Metalworking (rec.crafts.metalworking) Discuss various aspects of working with metal, such as machining, welding, metal joining, screwing, casting, hardening/tempering, blacksmithing/forging, spinning and hammer work, sheet metal work.

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  #1   Report Post  
Kamus of Kadizhar
 
Posts: n/a
Default Freezing locks

I've got a purely hypothetical question:

ISTR that at one time, freezing locks with Freon was a popular way to
break them. The theory being that you freeze the lock mechanism or
shackle until it becomes brittle, then use a hardened hammer to smash it.

Now I'm being told that's an urban myth.

I come here seeking expertise on frozen metal - is it practical / possible
to freeze steel to where it becomes brittle using a can of Freon? The
technique was to use Freon under pressure, then "spray" it on the lock.
The Freon cools as it expands, freezing the metal.

--Kamus
  #2   Report Post  
Jeff Sellers
 
Posts: n/a
Default Freezing locks

Somebody's been watching too much James Bond......


"Kamus of Kadizhar" wrote in message
news
I've got a purely hypothetical question:

ISTR that at one time, freezing locks with Freon was a popular way to
break them. The theory being that you freeze the lock mechanism or
shackle until it becomes brittle, then use a hardened hammer to smash it.

Now I'm being told that's an urban myth.

I come here seeking expertise on frozen metal - is it practical / possible
to freeze steel to where it becomes brittle using a can of Freon? The
technique was to use Freon under pressure, then "spray" it on the lock.
The Freon cools as it expands, freezing the metal.

--Kamus



  #3   Report Post  
Robert Swinney
 
Posts: n/a
Default Freezing locks

Somebody's been watching too much James Bond......

Yeah! That is about as convenient as the ubiquitous ventilator shaft we see
in every other movie or TV bit. No prison drama would be complete without
the ventilator shaft for the bad guys to crawl to freedom. Also, didcha
ever notice how in the movies there is always a convenient parking space
just outside, or how the phone is answered on the first ring? Or, or --
curtains are always left open so the bad guys can see in, esp. at night.
The hero detective is on duty all hours of the night. Etc, etc, etc .. ad
nauseum. Most directors would be out of their jobs if it were not for these
entertainment "clichés".

Bob Swinney

"Jeff Sellers" wrote in message
...


"Kamus of Kadizhar" wrote in message
news
I've got a purely hypothetical question:

ISTR that at one time, freezing locks with Freon was a popular way to
break them. The theory being that you freeze the lock mechanism or
shackle until it becomes brittle, then use a hardened hammer to smash

it.

Now I'm being told that's an urban myth.

I come here seeking expertise on frozen metal - is it practical /

possible
to freeze steel to where it becomes brittle using a can of Freon? The
technique was to use Freon under pressure, then "spray" it on the lock.
The Freon cools as it expands, freezing the metal.

--Kamus





  #4   Report Post  
Ian Stirling
 
Posts: n/a
Default Freezing locks

Robert Swinney wrote:
Somebody's been watching too much James Bond......


Yeah! That is about as convenient as the ubiquitous ventilator shaft we see
in every other movie or TV bit. No prison drama would be complete without
the ventilator shaft for the bad guys to crawl to freedom. Also, didcha
ever notice how in the movies there is always a convenient parking space


And I can only name one movie where anybody goes to the toilet.
(Die Hard (2?))
  #5   Report Post  
Spehro Pefhany
 
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Default Freezing locks

On 23 Jun 2004 15:19:15 GMT, the renowned Ian Stirling
wrote:

Robert Swinney wrote:
Somebody's been watching too much James Bond......


Yeah! That is about as convenient as the ubiquitous ventilator shaft we see
in every other movie or TV bit. No prison drama would be complete without
the ventilator shaft for the bad guys to crawl to freedom. Also, didcha
ever notice how in the movies there is always a convenient parking space


And I can only name one movie where anybody goes to the toilet.
(Die Hard (2?))


Pulp Fiction (Travolta) and the Naked Gun movie where Leslie Neilsen
(as Lt. Frank Drebin) goes to the can wearing a wireless mike.

Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany
--
"it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward"
Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com


  #6   Report Post  
David Billington
 
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Default Freezing locks

Hopefully someone with more detailed knowledge may chip in but what you
are interested in is the ductile-brittle transistion temperature for the
material. For common structural steels it is not much below freezing
IIRC from college days. Above this temperature failures exhibits ductile
behaviour and below it brittle behaviour but with a transition between
to two dependant on the material. IIRC this property can be an issue in
artic conditions. So I could speculate that freon on a carbon steel lock
may cool it sufficiently to make it brittle, but for alloy steel it may
not. IIRC stainless steel maintains its ductility to lower temperatures
than carbon steel.

