Calcium Carbide + Water = Acetylene

[bsrlee]

A large garbage bag full of Oxygen and acetylene on the barbie is very efficient at removing fibro, roofing tiles & window glass. I remember seeing the photos in the Sunday paper when I was a kid - seems the neighbours were having a loud party & the welder next door wanted them to quieten down..........

[Boringgeoff]

Bsrlee, you beauty, got us onto oxy/acetelene bombs. Years ago (1973) I and 3 other fools made one in a big plastic bag. We were in a railway construction camp in the Pilbara and one of us had a car, so we took this monster about a mile away and used a length of rolled up dunny paper for a fuse. After we lit it we stood well back and waited and waited, we decided the fuse wasn't working too good so edged a bit closer then it went off. Did I mention we'd been drinking Fosters or Emu Export 36c a can? I can still see the huge orange fireball. We went back to the camp with our ears ringing and eyebrows singed. There were a lot of guys walking around wondering what they'd just heard.
Ah good old days.

Geoff.

[Scott]

Hilarious Geoff, you're far from boring

[Boringgeoff]

Thanks sjt, you'd change your opinion if we got onto the subject of braces and
brace tools.
I seem to recall a market gardener with a bird scarer that worked with carbide. It didn't ignite but used the gas generated to raise a wooden clapper that would drop with a
loud noise thus scaring the birds off his vegies.
Regards,
Geoff.

[bluegum30]

never did it myself, but the old man told me about the time when a few waggs let off 1/2 plug of jelly on top of a stump in the dead of night, just about stuffed the dairy cows and chooks close by.

[jimbur]

I'm not imagining it am I? As soon as I read this thread I could smell the garlic.
Cheers,
Jim