How to Make a Grease Bomb

 by noahw
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What are just a few things that come to mind when you think multi day rafting trip? Desolate beaches perhaps? Caveman style technology? Motivated groups of danger seeking risk takers? Excessive amounts of bacon grease? If any of this sounds familiar, chances are you've gone rafting.

One of the biggest pyro displays one can pull off on a river trip is something called a grease bomb. Using a hot fire, a good amount of bacon grease, and some water, the little (or big) pyromaniac in us all can come out and play.

When executed correctly, the simple ingredients hurl a massive fireball skyward, produce squeals of enjoyment from the peanut gallery, and show your group a safe display of what happens when you show complete disregard for that age old saying of "don't pour water on a grease fire".

**Warning this Instructable involves fire, explosions, bacon grease, and danger. If you'd like to do another project involving copious amounts of bacon grease with a much lower danger factor, check out How to Make Bacon Soap. Grease bombs can be very dangerous and should only be done by experienced bacon grease pyrotechnicians. When done correctly they are a real good time.**


 
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Step 1: Gather Grease

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The first ingredient to a grease bomb is grease itself. You'll need a good amount of it - around 1 1/2 to 2 cups worth. The more grease you have, the bigger the bomb. Once you've done a small one, you might want to try making a grease bomb that uses more grease - around 3, 4 or more cups of grease ups the anti.

On the river we collect grease from bacon. Trip guests love bacon - so that means that we're usually cooking up POUNDS of the stuff on each trip. Each pound yields about 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup of grease, so collect all the grease you can until you've got about 2 cups worth.

Any fatty meat will produce good grease, so try rendering grease from different sources and see which produces the biggest fireball. (Anyone who can speak to the flammability of different types of animal fats please speak up).

After cooking the bacon, I let the grease cool. Then, I place a coffee filter on top of a non-breakable sealing container and pour the grease through. If your grease has little bits of meat in it, it won't work as well and it will splatter and sputter as you heat it. The coffee filter takes out all of those impurities and results in wonderful amber clear grease.
yusaku says: Jan 10, 2012. 3:32 AM
For future refrence wax does that way better get one of those bucket type citronella candle from a hardware store put on fire till its completlymolten/on fire, then put some water in even a spoonful make a notible fireball and a cupful is insane. Use appropriate caustion of course.
Derek Vigil says: Jun 16, 2011. 5:08 PM
On the picture of the flame it looks like theres a gorrilla on the top right hand corner.
PKTraceur says: Apr 10, 2009. 8:13 AM
Nice noah! Im assuming Tim Anderson had something to do with this? Are there alterante ways of doing this, other than different fats? -PKT
noahw (author) in reply to PKTraceurApr 10, 2009. 11:16 AM
Nope - this is straight from my involvement in the white water rafting community. An amazing group of DIY problem solvers by their own right, that have absolutely no internet presence or documentation what so ever...well, besides this Instructable of course.
PKTraceur in reply to noahwApr 10, 2009. 1:28 PM
What other kinds of DIY? -PKT
Screamo says: Sep 25, 2010. 7:10 AM
THANK YOU FOR SHOWING ME THIS! I WILL NOW GO AND INDANGER THE LIVES OF MANY PEOPLE! HAHA ITS ON YOU! > : D
thematthatter says: Aug 10, 2008. 7:11 AM
the song that comes to mind is that song by the bloodhound gang, fire water burn
computer41 in reply to thematthatterApr 10, 2009. 7:14 AM
Yep :P haha good song!
schwabie says: Jun 22, 2010. 7:45 PM
use bacon soda to help estinguish a grease fire.
Ranie-K says: Jan 22, 2010. 7:13 AM
Here's a WWII poster slightly on topic:
Save Waste Fats For Explosives.jpg
bombmaker2 in reply to Ranie-KMay 16, 2010. 6:38 PM

Okay, now that's awsome. USA! USA! USA!

