• Glycerin and Potassium Permanganate: hot enough to ignite Thermite?
    70 replies, posted
I'm a chemistry noob and a pyromaniac. I wanted to make up a batch of thermite and burn holes through some sheet metal for shits and giggles. I heard Magnesium Ribbon is fickle and sparklers are illegal in this county (the division between a state and a city). Will pouring Glycerin into a pile of Potassium Permanganate produce enough heat to ignite the thermite, seeing as it needs a few thousand degrees before it reacts? Obviously once I pour the glycerin I'm smart enough to run the fuck away.
Huh? We need the science subforum back.
Doubt it, just buy some magnesium ribbon off Ebay. And what country are sparklers illegal in? Yeh, Thermite requires the intense heat of burning magnesium, a fire wont start it. [editline]03:10AM[/editline] I just got dejavu, i'm sure this has been asked before, and alde, or someone with a similar avatar posted just before me in that thread too.
[i]Sparklers[/i] are illegal? What kind of ultraprotective county are you in?
[QUOTE=Skippy!;16362738][i]Sparklers[/i] are illegal? What kind of ultraprotective county are you in?[/QUOTE]Germany most likely. [i]sparklers caus sploshuns[/i]
Use water and whatever alkaline metal you can find to ignite it with.... AN EXPLOSION OF WIN.
[QUOTE=pl0xinat0r;16362721]Doubt it, just buy some magnesium ribbon off Ebay. And what country are sparklers illegal in? Yeh, Thermite requires the intense heat of burning magnesium, a fire wont start it. [editline]03:10AM[/editline] I just got dejavu, i'm sure this has been asked before, and alde, or someone with a similar avatar posted just before me in that thread too.[/QUOTE] Tuolumne [B]county[/B]. Of California. AKA Backwoods, Redneck central. [editline]07:15PM[/editline] [QUOTE=Skippy!;16362738][i]Sparklers[/i] are illegal? What kind of ultraprotective county are you in?[/QUOTE] The Democratic People's Republic of California.
Oh County, still, i lol'd at redneck.
Strider, I live in california and sparklers are legal. If you want to get some go to the next county next to you and get some.
[QUOTE=Kyle902;16362833]Strider, I live in california and sparklers are legal. If you want to get some go to the next county next to you and get some.[/QUOTE] I might, but it's for a legit reason. Forest fires out the ass, but considering my thermite here is twice as flammable I think I might just go buy some. :v:
Just did a few seconds of reading on wikipedia. A flint spark lighter might ignite [U]finely powdered[/U] thermite, if you have that. Also: [quote]A stoichiometric mixture of finely powdered iron(III) oxide and aluminium may be ignited using ordinary red-tipped book matches by partially embedding one match head in the mixture, and igniting that match head with another match, preferably held with tongs in gloves to prevent flash burns.[/quote]
[QUOTE=Itszutak;16362886]Just did a few seconds of reading on wikipedia. A flint spark lighter might ignite [U]finely powdered[/U] thermite, if you have that. Also:[/QUOTE] Hmm, I never knew that. Suppose I could find a mortar and pestle and get a-grindin'
[QUOTE=Strider_07;16362937]Hmm, I never knew that. Suppose I could find a mortar and pestle and get a-grindin'[/QUOTE] Grind up just a little bit and use that to ignite the rest.
A survivor flint igniter contains a magnesium bar required for starting fires, but for the actual flint it's just ferrosium rod that you strike against the magnesium shards that you shave off. Edit: Usually a knife is used to scrape off magnesium from survival flints and ignition from the ferrosium bar.
[QUOTE=Strider_07;16362937]Hmm, I never knew that. Suppose I could find a mortar and pestle and get a-grindin'[/QUOTE] For added fun fill a can of soda with it ignite it and throw it at a target then record it and show it to us.
[QUOTE=Strider_07;16362937]Hmm, I never knew that. Suppose I could find a mortar and pestle and get a-grindin'[/QUOTE] To be honest I would not that. There's a chance that the grinding stones could spark and ignite it right then and there. Actually, come to think of it, all of this sounds amazingly dangerous. This is california in the summer we're talking about (I live in CA too)-- you probably already know how many fires start every summer because of stuff like this. Seriously, it takes one spark to fuck up millions of dollars of property. Also, thermite [U]CAN NOT[/U] be put out. The fucking stuff will stay lit underwater, because it supplies its own oxygen for ignition. Do not fuck with it, unless you know what you are doing.
[QUOTE=Itszutak;16363032]To be honest I would not that. There's a chance that the grinding stones could spark and ignite it right then and there. Actually, come to think of it, all of this sounds amazingly dangerous. This is california in the summer we're talking about (I live in CA too)-- you probably already know how many fires start every summer because of stuff like this. Seriously, it takes one spark to fuck up millions of dollars of property. Also, thermite [U]CAN NOT[/U] be put out. The fucking stuff will stay lit underwater, because it supplies its own oxygen for ignition. Do not fuck with it, unless you know what you are doing.[/QUOTE] I'm not igniting it near anything flammable. I'm not that stupid. Most likely I'll wait until A) it cools off and B) I can get to a large patch of concrete and burn it over a bucket of sand. By griding it I was also referring to the individual components, not the end product. Fairly certain aluminum powder won't ignite and neither will rust.
