How not to clean your glass carboy

[JMUBrew]

Hadn't the idiot ever heard of just filling a friggin balloon to do that?!? That's what we did our freshman year of HS! Had security running from the gates to check on the building to make sure someone hadn't hurled an IED over the school wall! (Chemistry teacher does it once a semester there...One balloon is O2, one hydrogen, one mixed...big boom! )

[Airgead]

I picked that as a petrol (gasoline for the Americans out there) or other hydrocarbon vapour explosion rather than hydrogen (unless there was something in the soundtrack that gave it away... the sound quality was pretty crappy for me). The flames in the remains of the base after the explosion wouldn't have been there if it was just H in there. They definitely looked like they were coming from a pool of liquid in the base. Hydrogen flames are clear too.. those weer orange/yellow.

Apologies for the geekery. I geek out over things that go boom.

Dave

Pertrol or Hydrogen, the guy is still a moron.

[Bugeater]

I picked that as a petrol (gasoline for the Americans out there) or other hydrocarbon vapour explosion rather than hydrogen (unless there was something in the soundtrack that gave it away... the sound quality was pretty crappy for me). The flames in the remains of the base after the explosion wouldn't have been there if it was just H in there. They definitely looked like they were coming from a pool of liquid in the base. Hydrogen flames are clear too.. those weer orange/yellow.

Apologies for the geekery. I geek out over things that go boom.

Dave

Pertrol or Hydrogen, the guy is still a moron.

I agree with your assessment. My experiment mentioned above involved hydrogen. The only residual fire was from the hair that used to be on my arm!

Wayne
Bugeater Brewing Company

[akap]

Doc would blame it on the Mexican Glass! Everyone knows "Hand-Blown" German glass is superior.

[Airgead]

I agree with your assessment. My experiment mentioned above involved hydrogen. The only residual fire was from the hair that used to be on my arm!

Wayne
Bugeater Brewing Company

My father once told me about his university days doing chemistry back in the 40s. A group of students, him included, decided to make hydrogen (dunno why.. they probably didn't have a reason they were students). They cobbled together some electrolysis gear which included a wooden barrel which I think was their H collection tank. It was sealed with wax to prevent leaks and fitted with a tap to extract the gas. Anyhoo they fired up their gear and waitied. After waiting some time, they weren't sure whether it was working so one of the brighter sparks decided to crack open the tap and light a match to see if he got that little *pop* of exploding Hydrogen they got in class when they did it on a smaller scale. He didn't. He got a *KABOOM* and all but the base of their barrel vanished. Apparently the rest came down a minute or two later and several hundred yards away. Luckily they had the foresight to set up their gear outside...

Just goes to show.. students have always been students and probably always will.

Cheers
Dave