Kamus of Kadizhar wrote:

I've got a purely hypothetical question:

ISTR that at one time, freezing locks with Freon was a popular way to
break them. The theory being that you freeze the lock mechanism or
shackle until it becomes brittle, then use a hardened hammer to smash it.

Now I'm being told that's an urban myth.

I come here seeking expertise on frozen metal - is it practical / possible
to freeze steel to where it becomes brittle using a can of Freon? The
technique was to use Freon under pressure, then "spray" it on the lock.
The Freon cools as it expands, freezing the metal.

--Kamus


  #7   Report Post  
jim rozen
 
Posts: n/a
Default Freezing locks

In article , Ian Stirling
says...

And I can only name one movie where anybody goes to the toilet.
(Die Hard (2?))


Last Tango in Paris.

Jim

==================================================
please reply to:
JRR(zero) at yktvmv (dot) vnet (dot) ibm (dot) com
==================================================

  #8   Report Post  
Rick
 
Posts: n/a
Default Freezing locks


"Jeff Sellers" wrote in message
...
Somebody's been watching too much James Bond......


"Kamus of Kadizhar" wrote in message
news
I've got a purely hypothetical question:

ISTR that at one time, freezing locks with Freon was a popular way to
break them. The theory being that you freeze the lock mechanism or
shackle until it becomes brittle, then use a hardened hammer to smash

it.

Now I'm being told that's an urban myth.

I come here seeking expertise on frozen metal - is it practical /

possible
to freeze steel to where it becomes brittle using a can of Freon? The
technique was to use Freon under pressure, then "spray" it on the lock.
The Freon cools as it expands, freezing the metal.

--Kamus



I wonder if Al Patrick has seen this question yet?

(See "Railroad Track Anvil" thread on sci.engr.joining.welding)


  #9   Report Post  
Grant Erwin
 
Posts: n/a
Default Toilets in movies (was: " Freezing locks")

Ian Stirling wrote:

And I can only name one movie where anybody goes to the toilet.
(Die Hard (2?))


You forgot Pulp Fiction, where John Travolta gets blown away with his
own machine gun after taking a dump in Bruce Willis's apartment ..

  #10   Report Post  
Jim McGill
 
Posts: n/a
Default Freezing locks

I'm not sure about freon, but I know liquid nitrogen works on tempered
security chain and lock hasps. Pour it on the chain, give it a tap with
a hammer (or drop it on the floor), and it shatters like glass. It's a
standard lab demonstration of how temperature changes metal properties
(along with the lead bell that sounds like silver at liquid N2
temperatures).

Mac



  #11   Report Post  
Don Bruder
 
Posts: n/a
Default Freezing locks

In article ,
Kamus of Kadizhar wrote:

I've got a purely hypothetical question:

ISTR that at one time, freezing locks with Freon was a popular way to
break them. The theory being that you freeze the lock mechanism or
shackle until it becomes brittle, then use a hardened hammer to smash it.

Now I'm being told that's an urban myth.

I come here seeking expertise on frozen metal - is it practical / possible
to freeze steel to where it becomes brittle using a can of Freon? The
technique was to use Freon under pressure, then "spray" it on the lock.
The Freon cools as it expands, freezing the metal.

--Kamus


In the movies, yes. In reality, not even a little likely. Freon won't
even get kinda-sorta close to the temps where you could expect steel to
shatter from a hammer-blow. I think (I'd have to look it up to be
certain) that the "bottom end" temperature you'd be able to get out of a
can of Freon *UNDER IDEAL CONDITIONS* is somewhere in the -80 - -110
range. Temps which, although not widespread (We're talking about temps
that are going to be seen outside a cryo lab only at/near the poles here
on Earth) do exist outside the lab, and where steel has held up quite
nicely, thank you.

Now, if you were to try the trick using liquid nitrogen or hydrogen
(Your high-school science teacher DID perform the classic "Dip a hot-dog
in liquid nitrogen for a few seconds, then drop it and watch it shatter
like it's made out of fine bone china" demonstration, right?) you might
be able to accomplish the trick. But a can of Freon just isn't going to
do it.

