Comments on: Episode 129: Greased Lightning

By: MarkA

MarkA — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 11:34:04 +0000

Re C4 in microwave (Grosse Point Blank), to me it does appear that the C4 is NOT set off by the microwave itself but is set off by the microwave stopping.
My rationale is that there is a glass bulb containing mercury attached to the C4, the centrifugal force of the rotating plate keeps the mercury away from the wires, (clearly visible when Martin Blank looks into the microwave during the gun battle) when the microwave stops rotating the dish the mercury moves towards the centre, touching the wires therefore completing the circuit and BOOOOOOM!

By: Alexis

Alexis — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 01:34:54 +0000

I have to chime in as well regarding this myth. The experiment was clearly done on a windy day, and as a result the fireballs were blown sideways. If you measure the height of the fireballs along the diagonal, you will get 30 ft (or very close) for the first two tests.

By: Lyss

Lyss — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 16:11:04 +0000

This is the first time I’ve commented on one of the myths. The wind clearly moved the fireball away from the 30 feet mark. They really screwed up on this one!

By: frederick

frederick — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 01:00:35 +0000

If you all think you can do better why don’t you try and then film the results and post them on youtube? What is the saying “either put up or shut up”?

By: Mark

Mark — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:54:50 +0000

I still think that a 30 ft fire ball is still plausible. They used peanut oil which has a flash point of about 450°F, But what about Almond Oil which has a flash point of about 495°F or Avocado oil with a flash point of 520°F? Even Extra Light Olive oils can have a slightly higher flash point than Peanut oil and it is commonly used in cooking.

By: Geoff

Geoff — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:51:01 +0000

The fireball reaching exactly 30 feet is very much beside the point. How many kitchens have 30 foot ceilings on them?

By: Kiming

Kiming — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 07:29:23 +0000

On Oil fires Disaster . I think use different temperatures of water. Example:100℃ water ,16℃-20℃ water and ice

By: Tony54

Tony54 — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:45:10 +0000

As far as lighting C4 in microwave that should be CONFIRMED. They didn’t know how to use a microwave. Set the first stage to 0 power (how many minutes before explosion) the second stage full power. Every microwave that has a electronic timer can do this.
If you want to verify this type
Time 10 power 0 then Time 30 Start
It will give you 10 seconds of 0 power then 30 seconds of Full power to set off the C4.
In the real word you would set it for 5 – 10 minutes for 0 power to get away not 10 seconds.

By: Stuart

Stuart — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 03:31:05 +0000

Yes, the wind inhibited the rise of the fireball in the air…looking at the footage and estimating for the wind you had two of the three (lard excluded) that WOULD have made 30ft.

By: mike

mike — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 03:24:18 +0000

I agree with Robert. I was looking for a place to post the same response. It clearly shows how the wind is a factor.