Ranie-K in reply to bombmaker2May 17, 2010. 6:21 AM
Well, then I have to say Norway, Norway, Norway, I guess. It's also the Norwegian constitution day today, so...
bombmaker2 in reply to Ranie-KMay 17, 2010. 2:22 PM
Sorry about that. I was thinking while typing and accidently typed that.
malestripperbunnies says: Feb 9, 2010. 6:39 PM

As much fun as this is, do not, I repeat, do NOT do this in your friends garage. Been there and done that. Nothing good will come from it. Well except the garage burning down in an insanely awesome inferno.

 I'd also like to say communism and all who practice it\support it sucks large, black-colored, lolli pops. Of the spoiled variety. Having said that I encourage you all to go forth and BURN THE WORLD DOWN.

Derin says: Dec 12, 2009. 12:03 AM
Rule 1:
Don't take that to the airport.
notjustsomeone says: Aug 5, 2008. 9:31 PM
I see that some people have talked about melting wax and it blowing up in their face, but no one seems to have made the connection yet. It's called a wax-water bomb. It's a very similar idea with much more spectacular results. You take a metal bucket and fill it with candles, or just a big 3-wick one, and then stick it in the middle of a campfire. Wait until it starts boiling, it may catch itself on fire, then to make the explosion you dumb a small quantity, like half a dixie cup, right on it, the more forceful the bigger the result. This makes for some cheap camping entertainment. Use extreme caution though, while it's probablly not going to splash on you it can produce a very large fireball. Of course this works best without any wind, and I've seen these make a 50+ foot collum of fire.
sharlston in reply to notjustsomeoneJun 16, 2009. 3:52 AM
that only works with parrafin wax
ScienceMMM says: Apr 20, 2009. 1:45 PM
Cool! Can this be mixed with Ammonium Nitrate and encased in a shell?
EnigmaMax says: Sep 11, 2008. 8:21 PM
this proves Instructables aint for sissies.
tippmannphreak says: Sep 5, 2008. 8:38 PM
Back in the day my neighbor had a grease fire. He threw it in his back yard and, half asleep (he fell asleep with food on the stove), he threw it and got it all over him. I heard he has bad scars all over. Im never going to forget that smell. BE SAFE. this stuff can ruin your life if your not careful.
comander01 says: Aug 23, 2008. 2:42 PM
If you go rafting, why don't you just throw the cup of grease in the river from the shore?
iamthemargerineman in reply to comander01Aug 23, 2008. 7:41 PM
because rivers are home to many life forms. what if the green giant came up to with a pressurized tank of boiling lard and hosed the inside and outside of your house down? hmmmmmmm? ever think about it that way?
comander01 in reply to iamthemargerinemanAug 25, 2008. 6:15 PM
The outide of my is not made of water, and therefore would not dissapate heat. Also, the oil only makes momentary contact with the water before exploding upwards. And if the green giant did hose down my house, then I'd have a mighty fine hunting trophy to show off to my friends.
Plasmana says: Aug 11, 2008. 2:46 PM
This is really cool!
DrCoolSanta in reply to PlasmanaAug 23, 2008. 12:31 AM
Sorry if I sound bad, but I genuinly am asking, is that the only thing you say? BUt anyway, it actually is very cool.
Plasmana in reply to DrCoolSantaAug 23, 2008. 1:36 AM
That is not what I say all the time.
DrCoolSanta in reply to PlasmanaAug 23, 2008. 4:00 AM
I have seen a tonne of your comments with you saying the same thing. Lol.
Plasmana in reply to DrCoolSantaAug 24, 2008. 2:39 PM
Yeah, yeah, your right, I am doing this to make the authors a bit more happy about what they have done...
DrCoolSanta in reply to PlasmanaAug 25, 2008. 4:20 AM
Lol yeah
Plasmana in reply to DrCoolSantaAug 25, 2008. 8:02 AM
:)
Dan Marshall says: Aug 24, 2008. 3:57 PM
Good write up. Excellent safety suggestions.
Here's another take on grease bombs. It seems that there's a direct relationship between river guides and grease bombs.
mhtml:http://home.comcast.net/~makeyourowngokart/Grease_Bombs.mht

