Home Depot: You Can Do It. We Can Help.

August 19, 2005 12:25 PM

"Like any red-blooded, masculine man of the male gender, I love PVC weaponry. You should too. If the concept of heading down to Home Depot and transforming $100 worth of random pipe bits into a killing machine doesn’t appeal to you, you’re a frikkin' pansy. For those of you who laugh at hypersonic shards of plastic puncturing your spleen, here’s a look at how I’ve kept myself busy for the past week: building a PVC-pipe flamethrower."
posted by fandango_matt (64 comments total)

Wow. I am both in awe, and scared.
posted by teece at 12:29 PM on August 19, 2005

Cul de sac... of DEATH!
posted by brundlefly at 12:29 PM on August 19, 2005

posted by fandango_matt at 12:33 PM on August 19, 2005

Not really something you want to try sober, heh?

Of course now that the summer is winding up I find myself with a houseful of bored kids -- I also happen to have a very well stocked shop. I'm damn tired of that grill and thinking along the lines of roasted squab, on-the-fly.
posted by cedar at 12:36 PM on August 19, 2005

Does this guy live in San Francisco?
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 12:36 PM on August 19, 2005

Hmmm. Do you know self-link FPPs are against MeFi guidelines? It is serious enough to get you a timeout or even a ban.

Nice flamethrower, though.
posted by nkyad at 12:36 PM on August 19, 2005

As opposed to not understanding punctuation such as quotation marks, which is not against MeFi guidelines, but perhaps should be.
posted by grouse at 12:39 PM on August 19, 2005

Fuck. Yeah.
posted by MrMoonPie at 12:39 PM on August 19, 2005

This reflects exactly the sort of miltaristic, weapons-crazed mindset that is leading our country . . .

Aw, hell, I want one.
posted by brain_drain at 12:40 PM on August 19, 2005

Best not to take the subway with that thing. Or... maybe it is.
posted by hal9k at 12:42 PM on August 19, 2005

That guy looks like he's in the 14-16 year range. Where are his parents?

Also this is a couple years old.
posted by delmoi at 12:42 PM on August 19, 2005

The model with little assembly required.
posted by thomcatspike at 12:43 PM on August 19, 2005

I laughed out loud, and then said: HOLY shit.
posted by OmieWise at 12:44 PM on August 19, 2005

Great timesaver. You could barbeque while the beef was still on the hoof.
posted by hal9k at 12:47 PM on August 19, 2005

Let's hear it for the pansies!
posted by Red58 at 12:50 PM on August 19, 2005

it's nice to keep a catalogue of these little tricks and tips - y'know for when armageddon comes and all.
posted by gnutron at 12:50 PM on August 19, 2005

Light up! Let's here what the anti-gun nuts have to say about this one! Right to bear FLAME THROWERS!!!!!!

That's what I'm talking about.
posted by ewkpates at 12:53 PM on August 19, 2005

I could swear this was a double but I can't find the original.

Pretty cool indeed. So, has the military come and recruited him yet?
posted by fenriq at 12:55 PM on August 19, 2005

Nice, but it's only denatured alcohol. He'd probably get better results making gasoline jelly (styrofoam, benzene, & gasoline) or something.
posted by PurplePorpoise at 12:55 PM on August 19, 2005

Fucking. 'A!
posted by Smedleyman at 12:55 PM on August 19, 2005

yee haw! roast'em!


is yee haw 2 words?
posted by Hobbacocka at 12:56 PM on August 19, 2005

Bah. Denatured alcohol burns cool. Let's see something that can throw napalm.
posted by mr_roboto at 12:57 PM on August 19, 2005

"masculine man of the male gender" ?

Overcompensate much?
posted by carmen at 12:59 PM on August 19, 2005

Since I would soon be running the distinct risk of giving myself heat-assisted, deep tissue exfoliation, I was extra-careful to make sure there weren't any leaks.

