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I hear duct tape can do wonders for..demonstrating the efficacy of modern propellants?
tac
Too long didn't read. tldrdemonstrating the efficacy of modern propellants?
tac
Don't ask me why I had a pound of saltpeter, so I pulled out a ceramic tile, and poured a large, equal mix of saltpeter and sugar onto it, then lit it.
It started burning bright, huge plume of white smoke, the kids are all oooh'ing and aaahhhh'ing.
Then I hear a loud "chink" and see the ceramic tile has shattered.
"Kids, get back" thinking it might shatter some more.
The burning pile settles onto the concrete, then the concrete starts to snap-crackle-pop from the burning pile.
I made them go stand in the middle of the lawn and let it burn. It created a crater in the driveway that I think you could have fit a golf ball. I patched it up some time later with that quick-crete stuff, that doesn't last a year.
Excellent @tac . Funny, I didn't see the hairy palm coming?
Good thing you didn't light THAT mix in the palm of your hand eh?
I haven't heard many stories like that, with the saltpeter/sugar. I don't know where me and a buddy got the info from back when, musta been 14, 1968-69? We could go to the drugstore and buy a plastic bottle of salt peter. After playing with the mix a few times we decided to play a trick on a buddy, Joe. Well after dark on the summer night we mixed up a big batch of the mix in a 1# peanut can and covered it with tin foil. Went to Joe's house, set it on the porch, banged on the door, dropped a match in the can and went into the shadows to watch the show. CRAP!! A bright white flame about 5' high shot straight up toward the porch cover!! Joe slept through the whole thing. Nothing burned down, except that peanut can, and I don't think we played with the saltpeter/sugar mix anymore.
I don't know why not? And I had to look up what "Efficacy" meant. Exactly. There should be an American word. You know, that ALL us here in America know?
I found great synonyms for "efficacy" on the new Thesaurus.com!
When I was a kid I bought a large package of paper caps used in cap guns. I got this great idea to SLOWLY cut them open and collect all the black powder to make one really big cap. Well it's a tedious process because if you cut them too fast they go off. After a while I had a nice little mountain pile of powder on a piece of paper. But I got cocky and started cutting them open faster. Well by golly if I didn't finally go fast enough to set one off, which proceeded to ignite the pile. A big whoosh and a giant cloud of smoke. I was at the kitchen table and my parents weren't home. I tried like heck to get the smoke and smell out of the house but it was impossible. Dad came home from work and opened the door. Let's just say he wasn't pleased. But oddly enough he kind of understood. When he was younger he would fill 35mm film canisters (made of metal back then) with black powder and a fuse for some home made grenades!