My pyromaniac interests have been rekindled.

[vernon]

Waiting for the glue to dry....

 

[compo]

Now for some education...

A dustbin filled with petrol will not explode it will merely burn. For an explosion you need petrol vapour and air within quite a narrow range; 1.5% to 7% approx by volume. Below 1.5% and the mix is too lean to burn and above 7% it's too rich. So you need to pour a bit of petrol in the empty bin, swill it around a bit put the lid on leaving a small gap to throw lighted matched at and hope that the petrol air mix is right. It rarely is.

Acetylene however will explode with a gas air mix between 3% and 100% - guaranteed success.

A Coleman pressure lamp, petrol powered, will explode like a good'un if you undo the filling cap when you think it is safely extinguished and it isn't, and it still has a bit of pressure in it. Burning petrol all over all my hands and the kitchen going up in flames. Don't question my sanity doing it in the kitchen! I am just thankful I was single at the time, could you imagine the earache a wife would have given me! I didn't get my overnight fishing trip that night either.

 

[Profpointy]

Been there done that.

Exept that I used acetylene.

Result:

One big bang
Every back window on the alleyway rattled
Every dog withing five strrets barked
15' diameter orange black fireball
Dustbin lid up past the guttering.

Four undergraduates peering over the window ledge anticipating repercussions.

Carbide cannon is a good 'un too. Couple of pringle tubes duck taped end-to-end, with holes punched in the in-between metal plate. Top tube is the barrel, and bottom tube is the breech. Best tape the base on too. Touch hole in the bottom. Drop in one lump of carbide, pour in water, then load with a tennis ball and wadding. Touch it off from touch hole. Range 50 to 100 metres. Best wear ear defenders as if detonates as opposed to burns with a woof, then it is very very loud crack indeed given you're about 18" away.

 

[vernon]

A Coleman pressure lamp, petrol powered, will explode like a good'un if you undo the filling cap when you think it is safely extinguished and it isn't, and it still has a bit of pressure in it. Burning petrol all over all my hands and the kitchen going up in flames. Don't question my sanity doing it in the kitchen! I am just thankful I was single at the time, could you imagine the earache a wife would have given me! I didn't get my overnight fishing trip that night either.

Not quite an explosion but a pressurised egress of petrol vapour and liquid petrol - almost an aerosol fire but definitely not an explosion.

Having burned the net curtains with an aerosol, the carpet witha burning ping pong ball and nearly incinerating the kitchen, our son and myself with a large rocket you'd think that my wife would be having more than stern words with me. I get away with a resigned growl.

Must be my charm. That or the wide eyed fear displayed by my visage when I 'fess up.

 

[vernon]

Carbide cannon is a good 'un too. Couple of pringle tubes duck taped end-to-end, with holes punched in the in-between metal plate. Top tube is the barrel, and bottom tube is the breech. Best tape the base on too. Touch hole in the bottom. Drop in one lump of carbide, pour in water, then load with a tennis ball and wadding. Touch it off from touch hole. Range 50 to 100 metres. Best wear ear defenders as if detonates as opposed to burns with a woof, then it is very very loud crack indeed given you're about 18" away.

Too small to be appealing.

 

[marknotgeorge]

View attachment 54338
Dustbin????????? Why stop there...?

Leeds man moves Earth out of orbit.

 

[winjim]

You could always have a go at a jet powered beer cooler.

 

[Profpointy]

Too small to be appealing.

Ah, but that's just the demonstrator - you can scale it up to a couple of dustbins if you dare !

 

[vernon]

You could always have a go at a jet powered beer cooler.

The jet engine is redundant. Just put the gas bottle into the water, open the valve and let the Joule Thompson effect take care of the chiling. Why make things over complex?

 

[winjim]

The jet engine is redundant. Just put the gas bottle into the water, open the valve and let the Joule Thompson effect take care of the chiling.

The jet engine is required to safely dispose of the gas though.

 

[vernon]

The jet engine is required to safely dispose of the gas though.

Safe is boring. Just ignite it.