Introduction: How to Make a Fireball
This is an experiment we did on the last day of school. Super fun if you happen to have easy access to a bunsen burner/methane. A quick disclaimer: make absolutely sure that your hands are thoroughly wet before you light them on fire. Also, be sure and tie back long hair.
Step 1: BUBBLES!!!! / Set Up
The key to the fireball is bubbles. We need someway to contain the methane before we set it on fire!!! This is surprisingly easy.
Materials:
-tape
-dishsoap
-1 two liter soda bottle
-water
-long, stick liter, not one for cigarettes but the kind you use to light fires or the grill
- rubber tubing
Set Up
1. Cut off the top of your soda bottle but just at the point where it widens, you want to keep it as tall as possible.
2. Cut a small hole towards the bottom of the bottle
3. fit one end of tubing through the whole. close the whole with tape.
4. fill the bottle up past the tubing with a mixture of dishsoap and water, about a 4:1 ratio but thats not exact
5. attach the other end of the bottle to your gas supply and leterripp
sorry no pictures of this but if you have a question let me know
Materials:
-tape
-dishsoap
-1 two liter soda bottle
-water
-long, stick liter, not one for cigarettes but the kind you use to light fires or the grill
- rubber tubing
Set Up
1. Cut off the top of your soda bottle but just at the point where it widens, you want to keep it as tall as possible.
2. Cut a small hole towards the bottom of the bottle
3. fit one end of tubing through the whole. close the whole with tape.
4. fill the bottle up past the tubing with a mixture of dishsoap and water, about a 4:1 ratio but thats not exact
5. attach the other end of the bottle to your gas supply and leterripp
sorry no pictures of this but if you have a question let me know
Step 2: Get Wet!
make sure you get your hands really, really wet, like dripping. You should actually try and get your arms wet until about half way up your forearm, or be extra safe and go all the way to the elbow.
This is to prevent your hands from burning so take it seriously. Also at this point, tie back long hair, put on safety glasses and make sure your buddy is around.
By this point, you should have a towering tower of bubbles.
This is to prevent your hands from burning so take it seriously. Also at this point, tie back long hair, put on safety glasses and make sure your buddy is around.
By this point, you should have a towering tower of bubbles.
Step 3: Prepare for Ignition
take your hands and scoop up the tower of bubbles. The larger your scoop, the larger the fire; so you may want to start out small.
Get your friend to wipe off the bottom of your hands. This is surprisingly essential. Remeber fire burns up, and if your hands are above flammable bubbles...well do the math.
Once the bottoms off your scooped hands are bubble free, prepare yourself. It won't hurt but your natural instincts will be to separate your hands and lean back. Don't fight this or you'll wind up with a face full of fire.
Now instruct your friend to ready himself with the lighter a few feet from your hands.
And don't be an idiot, go outside.
Get your friend to wipe off the bottom of your hands. This is surprisingly essential. Remeber fire burns up, and if your hands are above flammable bubbles...well do the math.
Once the bottoms off your scooped hands are bubble free, prepare yourself. It won't hurt but your natural instincts will be to separate your hands and lean back. Don't fight this or you'll wind up with a face full of fire.
Now instruct your friend to ready himself with the lighter a few feet from your hands.
And don't be an idiot, go outside.
Step 4: FIRE!
now light up!
light the bubbles from the top of the stack and enjoy. (also some, like me have a tendency to make a strange face when controlling fire. If your friend has a camera, try to be aware of your expression)
light the bubbles from the top of the stack and enjoy. (also some, like me have a tendency to make a strange face when controlling fire. If your friend has a camera, try to be aware of your expression)