ducksan says: Aug 13, 2008. 7:10 PM
This is an awesome instructable. Another, simpler (but less impressive), way to create and ignite a cloud of flammable vapor is to put kerosene in a spray bottle and spray it over a candle or flame. Don't point it at anyone. I wouldn't use gasoline, it's a bit more flammable, but more importantly might make some nasty smoke. Denatured alcohol is safer still, and if you dissolve boric acid in it you should get green fireballs =)
grevious in reply to ducksanAug 13, 2008. 11:37 PM
or if you get a tube and put it in a loop, then tape some cloth to the end and soak the cloth in petrol, then pour a small amount of petrol into the tube and light the cloth, blow as hard as you can into the other end of the pipe, massive fire balls and flaming petrol goes all over the garage. first time we did this my mate held a lighter to it and w were in his garage, you do not wanna know what happened... hehe
ducksan in reply to greviousAug 14, 2008. 7:19 AM
....Wow. That's....really intense, and could be a sight to behold if you did it right and didn't burn down any garages, lol.
grevious in reply to ducksanAug 14, 2008. 10:45 PM
hmm.. we didnt burn down the garage, but the whole back corner was on fire, aswell as him arm just past the elbow, he and the other guy starting putting it out, i got to the end of the garage (about 12 feet i travelled) and they had it all out, and no i wasnt running away, i went for the hose =D
grevious says: Aug 10, 2008. 11:11 PM
would it be possible to just be lazy and get a hose or water gun to spray it with, eh? or maybe one person with a mouthful of hot grease and another person with a mouthful of water, get one person to open there mouth and the other spits all the water into there mouth? thatd work =D
killajones in reply to greviousAug 13, 2008. 12:20 PM
Yeah sure, I've done that, no problem. ;)
grevious in reply to killajonesAug 13, 2008. 11:31 PM
what spit water in your mates mouth? who had to pay the doctor?
Chefboy6382 says: Aug 7, 2008. 5:35 PM
so grease fire, not bomb? or am i missing something...
Fondots in reply to Chefboy6382Aug 11, 2008. 7:31 PM
technically yeah, it is just a huge, energetic, grease fire, but if you just happen to be walking by and saw this happening, you'd probably go home and say that you saw something blow up just the same.
NATIVEBOY says: Aug 10, 2008. 10:40 PM
THATS PSYCHO, BUT AESOME
madhops0620 says: Aug 10, 2008. 8:15 PM
Finally, some good safe fun! :)
explosivemaker says: Aug 6, 2008. 3:30 PM
......no thanks......skin grafts aren't something I like to bring back from a trip.....
Dr_Stupid says: Aug 5, 2008. 1:43 PM
That's it? that barely made a flare.
Weissensteinburg says: Aug 4, 2008. 3:11 PM
Do you have to ignite the grease, or does the heat do that job for you?
PKM in reply to WeissensteinburgAug 4, 2008. 3:44 PM
The grease does have to be burning in the container for the best effect, but the fire often does that part for you. A few tips I found while doing this experiment (we used to call it the Hand Of God): - Candle wax works if you don't want to use fat, you can get a pack of eight candles more cheaply than four pounds of bacon - The thermal mass of the container you heat the fuel in is important- use a heavy-based unwanted saucepan, or put a handful of pennies in the bottom of your can, to give a higher mass of hot metal - Tall narrow containers like beer cans give a powerful vertical blast - Hot water gives a better blast because it takes less heat to boil it - If you drop the water from a greater height it seems to give a sharper blast
JamesRPatrick in reply to PKMAug 5, 2008. 11:46 AM
You can get a pack of eight candles more cheaply than four pounds of bacon, but they don't taste very good.
FunkNattidelic in reply to PKMAug 5, 2008. 8:52 AM
My friend and i were by the river once, and we were melting candles (yeah we did it over a campifire, stupid us) and he threw in a honey lemon halls to make it like a citronella candle, to keep the bugs at bay. The wax started to turn to this goopey tar stuff and then ignited. I wasnt thinking that wax is like oil, and i got a big bucket of water and dumped it straight into the can. WORST MISTAKE IVE EVER MADE. I lost some eye brows, and got the crap scared outta me with a 6 foot mushroom cloud of fire engulfing my head. And of course we did it again when we got back to his house, just to show his dad, and he dropped the melted wax (twas in a popcan) before i put the water on and then it POOFED and set his lawn alight.
acer73 in reply to PKMAug 4, 2008. 8:24 PM
I actually did this by accident with candle wax. I melted some wax in a pot and dipped a sponge in, at the time I was making a torch. So when I lit it on fire and relized it was too big of a fire for my bathroom, yes I know stupid mistake, I turned on the faucet and put it under the water and fire ball formed. It actually scarred me cause I didn't think it would happen with wax. Whats the science behind a grease bomb?
Goedjn in reply to acer73Aug 15, 2008. 8:48 AM
The water explodes into steam when it hits the hot oil. Steam is a lot bigger than water, so it splashes the oil around in a bunch of tiny droplets, which, being hot, exposed to fire, having a large surface area, and being well mixed with air, then proceed to burn. All the water's really doing is disbursing the oil in a cloud. --Goedjn
bikerbob2005 in reply to acer73Aug 8, 2008. 8:41 AM
Lets stick to the bacon grease a nice rolling boil can be in excess of 450 deg far. water for some reason doesent like to be hotter that 212 deg. water+hot grease yealds a bunch (tech term) of steam ( vaporized H2O ) with a flame source exposed to hydrogenated grease (cracking the O2) it makes for a rapid flame front hence the fireball not a technicality an explosion . My personal best for a flame front? 4 oz of axle grease on a dark runway slosh on it about a gallon of LOX people for miles will call in that fireball.
kill-a-watt in reply to bikerbob2005Aug 16, 2008. 6:32 PM
Ok, so the water goes in to the grease, which itself is well above the boiling point of water. The water tries to sink to the bottom, but it is also instantly converted to steam and expands to several times it's volume. That action flings grease droplets into the air which the fire then ignites.

