Fun new way of letting yourself in where you're unwanted

Not sure why AF is running with this project. They're pushing it as a new tool for SO, which leaves me envisioning JTACs, ROMADs or PJs letting themselves into other people's things, which is worth a grin. Not that I'm knocking the guys, but I don't get AF's involvement here.

However, they paid for it, and I'm sure it'll come into common use. This thing is one of those "aw dammit" designs you instantly get. It's a self-contained thermal lance using a form of thermite as the energy source. You pop a refill on the handle, hit the go button, and you get 2 seconds of sparky, noisy entertainment as it emits a jet of 5000 degree F metal.

It's got a lot of useful attachments by which you can cut metal rope, cables, locks, bits and pieces off of other people's equipment and whatnot, without losing body parts. Often, anyway - it looks like you want to make sure you don't get any down the boots. And it even works underwater.

Downsides - it definitely violates light and sound discipline. It's faster than picking the lock, though. Except for maybe padlocks, I can open them faster than that with a lot less flair.

i can make this anyway i do not need this torch as it is just thermite .
aluminium powder and another more common ingredient found everywhere.
hope it is really cheap how much are the company charging for this i guess the tech is in the non burning case design
and not the ingredients or ignition system

Oy!

Honey!! throw away your house keys! I found our new door opener!

originally posted by: stuthealien
i can make this anyway i do not need this torch as it is just thermite .
aluminium powder and another more common ingredient found everywhere.
hope it is really cheap how much are the company charging for this i guess the tech is in the non burning case design
and not the ingredients or ignition system

It's not straight thermite, and they're using some sort of gas to propel it. Regular thermate doesn't do that.

Not to mention, that ignition system is bonzer. It's not straightforward to ignite thermite.

a reply to: Bedlam

i use magnesium to light my homemade rockets do you think they could use a similar method

originally posted by: stuthealien
a reply to: Bedlam

i use magnesium to light my homemade rockets do you think they could use a similar method

Thermate firechains usually use two or three stages, but this is pretty compact. If I get a chance I'll see if I can suss out what their ignition chain looks like.

For those times when you lock your keys in the car and ...honestly....don't we all really want a convertable anyway?

It's an aluminum/copper oxide/silicon carbide/nitrocellulose thermite.

The initiator chain they're not talking a lot about but it looks like a typical exploding wire to nitrocellulose to barium nitrate/nitrocellulose/sugar charge to the main thermite.

I want one in my welding truck, looks easier then rolling out the torch leads and messing with the regulators and bottles lol.

I've got a couple of towers I need taking straight down, could I cut the girders with these?

originally posted by: Esarman
I've got a couple of towers I need taking straight down, could I cut the girders with these?

Nah. You can only punch a hole an inch across in them. Because thermite isn't an explosive, it's an incendiary.

a reply to: Bedlam

This is basically a lightsaber.... albeit a really lame one! hehe

originally posted by: Esarman
I've got a couple of towers I need taking straight down, could I cut the girders with these?

Bad 9/11 joke?

I'm curious, how does this improve over PECU stuff which has been around for decades? Those things can go through bulkheads and beams pretty quick too.