Today on the news was reported that people had go to the hospital with burn wounds due to bombs called Crofty Bombs. Easy to be made but very dangerous. All you need is a plastic bottle and a product like sink cleaner. If you shake the bottle it'll explode. The liquid flies around causing burning wounds.
Sounds like a great MacGyverism to me if used properly as for a diversion. Still however, I wouldn't try this at home, because on the news they showed that the bom explodes within seconds. I think 3 to 5 seconds at most.

In the US and UK the media has taken to actually calling these MacGyver bombs because taking common household items and turning them into explosives is MacGyverish.

Even though he never actually made a bomb like this.. he has used Fertilizer and Engine starter a couple of times to make bombs and in Every time she smiles, he used kitchen cleaners to make an explosive.

But with all that said... MacGyver didn’t make bombs just to blow stuff up like the idiots who make these bombs do.

It's bad publicity for the show.

Yeah...it's too bad about that association.

And you are missing a key ingredient MG...and even though we all probably know it, I won't list it, cuz...well, the don't try this at home thing. The only reason I know is because my hubby, being the simply entertained person that he is actually did this...it causes quite a mess and smells, and I imagine could cause damage from the chemicals either in your eyes or on your skin if you don't move fast enough...but to blow something up? Nah...nothing significant, anyway.

So the silver foil is part of it?

Well, um...I was avoiding saying that, but yeah.

Theres actually a number of different chemical combinations which can be used.

As I understand them they are all based on the rapid production of gas which causes the plastic bottle to explode.. in the same way as over-inflating a balloon will cause it to pop.

Although authorities claim these to be dangerous explosives. The only real damage is fromt he chemical gas escaping after the bottle has burst open.

I think this statement from the CDC's report on homemade chemical bombs really sums it up.

"The results of this analysis suggest that HCBs are a rare cause of injury. However, the chemical reactions that occur within an HCB makes these devices highly unstable and unpredictable, which increases the risk for injury"

Really? I'm surprised by that. I've never heard MacGyver referred to in the UK media before.

Yeah especially since its so easy for anyone to find out how to make things like this and worse through the internet. They shouldn't blame MacGyver for the stupidity of people.

Forget the publicity for the show, it's just plain BAD.

Used to be the time if you wanted to be a psycho killer, terrorist, pedophile or some other kind of sexual deviant you had to go to great lengths. Now.. you just turn on your computer and there it is all at your fingertips. Some even come with instructions.

Insert tab A into slot B. and repeat if nessasery

Sorry.. couldn't help myself.

I got introduced to this show just a few weeks ago by my husband. He'd seen a few episodes as a kid, but was never that much into it. We saw an American Express commercial, the one with the turkey baster, and I asked him what the heck it all was. So we got the DVDs out of the library and I started watching. Started is the word here. I got totally addicted after the first disc.

See the thing is, I come from a long line of people doing MacGyver-ish things on everyday basis. Like that time when my dad made a temporary timing belt for our car out of a dog leash. It worked too. We all collectively limped home. What car would work with a timing belt made out of a leather dog leash? Moskvitch 2140. My origins are from the other side of the Iron Curtain, Central Moscow to be exact. Needless to say, dear Mac was never on my TV when I was growing up. Sigh. Since just about everything in your everyday life in Moscow was patched together and jury-rigged, many of these tricks were simply a part of my life, which especially endears this show to me.

Yes, okay, bypassing a blown fuse is not generally a good idea, but you know what, the store that would normally carry something like that would be open on days that were determined by a roll of dice and more likely than not would not have the fuses that you needed and you still wanted to watch the cartoons on that TV set, right?

My younger sister and I caught many a fish with tin foil lures and I introduced my husband to my way of rigging a fishing line. You can have a fishing pole, but you don't really have to. You take the fishing line or any thin nylon string (grandma's cotton sewing thread gets too soggy and falls apart), pick up a rock on the riverbank, larger rock will fly further and you can cast deeper that way. Tie the rock to the end of the line and tie a hook, about a foot above the rock. Throw the whole contraption in and wait with your fingers on the line to feel for bites. Use your fingers to pull the line from time to time to make the lure 'dance'. Believe me on this one, this is not just another fish story. Try it for yourself. Come on, whoever fished with the traditional setup, how many line weights have you lost to snags on logs and old refrigerators? This way, so you lost a rock, big deal, pick up another one.

I don't know much about explosive tricks really. Never liked very loud sounds. Have done some serious damage with calcium carbide flushed down the toilet. That was our explosive of choice. It was too easily available in my tender formative years and those toilets at school just looked like they wanted to be blown up. If you really wanted to scare somebody in late spring there were these trees related to poplars that would go to seed and everything would be covered in this white cottony stuff with seeds in it. Everything looked like the snow had fallen again. The stuff is scary if you set it on fire. It burns incredibly fast, but not hot, so it wouldn't really set anything else on fire, but it's quite effective, especially if you do it at night.

So here, I confessed (at least to some things)

Kewl stories.

Welcome to our community. sounds like your gonna fit right in.

You'll find we're a littel quiet here over the Holiday season.. but after new years when people get back to work... the posting and conversations should pick up again.

Hi! I agree, you definately will fit in around here! It's nice to meet you by the way , welcome to MOL.

You sound like an intriguing person. I hope you post more, and welcome to the forum!

Welcome to the community! Oh the fun you'll have!

Yeah...it's too bad about that association.

And you are missing a key ingredient MG...and even though we all probably know it, I won't list it, cuz...well, the don't try this at home thing. The only reason I know is because my hubby, being the simply entertained person that he is actually did this...it causes quite a mess and smells, and I imagine could cause damage from the chemicals either in your eyes or on your skin if you don't move fast enough...but to blow something up? Nah...nothing significant, anyway.

Hmmm, very interesting, because my husband a long time ago confessed to torturing his (short-term) stepbrother with such bomb thrown into the dumpster. That happened after I told him about the carbide in the boys bathroom incident. I have a word of his buddy Peter on that as well. Yes, the show does omit the key ingredient (a solid) . I know what it is, you know what it is, so we'll just agree to not tell :-)