A Conversation for The Manifesto for the Campaign to rename Thursday, "Thing"
where did the floor go?
Peet (the Pedantic Punctuation Policeman, Muse of Lateral Programming Ideas, Eggcups-Spurtle-and-Spoonswinner, BBC Cheese Namer & Zaphodista) Posted Mar 25, 2003
Thermite is fun. 
Fundamentally, it's a roughly equal mixture of ground-up rust and finely powdered aluminium beercans, such as you would get by pressing crushed cans down on a belt sander. Its original use was in welding railway lines together; it would be packed into the gap where the ends of the lines met, with a good mound on top, then ignited with a pinch of gunpowder or somesuch. The aluminium has a hugely powerful exothermic reaction, leeching the oxygen from the rust in the process and turning it to molten iron, which flows between the rails like a big, extremely hot, solder blob. 
Children, don't try this at home. Adults, if you do try this at home, do it outdoors somewhere you can be certain there's not a gas pipe just under the ground. I've heard stories of someone trying this on top of their cooker in a tenament block; the resultant blob of glowing metal went through the cooker, through the floor and ended up in the downstairs neighbour's kitchen. 
where did the floor go?
Ralph the Wonder Llama and André the dodo; Excrement Occurs Posted Mar 25, 2003
where did the floor go?
Ralph the Wonder Llama and André the dodo; Excrement Occurs Posted Mar 25, 2003
Must try this sometime! Oh, no, I can't try it at home. Oh, well, of to my mate's house then!
where did the floor go?
Don Malvado, so bitter my cat won't even lick me Posted Mar 25, 2003
Well, the guy in the room down stairs is a meteler...
where did the floor go?
Ralph the Wonder Llama and André the dodo; Excrement Occurs Posted Mar 25, 2003
Bet you made his day!
where did the floor go?
MaW Posted Mar 25, 2003
We did it at school. In the fume hood of course. It's good!
And they still use it for railway lines by the way, very convenient as it doesn't require any electrical generation equipment or somesuch to be lugged around, just the reagents and a suitable vessel to contain the reaction and direct the molten iron into the right place.
where did the floor go?
Ralph the Wonder Llama and André the dodo; Excrement Occurs Posted Mar 25, 2003
Cool.
where did the floor go?
Ralph the Wonder Llama and André the dodo; Excrement Occurs Posted Mar 25, 2003
where did the floor go?
Jon Quixote: steaming little purple buns for tea. Posted Mar 25, 2003
She does that alot.
where did the floor go?
random fat bird Posted Mar 25, 2003
These ill educated thingites... I bet they turn the corners of the thread and create creases
where did the floor go?
Don Malvado, so bitter my cat won't even lick me Posted Mar 25, 2003
I always find myself making knots in the thread personally
where did the floor go?
Amy: ear-deep in novels, poetics, and historical documents. Posted Mar 25, 2003
Naughty Thingite.
where did the floor go?
random fat bird Posted Mar 25, 2003
I must say the general behaviour of the Thingites about these parts isn't very good is it?
Mind you, I remember when it used to be worse
Anyone remember the days of 
ing the R&D lackeys?
where did the floor go?
Amy: ear-deep in novels, poetics, and historical documents. Posted Mar 25, 2003
Oooh yeah... whyever did we stop that?
where did the floor go?
Don Malvado, so bitter my cat won't even lick me Posted Mar 25, 2003
What!?!?!?!?
where did the floor go?
random fat bird Posted Mar 25, 2003
*sigh* These younsters, no idea about the history and heritage of Thingism...
Amy my dear, would you care to educate the youngsters?
*s a random R&D lackey just for old times sake*
Key: Complain about this post
where did the floor go?
- 42721: Peet (the Pedantic Punctuation Policeman, Muse of Lateral Programming Ideas, Eggcups-Spurtle-and-Spoonswinner, BBC Cheese Namer & Zaphodista) (Mar 25, 2003)
- 42722: parrferris (Mar 25, 2003)
- 42723: Ralph the Wonder Llama and André the dodo; Excrement Occurs (Mar 25, 2003)
- 42724: Don Malvado, so bitter my cat won't even lick me (Mar 25, 2003)
- 42725: Ralph the Wonder Llama and André the dodo; Excrement Occurs (Mar 25, 2003)
- 42726: Don Malvado, so bitter my cat won't even lick me (Mar 25, 2003)
- 42727: Ralph the Wonder Llama and André the dodo; Excrement Occurs (Mar 25, 2003)
- 42728: MaW (Mar 25, 2003)
- 42729: Ralph the Wonder Llama and André the dodo; Excrement Occurs (Mar 25, 2003)
- 42730: random fat bird (Mar 25, 2003)
- 42731: Ralph the Wonder Llama and André the dodo; Excrement Occurs (Mar 25, 2003)
- 42732: Jon Quixote: steaming little purple buns for tea. (Mar 25, 2003)
- 42733: Lady Scott (Mar 25, 2003)
- 42734: random fat bird (Mar 25, 2003)
- 42735: Don Malvado, so bitter my cat won't even lick me (Mar 25, 2003)
- 42736: Amy: ear-deep in novels, poetics, and historical documents. (Mar 25, 2003)
- 42737: random fat bird (Mar 25, 2003)
- 42738: Amy: ear-deep in novels, poetics, and historical documents. (Mar 25, 2003)
- 42739: Don Malvado, so bitter my cat won't even lick me (Mar 25, 2003)
- 42740: random fat bird (Mar 25, 2003)
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