Home made bombs
(tenuous blood mention below)

During the early days of the joinery business my brother started, we had the occasional downtime. My brother, no stranger to danger, bought some Crow-Scarer Rockets from the local farm supplies store.

Funnily enough, these rockets were designed to scare crows. Much like your regular firework rocket, these were attached to a stick, with a fuse. You lit them, and WHOOSH! They’d shoot upwards at quite a rate of knots, then BANG! They’d explode, scattering avians, crow or otherwise, in every direction.

Upon careful dismantling, the rockets were found to be comprised of two self-contained cardboard tubes. The first, attached to the fuse and dubbed the “Whoosh”, shot the rocket into the sky. The second part, named the “Bang” created the noise required to shock birds into submission.

There were three of us at the time – myself, my brother and the joiner we’d taken on to ease us into the world of working wood. Fnarr.

We had a number of ideas and experiments involving the separate parts. My brightest idea was to attach two, then three, and finally four Whooshes to a stick and link them together, to see how high a rocket would reach. Turns out, pretty damned high!

My brother, though, was the explosives mastermind. He rigged an ignition mechanism using a car battery and a length of basic electrical wire. I didn’t realise previously, but car batteries can pack quite a punch; indeed, enough to make electric wire glow with enough heat to light explosives over quite a length of wire.

So, the first experiment: Take a Bang, plug the wires into it, retire to a “safe” distance and connect the wires to the battery. BANG! And much giggles.

Experiment two: dig a one-foot hole in the ground, connect the wires, bury said Bang, cover with mud, pack tightly, retire to a “safe” distance and connect the wires to the battery. THUMP! And much soil spread over a reasonable diameter.

Third experiment, and here comes the crux. My brother, through either previous experience or enlightened research noted that, if you tightly enclose an explosion, it can create an extremely magnified blast.

So, using our joinery knowledge, we fashioned a block of wood to contain the Bang. We took a fair chunk of hardwood, say 10” tall by 6” deep by 8” wide. We sawed the top couple of inches off, drilled a hole in the larger section just bigger than the diameter of the Bang, drilled a small hole in the top section through which to feed the cable, popped the Bang in the hole with the wires connected through the lid. Some PVA glue was applied, and the lid was screwed down tight. We left the explosive block for some time to let the glue go off and, soon enough, everything was ready for the ultimate experiment.

So. Put the wooden block on the ground, trail the wire back a good number of metres (i.e. “safe distance”), and brace yourselves.

(I should note at this point that my comrades-in-arms had decided to hide behind a small portion of 12mm plywood in case of flying shrapnel – a detail I should have taken note of)

“Three, two, one...”

BANG! Fucking hell! Immense fucking explosion! Wood fragments everywhere! Oh wow that was...

FUCKDAMNSHITFUCKDAMNJUSTINTIMBERLAKEMOTHERFUCKER!

A fair-sized fragment of wood, about 8” long, 1” in diameter flew in a very straight line from the bomb, straight into the shin of my right leg. I swear, it did not arc at all; just a straight line, from bomb to leg. Much hilarity ensued, including (here it comes!) lots of blood all down my leg and into my workboots, swearing and general amazement.

The moral of the story is, if you’re going to play with explosives, make sure you’ve got at least a bit of 12mm ply to hide behind. I have a scar to this day, and an impressive dent in my shin you can feel if anyone ever... touched me.

Length? Not much, I just enjoy the story.
( Noeli overtheshoulderboulderholderthingstraplatchboobs, Wed 13 Aug 2008, 17:37, 3 replies)

having a trade is so cool..
ain't it?
i'm a plumber and i specialise in lead-welding...
oh what bangy-fun i have with my oxy-acetylene kit, filling suitable containers (5L pva tubs are just right!!) with the mixed gas and setting them off. i tend to use a wee blowlamp on the end of a length of slate latt instead of a fuse...
hee-hee!

and have a click x
( blaireau69 , the Cumbrian Travis Bickle., Wed 13 Aug 2008, 17:48, closed)

*clicks*
I'd claim it was because I feel for your pain of having a not insignificant fragment of wood fly into your leg, but to be honest I just like stories involving explosions. :D
(icassu, Wed 13 Aug 2008, 17:55, closed)

ah
the days of filling condoms or bin-bags with deodorant, tying them off, spraying them on the outside, lighting them and running like buggery. Not much blood of course, but lost my eyebrows a few times.
( Noeli overtheshoulderboulderholderthingstraplatchboobs, Wed 13 Aug 2008, 17:59, closed)