The trouble one can get into while bored... We didn't actually get in trouble, but it was a close call and we are definitely going to be a little more careful next time. We were bored so I made up a few cobs filled with flash powder. I'm trying to minimize the use of metal casings as much as possible, but cobs are so much faster than waiting for the glue to dry and an M80 style salute that it's hard not to make cobs.

My friend had to dig out a stump in his yard and the roots were pretty thick so it was decided that it should be blasted. Now of course it ended up taking much more time than just chopping it out, but where's the fun in that? A hole was drilled in the biggest root, and a flash powder filled cob inserted into the hole. We tried some half-assed tamping to reduce noise by putting a plastic bag of water over the top, but of course the bottom was still open.

Drilling the hole:

Bag of water on top for tamping:

When it went off, it made a good bang, but the water did seem to make it considerably quieter (and the water made it look cooler!).

Going off:

Click here for the video. (1.23MB, if not working try right click and Ôø‡save target asÔø‡)

The root wasn't completely blown apart, but it was certainly damaged quite a bit. A few chops with the axe finished it off.

Root after:

The next cob (I had 3) was done underground, but was buried too deep so it was really boring. That led us to try and make the next one a little more exciting... We got a 5 gallon bucket and filled it about 2/3 with water. We should have filled it all the way...

Bucket of water before:

When it went off, it was far louder than we expected, and of course the bucket was blown to pieces (at least we expected that part).

Going off:

Click here for video. (1.05MB, if not working try right click and Ôø‡save target asÔø‡))

Bucket after!:

A neighbor came over to see what was going on and we all hid in the house while he was dealt with... We have learned our lesson and won't ever be bad again! We promise!