Introduction: Building Pykrete (bulletproof Ice)
if you are familiar to this, sorry in advance for any mistakes, if not here is a short explination of what pykrete is:
this is my first instructable so bare with me
i take no responsibility of what you do with this
Pykrete is a strange and wonderful thing invented in WW2 by a British inventor ad showcased to Churchill in his bathtub. Pykrete is a form of reinforced ice that has the stopping capability of a brick when a gun is fired at is remarkably fire resistant since it is basically ice. drawing were produced during WW2 for a giant aircraft carrier to be made out of this as it would be like an iceburg
i would say that this is composite material
relatively east to make you need:
Materials:
1 Container
2 Water
3 Wood Pulp (paper, sawdust, wood chips)
4 Freezer
Step 1: Mixing the Water and Wood Pulp
Take the Water and Wood Pup and mix it by weight to these percentages:
14% Wood Pulp ( in this case kitchen towel)
to
86% Water
so for example for 1 Kg of Pykrete Mix 140G Paper (any I Think) to 860G water
Mix Well
Put into suitable container
Stick in the freezer and leave to set
Step 2: Mix It Up Part 2
After about two to three hours if the Pykrete has not frozen yet give it a bit of a stir to make sure that it is all mixed corectly
Once it is Frozen take it out if its container and enjoy.
Step 3: Do What You Want With (Compare With Regular Ice)
I can't find any use for this yet but once you have made it. keep it is the freezer and use the same container to freeze dome water.
once that its done take them outside and compare the strength of each material.
Read this to find out more
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pykrete
but remember that i take no responsibility of what you do with this
P.s Would have had pictures of testing but got dark

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44 Discussions
4 years ago
This would make an excellent frozen medium for the 5 gallon Bucket AC. Mix it up, and put it into ziplock bags. Then just hot glue them shut for permanent icepacks that last 2-3 times longer than regular ice.
6 years ago on Introduction
You could make containers of this that would fit in the freezer if you were expecting a power loss. For example a hurricane heading your way. You would keep some of them in the freezer and some of them in the refrigerator. Seeing as they melt a lot slower it might save the contents of the refrigerator.
10 years ago on Introduction
does this work
Reply 10 years ago on Introduction
yes it does. and you can build a boat from it as proven by teh mythbusters recently
Reply 10 years ago on Introduction
Yeah, but the boat would melt if you aren't in the Arctic.
Reply 6 years ago on Introduction
Actually it wouldn't as pykrete does not melt near as quickly as regular frozen H2O, in fact I believe it melts about 2 or 3 times slower than normal ice
Reply 10 years ago on Introduction
no plan was to have an aircraft carrier built out of it. it didnt go through because it would have been two expensive to run the coolers to keep the stuff frozen over long periods of time
9 years ago on Introduction
wonder if i could rig a suit for artic climates that runs the stuff through a clear plasstic layer
10 years ago on Introduction
Just think of a snowball made out of this. Ouch!
11 years ago on Introduction
You really should use some grammar, especially in your Instructables, because the only part of what you wrote that I understood was 14 to 86 percent. People really don't like to have to read like that.
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
i know, sorry was and still is my first instructable. plus i have never been any good with spelling and grammar
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
ya didnt bother me at all
and i found this pykrete very intresting
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
I found the description perfectly clear, plus the author apologized in advance for any errors. And, if you will excuse me for saying this, your writing is not the epitome of clarity.
13 years ago on Introduction
this was "invented" to make a giant aircraft, but no it wasn't to fire freezing water at enemy planes, it was made for a unsinkable, missile/motor/bomb "proof" aircraft carrier that could move through the Atlantic without sinking when it hit a ice burg and yes it would make a nice potato gun projectile I have already done it and i had destructive results
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
I didn't say that it was specifically for firing freezing water I simply said that it could. It was made for making a huge aircraft carrier that could withstand the wolf pack attacks in the Atlantic. Geoffrey Pike was the inventor he's neat look him up.
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
geoffrey pyke not pike hense the pykrete
11 years ago on Step 3
I'm planning to make a wall of this to protect my quinzee this winter :D
11 years ago on Introduction
you could also use wood shavings did you see this on a show on the history channel? If so, I have also seen it
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
no i saw this in the uk on a show called Brainiac History Abuse (only ran for 1 season) and in a magazine call Fortean Times (not sure what issue)
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
do u live in the uk? and how long does it take to melt?