Chemistry for Anarchists, Thursday, Period 4

[tyler_gone]

Class met in the Danger Shop today, and arrayed on workstations in the front of the room were glass bottles of various shapes, soap flakes, rags, matches, tampons, firecrackers, sugar, rubber cement, and liter containers of gasoline, motor oil, wood alcohol and turpentine.

The back wall of the shop had been turned into a junkyard with old mattresses, beat-up cars, appliances and other moddable debris. A low wall separated the junk from the workstations.

"Afternoon," Tyler greeted the class once they were assembled. "Housekeeping first -- my office hours are pretty much all day Monday, and Evey Hammond is your TA. Let either of us know if you have questions. Also, there's safety gear at your stations. I know we're in the Danger Shop, but wear it anyhow. It's good practice." He paused for a second to snap on goggles, then reached for a bottle, a jug of gas, and a rag, working as he talked.

"Today, we're making Molotov cocktails. They're about the fastest and simplest bombs you can make. Rioters love these. Watch." As he spoke, he had sloshed the bottle three-fourths full with gas, soaked the rag in the stuff, and pulled it through the neck of the bottle to make a fuse, which he quickly lit on fire. He lobbed it at an avocado green refrigerator. "Ka-blam."

Grinning as the fridge came apart, Tyler pushed his hair back and hit a button on the shop control panel to put out the fire before talking again. "Not that it's always that simple. Lot of people like to add something to the gas -- a good handful of sugar, motor oil, soap flakes. All those things make the explosion stickier, like low-rent napalm. And some people swear by turpentine instead of gas. Abbie Hoffman, a radical back in the '60s, liked firecrackers or tampons as fuses. I think firecrackers are a little too much heavy ammo for one of these to carry, but that's me. But sugar's a nice, cheap addition."

"Your task today? Figure out what you think goes in a perfect Molotov cocktail and make one. Evey assuming she tags in and I will be around to help."

Comments

Sign in [5/22]

[tyler_gone]

Explosively.

Re: Sign in [5/22]

[sarcasm-guy.livejournal.com]

SOKKA!

Re: Sign in [5/22]

[wannabehunter]

Jo Harvelle

During the Lecture [5/22]

[tyler_gone]

Listen. Ask questions. Etc.

Re: During the Lecture [5/22]

[sarcasm-guy.livejournal.com]

Sokka raised a hand. He had a very serious, important question which was extremely relevant to the class topic:

"Sir, I think I love you."

Re: During the Lecture [5/22]

[intraspective]

"This is the best class ever," Ino informed Tyler.

Re: During the Lecture [5/22]

[saltandammo.livejournal.com]

A slow smile grew across Dean's face as he listened. "I totally knew this class was going to be awesome."

Re: During the Lecture [5/22]

[wannabehunter]

Jo's grin was kind of scary.

Re: During the Lecture [5/22]

[the_merriest]

Rikku was scribbling notes, when she wasn't staring at the pretty explosions. (All explosions were pretty.) Things like sugar == STICKIER and Abby Hoffman - sixties rioter - LOOK UP.

Cocktail Hour! [5/22]

[tyler_gone]

Make one and throw it at the pile of junk. Experiment with different fuels and fuses. The debris is harmless (yay Danger Shop!).

Re: Cocktail Hour! [5/22]

[sarcasm-guy.livejournal.com]

All the Molotov Cocktails they'd made in Aly's classes were gas-and-motor-oil, and so Sokka started there, to get a baseline. From there, he experimented, trying out different things and seeing what worked and what didn't.

It might have been less obvious, but he was ALSO trying to get a feel for the aerodynamics of the bottles, and what he could get them to do in the air when he threw them.

Re: Cocktail Hour! [5/22]

[blackmagic-eve.livejournal.com]

Eve had plenty of experience with these, thanks to Aly's class plus having had occasion to make a couple on her own in the past -- though she didn't talk about that, especially as they hadn't really worked -- so she put her first one together rather quickly.

The next ones she made, she took more time with as she was experimenting.

And having way too much fun, but ssh.

Re: Cocktail Hour! [5/22]

[multi-madrox.livejournal.com]

Jamie made several cocktails and lined them up in a triangle formation.

He then took. The last bottle and lit the fuse, rolling the bottle across the ground until it hit the other bottles and blew up in a spectacular explosion.

"Bowling for booms," Jamie said looking satisfied. "Soon to. Be featured on ESPN 8: The Ocho."

Re: Cocktail Hour! [5/22]

[wannabehunter]

Jo eyed one of the cocktails she was making thoughtfully, wondering what effect adding salt would have on the explosion.

Re: Cocktail Hour! [5/22]

[the_merriest]

Oh, oh, oh, she loved this class. Loved it. Could barely contain her glee.

First step: a standard Molotov cocktail like the one he made, and watching that old junked stove blow up.

Then add sugar and see what he meant by "stickier." ... Dude.

Soap flakes: compare and contrast to the sugar.

Tampon: see how long the string took to burn, compared to the rag. Figure out if that gives you time to get creative.

She had a notebook next to her and was filling it up with scribblings about her results. Science was awesome.

Re: Cocktail Hour! [5/22]

[intraspective]

Ino hadn't ever made one of these before, but it wasn't too hard really, and she grinned like mad when it was tossed and exploded.

Then she tried it with sugar added. Oh shiny.

The firecrackers though? Best. Things. Ever.

Re: Cocktail Hour! [5/22]

[saltandammo.livejournal.com]

Dean made several, trying various additives and then threw them at some old junked out cars, cocking his head to the side as he tried to compare which one did what the best.

Talk to Tyler [5/22]

[tyler_gone]

He's around after class.

Talk to Evey [5/22]

[tyler_gone]

After she pings in.

Re: Talk to Evey [5/22]

[remember5th.livejournal.com]

Evey was there, and looking quite a bit more in her element than she had in a long while.

OOC [5/22]

[tyler_gone]

I should probably delete this icon, huh?

Re: OOC [5/22]

[sarcasm-guy.livejournal.com]

Naaaaah.

Re: OOC [5/22]

[blackmagic-eve.livejournal.com]

No-longer-appropriate icons are the best OOC icons EVER.

Re: OOC [5/22]

[the_merriest]

ANARCHY PONY. Keeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.

Re: OOC [5/22]

[remember5th.livejournal.com]

NEVER omg.