totse.com | How to make many small, controlled explosions?

Smoke Marijuana · #1 2007-07-12, 22:05

My friend is making a film, and for one of the scenes he wants sand to fly everywhere. The idea is to put some kind of small explosive device under the sand (possibly many small devices), to create a sand storm on demand. Can this be done? I am a complete noob to explosives so I apologize for the un-researched question.

To make the problem more difficult, we have access to only house hold chemicals, and things that normal people can buy. I have no good hook ups for chemicals, and there is a budget on how much this can cost.

I don't think this can be done easily or possibly at all, but still I told my friend I would get some advice.

Advice is greatly appreciated, thanks.

midvalley · #2 2007-07-12, 22:09

when we did it we built what we called a sand storm tent which sounds like what you need
"accuire" one of those carport things and a big fan set up fan inside carport on beach turn on and insta storm

Mokothar · #3 2007-07-12, 22:19

An explosive charge will only create a small poof of flying sand. A truly massive one could suspend fine dust for several hours, but that's not what your looking for, and even so ... league issues right?

So you're looking for a large fan or jet engine.

midvalley · #4 2007-07-12, 22:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mokothar View Post

An explosive charge will only create a small poof of flying sand. A truly massive one could suspend fine dust for several hours, but that's not what your looking for, and even so ... league issues right?

So you're looking for a large fan or jet engine.

wooo hoooo my large fan FTW

Smoke Marijuana · #5 2007-07-12, 22:29

Just looking to make a small poof of sand fly out

like in the movies when you see "mines" explode

midvalley · #6 2007-07-12, 22:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smoke Marijuana View Post

Just looking to make a small poof of sand fly out

like in the movies when you see "mines" explode

make some half sticks or use some fireworks left over from the 4th

Smoke Marijuana · #7 2007-07-12, 22:34

would sticking a roman candle in the ground with sand ontop or pouring powder from a roman candle under sand do the trick?

sorry for all the questions, i just wanna blow shit up for a battle scene

Mokothar · #8 2007-07-12, 22:35

Yeah, any small salute will do.
If you want a lot of takes, some tubing, a mesh screen and some loose sand would be the better option.

Smoke Marijuana · #9 2007-07-12, 22:36

hmmm so just a bit of powder in a small tube with a fuse...

sounds like a plan

midvalley · #10 2007-07-12, 22:38

digitally alter the vid lol overlay the sand storm

Smoke Marijuana · #11 2007-07-12, 22:39

hahaha thats rough to do

they dont even have to be real explosions

just sand needs to "squirt/fly" up, sound effects can be added later

midvalley · #12 2007-07-12, 22:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smoke Marijuana View Post

hahaha thats rough to do

they dont even have to be real explosions

just sand needs to "squirt/fly" up, sound effects can be added later

use a modified potato gun

midvalley · #13 2007-07-12, 22:42

12 gram co2 cylinders with an afro engineered firing system

Smoke Marijuana · #14 2007-07-12, 22:52

midvalley, i know what the 12 oz co2 cylinder things are

whats an afro eng. firing system? im too noob for this.. sorry

nuclearrabbit · #15 2007-07-12, 22:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smoke Marijuana View Post

midvalley, i know what the 12 oz co2 cylinder things are

whats an afro eng. firing system? im too noob for this.. sorry

The PC "nigger rig".

midvalley · #16 2007-07-12, 23:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by nuclearrabbit View Post

The PC "nigger rig".

why the fuck did i just pc something sorry all FUCKING NIGGER RIG THAT SHIT

fuck politics

stupid noob · #17 2007-07-13, 00:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by midvalley View Post

make some half sticks or use some fireworks left over from the 4th

So such thing as a half stick. I fucking hate that term. If you notice, it's only used by idiots that think they know about explosives.

"ya me n mah homies set off da half sticks under dumpsters"

Bullshit I tell you.

midvalley · #18 2007-07-13, 00:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by stupid noob View Post

So such thing as a half stick. I fucking hate that term. If you notice, it's only used by idiots that think they know about explosives.

"ya me n mah homies set off da half sticks under dumpsters"

Bullshit I tell you.

im sorry that my lay terms dont live up to your expectations... i will try to denote the proper terms for you from now on and make my information harder for the person who just wants an idea

stupid noob · #19 2007-07-13, 00:12

Telling him to use a device that doesn't exist makes it harder. Telling a new person to use an HE is not only not helpful, but fucking retarded.

