Naked Science Forum

Non Life Sciences => Chemistry => Topic started by: DoctorBeaver on 25/06/2007 21:43:50

Title: How can I blow up a room?
Post by: DoctorBeaver on 25/06/2007 21:43:50
No, I'm not a nutter (well, maybe a bit). I'm making a humorous film and I want to blow up a room in a small model house. I'll be filming it externally (obviously) and what I want is to see the explosion &, hopefully, blow out the window.

Any ideas how I can do it?
Title: How can I blow up a room?
Post by: jolly on 25/06/2007 21:56:47
Finding fottage from somewhere else.(real cheap unless they sue you...lol)

Computer animation. Though it is time consuming.

You could cut to black- give sound effects then show the aftermarth. (Cheapest option! depending on the aftermarth that is...lol)

Blowing up a tiny modle of the room- though you will need a camera to match. but I dont think anyone will actualy tell you how to do that.

I do not suggest actually blowing up a room!
Title: How can I blow up a room?
Post by: DoctorBeaver on 25/06/2007 22:06:47
I had considered using a couple of bangers but I don't want to wait until November.
Title: How can I blow up a room?
Post by: jolly on 25/06/2007 22:20:42
Surely you can get them now, they must sell them at wholesalers, But that is a good idea!
Title: How can I blow up a room?
Post by: DoctorBeaver on 25/06/2007 22:33:43
If I buy them from a wholesaler I'd probably have to buy a zillion at a time
Title: How can I blow up a room?
Post by: another_someone on 25/06/2007 22:39:17
When you are talking about a model house - what kind of model house, and what kind of image do you want to create?

Will you want to be taking several reruns - in other words, will you want something you can easily put back together?

What are you using for glass in the windows?  Are the walls also to collapse, or only windows blown out?  Do you want to see flame (I know its probably unrealistic - but often film is meant to be more real than reality - in other words, appeal more to how we imagine something should look like than how something actually does look look like?
Title: How can I blow up a room?
Post by: another_someone on 25/06/2007 22:40:13
If I buy them from a wholesaler I'd probably have to buy a zillion at a time

You buy explosives from a wholesaler, you'd probably have the anti-terrorist police knocking on your door the following morning.
Title: How can I blow up a room?
Post by: DoctorBeaver on 25/06/2007 22:58:05
When you are talking about a model house - what kind of model house, and what kind of image do you want to create?

Will you want to be taking several reruns - in other words, will you want something you can easily put back together?

What are you using for glass in the windows?  Are the walls also to collapse, or only windows blown out?  Do you want to see flame (I know its probably unrealistic - but often film is meant to be more real than reality - in other words, appeal more to how we imagine something should look like than how something actually does look look like?

I was going to use a wood frame with cardboard or balsa walls. Hopefully I can do it in 1 take but I'll probably do a couple of dummy runs on other models to make sure it looks right. I want it to look spectacular so if there are flames, so much the better.
Title: How can I blow up a room?
Post by: jolly on 25/06/2007 23:14:48
If I buy them from a wholesaler I'd probably have to buy a zillion at a time

You buy explosives from a wholesaler, you'd probably have the anti-terrorist police knocking on your door the following morning.

If nothing else that would be a funny day...lol So where can you by a small amount of fire works when its not the season?
Title: How can I blow up a room?
Post by: DoctorBeaver on 25/06/2007 23:42:18
I wonder if I could bribe 1 of the chemists here  [???]
Title: How can I blow up a room?
Post by: another_someone on 26/06/2007 01:03:38
What you want is basically just an oxidiser and a fuel.  Don't know if it would be potent enough, but if you mix petrol and an oxidiser (alas, one can no longer easily get hold of nitrates as easily as one could in my younger years, but you could try using hydrogen peroxide as an oxidiser).

Using alcohol with peroxide is probably the fastest burning, but using a heavier fuel would mean the fuel will take longer to burn, and might still be burning as it explodes out of whatever container you have used to contain the burning mixture.

