Bored to Hell

Look mommy, it goes boom!

Ever wonder what the real hydrogen bomb looks like?  Well guess what, you can find out right now and even build it yourself for around twenty bucks.  Spend a few hours working on this baby, and you’ll be proud to be known as the neighborhood disruptor.  That’s right, we take you into a high definition tutorial on how to build your very own Hydrogen / Oxygen bomb for your backyard.  You’ll also need your laptop for this one folks, don’t worry, I promise it’s not safe.

You can choose one, I used the Fuel Cell

Above are the three options you will have when creating this experiment.  When I personally did this one, I had a fuel cell which I used from a fuel cell car I received a few years back.  I did the same method I’m about to show you, and it works if you’re lucky.  But if you’re lucky, you will probably be hearing one of the loudest blasts of your life.  I mean this thing is loud like you can’t believe. This four step process will have you making your very own boom’s in a matter of time.  I hope you enjoy the fun in making this experiment!

Chemical Reaction Generator for Hydrogen / Oxygen

Materials :

• Beer Bottle or bigger
• Caustic Soda (General Cleaner)
• Half a Cup of Cold Water
• Shredded aluminum bits from a can
• A Balloon
  

Setup Instructions:

1. Put your pieces of aluminum into the can, and cover them slightly with tap water
2. Place your beer bottle into a nice cool tub of cold water (overheat)
3. Add the Caustic Soda to the container (using a funnel), and strap the balloon over the top
4. Let the balloon fill up, and transfer it’s contents to the cranberry bottle underwater.
   

Electrolysis Generator for Hydrogen / Oxygen

Materials :

• A glass jar with a metal top and a plastic water bottle
• Two thick screws
• Two razor blades
• Salt and Water
• Wire
• Tubes

Setup Instructions:

1. First, drill three holes for the screws and the tubing to run through
2. Using electrical tape, join the two razors together, and make sure they don’t touch
3. Insert the screws through, and run a polarity to a razor (doens’nt matter which)
4. Run tubing from the top of the jar to to the bottle, and  seal with silicon or glue

Where the real fun comes into play

Materials :

• Longer plastic tubing
• Your hydrogen generator jar
• A laptop charger
• A Cranberry bottle and a 5 Gallon bucket (best to fit)
• A ignition source, such as a rocket fuse and a rocket ignition.
  

Setup Instructions:

1. Using your cranberry bottle, install the lighter fuse on the cap by drilling a hole through the top, and running the fuse through the top.  Be sure to glue the top so the seal does not leak or the fuse does not get wet
2. Fill with water and submerge your cranberry bottle (no top) into the water of a bucket, run the hose you have from your hydrogen generator into the bottom of the cranberry bottle.
3. Make sure that everything is ready to go, and that your hoses are correct.
4. Attach the two polarities from the laptop charger (it’s only a 12v charger it’s not dangerous) to the sides of the generator jar.  Make sure you’re using the laptop charger end that goes into your computer, not the AC wall section.
5. Bubbles will start to rise from the  jar, and fill the tube and push out the water from the cranberry bottle.  Wait until your cranberry bottle is full of the hydrogen /oxygen mix.
   

Materials :

• Rocket Fuse Ignition and cable
• A Brick
  
• A place to submerge (you don’t have to read below)
• Ear Covers

Setup Instructions:

1. Once you have taken out the bottle from the bucket, attach the lid.
2. Attach the wire to the fuse.
3. Tie a brick around the bottle so that it will sink
4. Submerge your bottle underwater in a pool or pond
5. Light it.

What’s going on here? This isn’t a real Hydrogen Bomb!

You are separating the H from the O in H2O.  Because Hydrogen and pure oxygen are both highly combustive, they will blow up at a very fast speed.  When you mix the two gases together you create a even more of a boom.  This is the real “Hydrogen Bomb”, except we are doing the splitting of a compound the easy way!

Tips and Safety Precautions:

• This is for observation only, do not attempt on your own.  I am not responsible for yours or anyone’s actions.
  
• If you don’t submerse the bottle, there is a higher chance of shrapnel flying.
• This is very dangerous at all times of the experiment, both gases are highly explosive.
• When you transfer the cranberry bottle from the 5 gallon bucket, be sure that no gas escapes.  You may use tape to black the exit while you screw on the top including the fuse.
• The fuse needs to stay dry!  I was lucky when it took underwater, but you might not be.  Make sure that your fuse is good and ready to go.
  
• Don’t add more fuses as the ignition won’t light more then one (not enough current).
• The total cost for this experiment is around 10-20$ where most of the money goes to the ignition.

Questions? Comments?  Need help?  Leave a comment for anything you need answered.  Give credit where credit is due!

More Fun

1. How To – Homemade Chemical Bombs
2. How To – Balloon Bomb Explosive
3. How To – Homemade Fireworks Tricks
4. Bored Pranks – How To Become Your School’s Prankster