Slush Pile: Homemade Explosives

2006 Slush Pile

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Homemade Explosives

2006 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance

Twenty years ago, when I was a sophomore in college, I had a good friend named Juan. We were pretty close through most of school and would sometimes spend breaks together. One break we were puttering around at his house near campus when somehow explosives and pranks came up. That conversation began one of the stupidest afternoons I've ever spent. It's a wonder we weren't both killed. So this would be an honorable mention.

He described how he used to make explosives out of common household items. In particular he liked to put some tin foil topped with acid in a plastic 2-liter bottle. The two substances would combine in the 2-liter bottle and create gas, expanding the bottle until it eventually pops. We got some acid and he demonstrated this on our plastic recycling a few times before it became monotonous. When the bottles would blow up they just made a big popping noise but didn't really do anything else. One bottle expanded until it looked like an apple, but it didn't go off, so we "defused" it with a BB gun.

Since my house had been built on old farmland, adjacent to some fields, forests, and farms, we decided to move there. We could make much bigger booms without bothering any neighbors. So we drove over there, got some beers out of the fridge, and started poking around looking for materi�l.

We couldn't find anything really good, but in an old shed we did find an old lawnmower and some lawnmower gasoline. We decided to mix that with some snappers, the kind you throw on the ground to make a snapping sound, and pour the contents into an old mason jar. Then we made a fuse out of string dipped in the gasoline. But we couldn't get the fuse to light. So we started lighting matches and throwing them at the mason jar. They kept going out in mid-air before they got to the jar. Eventually my friend was lighting the matches, practically standing next to the mason jar, and then dropping them in. This seemed dangerous to me, so I retreated to a safe distance, but I said nothing to him. I wanted to see the explosion and didn�t want to discourage his participation in that. But he could never get the gasoline to light. More disappointment!

As a bomb connoisseur this failure really annoyed Juan. He decided it was high time we got cracking with a homemade cannon. He used to build them with metal or PVC pipe and then fill them with powder he cannabalized from fireworks or got at Army surplus or gun stores. You should cap one end of the pipe, then drill a tiny hole in that end, pool some of the powder in that end, then thread a fuse through that hole and mingle it with the powder. Load with a projectile of your choice, light the fuse, and fire away.

We ran some errands to get the necessary supplies, then went back to our blasting grounds. We constructed the cannon and sent an old baseball flying a few times. A little kid and his father were playing catch or practicing batting in a nearby field, and they�d occasionally look over, curious about the little explosions they�d hear from time to time. At least we thought it was a boy, but we knew the adult was a man because he was so tall and broad. We kept increasing the powder content, but each time the baseball would only move a little further. This was starting to get really frustrating!!!!

Anyway, we figured that with all of the room we had to work with we didn�t have to be cautious and could really let loose and get that baseball flying. So we abandoned this pussyfooting around and crammed a big load of powder into the pipe. The resulting boom was bigger than all the others combined and had me worried for a moment that the pipe had exploded.

But no!! Success! We cheered as we watched the baseball scream across the yard, zip through a stretch of nearby forest and beyond. Then we fell silent as the baseball continued on through a nearby field and just missed the little boy�s head by about two feet, then barrelled on across the field out of sight. Hold up your arms as if you are signaling a touchdown in football then bring your hands down and see how far apart they are. That�s how close that baseball came to that child�s head. Ooops!!

If you break a neighbor�s window with a baseball, your natural instinct is to flee. Juan and I both looked at each, obviously contemplating that option. But we also realized that if we did this the man would definitely rat us out to the college administration. How could we possibly explain our expulsion to our parents after they had already spent more than $25,000 dollars on two years of college?

Years later I�m not that astonished at how we tried to blow ourselves up using lawnmower gasoline or black powder, since that is the nature of foolish youth. If that had been the whole afternoon the memories would have gone the way of the time I stabbed a classmate with a pencil in the 2nd grade. I barely remember it anymore.

However, I will always remember as long as I live the sight of that Paul Bunyanesque fellow slowly escorting his son to the edge of the farm's property, then walking towards us holding a baseball bat. I was 1,000% convinced he was about to beat us to death, or at least break our legs. We obviously had it coming. But he didn�t. Instead he patiently, even fatherly, explained to us that we had almost killed his son a few moments earlier. Then he politely suggested that we should be more careful when toying with explosives.

David Hinman and John "Juan" Mehler www.davidhinman.com 503-380-3947 This happened in 1990 Richmond Indiana, on Miller Farm, a college house owned by Earlham College. I can't remember if it was spring or summer break. I graduated in 1993 and Juan did in 1992. I have photos of Juan, myself, and the farm somewhere. I lost touch with Juan after he moved to Montana in 1998 and got married. . . . Actually Miller Farm has its own website these days. www.millerfarm.org

Submitted on 01/19/2006

Submitted by: David Hinman
Reference: Personal Account

>> Moderator Scores <<

James said:
Neutral: Personal Account
I am quite amused at the persistence of your colleague. It is amazing that you didn't blow yourselves up, and you are LUCKY you didn't harm your neighbor's kid. I don't know if I would have been as patient as he was! :-) Anyway, I'll vote to keep this as a PA...why not! Thanks for submitting!

Jack said:
Maybe Toss: Other
I don't mind stories about people playing with homemade cannons, but - in this case - they endangered a young kid even though they knew he was down range. Sorry David, but you could have injured a young bystander.

Greg said:
Definitely Toss: Other
A bit too close to taking someone's head off, without really endangering yourself. The DAs are supposed to be for people who remove themselves from the gene pool - not passing kids!

Tracy said:
Neutral: Personal Account
Maybe if the kid hadn't been there, you would have carried on, and injured yourself. Be thankful that the kid was ok

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2006 Slush Pile

Homemade Explosives

2006 Reader Submission Pending Acceptance

>> The Darwin Awards, by Wendy Northcutt << Link to Fight Evil.

2006 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance

>> The Darwin Awards, by Wendy Northcutt <<
Link to Fight Evil.