--
Don Bruder - - New Email policy in effect as of Feb. 21, 2004.
I respond to Email as quick as humanly possible. If you Email me and get no
response, see http://www.sonic.net/~dakidd/main/contact.html Short
form: I'm trashing EVERYTHING that doesn't contain a password in the subject.
  #12   Report Post  
Tim Williams
 
Posts: n/a
Default Freezing locks

"Spehro Pefhany" wrote in message
news
Pulp Fiction (Travolta) and the Naked Gun movie where Leslie Neilsen
(as Lt. Frank Drebin) goes to the can wearing a wireless mike.


Austin Powers...

Tim

--
"I've got more trophies than Wayne Gretsky and the Pope combined!"
- Homer Simpson
Website @ http://webpages.charter.net/dawill/tmoranwms


  #13   Report Post  
John Husvar
 
Posts: n/a
Default Freezing locks

Kamus of Kadizhar wrote:
I've got a purely hypothetical question:

ISTR that at one time, freezing locks with Freon was a popular way to
break them.


Freezing lox? Sure, no problem. Just stick it in the freezer for a
couple hours.

Haul it out, put on a bagel with some cream cheese, and microwave or
toast to your taste.

The theory being that you freeze the lock mechanism or
shackle until it becomes brittle, then use a hardened hammer to smash it.


Oh, You did mmean l-o-c-k-s, _that_ kind of locks! Thought the spelling
looked off.

Never mind.

  #14   Report Post  
Bob Robinson
 
Posts: n/a
Default Freezing locks

Ian Stirling wrote:
Robert Swinney wrote:

Somebody's been watching too much James Bond......


Yeah! That is about as convenient as the ubiquitous ventilator shaft we see
in every other movie or TV bit. No prison drama would be complete without
the ventilator shaft for the bad guys to crawl to freedom. Also, didcha
ever notice how in the movies there is always a convenient parking space



And I can only name one movie where anybody goes to the toilet.
(Die Hard (2?))


Klute

  #15   Report Post  
Jeff Sellers
 
Posts: n/a
Default Freezing locks

Oh thank God ....a Real answer...I thought this thread was going straight
into the toilet !!! Huge Grin


"David Billington" wrote in message
...
Hopefully someone with more detailed knowledge may chip in but what you
are interested in is the ductile-brittle transistion temperature for the
material. For common structural steels it is not much below freezing
IIRC from college days. Above this temperature failures exhibits ductile
behaviour and below it brittle behaviour but with a transition between
to two dependant on the material. IIRC this property can be an issue in
artic conditions. So I could speculate that freon on a carbon steel lock
may cool it sufficiently to make it brittle, but for alloy steel it may
not. IIRC stainless steel maintains its ductility to lower temperatures
than carbon steel.

Kamus of Kadizhar wrote:

I've got a purely hypothetical question:

ISTR that at one time, freezing locks with Freon was a popular way to
break them. The theory being that you freeze the lock mechanism or
shackle until it becomes brittle, then use a hardened hammer to smash it.

Now I'm being told that's an urban myth.

I come here seeking expertise on frozen metal - is it practical /

possible
to freeze steel to where it becomes brittle using a can of Freon? The
technique was to use Freon under pressure, then "spray" it on the lock.
The Freon cools as it expands, freezing the metal.

--Kamus






  #16   Report Post  
Bruce L. Bergman
 
Posts: n/a
Default Freezing locks

On Wed, 23 Jun 2004 09:18:38 -0400, Kamus of Kadizhar
wrote:

I've got a purely hypothetical question:

ISTR that at one time, freezing locks with Freon was a popular way to
break them. The theory being that you freeze the lock mechanism or
shackle until it becomes brittle, then use a hardened hammer to smash it.

Now I'm being told that's an urban myth.

I come here seeking expertise on frozen metal - is it practical / possible
to freeze steel to where it becomes brittle using a can of Freon? The
technique was to use Freon under pressure, then "spray" it on the lock.
The Freon cools as it expands, freezing the metal.


Not with Freon. Urban Myth - if the metal is that weak, they'd only
need the hammer and hit it two or three times.

Now if you have some Liquid Nitrogen in your back pocket (in a
stainless Thermos, naturally...) you might get a lock cold enough to
shatter, but that stuff is hard for the average criminal to get.

-- Bruce --
--
Bruce L. Bergman, Woodland Hills (Los Angeles) CA - Desktop
Electrician for Westend Electric - CA726700
5737 Kanan Rd. #359, Agoura CA 91301 (818) 889-9545
Spamtrapped address: Remove the python and the invalid, and use a net.
  #17   Report Post  
DoN. Nichols
 
Posts: n/a
Default Freezing locks

In article ,
Robert Swinney wrote:
Somebody's been watching too much James Bond......


