How sad?
To quell my pyromaniac desires and to relieve the unusual wheelie-bin volume problems we've had of late, I've taken to burning cardboard boxes and the like in a little wire basket in the garden.

On Saturday, I was duly disposing of a bag of old statements etc and came across a couple of AAA batteries that 'her indoors' had put into the bag.

Rather than basic female stupidity, I took this to be either a dare to burn them (strictly against safety instructions, kiddies!) or an attempt to injure my person.

I got a good blaze going with some barclaycard statements and banks statements, then rolled up some pieces of cardboard and wedged the batteries inside. I dumped them in the blaze and retreated to what I hoped would be a safe distance.

I heard some sizzling, which actually got the adrenaline going a little bit in anticipation, then a *PFFFFT* which produced a slight plume of paper-ash. There was also a bit of a funny smell.

So, for those who take heed of safety warnings: Disposing of batteries in fires will not result in decapitation, or even combat-style shrapnel wounds. Aerosol tins, however...........
(Greencloud Wanted to go fishing on, Mon 5 Nov 2007, 10:33, 5 replies)

Actually
it is possible, although unlikely, that they will explode.

However, for a more satisfying pyromaniacal experience, try setting fire to a lithium ion battery, such as that which powers most digital cameras, camcorders and laptops these days. I believe such devices contain ether, which is highly flammable, and which has been responsible for several laptop computers bursting into flames over the last year or three.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Mon 5 Nov 2007, 10:41, closed)

Lithium batteries
My Dad used to be an industrial chemist of some sort, and tells me of someone who deliberately exploded a lithium battery in the name of science. He recorded it with a cine camera - this happened a while back.

Cine cameras work with a stroboscope, and 24 times a second they record nothing as the shutter closes and the film moves on to the next frame.

Such was the speed of the explosion that it was all over in the time that the shutter was closed. In one frame there was an intact battery; in the next, nothing.

I'm not sure whether I beleive my Dad. If he's right, though... blimey.
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Mon 5 Nov 2007, 11:24, closed)

Tesco ...... pffft!

Who's the guy who makes 'tesco value' things for all the image challenges? It wasn't actually 'value' but was their own brand.

Only one actually made the PFFFT!, the other one just fizzled. (I still hid round the corner like a scaredy cat) It was a bit pathetic, but was only a AAA. I would be rather careful if trying it with a chunky C or D one.
(Greencloud Wanted to go fishing on, Mon 5 Nov 2007, 11:58, closed)

"The" guy?

( le brian, Mon 5 Nov 2007, 15:17, closed)

My laptops a sony
It sets fire to itself.
( Slippery Mick ‏, Mon 5 Nov 2007, 17:39, closed)