Warning, Warning, Warning Explosive mixture

[HELLGAP]

I work on the railroad and often work near the thermite crew they use a mold and the magnesium flare /aluminum/steel powder and melt the rails together at about 3000 degrees . A crew in BC canada would toss some slag leftover over the side of a bridge that was 60 ft to the water. Needless to say the slag would explode on impact and one time to many sent the then hardened shrapnel back into one of the workers head killing him instantly. The guys told me if it starts raining when they have just lite a fuse they say run for cover cuzz its going to explode burning slag all over the place for hundreds of yards .Very dangerous stuff.

 

[Logrus9]

I feel a need to make some of this stuff but do something constructive with it at the same time. I was watching a video on using thermite on welding railroad track together. I don't have a rail road running through my yard so any ideas on what a constructive use for thermite might be -- other than the fun factor?

Pack it around your mailbox and wait for the idiot kids with their baseball bats to drive by one night.:what!: :biggrin:

 

[James Terrio]

As someone who is related to an attorney, I must strongly advise against blowing up youngsters!

That did give me a chuckle, tho...

 

[shakie]

I also swear by the soapy water bucket plus three big old magnets between the wheel and the bucket. Grind a blade and the magnets are covered with filings.. I have two bandsaws one for metal and the other for aluminum and wood.

 

[BruceM]

Great info, I wasn't aware of danger myself, gonna change my ways. There is a great fire extinguishing product that will actually put out burning magnesium and the like. It's called Cold Fire, I have it in my shop, kitchen, truck, and carried it in my offroad race car too. Here's a link to their website www.firefreeze.com. I don't sell the stuff but have used it for about ten years now.
Be safe!
Bruce

 

[Neotron]

I feel a need to make some of this stuff but do something constructive with it at the same time. I was watching a video on using thermite on welding railroad track together. I don't have a rail road running through my yard so any ideas on what a constructive use for thermite might be -- other than the fun factor?

Cutting large pieces of metal.

 

[Neotron]

I have seen the processes of welding rails together. My dad worked for the rail roads and did this allot. (He was a Welder and Black Smith by Trade.) Never any accidents from what I remember. My dad showed me how to make it if the the rail roads company didn't buy it. Iron oxide and aluminum. Basically rust and a 350 mesh aluminum powder. This was ignited with magnesium and I never seen it ignited any other way. I then joined the ARMY and went with 13M M.L.R.S. then went in to 21B Combat Engineer I was trained in 89D E.O.D but never could get the physic evaluation completed for 89D so stayed 21B while I was O.J.T. with 89D. We made thermite but for cutting cables, flange beams, rebar, metal plat, inch or larger bolts, and any thing metal. My understanding about thermite is that it is a pyrotechnic composition of an aluminum powder and an Iron oxide, which produces an aluminothermic reaction known as a thermite reaction. Stuff that can fuel thermite are magnesium, calcium, titanium, zinc, silicon, boron and water is nasty too. Most varieties are not explosive, but can create short bursts of extremely high temperatures focused on a very small area for a short period of time. Now add the particulates of flour, wood dust, house hold dust, fibers of cloth, resin, or any float-able burnable material, you know have an explosion.

In the shops while I was in the military for the belt and wheeled grinder stations we had PVC pips grounded and T spots with magnets installed in caps to remove Iron fillings before it got to the bath we had. The bath was some kind of nonflammable liquid that would cool and put out hot amber's of steel. The Vac system I could not explain since it hooked up to about 12 grinders that led to a cage and set about 50 ft away and we where never to mess with it. ??????

We did grind metals on those grinders of all sorts from mild steel, aluminum, brass, high carbon steel, copper and pot metals but never anything other than metal. Four years worth of that and never any accidents?

I not saying that this can not happen but best to be careful and stupid. I do like the fact that someone brings things up like this it is good to know too and good to keep safe.

Thanks
C.E.Sampel

 

[petie]

I work in an aluminum plant and see thermite on a daily basis. It can be some really nasty stuff. Aluminum fines(dust made when grinding aluminum)are highly flammable. Keep in mind that rocket fuel is made from aluminum fines.