In a message dated 22/07/2005, royb1@........... writes:

The carbide idea has some charm (I have a carbide cannon)  but careful 
control of the acetylene-air ratio would be necessary to  achieve a 
detonation.  Electrolysis of water automatically insures  stoichiometry.
Hi Bob,
 
    Agreed, but have you worked out how long it would  take to get sufficient 
H2 and O2 by electrolysis and the number of amp hours  required?
    You would need inert electrodes in the water + lime  soda? 
 
    You know the volume of the bottle and hence the  volume of oxygen. You 
now need to weigh out the right amount of CaC2, tip it in  the bottle and wait 
till it stops fizzling. It would probably be good enough?  

>    Alternatively, equip your self with some  balloons, fill them with 
> acetylene + oxygen and apply a glowing fuse or  cigarette? I 
> suggest setting the gas torch burning with the correct  flame shape, wipe 
> out the flame and then fill the  balloon? 

Again, stoichiometry would require careful  control of gas-air ratio. 
Also, balloons are harder to bury than  bottles.



The way my mind works, I was thinking of  using sausage shaped balloons blown 
up inside a thin cardboard tube. If you  light the acetylene flame and adjust 
the O2 to get a cylindrical  blue centre, you have the correct gas ratio. You 
then push the flame onto  a cold flat surface to snuff it out and use the 
nozzle to fill the  balloon? 
 
    This should work OK. It gets around having to have  a license to handle 
explosives.
 
    Regards,
 
    Chris Chapman





In a message dated 22/07/2005, royb1@........... writes:
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  size=3D2>   The carbide idea has some charm (I have a carbide ca=
nnon)=20
  but careful 
control of the acetylene-air ratio would be necessary to=20
  achieve a 
detonation.  Electrolysis of water automatically insure=
s=20
  stoichiometry.
Hi Bob,
 
    Agreed, but have you worked out how long it wou=
ld=20
take to get sufficient H2 and O2 by electrolysis and the number of amp hours=
=20
required?
    You would need inert electrodes in the water +=20=
lime=20
soda? 
 
    You know the volume of the bottle and hence=
 the=20
volume of oxygen. You now need to weigh out the right amount of CaC2, tip it=
 in=20
the bottle and wait till it stops fizzling. It would probably be good enough=
?=20


>    Alternatively, equip your self with some=20
balloons, fill them with 
> acetylene + oxygen and apply a glowing fus=
e or=20
cigarette? I 
> suggest setting the gas torch burning with the correct=
=20
flame shape, wipe 
> out the flame and then fill the=20
balloon? 

   Again, stoichiometry would require carefu=
l=20
control of gas-air ratio. 
  Also, balloons are harder to bury than=20
bottles.


 
    The way my mind works, I was thinking of=20
using sausage shaped balloons blown up inside a thin cardboard tube. If=
 you=20
light the acetylene flame and adjust the O2 to get a cylindrical=20
blue centre, you have the correct gas ratio. You then push the flame on=
to=20
a cold flat surface to snuff it out and use the nozzle to fill the=20
balloon? 
 
    This should work OK. It gets around having to h=
ave=20
a license to handle explosives.
 
    Regards,
 
    Chris Chapman