Yeah! That is about as convenient as the ubiquitous ventilator shaft we see
in every other movie or TV bit. No prison drama would be complete without
the ventilator shaft for the bad guys to crawl to freedom.


Well ... once, a burglar *did* try to crawl though the ducting
to get into a photo store which I used to frequent. It made a mess of
the ceiling -- but the burglar got stuck, and was there for the police
who came to see about the burglar alarm. :-)

So -- at least this burglar wannabe believed in the movies. :-)

Enjoy,
DoN.
--
Email: | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---
  #18   Report Post  
Nick Hull
 
Posts: n/a
Default Freezing locks

In article ,
David Billington wrote:

Hopefully someone with more detailed knowledge may chip in but what you
are interested in is the ductile-brittle transistion temperature for the
material. For common structural steels it is not much below freezing
IIRC from college days. Above this temperature failures exhibits ductile
behaviour and below it brittle behaviour but with a transition between
to two dependant on the material. IIRC this property can be an issue in
artic conditions. So I could speculate that freon on a carbon steel lock
may cool it sufficiently to make it brittle, but for alloy steel it may
not. IIRC stainless steel maintains its ductility to lower temperatures
than carbon steel.


IIRC, the rivets on the Titanic became brittle in the 20 deg range
causing the ship to break up. The steel had too much sulphur.

--
Free men own guns, slaves don't
www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/5357/
  #19   Report Post  
David Billington
 
Posts: n/a
Default Freezing locks

I think the steel plate was at fault as well from what I have heard and
I beleive phosporus levels were an issue also. Much more is known about
the metallurgy now than in those days. I saw a program about the making
of one of these new super cruise liners in Norway IIRC and they went to
great lengths to make sure the steel quality was tightly controlled to
keep ductility reducing elements at very low levels for this reason.

Nick Hull wrote:

In article ,
David Billington wrote:

Hopefully someone with more detailed knowledge may chip in but what you
are interested in is the ductile-brittle transistion temperature for the
material. For common structural steels it is not much below freezing
IIRC from college days. Above this temperature failures exhibits ductile
behaviour and below it brittle behaviour but with a transition between
to two dependant on the material. IIRC this property can be an issue in
artic conditions. So I could speculate that freon on a carbon steel lock
may cool it sufficiently to make it brittle, but for alloy steel it may
not. IIRC stainless steel maintains its ductility to lower temperatures
than carbon steel.


IIRC, the rivets on the Titanic became brittle in the 20 deg range
causing the ship to break up. The steel had too much sulphur.


  #20   Report Post  
jim rozen
 
Posts: n/a
Default Freezing locks

In article , Tom Quackenbush says...

Or, if freezing locks with Freon doesn't work, how about freezing
locks with LOX?


Or the ever-popular lox with LOX?

Jim

==================================================
please reply to:
JRR(zero) at yktvmv (dot) vnet (dot) ibm (dot) com
==================================================



  #21   Report Post  
John Husvar
 
Posts: n/a
Default Freezing locks

jim rozen wrote:
In article , Tom Quackenbush says...


Or, if freezing locks with Freon doesn't work, how about freezing
locks with LOX?



Or the ever-popular lox with LOX?


Let's see: Freeze the lox with LOX, put the lox on a bagel that you dip
in LOX, spray both with cooking oil spray immediately after dipping the
bagel. Instant toasted bagel with lox by the LOX process.

Safety Tips:
Use long tongs or build your own precision Waldoes. (Metalworking content)
Wear eye protection.
Close the LOX dewar _before_ spraying the bagel.

Isn't this what meshuginah means?

  #22   Report Post  
Larry Jaques
 
Posts: n/a
Default Freezing locks

On Wed, 23 Jun 2004 15:35:07 GMT, "Rick" calmly
ranted:

"Kamus of Kadizhar" wrote in message
news
I've got a purely hypothetical question:

ISTR that at one time, freezing locks with Freon was a popular way to
break them. The theory being that you freeze the lock mechanism or
shackle until it becomes brittle, then use a hardened hammer to smash

it.

Now I'm being told that's an urban myth.


It's also possible to open nearly any padlock with a dozen or
fewer whacks of a hammer if one doesn't have picks handy.


I wonder if Al Patrick has seen this question yet?


Of course he has. _You_ pointed him to it, twitley.