And for protection WHEN YOU LIGHT IT PUT IT IN A CINDERBLOCK.
[QUOTE=Strider_07;16363087]I'm not igniting it near anything flammable. I'm not that stupid. Most likely I'll wait until A) it cools off and B) I can get to a large patch of concrete and burn it over a bucket of sand. By griding it I was also referring to the individual components, not the end product. Fairly certain aluminum powder won't ignite and neither will rust.[/QUOTE] Alright, sounds a lot more reasonable. Just one last warning: Thermite will spray like a long-range sparkler when you ignite it, so I'd move out of the way as soon as you can after you ignite it. Also don't do it near any trees or grass or shit
[QUOTE=Strider_07;16362699]I'm a chemistry noob and a pyromaniac. I wanted to make up a batch of thermite and burn holes through some sheet metal for shits and giggles. I heard Magnesium Ribbon is fickle and sparklers are illegal in this county (the division between a state and a city). Will pouring Glycerin into a pile of Potassium Permanganate produce enough heat to ignite the thermite, seeing as it needs a few thousand degrees before it reacts? Obviously once I pour the glycerin I'm smart enough to run the fuck away.[/QUOTE] I am a Chemist! :) Also, your Glycerin and Potassium Permanganate will ignite thermite.
Make sure you know what you are doing. Just running away like they do on Brainiac may not be a good way to go about it, seeing how that's likely an editing technique, as in they make it look like they do that do, but they really ignite it remotely.
Well it should be easy to remotely rig the potassium and the glycerin to ignite. All you need is string
Be careful if you grind it up. [quote="Anonymous"] (on [url]http://how2dostuff.blogspot.com/2006/01/how-to-make-thermite.html[/url] )Thermite burns rather slowly but produces a great deal of heat. Be careful as it will sink down through whatever you put it on. Use your imagination. Be careful not to get the aluminum too finely ground as al powder in thermite will cause an explosion (you can't outrun this). You can also mix magnesium slivers into your thermite to help it ignite quicker and make it easier to light.[/quote] I'm not the chemistry buff, so you decide if it's safe.
Any Alkali metal lower than (and possibly including) potassium + water SHOULD work, but I'm not an expert.
hey guyz lets burn shit with thermite THAT WOULD BE SO SMART AND COOL lol i mean wat cud happen [B](CNN)[/B] -- In other news, a 16 year old boy was found without his head surrounded by lit matches and thermite materials.
[QUOTE=Mr. Mcguffin;16363730]hey guyz lets burn shit with thermite THAT WOULD BE SO SMART AND COOL lol i mean wat cud happen [B](CNN)[/B] -- In other news, a 16 year old boy was found without his head surrounded by lit matches and thermite materials.[/QUOTE] Thermite doesn't explode, genius. Neither do the components used to make it. Unless you finely grind it. [editline]08:22PM[/editline] [QUOTE=Kronik;16363635]Be careful if you grind it up. I'm not the chemistry buff, so you decide if it's safe.[/QUOTE] The more I look at it the less grinding it up sounds like a good idea. I think the Glycerin in the Potassium Permanganate should be hot enough, especially if I liberally sprinkle some magnesium flakes into it.
[QUOTE=Strider_07;16363781]Thermite doesn't explode, genius. Neither do the components used to make it. Unless you finely grind it. [editline]08:22PM[/editline] The more I look at it the less grinding it up sounds like a good idea. I think the Glycerin in the Potassium Permanganate should be hot enough, especially if I liberally sprinkle some magnesium flakes into it.[/QUOTE] That seems like the best idea. If I wasn't such a pussy, I'd use it for some B&E on some abandoned houses. They're boarded up and the screws have been drilled out so you can't use a drill.
[QUOTE=Mr. Mcguffin;16363730]hey guyz lets burn shit with thermite THAT WOULD BE SO SMART AND COOL lol i mean wat cud happen [B](CNN)[/B] -- In other news, a 16 year old boy was found without his head surrounded by lit matches and thermite materials.[/QUOTE] Nonsense, he wouldn't have a head or a body. His head would melt if it was put near burning thermite. :)
[QUOTE=Kronik;16363879]That seems like the best idea. If I wasn't such a pussy, I'd use it for some B&E on some abandoned houses. They're boarded up and the screws have been drilled out so you can't use a drill.[/QUOTE] hehehe, that'd be fun.
[QUOTE=Skippy!;16362738][i]Sparklers[/i] are illegal? What kind of ultraprotective county are you in?[/QUOTE] Everything but Snakes and Sparklers are illegal to sell and buy in my state. Luckily, we live next to Indiana. So I can just drive there, buy some, and take them back.
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.