The practical pyromaniac : build fire tornadoes, one-candlepower engines, great balls of fire, and more incendiary devices

The Practical Pyromaniac combines science, history, and DIY pyrotechnics to explain humankind’s most useful and paradoxical tool: fire. William Gurstelle, author of the bestselling Backyard Ballistics and frequent contributor to Popular Mechanics and Make magazine, presents 25 projects with instructions, diagrams, photos, and links to video demonstrations that enable people of all ages (including young enthusiasts with proper supervision) to explore and safely play with fire. From Franklin’s stove to Diesel’s engine, Gurstelle tells the explosive and fascinating tales of the great American and European pyromaniacs who scientifically revealed the mysteries of fire. Among them are hot-headed "Gunpowder" Joseph Priestley, who discovered oxygen, and Antoine Lavoisier, the father of chemistry who lost his head on the guillotine, as well as scientist and spy Count Rumford and dapper Humphrey Davy whose chemical discoveries and fiery inventions saved thousands of lives. With The Practical Pyromaniac in hand readers can replicate these breakthrough scientists’ experiments and inventions, from the simply fascinating one-candle-power engine to the nearly magical fire piston and from a practical backpacker stove to an incredible tornado of fire. "Combining science, history, and DIY pyrotechnics, this book for the workbench warrior explains humankind's most useful and paradoxical tool: fire. William Gurstelle, author of the bestselling Backyard Ballistics, presents 25 projects with instructions, diagrams, photos, and links to video demonstrations that enable people of all ages to explore and safely play with fire. From Franklin's stove to Diesel's engine, explosive and fascinating tales are told of the great pyromaniacs who scientifically revealed the mysteries of fire such as "Gunpowder" Joseph Priestly, who discovered oxygen; Antoine Lavoisier, the father of chemistry; and Humphrey Davy, whose chemical discoveries and fiery inventions saved thousands of lives. By following the directions inside, the curious can replicate these breakthrough scientists' experiments and inventions from the simply fascinating one-candlepower engine to the nearly magical fire piston and an incredible tornado of fire"-- Provided by publisher Copyright 5 Dedication 6 Contents 8 Introduction 10 1 Keeping Safety in Mind 14 2 The Flame Tube 20 3 The First Lights 44 4 The One-Candlepower Engine 60 5 The Fire Drill 68 6 The Burning Ring of Fire 82 7 The Hydrogen Generator and the Oxygenizer 94 8 Exploding Bubbles 114 9 The Fire Piston 126 10 The Arc Light 136 11 Fireproof Cloth and Cold Fire 144 12 The Extincteur 160 13 The Photometer 168 14 Thermocouples 178 15 Technicolor Flames 188 16 The Fire Tornado 196 17 Great Balls of Fire 206 Epilogue 214 Bibliography 218 Index 220 9781569767108 Chicago Review Press