Heat-assisted, deep tissue exfoliation is my phrase of the day.
posted by Joey Michaels at 12:59 PM on August 19, 2005

I was under the impression that flamethrowers' efficacy was based on the stickiness of the napalm as much as the heat of the fire. I mean, a burning cloud of atomized alcohol looks impressive, but can you really ignite a thatched hut with it? Just askin'.
posted by Triode at 1:00 PM on August 19, 2005

Wait, what's the source of the pressure from the tank? This is what I don't understand.
posted by kenko at 1:01 PM on August 19, 2005

You'll put yer eye out, kid!
posted by caddis at 1:03 PM on August 19, 2005

PurplePorpoise: "Nice, but it's only denatured alcohol. He'd probably get better resultsmaking gasoline jelly (styrofoam, benzene, & gasoline) or something."

Yeah, but he says PVP is soluble in gasoline.
posted by kenko at 1:04 PM on August 19, 2005

PVC.
posted by kenko at 1:04 PM on August 19, 2005

Couldn't you just hook up your propane cylinder to the power washer and have the same affects?
posted by Psharden at 1:05 PM on August 19, 2005

Fill your power washer with gasoline.
posted by caddis at 1:08 PM on August 19, 2005

Kenko, He pumped it up with an air compressor. You can see it in the pics.
posted by lee at 1:13 PM on August 19, 2005

Is it really a good idea to put stuff like this on the internets where just anyone can see it?

Won't someone think of the children?
posted by mr_crash_davis at 1:14 PM on August 19, 2005

"Hmmm. Do you know self-link FPPs are against MeFi guidelines? It is serious enough to get you a timeout or even a ban."

True, but this post is absolutely not a self link....?
posted by Emperor Yamamoto's Eggs at 1:15 PM on August 19, 2005

EYE-
Wasn't nkyad joking at f_m's expense?
posted by OmieWise at 1:23 PM on August 19, 2005

Is it really a good idea to put stuff like this on the internets where just anyone can see it?

Won't someone think of the children?

Without webpages like this, there would be too many children to think of.
posted by OmieWise at 1:24 PM on August 19, 2005

what, Triode, you want we should build some kind of Sterno can trebuchet?
posted by scruss at 1:27 PM on August 19, 2005

There's too much flammable stuff on there.
posted by drezdn at 1:30 PM on August 19, 2005

Wait, what's the source of the pressure from the tank? This is what I don't understand.
posted by kenko at 4:01 PM EST on August 19 [!]

He uses a Schrader valve (like a bike tire uses) and it looks like he pumps it up with a little motorized air pump.
posted by heydanno at 1:34 PM on August 19, 2005

He should talk to SRL.

He really should.
posted by Relay at 1:37 PM on August 19, 2005

Only the british could get away with calling that guy masculine.
posted by Jeff_Larson at 2:19 PM on August 19, 2005

I rented a cabin in the Sierras in Northern CA (just north of Redding) over the holidays last year. I can't find the site now, but there are quite a few cabin rental websites on Google. I highly recommend this - you get the whole place to yourself (most times with a large yard and few neighbors) and many have an unusually large number of bedrooms.
posted by Moral Animal at 2:21 PM on August 19, 2005

Ignore above. I'm still mastering tabs on my mac...
posted by Moral Animal at 2:23 PM on August 19, 2005

Pity he doesn't realize that fuel vapor mixed with air and ignited makes for a lovely bomb. If I were him I'd be wary of a BLEVE.
posted by armage at 2:23 PM on August 19, 2005

This is OLD. I first saw it on the SA forums back in July of '04.

That said, completely awesome. Best to add a little blowback valve in the hose somewhere, though, so as to avoid any ... mishaps, but other than that it's very servicable. Hell, take off the torch and fill the tank with water, and you've got a very nice water gun too.
posted by kafziel at 2:23 PM on August 19, 2005

“If I was half the [masculine] man I was five years ago, I’d TAKE A FLAMETHROWER TO THIS PLACE!”
posted by found missing at 2:28 PM on August 19, 2005

Moral Animal: We need more comments like that in threads about flamethrowers. Even if it was unintentional.
posted by blue_beetle at 3:20 PM on August 19, 2005

masculine man of the male gender

Alliterate much?
posted by Smedleyman at 3:23 PM on August 19, 2005

This is all fine and dandy, just don't forget to remove them from your luggage before boarding an airplane.

