Kitchen Table Science revisited

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Jezza
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Kitchen Table Science revisited

Post by Jezza »

Today I visited a dear friend who has four children, a daughter of 14 years and three boys 10, 8, 7. The daughter, not interested in the affairs of her younger siblings often stands to the side as the whirlwind of her younger siblings pass by.

I turned up to my friend, Duncan, this afternoon to drop off some stuff when the youngest said "Dad said you can make custard explode...can you Jerry, can you?"

So, in true KTS style, we did. we found a cardboard tube, a saw, a rubber balloon, an elastic band, a piezoelectric gas lighter, an old funnel, a foot pump.......and custard powder.

All four children and the adults had a hilarious hour of cutting, sawing and fire raising with experimentation to get the finer details of pump action, angle of funnel then the first custard powder explosion.....then bigger and BIGGER explosions. All of us covered in custard powder, ash and the odd singed eyebrow here and there. Who said KTS wasn't fun?
Jerry
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Rudi
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Re: Kitchen Table Science revisited

Post by Rudi »

Similar to this?
If this person is using custard powder it seems to light up quickly...is it due to its fine grain or does it have a semi-flammable nature?
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Rudi

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HansV
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Re: Kitchen Table Science revisited

Post by HansV »

Because of the fine grains, a powder has a relatively large surface area exposed to the oxygen in the air. Dust explosions form a serious risk in for example flour mills.
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Hans

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HansV
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Re: Kitchen Table Science revisited

Post by HansV »

Appropriate to the subject of this thread: Kitchen Science - Custard Fireballs.
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Hans

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StuartR
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Re: Kitchen Table Science revisited

Post by StuartR »

Sounds brilliant, where's the pictures - AND the instructions.
StuartR


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Leif
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Re: Kitchen Table Science revisited

Post by Leif »

StuartR wrote:Sounds brilliant, where's the pictures - AND the instructions.
Well, if my old mum (gawd rest 'er soul) had anything to do with it, you would not be allowed to use custard powder. So:
  • 570ml/1 pint milk
  • 55ml/2fl oz single cream
  • 1 vanilla pod or ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 4 eggs, yolks only
  • 30g/1oz caster sugar
  • 2 level tsp cornflour
but you may need to add several ounces of Tesco's Finest Gun Powder, and increase the number of bunsen burners to around 400, to get a suitable effect.
Leif

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Jezza
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Re: Kitchen Table Science revisited

Post by Jezza »

1) 10cm plastic funnel
2) 10cm (diameter) x 15cm thick cardboard tube
3) 1x piezoelectric gas flame
4) 1x foot pump
5) Duct tape or similar
6) 1x deckchair
7) 2x over 18's ( supervisors!) aka Big Kids
8) 1x over 14 yo
9) 3x under 10 yo
10) Loads of custard powder

Attach footpump to nozzle of funnel using tape to cause seal if necessary.
Tape cardboard tube to funnel, duct tape where necessary
Drill hole the same diameter as the piezoelectric gas flame and poke it into hole so flame is in the centre.
Plop custard powder in nozzle of funnel
Pump air through to cause a puff of custard powder
Repeat but with flame on and again adjusting the amount of air, not too much as this can put the flame out.

We tied a candle to the outside of the tube and got a real improvement as it acted like an after burner and reignited the loose powder.
Jerry
I’ll be more enthusiastic about encouraging thinking outside the box when there’s evidence of any thinking going on inside it

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StuartR
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Re: Kitchen Table Science revisited

Post by StuartR »

Brilliant. Still waiting for the pictures.
StuartR


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ChrisGreaves
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Re: Kitchen Table Science revisited

Post by ChrisGreaves »

Jezza wrote:......and custard powder.
Never mind all the kids. Where were you when I needed some electroplating done?

P.S. If I substitute Knorr's instant Champignon powdered soup can I make a mushroom cloud? Thx ...
An expensive day out: Wallet and Grimace

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Leif
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Re: Kitchen Table Science revisited

Post by Leif »

:laugh: Lower your sights Chris, and just go for a custard plate.
Leif

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mishmish3000
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Re: Kitchen Table Science revisited

Post by mishmish3000 »

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Anne

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ChrisGreaves
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Re: Kitchen Table Science revisited

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Leif wrote::laugh: Lower your sights Chris, and just go for a custard plate.
OK Leif, I'll head out now; back in a half hour or so ...
An expensive day out: Wallet and Grimace

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ChrisGreaves
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Re: Kitchen Table Science revisited

Post by ChrisGreaves »

Leif wrote::laugh: Lower your sights Chris, and just go for a custard plate.
Et Voila!
HPIM8084.JPG
You'll have to forgive the cruddy shot. The suite of sweet (literally!) ladies inside the boulenger are at their busiest around 7pm of a weekday night, and what I thought was a tourist having a rest was a beggar who, as I stooped to retrieve the camera, turned out to be not a beggar but a drunk beggar, so I dropped a €2 in his paper cup in the hopes that he'll quit the scene for the rest of the night.
HPIM8085.JPG
On my way home I was going to take a cute photo of a massive bulldog and a tiny (think boite des allumettes) pup, but as I drew close a fight broke out and my tarte got the worst of it as I stuffed it out of the way in my bag of clean laundry.

Anyway, they don't do tarte de creme anglaise (I looked it up in my pocket dictionary which is too big to fit in my pocket), so I ended up with something that is (soon to be "was") pear-and-something. I missed the last bit (see "busiest") above), but I hope it isn't almonds, or olives or anything like that. I don't like them, even on salads ...
P.S. Below please find a StreetView of the boulanger when it is not busy.
Untitled [320x200].png
P.P.S. I have italicized the foreign words to make things easier for the Lounge Pedant
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An expensive day out: Wallet and Grimace

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Leif
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Re: Kitchen Table Science revisited

Post by Leif »

Bon appetit!

Sorry! - that should be Bon appetit! :grin:
Last edited by Leif on 18 Sep 2014, 19:44, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: To correct italicisation
Leif

steveh
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Re: Kitchen Table Science revisited

Post by steveh »

Slightly off topic but this demonstrates one of the other properties of custard (please ignore the annoying presenter who along with some other wannaerbe (Jeremy Clarkson) also presents top gear)
Steve
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