(See "Railroad Track Anvil" thread on sci.engr.joining.welding)


Crikey, I hope not. Where do these fools COME from? He'll
want to outlaw welders (electric and gas), how-to books,
tech courses in school, and OTJ training next. Talk about
a paranoid sumbitch. He'd have fit into Nazi Germany really
well...as an informer, no doubt.



------------------------------------------------------
No matter how hard you try, you cannot baptize a cat.
----------------------------
http://www.diversify.com Comprehensive Website Development
---------------------------------------------------

  #23   Report Post  
Scotty
 
Posts: n/a
Default Freezing locks

"Robert Swinney" writes:

Somebody's been watching too much James Bond......


Yeah! That is about as convenient as the ubiquitous ventilator shaft we see
in every other movie or TV bit. No prison drama would be complete without
the ventilator shaft for the bad guys to crawl to freedom. Also, didcha
ever notice how in the movies there is always a convenient parking space
just outside, or how the phone is answered on the first ring? Or, or --
curtains are always left open so the bad guys can see in, esp. at night.
The hero detective is on duty all hours of the night. Etc, etc, etc .. ad
nauseum. Most directors would be out of their jobs if it were not for these
entertainment "cliches".


Bob Swinney


I find it fascenating that they don't run out of bullets in a gunfight. Unless,
of course, it's part of the suspense.

And dontcha just love it when the hero and heroine go into a spooky house or an
old dilapidated warehouse, he in a suit and she in high-heeled shoes, hear all
sorts of ominous noises, see mysterious movements in the shadows, and what's
the first thing they do? One of 'em says, "Let's split up..."

But somewhere near the top of the "Yeah, right!" list has to be the Bruce
Willis _Die_Hard_ flicks. Nobody can take that much abuse, get shot that many
times, apparently feel absolutely no pain, and still be able to do
olympic-level acrobatics and black-belt grade martial arts fighting. By the
time he finally gets the bad guy, Willis' character should have been dead about
45 minutes ago.

Regards,

Scotty






  #24   Report Post  
Jeff Wisnia
 
Posts: n/a
Default Freezing locks

Bruce L. Bergman wrote:



Now if you have some Liquid Nitrogen in your back pocket (in a
stainless Thermos, naturally...) you might get a lock cold enough to
shatter, but that stuff is hard for the average criminal to get.

-- Bruce --


You just reminded me that circa 1960 I watched with disbelief as the
then fiftyish Dr. D.H. Tomboulian, of the Department of Physics at
Cornell University, tossed a small paper cup full of LN down his throat
like it was Jack Daniel's, with no apparent pain or ill effects.

He did belch up a storm for the next few minutes though. He told us the
moisture in his alimentary canal had something to do with keeping the
tissues from being damaged during the time it took for the LN to boil off.

I never had the nerve to do it myself.

Anybody here seen, or maybe even tried, that stunt?

Jeff
--
Jeff Wisnia (W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"My luck is so bad that if I bought a cemetery, people would stop dying."

  #25   Report Post  
Jeff Dantzler
 
Posts: n/a
Default Freezing locks

Jeff Wisnia wrote:

You just reminded me that circa 1960 I watched with disbelief as the
then fiftyish Dr. D.H. Tomboulian, of the Department of Physics at
Cornell University, tossed a small paper cup full of LN down his throat
like it was Jack Daniel's, with no apparent pain or ill effects.


He did belch up a storm for the next few minutes though. He told us the
moisture in his alimentary canal had something to do with keeping the
tissues from being damaged during the time it took for the LN to boil off.


I never had the nerve to do it myself.


Anybody here seen, or maybe even tried, that stunt?


He probably doesn't swallow.

Look he

http://www.alcaudon.com/humor/humor_nitrogen.html

I wouldn't try that!

BTW, if any one in Seattle wants to try an experiment w/ LN, let
me know--I have access to it. We could see if a lock will actually
shatter. Personally, I doubt one could break say a bicycle U-lock
like this. Mythbusters any one?

One day I was fooling around in lab. I made a finger out of aluminum
foil and poured some LN into it. LOX condensed out of the air and
dribbled down the outside of the finger. I collected some in a tube
and dropped a match in... POOF!

Jeff Dantzler


  #26   Report Post  
jim rozen
 
Posts: n/a
Default Freezing locks

In article , Larry Jaques says...

It's also possible to open nearly any padlock with a dozen or
fewer whacks of a hammer if one doesn't have picks handy.


I've heard tell that a pair of line-up pins, or spud wrenches,
will do nicely too. Simply pass the two through the shackle,
and then cross them out into an X.