I don't expect exact right terminology, but for fucks sake at least be realistic, and stop trying to act like you know shit.

Oh yeah, use a half stick.

So, then, where could one find a half stick? Tell me a store that I can walk into a buy a half stick of nitroglycerin dynamite.

And OP, go get some of the largest firecrackers you can find, and set up an ematch system to all of them at once. Making your own devices for something like this is not only unsafe, but overkill.

EVEN IF you found a place that sold it, they would laugh you out after the term half stick was used.

Maybe if you had specified WHICH manufacturers dynamite you were talking about, it MAY have given an actual amount to use, but saying a half stick is like saying I drank a half bottle of soda.

HOW BIG WAS THE FUCKING BOTTLE?

midvalley · #20 2007-07-13, 00:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by stupid noob View Post

Telling him to use a device that doesn't exist makes it harder. Telling a new person to use an HE is not only not helpful, but fucking retarded.

I don't expect exact right terminology, but for fucks sake at least be realistic, and stop trying to act like you know shit.

Oh yeah, use a half stick.

So, then, where could one find a half stick? Tell me a store that I can walk into a buy a half stick of nitroglycerin dynamite.

And OP, go get some of the largest firecrackers you can find, and set up an ematch system to all of them at once. Making your own devices for something like this is not only unsafe, but overkill.

EVEN IF you found a place that sold it, they would laugh you out after the term half stick was used.

Maybe if you had specified WHICH manufacturers dynamite you were talking about, it MAY have given an actual amount to use, but saying a half stick is like saying I drank a half bottle of soda.

HOW BIG WAS THE FUCKING BOTTLE?

[pre post edit] was going to go into details and fight back but too lazy deleted it and left this instead [/pre post edit]

Smoke Marijuana · #21 2007-07-13, 23:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by tordek battlehammer View Post

Anyone ever seen the WWII film/series "Band of brothers?" Excellent stuff, the artillery blasts were done by burying tubes filled with dirt/sand in the ground then blowing them out with quick blasts of compressed air. Easy to make and very impressive and realistic.

I was looking up compressed air tanks, saw a portable simple one, if i say hook up small plastic tubes to one tank that branch off to small tubes filled with dirt, have a pinch on the middle of the tube before it branches off, let air out of the tank, then undo the pinch... would enough air pressure reach each of the tubes to create an outburst of sand...? just bouncin' ideas here

Spongebob · #22 2007-07-14, 00:37

^Basically what you would want to do is have each tube leading to something like tin can filled with sieved dirt. That may do it fast enough. I know it is bad form to repeatedly recommend your own method but I think that if you used the butane and scaled down potato cannon idea you would get a better burst, here is a revised design (I initially mistakenly assumed you were working in miniature):

You can use two strand wire to take the charge to each one in parallel or you can use multiple clickers so each can be fired independently.

Spatula Tzar · #23 2007-07-14, 01:41

The sparker needs to be wired in series, else only one will go off at a time. This might be a desired effect however.

Flamethrowa · #24 2007-07-14, 18:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spatula Tzar View Post

The sparker needs to be wired in series, else only one will go off at a time. This might be a desired effect however.

I doubt a single BBQ clicker produces enough current to jump 4 gaps and make it back..

Spongebob · #25 2007-07-14, 22:28

^My bad, both of you are right. While the sparker would only jump one gap Spatula, Flamethrowa is just as correct, in series the sparker would not have the voltage to jump all the gaps. The best thing to do would be have multiple sparkers fired simultaneously.

Spatula Tzar · #26 2007-07-14, 23:06

It depends how big the gaps are. My grill sparks across three gaps just fine.

tordek battlehammer · #27 2007-07-15, 01:05

Or you could just make the sparker that little bit powerful?!

blinky04 · #28 2007-07-15, 06:50

You could always just use quickmatch, and some extra fuse for delays if the timing has to be perfect.

Red Shift · #29 2007-07-15, 16:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spatula Tzar View Post

My glory must be fading if no one suggested this yet...

http://godlovesmeat.com/spatulatzar/squibs/

Actually Tzar.. I was just skimming through the thread looking for "Tzars tut on squibs?"

=]

cac0 · #30 2007-07-18, 07:42

Test out the dry ice "bomb" idea and see if you get the effect you are looking for. Don't bury that sucker too deep though.