Stick your finger in molten lead

[DLCTEX]

Anyone else see the Mythbusters episode with them wetting their finger, then plunging it into molten lead? I kept waiting for the tinsel fairy to visit, but a sizzle was all that occurred. They did trim their nails short and sling the excess water off, but plunged their fingers without burning. Of course it was a quick in and out, but I was surprised by the results. I'm still not going to try to repeat the test with my finger, and absolutely not without eye and face and body protection. Murphy's law still hasn't been repealed.

[targetshootr]

I saw it too and couldn't believe it. I was also expecting a pow! but nada.

[357maximum]

Stick your finger in molten lead ..........got two words for ya.


YOU FIRST

[docone31]

I'll watch.
I am sure it works to perfection. I just do not need the thrills.

[redneckdan]

The steam escapes between the skin and the molten lead, this is what protects your hand from the heat.....momentarily......

[JIMinPHX]

I ain't gunna try it.

[hornsurgeon]

i also thought i heard them say that the lead was well over 800*. that's hot!

[Jack Stanley]

Oh boy ! now all they need to do is one up that feat . Lessee ...... next they can do zinc , then Magnesium , then aluminum ............. I bet we can find a temp that will flash fry their test pinky !!

Jack

[GabbyM]

i also thought i heard them say that the lead was well over 800*. that's hot!

Yes they tested with sausage links first. Found they cooked at lower temps so turned up the pot temp to get the steam just right. Conclusion was the lead had to be at just the right temp for things to work. Just NUTS.

[SethD]

I didn't see it but I guess my question is just why? To make a television show I guess. :veryconfu

[Multigunner]

I've heard of an Iron foundry worker who fell into a crucible of molten iron and landing flat on his back was blown backout of the crucible by the explosion of steam from the sweat on his back. He was apparently a bit toasted and parboiled but survived.

I have had a splatter of molten solder hit my sweaty forearm and pop right off without leaving a mark. Once the solder solidified around a few hairs on my arm, so it didn't pop right off again. That time it stung pretty good.

[mooman76]

Years ago before I knew better I had a visit by the tensil fairy. I washed some lead and it was still damp. I didn't know about the whole moisture thing. Anyway it was a real good explosion in my kitchen and I got lead everywhere and was finding pieces months later. I got some on me that even stuck to my hair but I did'nt get burned.

[lwknight]

It did not work until the lead was 800 degrees. cooler lead burned the test meat.

[Goatlips]

Guess I don't need to buy a thermometer then. When the sausages stop coming out burnt, just turn it down a tad and start casting. :twisted:

Goatlips

[mpmarty]

So can I call my LEE pro pot a barbie?

[Marcus the Cat]

None for me thanks..! ;)

[Baron von Trollwhack]

There just isn't much on TV that is trustworthy, on any subject. Why, I've seen a pretty girl skewered with a cavalry saber and she took no harm. You want to try that ?

BvT

[rhbrink]

To bad they didn't eat the sausage.

[rhbrink]

Thought about something else stupid they did once. They were casting up some minnie's for some hair brained ideal using a Lee mold filled it up with lead and then plunged that into a pot of water to cool it off quick. Didn't show them casting another one but I bet that could have been a bad deal. I thought about now what if someone was watching and wanting to get into casting and saw that thinking that was the way it was done, could be a bad mistake. Don't watch the show anymore too much Kalifornia stuff for me.

[Tom W.]

I've seen it done when I worked at the sawmill. We had a babbitt pot there that ran @ 800+ and a guy came in, said "watch this", stuck a wet finger in the babbitt and withdrew it quickly, unharmed. He then took the glass of water that he had dipped his finger in and slowly poured it onto the top of the molten babbitt.


Don't try it at home..

[archmaker]

Think I will pass.

Reminds me of a time that a CFO was talking to a board memeber (SMALL company) about how the battery backup works, and went to show them how. I was the director of IT (but reported to the CFO) at the time and suggested them to not tempt fate but they did.

Short story the battery backup failed, and we had to wait for all the systems to reboot and run diagnostics before we could get back up and running.