Jim

==================================================
please reply to:
JRR(zero) at yktvmv (dot) vnet (dot) ibm (dot) com
==================================================

  #27   Report Post  
John Husvar
 
Posts: n/a
Default Freezing locks

Jeff Wisnia wrote:


He did belch up a storm for the next few minutes though. He told us the
moisture in his alimentary canal had something to do with keeping the
tissues from being damaged during the time it took for the LN to boil off.

I never had the nerve to do it myself.

Anybody here seen, or maybe even tried, that stunt?

Jeff


High School Chemistry, 1963: Teacher one day stopped his lecture on
chemical equations and remarked: "You brats will never learn. I can't
take this anymore. It's hopeless."

Whereupon he took a bottle of sodium hydroxide crystals, carefully
weighed out a batch and tossed it into a beaker it. He then took a
bottle of hydrochloric acid, measured it and drained it into the beaker,
waited a few minutes while mixing the brew, added some water, and then
said: "No more. I'm done with it. This is the end."

He drank it.

It wasn't hard for him to figure out who had done the previous day's
homework.

They were the ones who were running for the principal's office or (in
the case of one) fainting. The rest of us were LOAO.

A teacher who did that now would probably be drummed out of the NEA.

  #28   Report Post  
Alan Moore
 
Posts: n/a
Default Freezing locks

On Wed, 23 Jun 2004 16:28:36 +0100, David Billington
wrote:

Hopefully someone with more detailed knowledge may chip in but what you
are interested in is the ductile-brittle transistion temperature for the
material. For common structural steels it is not much below freezing
IIRC from college days. Above this temperature failures exhibits ductile
behaviour and below it brittle behaviour but with a transition between
to two dependant on the material. IIRC this property can be an issue in
artic conditions. So I could speculate that freon on a carbon steel lock
may cool it sufficiently to make it brittle, but for alloy steel it may
not. IIRC stainless steel maintains its ductility to lower temperatures
than carbon steel.

snip

Yes, but if you fill the lock with water, and are able to freeze that,
you may destroy the lock in doing so. Water expands as it freezes, and
nothing, but nothing, will stop it. If it doesn't break the lock first
time, run some more water in and do it again.

Al Moore
  #29   Report Post  
Jim Stewart
 
Posts: n/a
Default Toilets in movies

Grant Erwin wrote:

Ian Stirling wrote:

And I can only name one movie where anybody goes to the toilet.
(Die Hard (2?))



You forgot Pulp Fiction, where John Travolta gets blown away with his
own machine gun after taking a dump in Bruce Willis's apartment ..


Wan't there a couple of exceedingly gross
toilet scenes in Austin Powers something-something.
  #30   Report Post  
Jeff Wisnia
 
Posts: n/a
Default Freezing locks



Jeff Dantzler wrote:

Jeff Wisnia wrote:


You just reminded me that circa 1960 I watched with disbelief as the
then fiftyish Dr. D.H. Tomboulian, of the Department of Physics at
Cornell University, tossed a small paper cup full of LN down his throat
like it was Jack Daniel's, with no apparent pain or ill effects.



He did belch up a storm for the next few minutes though. He told us the
moisture in his alimentary canal had something to do with keeping the
tissues from being damaged during the time it took for the LN to boil off.



I never had the nerve to do it myself.



Anybody here seen, or maybe even tried, that stunt?



He probably doesn't swallow.

Look he

http://www.alcaudon.com/humor/humor_nitrogen.html


Urk!

After reading that I tend to believe your "doesn't swallow" theory.

Probably the belching was just a "special effect" added to make us
believe he swallowed the LN.

But my memory reminds me that he sure left us with the impression that
the LN went "down the hatch".

Tomboulian was a consultant on the project we were working on (A rocket
lofted diffraction grating spectrometer IIRC.) and a mentor to several
of us. Thinking about it now, if his swallowing was just simulated, then
he was taking quite a risk that one of us young guys would try it on our
own with results comparable to those of that poor sod in the link you
provided above. We had no reason to think chicanery was involved.

I wouldn't try that!


I didn't!

Jeff

--

Jeff Wisnia (W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"If you can smile when things are going wrong, you've thought of someone
to blame it on."



  #31   Report Post  
Don Bruder
 
Posts: n/a
Default Freezing locks

In article ,
John Husvar wrote:

Jeff Wisnia wrote:


He did belch up a storm for the next few minutes though. He told us the
moisture in his alimentary canal had something to do with keeping the
tissues from being damaged during the time it took for the LN to boil off.

I never had the nerve to do it myself.

Anybody here seen, or maybe even tried, that stunt?