Title: How can I blow up a room?
Post by: DoctorBeaver on 26/06/2007 01:56:05
I think I might give that a go. Thanks.
Title: How can I blow up a room?
Post by: Karen W. on 26/06/2007 02:40:51
Too bad I can't mail you some firecrackers ... That is what a banger is isn't it! Like a miniature stick of dynamite!  If I mailed them they would surely be confiscated because pf the gun powder or whatever they use TNT ..Hey what does TNT stand for anyway???
Title: How can I blow up a room?
Post by: DoctorBeaver on 26/06/2007 06:20:25
Trinitrotoluene
Title: How can I blow up a room?
Post by: Karen W. on 26/06/2007 06:52:44
OK.. What is that??

OK Heres Wiki's!   

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinitrotoluene

Trinitrotoluene (TNT) is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. This yellow-coloured solid is a reagent in chemistry but is best known as a useful explosive material with convenient handling properties. The explosive yield of TNT is considered the standard measure of strength of bombs and other explosives. In chemistry, TNT is used to generate charge transfer salts.
Title: How can I blow up a room?
Post by: DoctorBeaver on 26/06/2007 06:55:17
All you really need to know is that it goes bang. Very bang.

Firecrackers are made from standard gunpowder, not TNT.
Title: How can I blow up a room?
Post by: Karen W. on 26/06/2007 07:02:45
OH I did not know that! LOL..Always reading TNT on all the fireworks things so I assumed it was that! LOL "Very Bang!" LOL
Title: How can I blow up a room?
Post by: kdlynn on 26/06/2007 07:56:17
and if you don't want to blow up an actual room, couldn't you build a tiny room and film it so that it looks like  it's life sized? might be safer
Title: How can I blow up a room?
Post by: kdlynn on 26/06/2007 07:57:19
oh someone already said that. oops
Title: How can I blow up a room?
Post by: DoctorBeaver on 26/06/2007 08:20:07
oh someone already said that. oops

Yes - I did.  [::)]
Title: How can I blow up a room?
Post by: dentstudent on 26/06/2007 08:27:58
There was a Brainiacs program where they blew up a caravan with gases. There were 2 balloons filled will these 2 gases which when burst simultaneously, expanded so violently that the caravan was distinctly unwell.
Title: How can I blow up a room?
Post by: DoctorBeaver on 26/06/2007 08:29:58
Best thing to do with caravans. Apart from, maybe, playing conkers with them a la Top Gear.
Title: How can I blow up a room?
Post by: Karen W. on 26/06/2007 08:33:13
I have never seen that! Caravan as in a car?

Well doc that answered that! LOL Mine is a Chevy astro VAn and she runs great except that her leg room sucks, could we blow a hole in the hump in the middle where your feet sit?LOL I forget what they call that access panel to the engine!
Title: How can I blow up a room?
Post by: paul.fr on 26/06/2007 08:57:34
can you not film an explosion that is not inside the house and edit it into your film?
Title: How can I blow up a room?
Post by: DoctorBeaver on 26/06/2007 08:58:19
http://www.bbc.co.uk/topgear/show/production_notes/conkers.shtml (http://www.bbc.co.uk/topgear/show/production_notes/conkers.shtml)
Title: How can I blow up a room?
Post by: DoctorBeaver on 26/06/2007 08:58:54
can you not film an explosion that is not inside the house and edit it into your film?

That wouldn't be as much fun as REAL destruction!
Title: How can I blow up a room?
Post by: dentstudent on 26/06/2007 09:00:03
Bonkers conkers mate!
Title: How can I blow up a room?
Post by: DoctorBeaver on 26/06/2007 09:01:40
Speaking of conkers, I posted a link to the Top Gear caravan conkers video
Title: How can I blow up a room?
Post by: paul.fr on 26/06/2007 09:02:41
can you not film an explosion that is not inside the house and edit it into your film?