So I will not tempt Mr. Murphy when it comes to hot lead and my body parts. :)

[XWrench3]

I've heard of an Iron foundry worker who fell into a crucible of molten iron and landing flat on his back was blown backout of the crucible by the explosion of steam from the sweat on his back. He was apparently a bit toasted and parboiled but survived.


my dad worked in a GM metal casting plant for 15 years. in that time, they had two guys fall into cupolas full of molten iron. they did not get blown out. they imediatly turned to ash. the metal was ruined. it was all over in a heartbeat, they shut the plant down for a day. i dont know what they did with the iron. it was no laughing matter. they figured one of the guys was murdered. aparently he was being robbed by a fellow worker, when he refused to co-operate, the robber shoved him off the catwalk and he fell into the cupola. a similar thing happened to my dads freind. only when the guy pushed him off the catwalk, he fell 4 storys to the concrete floor below and was killed. nice place to work huh?

[canyon-ghost]

BAD IDEA, that one is as bad as the movie suggesting to kids that you can shoot a bullet on a 'curve' around a person at short range. All that does is give newbies the way wrong answer. We have no shortage of jerks nowdays. Curve a bullet's path around someone? In the tenth of a second it takes someone to react, that bullet at approximately 1000fps, travels 100 meters. You'd be shot in the head.

What I'm saying is that you can be burnt, shot, fall off a cliff, whatever and television and movies are still not responsible. What are we teaching the younger generations? Terrorism? Absolute stupidity? How to get hurt? In that capacity, mythbusters just spun another myth, started another stupid idea. What's the point to watching cheap bs on TV?

Ron

[Shiloh]

I'd rather not do this. Sounds kinda dumb to me.

Shiloh

[Sonoma2k2]

i tried it with my hotdog but i fell short:redneck:

[GabbyM]

Guess I don't need to buy a thermometer then. When the sausages stop coming out burnt, just turn it down a tad and start casting. :twisted:

Goatlips

Wells see that's backwards and you just cooked your finger.
Their sausage burned at the lower temps. Lead had to be hot enough for the steam effect to work right. Turn the temp down and you are deep fried. Then I would suppose if the lead was to hot you'd loose all moisture before you could pull back your finger. I'm for sure not going to test that.

[Marlin Junky]

No thanks...

I think Myth Busters should try peeing on an electric fence.

I hope the lawyers aren't watching this thread.

MJ

[softpoint]

Well, ...Let's see,, Cold outside today,..I'm bored,....Nah, not THAT bored !!

[Shiloh]

No thanks...

I think Myth Busters should try peeing on an electric fence.

I hope the lawyers aren't watching this thread.

MJ

Did that once. By accident actually. There was alcohol involved. Part of my mis guided, mis-spent youth.

Shiloh

[HORNET]

Shiloh said:
Did that once. By accident actually.
Once is usually all it takes to learn better......LOL

[Catshooter]

I don't watch TV. You guys have reminded me again why, thanks.


Cat

[Nate1778]

Reminds me of the quote Jules used describing rat in Pulp Fiction............

[wiljen]

Did that once. By accident actually. There was alcohol involved. Part of my mis guided, mis-spent youth.

Shiloh

I'd have worried more if he said he did it on purpose. I'm guessing that pretty much everyone who tangles with an electric fence does so by accident.

[DLCTEX]

Aren't older brothers supposed to dare the younger ones to try it ( I'm the oldest)? My grandfather talked me into peeing on the spark plug of his old Popping Johnny, 2 cylinder John Deere (bet you can't hit it). I was 4 or 5 and he thought it was hilarious, I didn't. He also once bet me I couldn't sneak up and milk a heifer that was backed up to a fence. She kicked through the fence when I grabbed a teat. He thought that was funny, also.

[arcticbreeze]

There is also a video on YouBoob I mean Youtube of a kid doing the same.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sN5aMjTCfo4

[mpmarty]

Yeah I took a hot shot cattle prod to school once. Had some fun then got tossed out of school for a few days and had more fun chopping thistle in the pastures and mending miles of fence.

[Potsy]

This is the first thread I've ever read on this forum where I had no desire to take any part in any of the above mention activities.
Having said that, I did drop a cold ingot right into a molten pot once. I realized what I had done and made tracks out of the shop. It burped a little and that was it. No desire to experiment further.
My late Grandad could grab ahold of and electric fence and hang on to it. He thought it was pretty hillarious when ever I got into it because even at 36, I scream like an 8 year old girl.
Ironic that I spent 5 years as an electric fencing product manager. I hate the damn things.

[ChuckS1]

Wonder if it'd work with a wet cat?