On Tue, 2 Dec 2003 01:22:13 -0600, "Tim Williams"
wrote:

Hey Kent. I gotta real heart-stopper for 'ya. Earlier today I was
drilling a 'decomissioning' hole in a disposable propane tank (later
to be cut up for use as a small crucible, but that's another story),
well I figured I'd pop two so I can have a little fun with the 1atm
gas left sitting inside.. Grab a straw and a lighter and blow flames!

You'll be interested to know that, no matter how hard I tried to get
oxygen into the bottle, I never got internal combustion.
Need to pump up you pecs, Need a little more lung power, Tim.
Also need to redesign your lungs to not quite put so much CO2 instead
of O2. Would go a long way to making a more spectacular pop. See, I
do know the chemistry.

Another neat trick is taking your air+propane torch set lean, put it
down the neck of an empty milk jug, blast it for 10 seconds (until it's
full of propane), then light it off (use something long BTW). Fwooom!
To add to the enjoyment, you can pick up the jug and then light it off -
rocket propulsion!

No matter what setting, rich nor lean, have I had any faster than a
slow burn. The HDPE jug remains intact, though slightly warm.

You might want to try that with a 100 gallon tank such as Dave has.
But tell your mother to up your health insurance first. Hospitals
specializing in burns are rather expensive.

BTW... anyone with a propane foundry can try a similar cute trick. Put
some loose leaves in the furnace, turn on the gas, then light it from
the top (I 'spose you could do it from the bottom too).

Tim