Jeff


High School Chemistry, 1963: Teacher one day stopped his lecture on
chemical equations and remarked: "You brats will never learn. I can't
take this anymore. It's hopeless."

Whereupon he took a bottle of sodium hydroxide crystals, carefully
weighed out a batch and tossed it into a beaker it. He then took a
bottle of hydrochloric acid, measured it and drained it into the beaker,
waited a few minutes while mixing the brew, added some water, and then
said: "No more. I'm done with it. This is the end."

He drank it.

It wasn't hard for him to figure out who had done the previous day's
homework.

They were the ones who were running for the principal's office or (in
the case of one) fainting. The rest of us were LOAO.

A teacher who did that now would probably be drummed out of the NEA.


Hell no he wouldn't... He wouldn't last that long before the parents of
the "traumatized" students lynched him. Over a little sal****er...

--
Don Bruder - - New Email policy in effect as of Feb. 21, 2004.
I respond to Email as quick as humanly possible. If you Email me and get no
response, see http://www.sonic.net/~dakidd/main/contact.html Short
form: I'm trashing EVERYTHING that doesn't contain a password in the subject.
  #32   Report Post  
Stephen Young
 
Posts: n/a
Default Freezing locks

Ian Stirling wrote:
Robert Swinney wrote:

Somebody's been watching too much James Bond......


Yeah! That is about as convenient as the ubiquitous ventilator shaft we see
in every other movie or TV bit. No prison drama would be complete without
the ventilator shaft for the bad guys to crawl to freedom. Also, didcha
ever notice how in the movies there is always a convenient parking space



And I can only name one movie where anybody goes to the toilet.
(Die Hard (2?))


One of the Lethal Weapon movies (Danny Glover gets blown off the seat)

  #33   Report Post  
Tim Williams
 
Posts: n/a
Default Toilets in movies

"Jim Stewart" wrote in message
s.com...
Wan't there a couple of exceedingly gross
toilet scenes in Austin Powers something-something.


Yes, when he was defrosted and when he was sneak-attacked in a public stall.
And there was a guy talking to him..

And probably another. No one said it didn't have to be low-brow. :_)

Tim

--
"I've got more trophies than Wayne Gretsky and the Pope combined!"
- Homer Simpson
Website @ http://webpages.charter.net/dawill/tmoranwms


  #34   Report Post  
Greg Menke
 
Posts: n/a
Default Toilets in movies

Jim Stewart writes:

Grant Erwin wrote:

Ian Stirling wrote:

And I can only name one movie where anybody goes to the toilet.
(Die Hard (2?))

You forgot Pulp Fiction, where John Travolta gets blown away with his
own machine gun after taking a dump in Bruce Willis's apartment ..


Wan't there a couple of exceedingly gross
toilet scenes in Austin Powers something-something.


Trainspotting contains a toilet scene thats quite a bit worse, I
think.

Gregm
  #35   Report Post  
Dan Caster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Freezing locks

It does depend on the steel. But freon will get ordinary steel cold
enough that it will shatter. My son witnessed this on the streets of
NYC and told me about it. I did not believe that freon would get
steel cold enough, so looked in the set of reference books at work and
found that steel gets brittle at temperatures not much below freezing.
I forget the actual temperature.

Of course I never believed the stories of loggers warming up their
axes before using them on cold days either. But apparently they are
true.

Dan


Kamus of Kadizhar wrote in message news:pan.2004.06.23.13.18.38.335806@NsOeSiPnAeMr. com...
I've got a purely hypothetical question:

ISTR that at one time, freezing locks with Freon was a popular way to
break them. The theory being that you freeze the lock mechanism or
shackle until it becomes brittle, then use a hardened hammer to smash it.

Now I'm being told that's an urban myth.

I come here seeking expertise on frozen metal - is it practical / possible
to freeze steel to where it becomes brittle using a can of Freon? The
technique was to use Freon under pressure, then "spray" it on the lock.
The Freon cools as it expands, freezing the metal.

--Kamus



  #36   Report Post  
.@.
 
Posts: n/a
Default Freezing locks

On 23 Jun 2004 15:19:15 GMT, Ian Stirling
wrote:

Robert Swinney wrote:
Somebody's been watching too much James Bond......


Yeah! That is about as convenient as the ubiquitous ventilator shaft we see
in every other movie or TV bit. No prison drama would be complete without
the ventilator shaft for the bad guys to crawl to freedom. Also, didcha
ever notice how in the movies there is always a convenient parking space


And I can only name one movie where anybody goes to the toilet.
(Die Hard (2?))


