Thermite, Part 2

Tonight (in the name of science) we conducted Thermite Experiment #2. It was a great success. We got a nice thermite reaction, made some nice pieces of melted iron that the kids got to keep as souvenirs, melted a hole through the frying pan we had under the experiment (even though it was full of sand), and killed a good patch of lawn. Video available here.

That is the molten iron pouring out the bottom of the cruicible into the frying pan full of sand.
We got some interesting pieces of iron, and even some sand that had fused in the frying pan--little melted balls of sand that weren't magnetic.

We are pondering our next experiment. . .

Locks of Love...some tears...then smiles

Hazel has been planning to cut her hair and donate it for a couple months. She wanted to wait until her birthday. That was last week. She wasn't quite ready last week. But today was the day. She really wanted it cut outside. So we sat on the front porch. After I cut off the braid, she decided that it was too short. She cried the entire time I cut her hair. I felt horrible. I've been there...a haircut too short and not what I was expecting. But we got through it. Aspen took her in and gave her a bath. Then showed her the mirror. After she saw it, Hazel decided that she did like it. And it was cute. Then she took me up on my earlier peace offering of a BIG treat at the store with her friend who had stopped by. When Nate saw it, he gushed with adoration. That made her feel better too. So it all ended up okay. Just a little drama for the end of the day.

Here's the before:
And here's the after:

Thermite, Part 1

Cr2O3 + 2Al ----> 2Cr + Al2O3 + Heat

The guys on Mythbusters tried to cut a car in half using thermite. Our experiment was on a slightly smaller scale.

Last Friday we finally had all of the materials assembled for our thermite experiment, which we have been planning for some time. We had some friends and uncle Axel over, which made it even more fun. Note the materials--propane torch, graphite crucible, assorted chemicals sourced from United Nuclear, . . .


We started with Chromium Oxide. Why? Because chromium is cool, and chromium oxide is an awesome green color.


This glow is from the magnesium ribbon that we used to ignite the thermite in the graphite crucible. The graphite can handle 5,000 degrees F, which is good, because the molten chromium is around 4,500 degrees F. Chromium thermite burns very slowly, leaving a pool of glowing orange molten chromium in the center of the powder. The graphite crucible got so hot it left burn marks on the 2 by 4's it was sitting on.


Here is the melted chromium we pulled out at the end of the experiment. It worked, but the slow reaction was a little disappointing.

Next up, iron oxide. . . Stay tuned.

37 thirty-seven

I had my 37th birthday yesterday. Wow! I know! My kids tell me that I am officially old. Anyway, I wanted to do something different for this next year. So my plan is to set 37 goals to accomplish during the year. I am good at lists so here is the one I made one for my 37 thirty-seven goals.

1. Read 37 books.
2. Do 37 real pushups all at once.
3. Crochet 37 things.
4. Sew 37 things.
5. Visit 37 new places.
6. Write 37 posts in 37 days.
7. Read the Book of Mormon in 37 days.
8. Read the Doctrine and Covenants in 37 days.
9. Try 37 new recipes.
10. Meet 37 new friends.
11. 37 dates with Nate.
12. 37 mile bike ride.
13. No sugar for 37 days.
14. FHE 37 weeks in a row. (We are hit or miss sometimes on this.)
15. Family scripture study 37 days in a row. (We need to get back in gear for this.)
16. 37 photo projects.
17. 37 acts of service.
18. Run 3 miles in 37 minutes. (I am not even able to run right now so this will be the starting point.)
19. Run 4 miles in 37 minutes.
20. Memorize 37 scriptures.
21. Memorize 37 hymns.
22. 37 miles of races.
23. Run 370 miles.
24. Read the New Testament in 37 days.
25. Do 37 "other" projects.
26. Complete 37 Personal Progress requirements.
27. Knit 37 things.
28. Go to bed early 37 days in a row.
29. Wake up early 37 days in a row.
30. Read 37 conference talks.
31. Cook real dinner 37 days in a row.
32. Spending freeze for 37 days.
33. Quiet voice for 37 days in a row.
34. Lose 37 pounds.
35. Eat vegetarian for 37 days.
36. No TV for 37 days.
37. ?

Some will be more difficult than others (going to bed early? waking up early?) Maybe it's a bit too ambitious. But at least it's something. Maybe ya'll can join me in some of them.

Letter of Appreciation

To pass off a Faith In God requirement, Isaac wrote this letter:


dear dad
I really like the fact that you are a cool dad. You let us mess with thermite and do all sorts of crazy things. I also like the fact that at the dinner table we talk about mathematics and scientific stuff. another thing that I like and respect is the fact that you don’t believe in hand washing thank goodness. I really respect your cooking skills. We eat all sorts of crazy food. My favorite chicken mahknie .and I respect that you care and do things for people.




**Note: Hand washing refers to dishes, not hands. I was confused for a moment too. We do believe in washing hands.

Favorite cheap foods

When I was in college, I had a very limited budget for groceries (and everything else). And though I didn't eat any ramen (only because I really dislike ramen) I lived on meatless spaghetti for an entire semester - breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And though it is my favorite food (even still) I couldn't eat it for the entire summer after I went home. In general, the older you get, and the better your financial situation, the better the quality of food you eat. And we definitely follow that rule. Most of the time better brands, or fresher foods taste better. I definitely like really GOOD food. But occasionally, there are foods that I like, that aren't good for you, or really good tasting, but I leat anyway.

So here's a small list of foods that fit that category:

• Kraft macaroni and cheese - the original kind.
• Ding Dongs and Twinkies and Cupcakes
• Bag of White powdered donuts
• Crumbette donuts are even better (I lived on these for breakfast in high school)
• Chocolate cake donuts with chocolate frosting from convenience stores (actually really hard to find these. not all are the same.)
• $0.89 frozen Totinos combination pizza
• Malt 'o Meal Marshmallow Maties cereal
• hot dogs
• Beans and Dogs casserole
• Bottle Caps (most candy in general)
• Big League Chew bubble gum (most true bubble gums in general)
• Devils Food cookies
• Sugar wafer cookies
• Actually I'll agree to most cookies/desserts

My kids/husband would add Pop Tarts (perfect for scout camping/back packing trips) and ramen (neither ot.

Anyone else have some food secrets hidden in their pantry?

White bread

For the most part, I usually only buy wheat bread. 100% whole wheat bread. The coarser the better (for me anyway. It's not neccesarily a shared opinion in our house...but I'm the one doing the shopping:) so I get to pick.)

Last week, when I went to the grocery store, I bought some deli ham, and ended up with a loaf of cheap, store brand, white bread, a bag of store brand potato chips, american cheese, and something else that I can't remember right now. (Our grocery store does these "meal deals". Basically, buy this one product, get these five other products free. And white bread was one of the free items.) Usually, I don't do the meal deals because they are usually things we don't eat. But the ham was actually something on my list, and occasionally I get chips. Everything else was just extra and I figured, "oh well".

When I brought it home, you would have thought I was giving sugared cereal to kids that never get it. Aspen, especially, was in heaven. So the whole loaf is just about gone. They've used every excuse to eat it.

And I think Isaac might eat all the american cheese.

At least it didn't go to waste.