Flaming Bacon Lance of Death, from Theo Gray's book "Mad Science"

Blog post with more links and photos: http://gadgets.boingboing.net/2009/04/15/bb-video-the-flaming.html

A homemade device that cuts steel with bacon. It's a FLAMING BACON LANCE OF DEATH.

This video documents an experiment like the ones you'll find in PopSci columnist Theo Gray's new MAD SCIENCE book.

Yes, that's right, using nothing but bacon -- okay, prosciutto -- and an air hose, Mr. Gray constructs a high performance thermic lance that seriously cuts sheet metal.

In this video, you'll also see a purely VEGAN THERMIC LANCE built from one cucumber and several dozen thin vegetable-oil coated breadsticks. (Tip: the performance is all about the oil). This hotrod burns fast and furious, but does not last long enough to initiate a cut in steel sheet. The flame front travels towards the back of the cucumber and endangers the operator when it reaches the rubber connector.

And finally in today's video, the CUCUMBER-BEEFSTICK LANCE. A high-performance thermic lance constructed from seven beefsticks and a cucumber. Later versions used Pup-Peroni brand dog treats, which are exactly like beef sticks only cheaper.

In some ways this device out-performs the Bacon Lance, and it's much easier to build.

But it's not made of bacon.

Theo tells Boing Boing, "Cucumber is an *excellent* base for these things because it's air-tight, moist (to resist fire), easy to core, and has a rubbery skin that makes an air tight seal. About the only thing wrong with cucumbers is that they are not made of bacon. (I have a thing called a "fruit coring tool" which is like a very small round cookie cutter on a stick. You drill it down the middle of the cucumber until it comes out the other end, then stuff the cucumber with the chosen fuel.)"

Here are Theo's columns at PopSci.com. And more on the flaming bacon of death at PopSci.com.

These devices were created by Theodore Gray. Videography in this BB Video episode by Nick Mann. Photos by Mike Walker (http://mikewalkerphoto.com)


More: http://www.popsci.com/graymatter

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• bacon
• death
• weapon
• nuclear
• fire
• exposion
• pyrotechnics
• pyro
• food
• weird
• Boing Boing
• Boing Boing Video
• boingboing
• Theo Gray
• popsci
• popular science
• DIY
• maker

[MrSciencetificsasuke]

Thumbs up if Penn and Teller Tell a Lie brought you HERE!

[joniisnutrisious]

Bacon, within bacon, within bacon, within bacon... Meatception?

[zaprs]

@Zilronman no thats chuck norris's bacon!

[Zilronman]

My bacon is the bacon that will pierce the heavens!

[xandon24]

I don't get it, why exactly are they doing this....?

[Trisscarro]

bacon lance : manliest thing i've ever seen

cucumber lance : most feminist thing i've ever seen.

[bomfy]

Well, another potential survival tool when the zombie apocalypse comes. No bolt cutters, but a warm oven, prosciutto, pipe, duct tape, and oxygen gas. Lock busted.

[Fwarawr]

I can only imagine how amazing that smells...

[keatonx2]

Seems safe.

[Nathany051]

lets see epic meal time do that!

[IamBOXBOY]

Bacon + Ductape = Flamethrower. AWESOME!

[GospelProgressions]

@UzumakiProsuto "Driven" by Lives Of The Deceived