Since the time of cavemen, it seems that we humans have a natural fascination for fire. There’s just something about the way it glows and crackles that just catches the eye. And possibly the fact that we can destroy so many things with it. Matches, lighters, and even butane torches are fun to use and all, but flamethrowers are where it’s really at. Most of them are too big and bulky to have fun with, but here’s one that is nice and small, yet still creates a show.
Instructables user PDRWLSN has put together a nice guide on how to make your own handheld flamethrower. While the basic concept is rather simple, the frame is what really makes this device so desirable, and it’s also the hardest part to make. Well, it’s actually pretty simple, if you have a laser cutter, but otherwise it’ll take a lot of work with a scroll saw. In the end, you’re left with a device that will have almost no practical use in life, but will be fun for pyromaniac.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KAgep0_AWE
I would have thought that Redferret had more sense than to propagate such pointless, stupid and dangerous toy. In the hands of a careless person this could cause devastation.
How about DIY anthrax next?
Steve,
Stop being a sissy liberal. Everyone drives around in death machines and can crash purposely at any moment to cause devastation. I bet if you shot this flame thrower, you would have the biggest damn grim as the next guy. Lighten up.
*grin :) not grim.
When I was a kid I did all kinds of stupid things with aerosol cans, fireworks and interesting chemicals and yes I did grin at times. Luckily for my neighbours and the rest of the world I somehow grew up and I now know the difference between fun and reckless stupidity. Now I just endanger myself and perhaps the odd consenting adult. :-)
I understand your concerns Steve, but having looked closely at the instructions I do not believe that this is something a child or careless person could construct easily. In the wrong hands, just about anything can be a dangerous tool, even a penknife.
We do try to err on the side of caution here at Ferret Towers, if we feel that something is potentially dangerous or stupid, but in this case it looked to be far enough removed from general capabilities as to be worth reporting.
Thanks for your comment, it's always good to be kept on our toes by our great readers. :)
Nigel. Penknives, crossbows, zipguns, green lasers and fast cars can all be dangerous in careless hands but fire can wipe out whole communities and devastate forests in ways that make all the above seem like harmless toys. It can take very little to set of a scrub fire that turns into a conflagration. The fellow who made this "toy" clearly spends a lot of his life surrounded by snow where it would be fairly harmless but much of the world gets ! to be tinder dry at times. Take one of these to Texas next summer and see how well it is received !
George – are you a dolt? If not, try not to drag politics into unrelated discussions.
About the flame-thrower – really neat.
Bad influence on children? I don't see why it should be. Kids cannot be sealed in a bubble and need to learn how to deal with potentially hazardous things. And I say the following not with irony, but with conviction:
Flame-throwers don't burn people and property – people do.