That wouldn't be as much fun as REAL destruction!

i'm not saying don't have your fun blowing the house up, but other external explosions could be used to add to the edited effect. You could make them look like different camera angles.

with great care, you can make good explosions in microwave ovens
Title: How can I blow up a room?
Post by: dentstudent on 26/06/2007 09:07:45
Er, like this?

http://www.videosift.com/index.php?search=brainiac+microwave+explosion+fire+cool&tag=true
Title: How can I blow up a room?
Post by: DoctorBeaver on 26/06/2007 09:07:54
I could edit other explosions into it, but that would be too complicated.
Title: How can I blow up a room?
Post by: DoctorBeaver on 26/06/2007 09:10:08
That settles it. I'll make the model a bit bigger & put a microwave in it. *runs off to get an old microwave*
Title: How can I blow up a room?
Post by: paul.fr on 26/06/2007 09:11:33
Er, like this?

http://www.videosift.com/index.php?search=brainiac+microwave+explosion+fire+cool&tag=true

i was not thinking as extreme as that! what about small balloons filled with helium and a string fuse? or even a hidden lighter, they do go with a bang
Title: How can I blow up a room?
Post by: Bored chemist on 26/06/2007 09:14:41
Why helium?
Title: How can I blow up a room?
Post by: paul.fr on 26/06/2007 09:19:14
Why helium?

forget i said that, move on, nothing to see here..Morning, BC
Title: How can I blow up a room?
Post by: DoctorBeaver on 26/06/2007 09:38:45
I know someone with emphycema who has oxygen cylinders at home (https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fbestsmileys.com%2Fthinking%2F4.gif&hash=e10988c0463f75d981133ffa0990656b)
Title: How can I blow up a room?
Post by: Karen W. on 26/06/2007 09:52:50
WOOOHOOO Those things cause the biggest exposions very dangerous!
Title: How can I blow up a room?
Post by: another_someone on 26/06/2007 10:28:24
Trinitrotoluene

The problem you have is that TNT is too safe - TNT will burn, but it will only explode if it has a detonator, so you still need an explosive detonator to trigger it.
Title: How can I blow up a room?
Post by: DoctorBeaver on 26/06/2007 11:39:40
Trinitrotoluene

The problem you have is that TNT is too safe - TNT will burn, but it will only explode if it has a detonator, so you still need an explosive detonator to trigger it.

A banger, maybe?  [::)]
Title: How can I blow up a room?
Post by: Bored chemist on 27/06/2007 11:32:35
"WOOOHOOO Those things cause the biggest exposions very dangerous!"
Err, not exactly. They seldom cause explosions at all. And there are plenty of things that cause bigger ones.

Title: How can I blow up a room?
Post by: DoctorBeaver on 27/06/2007 15:05:20
"WOOOHOOO Those things cause the biggest exposions very dangerous!"
Err, not exactly. They seldom cause explosions at all. And there are plenty of things that cause bigger ones.



Enriched plutonium maybe? Let me check in my shed.
Title: How can I blow up a room?
Post by: ukmicky on 29/06/2007 19:56:20
 
Quote
How can I blow up a room?

Have party and serve beans to your guests . Close the windows and doors and strike a match.
Title: How can I blow up a room?
Post by: DoctorBeaver on 29/06/2007 19:58:01
 
Quote
How can I blow up a room?

Have party and serve beans to your guests . Close the windows and doors and strike a match.

(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fbestsmileys.com%2Flol%2F22.gif&hash=0dbbfa5c5f2f0699fdde5497f2b1c092)
Title: How can I blow up a room?
Post by: Seany on 06/07/2007 13:58:03
How about placing a nuclear bomb? I'm sure that'd do the trick..
Title: How can I blow up a room?
Post by: i am bored on 06/07/2007 16:20:31
or just a gun powder keg........ nothing says pyrotechnics like gun powder