steam is actually about 1700 times the volume of water.....and molten metal can take water to steam in about a millisecond. As grandpa used to say...."if you ain't smart you better be lucky".
I seem to remember, from chemistry class (don't try this at home kids!), that molten aluminum and water, or steam, get you a chemical reaction. Accelerated oxidation (exothermic?), and evolved hydrogen, so its a steam and hot gas kaboom.
Stupid shit. We've all done it, just maybe not as spectacular. One of the many stupid things I did as a kid, one of them I thought had permanently damaged my vision.
When I was about ten, I found an unused flash-bulb in a neighbors trash can. (Look it up. They were a thing back in the day.) It was one of the big ones that a professional photographer would use, about the size of a tennis ball. I thought: "I wonder if a transistor radio battery will set it off."
Shorter story, it did. It popped just fine. But not only did that hot-as-hell bare bulb flay the skin off the palm of my hand, it was also close enough to my face that it totally blinded me for at least 15 minutes. And then, after my vision recovered, I could only see in black and white for about an hour.
I was too embarrassed to tell my parents what happened, but for awhile I thought I was going to have to fess up and go to the doctor.
WTF did he think was going to happen?
ReplyDeleteCould do more damage than a high intensity green laser.
ReplyDeleteThat boy needs a ten foot pole.
ReplyDeleteAnd the Darwin Award goes to....
ReplyDeleteThat dumbass is lucky he's not blind or dead.
ReplyDeleteNemo
He coulda been a contenda, a Darwin candidate contenda!
ReplyDelete8th grade shop teacher let us do aluminum molds. He said not to spit in the molten aluminum........guess what happened next
ReplyDeleteWe did Al molds in 8th grade shop too. Some of the molds had moisture left in it and al7minum geysers followed.
DeleteDumb ass, what did he think it was going to do
ReplyDeleteSteam is ten times the volume of water.
ReplyDelete1,000 x
DeleteThe expansion rate of steam to water is actually 1600x1. I worked in a steel melt shop, and we ended up putting ice into molten baths all the time, with a resulting BOOM and steam and molten steel blowing out of the top of the furnace. You learned to be cautious. When my arms get a tan, I have a whole bunch of white spots that don't tan, due to all the small burns I got over the years.
Deletepigpen51
Steam is ten times the volume of water.
ReplyDeleteA painful lesson in thermodynamics
ReplyDeleteDave the Fireman says to Steve the Engineer - Steam expands to ~1700~ times the volume of water.
ReplyDeleteThe search for a reliable source of Unobtanium was dealt another setback today....
ReplyDeleteDude! All those tools and you couldn't figure out how to tip the thing in remotely? Asshole.
ReplyDeleteThe only part we're missing is where he tells the camera guy to hold his beer😄
ReplyDeleteyou would think he would clear the path, sweep up, et cetera
ReplyDeleteWith a big swallow of pride I must admit I'd a done something that stupid when I was a kid. No idea how I made it to adulthood. There was a lighter that came out in the early sixties that had a lil gas tank. Maybe a butane lighter? I put one a those tanks in a vise then a screw driver under the cap and gave her a whack wit a hammer. That damn brass cap went right through the garage roof.
ReplyDeleteYou tube video, or it didn't happen.
DeleteThe greatest relief in my old age is that during my young and stupid years - there were no cell phones with cameras or camcorders...
DeletePlay stupid games.
ReplyDeleteWin stupid prizes.
If you're gonna be dumb, ya better be tough.
Admit it - we all did something this stupid when we were young, stupid, and didn't know enough to realize we weren't bulletproof.
ReplyDeleteI didn't do this exactly, but I did pinch a lit firecracker between my thumb and forefinger and held it there while it went "bang". It felt like somebody whacked my fingers with a hammer, and my fingers were numb for a few days.
Lesson learned...
You all know that is kinda the way lead shot is made. Except the molten lead is poured at the top- of a tower into a water pond many feet down the tower shaft. And no one is standing around watching what happens when the hot lead hits the water. I agree, this guy is a dumb ass.
ReplyDeleteI made shot out of steel, the same way. We made extremely high carbon steel, to be used by companies to increase the carbon level in the alloys that they were melting. Elemental Carbon is hard to dissolve into molten steel, so we would sell the high carbon iron shot, and it was easy for the companies to add carbon to a heat, if it was a touch too low.
DeleteAnd when I was a kid,I would hold the bullet of a .22 LR in a pair of pliers, and light a bic lighter under the primer, until it went off and shot the brass over the top of the oak tree in our front yard.
pigpen51
That's a heck of a way to pull bullets, pigpen.
DeleteDid you ever try that trick with a 338 Win Mag?
22LR vs HammerTime......!
DeleteEd357
Had a buddy in 6th grade doing this stunt but his result was a bit more "spectacular": he lost his two middle fingers on his left hand (he's left handed).
ReplyDeleteSteam is actually about 1700 times the volume of water.....and molten metal can take water to steam in about a millisecond. As grandpa used to say...."if you ain't smart you better be lucky".
ReplyDeleteI seem to remember, from chemistry class (don't try this at home kids!), that molten aluminum and water, or steam, get you a chemical reaction. Accelerated oxidation (exothermic?), and evolved hydrogen, so its a steam and hot gas kaboom.
DeleteAdd some iron oxide for extra special effect.....
Stupid shit. We've all done it, just maybe not as spectacular. One of the many stupid things I did as a kid, one of them I thought had permanently damaged my vision.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was about ten, I found an unused flash-bulb in a neighbors trash can. (Look it up. They were a thing back in the day.) It was one of the big ones that a professional photographer would use, about the size of a tennis ball. I thought: "I wonder if a transistor radio battery will set it off."
Shorter story, it did. It popped just fine. But not only did that hot-as-hell bare bulb flay the skin off the palm of my hand, it was also close enough to my face that it totally blinded me for at least 15 minutes. And then, after my vision recovered, I could only see in black and white for about an hour.
I was too embarrassed to tell my parents what happened, but for awhile I thought I was going to have to fess up and go to the doctor.