"Dreyling told investigators he made bombs for recreation and had recently set off several devices with friends in rural Oklahoma, according to the affidavit."
posted by chowder at 3:27 PM on August 19, 2005

Heh. I was poking around Steve@Lindwood's website to see what he had on there, back on Friday, and he's got this mirrored. I tossed it into Del.icio.us, and was the only one to have it bookmarked (at Steve's). Now there's two other folks and it's an FPP...
posted by klangklangston at 3:46 PM on August 19, 2005

here’s a look at how I’ve kept myself busy for the past week: building a PVC-pipe flamethrower."
What do you do on weekends?
posted by longsleeves at 4:12 PM on August 19, 2005

Adding a little detergent to the alcohol might have some interesting consequences. Certainly with petroleum-based fuels it makes the fuel atomise much better. You don't get the range, but you get an incredible bloom of flame. I knew the reason for this once, but I forget.

Then again, I used to do stuff like this once.
posted by tim_in_oz at 4:16 PM on August 19, 2005

tim_in_oz: is it because detergent contains surfactants?
posted by aubilenon at 4:35 PM on August 19, 2005

Then again, I used to do stuff like this once.

I think it is one of the rites of passage for young men to blow stuff up, or burn some stuff, or shoot some stuff, or something similar. Most of it is pretty harmless, until they get careless and the wrong "stuff" is affected.
posted by caddis at 7:00 PM on August 19, 2005

It would be great for serving drinks at a party - just fill it with bourbon or something and you could serve the whole room from where you were standing! Flaming Lamborghini's anyone?
posted by rawfishy at 7:37 PM on August 19, 2005

Smoke? Sure. No problem. Yeah, I used to smoke but I dont get all preachy about it. To each his own I say. Enjoy. Maybe just go out in the backyard since the wife threw out the ashtrays. Cool? Okay! I'll even come out with you. Nice night. How long since I quit? Two days as a matter of fact. Oops. Where are my manners...

Need a light?
posted by hal9k at 7:47 PM on August 19, 2005

When I was in college we just used a fire extinguisher for serving that kind of drink at parties.
posted by caddis at 8:42 PM on August 19, 2005

aubilenon: is it because detergent contains surfactants?

That'd be it. The surfactant in the detergent causes the fuel molecules to stick to it and form micelles. I tried it after learning about micelles in chemistry in high school. What I didn't learn in chemistry was that the mist that formed when you did this didn't travel as far as the non-surfactant added fuel and was more susceptible to ambient air conditions.

Or in simple terms, I burned my eyebrows off.
posted by tim_in_oz at 1:20 AM on August 20, 2005

The only PVC based weapon worth creating is a potato cannon.
posted by Ynoxas at 4:43 AM on August 20, 2005

pneumatic potato cannons are cooler than combustible models in my opinion.
posted by craniac at 6:07 AM on August 20, 2005

I love how, in this picture, the house in the foreground has a "for sale" sign in the yard.


posted by craniac at 6:10 AM on August 20, 2005

Moral Animal: We need more comments like that in threads about flamethrowers. Even if it was unintentional.

Whoa, blue_beetle, that's exactly what I was thinking. Thanks for putting it into words.
posted by Turtles all the way down at 6:58 AM on August 20, 2005

(And figures you're also from the GWN.)
posted by Turtles all the way down at 7:00 AM on August 20, 2005

This is OLD. I first saw it on the SA forums back in July of '04.

Yeah, I put up a mirror* of this some time in July of 2004 after I saw it on SA, and it went down.

Last month the guys who you are linking to now thought it would be cool to hotlink my entire mirror and make it look like it was their site. After I changed it so that hotlinked images resulted in hello.jpg, they copied it to their own site.

*If the site is still throttled due to bandwith you will see Goatse
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood at 3:06 PM on August 21, 2005