Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2011/07/02
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]My first couple of years of high school were in a private high school in New York City. I became good friends with a chap who in later life became the head of the Electrical Engineering Department at MIT. Peter and I decided we wanted to make some home-made gunpowder and set it off underground, that is dig a hole, put the powder in the bottom, refill the hole, retreat a safe distance and set it off. This in Central Park. We decided that an ancient radio transmitter (spark transmitter) that the school had would provide ignition for the powder. We went to the science teacher and explained why we wanted to borrow it. He was very permissive, just said that if we were questioned, we should say that we were from the ...school (a different school from ours) and to say that we were "measuring earth currents". So after raiding a couple of drug stores for the components, we mixed up some black powder, dug a hole, inserted the powder and this heavy cable with the leads at the end set in a spark gap, and refilled the hole with dirt and rocks. We retreated behind a tree and pushed the button on the transmitter. There was a satisfying eruption a few feet in height of dirt and rocks, and then smoke slowly rose out of the site. Just at that moment, up rode a mounted policeman who asked what we were doing. "Oh," we said, "we're from the ...school and we're measuring earth current." "I see," he said, and rode off. Herb >From the time I was 11 I used to make explosives at home. I don't >_think_ my parents knew about it, but we lived way up in northern >Alberta in a town of 800, so I'd be surprised if my dad, the doctor >in the town, didn't hear from the drugstore owner about my >purchases. In any case after some satisfying explosions I graduated >to rockets and mixing rocket fuel. When we visited with my >grandparents in Germany when I was 13 and I made some friends, I >showed them how it was done. We made this great rocket, launched it >from his backyard and after it flew out of sight at about 1000ft, >realized that we'd better not go from house to house asking people >if they'd seen a rocket land in their back yard. No more firing >rockets in downtown Hamburg. Peace River country was a lot safer; >all you could hit was a moose or a bear. > > > >At 8:15 PM -0500 7/1/11, Ken Carney wrote: >>You can make your own. I have a friend who bought a 10-gauge >>shotgun shell reloading press to assemble really big M-100's from a >>kit. He says dead fish float to the surface when they throw them >>overboard. I'll probably see him on the Darwin list sometime. >>When I was 12 or so we would make our own black powder (ingredients >>bought from the local drugstore...Ahmm, son may I ask what you want >>this for?), and fill two hemispheres of a plunger taped together. >>The blast effect actually broke a window or two. Somehow we lived >>through it. >> >>Ken >> >>On 7/1/2011 7:54 PM, Jim Nichols wrote: >>> They must still be available, Ken. Today's local paper had a >>>report that the police were investigating someone exploding two >>>toilets in a local park with fireworks. >>> >>> Jim Nichols >>> Tullahoma, TN USA >>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ken Carney" <kcarney1 at cox.net> >>> To: "Leica Users Group" <lug at leica-users.org> >>> Sent: Friday, July 01, 2011 7:49 PM >>> Subject: [Leica] Friday flowers of the season >>> >>> >>>> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/kcarney/seasons.jpg.html >>>> >>>> Have a good 4th, all. I really miss the fireworks we could buy >>>>years ago - cherry bombs that you could flush at high school >>>>during break, girls running home to change clothes and such. >>>>They were like a quarter stick of dynamite. >>>> >>>> Best, >>>> >>>> Ken >>>> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> Leica Users Group. >>>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >>>> >>>> >>> >> >> >>_______________________________________________ >>Leica Users Group. >>See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > >-- > > Henning J. Wulff > Wulff Photography & Design >mailto:henningw at archiphoto.com > http://www.archiphoto.com > >_______________________________________________ >Leica Users Group. >See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information -- Herbert Kanner kanner at acm.org 650-326-8204 Do not meddle in the affairs of cats, for they are subtle and will pee on your computer!