/diy/ - Do It Yourself

>>531155

reminds me of when i was younger how i *attempted* to build an oxy-hydrogen torch

what a dumb idea that was

>science class
>teacher shows us the old oxy-hydrogen balloon demonstration
>"if we apply electricity to water and add an electrolyte we can extract hydrogen"
>balloon is filled and explodes violently
>i spend the rest of the class observing the setup
>go to library and get babbys first science book
>get home and use what i learned to construct the device

FYI my parents weren't home till late at night

>some time later the device is complete on basement floor
>old red plastic gas can with a dozen or so bolts sticking thru the plastic shell
>6 feet aquarium tubing glued in to top with a needle air nozzle attached to end
>cut up pieces of extension cord connected to bolts
>extension cords converge on a bridge rectifier
>AC side of rectifier has an old lamp cord with the goofy switch in line plugged directly into outlet

time for its premiere

>pour water in
>add a handful of rocksalt
>flip switch
>bubbling noises
>bring lighter to nozzle
>3 2 1 ignition
>tube glows like a camera flashbulb
>huge gust of wind water and shards of plastic propel me backwards
>hearing gone
>laying on floor
>the explosion was so bright an image of the basement is burned in my eyes.
>huge mushroom cloud rising to basement ceiling
>the entire ceiling is soaked in electrolyte as am i
>smoke alarms going off

luckily i was not injured and thank god the house didn't burn down

mfw later that weekend my dad was trying to figure out how one of the basement window assembly's got in the garden.