I've seen something similar at a fast food place. A big scoop of ice is dropped into the fat fryer. The ice sinks to the bottom, melts, and then vaporizes. There's no fire, just a big billowing overflowing mess of hot oil. NOT SAFE TO DO INDOORS.

This smooth move was nicknamed "Gremlins" after the movie and that pool scene.
bikerbob2005 in reply to kill-a-wattAug 16, 2008. 8:02 PM
about 30 years ago in a class i was taking we were told the math formula for how much energy it takes to turn water into steam as well as how many cubit feet if steam you got from a pound of water .realy big numbers,
supersteam is a totally different beast it scares me worst than my exwivessupersteam
PKM in reply to bikerbob2005Aug 8, 2008. 9:52 AM
Where did you get a gallon of liquid oxygen? (If that's what you mean by LOX)
bikerbob2005 in reply to PKMAug 8, 2008. 1:07 PM
cute little truck brings it out to the fighter planes got a 2" hose and a pump got a gate valve on the truck and one on the plane so every time it fills up end up with a 2"hose 20 foot long full of LOX ( note all caps Lox is the stinky stuff ) BTW that is called rapid oxidation we called it fun
Weissensteinburg in reply to PKMAug 8, 2008. 9:56 AM
Maybe he meant Smoked Salmon!

=p
bikerbob2005 in reply to WeissensteinburgAug 8, 2008. 1:14 PM
does cream cheese keep it stable? Due to its cryogenic nature, LOX can cause the materials it touches to become extremely brittle. it is also a very powerful oxidizing agent: organic materials will burn rapidly and energetically in LOX. Further; if soaked in LOX some can detonate unpredictably on subsequent contact. Petrochemicals often exhibit this behavior, including asphalt.
Weissensteinburg in reply to acer73Aug 4, 2008. 8:30 PM
Water goes to the bottom of the grease (as it always does), gets super heated to a boil, shoots to the top, and that sprays the fiery grease in the air.
littlechef37 says: Aug 4, 2008. 9:04 PM
Use Canola (vegetable )oil....
GorillazMiko says: Aug 4, 2008. 7:31 PM
I saw this on YouTube before it was on Instructables because I am the master of them all.
John Smith says: Aug 4, 2008. 1:41 PM
That's COOL.
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