Lethal Weapon
  #37   Report Post  
Don Foreman
 
Posts: n/a
Default Freezing locks

On Wed, 23 Jun 2004 09:18:38 -0400, Kamus of Kadizhar
wrote:

I've got a purely hypothetical question:

ISTR that at one time, freezing locks with Freon was a popular way to
break them. The theory being that you freeze the lock mechanism or
shackle until it becomes brittle, then use a hardened hammer to smash it.

Now I'm being told that's an urban myth.

I come here seeking expertise on frozen metal - is it practical / possible
to freeze steel to where it becomes brittle using a can of Freon? The
technique was to use Freon under pressure, then "spray" it on the lock.
The Freon cools as it expands, freezing the metal.



And why might you come to this formum with this question, pray tell?
Woluld you aspire to be stealing bycycles perchance?

The original Krypton bike locks had shackles that were overhardened
and were thus vulnerable to being shattered by impact after being
supercooled by freon or dry ice. They've fixed that so that
approach doesn't work anymore. That's not to say they're
invulnerable because they certainly are not, but you won't get it done
with freon or dry ice.
  #38   Report Post  
Scott Moore
 
Posts: n/a
Default Freezing locks

Kamus of Kadizhar wrote:

I've got a purely hypothetical question:

ISTR that at one time, freezing locks with Freon was a popular way to
break them. The theory being that you freeze the lock mechanism or
shackle until it becomes brittle, then use a hardened hammer to smash it.

Now I'm being told that's an urban myth.

I come here seeking expertise on frozen metal - is it practical / possible
to freeze steel to where it becomes brittle using a can of Freon? The
technique was to use Freon under pressure, then "spray" it on the lock.
The Freon cools as it expands, freezing the metal.

--Kamus


Its liquid nitrogen, not freon. Freon cannot get a low enough temperature.

The stuff seems to be readily avialable by web. I can only hope that the most
likely users of it on a lock (theives) seriously injure themselves using it.

--
Samiam is Scott A. Moore

Personal web site: http:/www.moorecad.com/scott
My electronics engineering consulting site: http://www.moorecad.com
ISO 7185 Standard Pascal web site: http://www.moorecad.com/standardpascal
Classic Basic Games web site: http://www.moorecad.com/classicbasic
The IP Pascal web site, a high performance, highly portable ISO 7185 Pascal
compiler system: http://www.moorecad.com/ippas

Being right is more powerfull than large corporations or governments.
The right argument may not be pervasive, but the facts eventually are.
  #39   Report Post  
Scott Moore
 
Posts: n/a
Default Freezing locks

Bob Robinson wrote:

Ian Stirling wrote:

Robert Swinney wrote:

Somebody's been watching too much James Bond......


Yeah! That is about as convenient as the ubiquitous ventilator shaft
we see
in every other movie or TV bit. No prison drama would be complete
without
the ventilator shaft for the bad guys to crawl to freedom. Also, didcha
ever notice how in the movies there is always a convenient parking space




And I can only name one movie where anybody goes to the toilet.
(Die Hard (2?))



Klute


Something Wild.

--
Samiam is Scott A. Moore

Personal web site: http:/www.moorecad.com/scott
My electronics engineering consulting site: http://www.moorecad.com
ISO 7185 Standard Pascal web site: http://www.moorecad.com/standardpascal
Classic Basic Games web site: http://www.moorecad.com/classicbasic
The IP Pascal web site, a high performance, highly portable ISO 7185 Pascal
compiler system: http://www.moorecad.com/ippas

Being right is more powerfull than large corporations or governments.
The right argument may not be pervasive, but the facts eventually are.
  #40   Report Post  
Scott Moore
 
Posts: n/a
Default Freezing locks

Tom Quackenbush wrote:

John Husvar wrote:


Or, if freezing locks with Freon doesn't work, how about freezing
locks with LOX?


No, pressing smoked fish on a lock would have no effect, either.

--
Samiam is Scott A. Moore

Personal web site: http:/www.moorecad.com/scott
My electronics engineering consulting site: http://www.moorecad.com
ISO 7185 Standard Pascal web site: http://www.moorecad.com/standardpascal
Classic Basic Games web site: http://www.moorecad.com/classicbasic
The IP Pascal web site, a high performance, highly portable ISO 7185 Pascal
compiler system: http://www.moorecad.com/ippas

Being right is more powerfull than large corporations or governments.
The right argument may not be pervasive, but the facts eventually are.
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