Presenting the electromechanical and pyrochemical talents of the lovely and mysterious

Alkaline Battery Dissection

Within the farthest depths of an ordinary alkaline battery lie a secret known to few individuals. Deep inside the cylinder lurk two lovely chemicals: powdered zinc and manganese dioxide. Each are precious in their own way; every chemical has its uses.

Once you learn the secret, you will never throw away another cell.

Leather Touchpad

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Ball Mill

Ball mills are devices used to crush chemicals into fine powders. Professional machines cost hundreds of dollars, but I built mine from spare parts I had lying around. I used maybe $20 worth of materials.

How did I do it? See for yourself.

Bottle Explosion

While I sat looking out the window with a nice cup of coffee one afternoon, I pondered over the viability of pressure devices. They are very convenient and release large amounts of energy, but are notoriously dangerous and unpredictable.

But what if a bottle were pressurized to a safe level, then forced to release the gas via an external mechanism? Then it would be perfectly stable until the desired moment.

Genius strikes once again.

LED Ceiling Tiles

Once upon a time, I noticed a few hundred yellow LEDs I had lying around. I also noticed how dull the ceiling in my computer room looked. Taking the only logical step, I embedded the LEDs in the ceiling to create a replica of a starry night.

The results were magnificent.

Fly Plane

These days with the price of oil, fabricated terror threats, and idiotic politicians, one of my goals is to find a better solution to air travel. It got me thinking: jet engines are big, loud, and expensive, while house flies are small, quiet, and extremely cheap.

See where I'm going with this?

Copper(II) Chloride

Cupric chloride is another fascinating chemical (they all are, really). It changes colour depending on moisture content, and burns with a bright green flame (great for fireworks). And it's easy to make, needing only copper, hydrochloric acid, and a bit of hydrogen peroxide to speed it up.

Start you synthing!

Lithium

A soft, ductile, and highly reactive metal. Due to its tendency to combine with anything and everything, lithium is never found pure in nature except for one place: batteries. Lithium batteries contain nice amounts of the alkali even when depleted, just waiting for you to rescue it.

Hurry up, get it out!

Electrical Igniters

Electrical igniters are vital to the safe application of energetic materials. You will never see professionals running around and lighting fuses. Igniters are much safer, and far more reliable.

Start replacing your fuses now.

Rocket

Basic rockets are fairly easy to make, but what happens when you start doing weird things to it? Most of the time it falls over and spins around while spewing smoke, but once in a while it actually works.

Intrigued? Enough so to click this link?

Squibs

Little explosive devices made to be fired on your person. Sounds fun, huh? These little buggers are actually quite safe when used properly, and can be used to create very realistic gunshot wounds. Making a movie?

Add some of these for special effects.

Wireless Detonator

Everyone wants to keep a safe distance when setting off energetic materials, so I made a way to be as far away as you want. Utilizing an old cordless telephone, my circuit activates only after entering a four digit security code, preventing accidental firings.

Not for the electronically challenged.

CAT 5 O' Nine Tails

Have some spare ethernet cable? Like mediæval weapons of torture? Look no more!

Build your own whip in under an hour!

Photography

Here are some pictures I took for my photography class. I trust you will not be disappointed with the lack of chroma detail? Black & white photography is a dying art.

I value your input.

Flash

A camera flash circuit based on a disposable camera. Currently incomplete, but take a look if you wish.

Don't blind yourself.

Elaboratory

A proper workspace is vital for even a novice chemist. Mommy will only let you use the kitchen for so long.

Have a quick look at my chemistry chambers.

Marimba

Sure I love chemistry and physics, but what about my musical talents? I play the marimba. I couldn't find a decent one in my price range, so I decided to make my own. How hard could it be?

Not too bad actually.

Fireworks Article

In response to a plethora of willfully ignorant news stories exaggerating the dangers of consumer fireworks, I wrote a letter to the editor. My local paper promptly printed it.

Read on.

Periodic Table

For your reference, I have provided a convenient periodic table. Density, electronegativity, melting & boiling points, oxidation states, and even electron configurations are provided in this robust model.

Save and print.

Musings

Incomplete ideas, research in progress, random thoughts, and things I haven't gotten around to writing up properly.

Read them if you must.