Mythbusters - "Greased Lightning"

[Checkmate]

I'm a little confused by the reaction to the cheese myth.

What exactly did you expect to happen when it hit the sail? Do you think a cannonball would have done more damage to it? That it would, what, hit the sale and detonate like an atomic bomb or something? XD And do you have any idea how tough and durable a sail is? The fact that a wheel of cheese sliced through it like it was barely there is pretty... damn... impressive.

I do agree that it was silly that they called the grease fire myth busted. The actual myth was all about garnering a huge fireball from pouring a tiny amount of water into a skillet of ignited grease. That was more than confirmed. I appreciate that they explained why it happened; that was the best part of the whole show for me.

 

[Trekker4747]

Well, on the cannon ball thing I guess it's better than nothing, but a real cannon ball to the hull of the ship or the mast would be far more devestating than a hole in the sail from a single block of cheese.

 

[SG-17]

Well, on the cannon ball thing I guess it's better than nothing, but a real cannon ball to the hull of the ship or the mast would be far more devestating than a hole in the sail from a single block of cheese.

Indeed.
When aiming for sails, they would use grapeshot (basically a giant shotgun) to shred the sail. A single cannonball hole would not impair the sail noticeably.

 

[Christopher]

^Again, why is everyone assuming that this myth is about firing only one hole into the sail? The Mythbusters only fired one because that was all they needed to prove it was possible. Obviously an 18th-century sailing ship would have more than one wheel of cheese onboard, unless it was dangerously low on provisions, and more than one cannon. Hell, the animation showed the scenario described in the myth -- multiple cheese projectiles being fired to put multiple holes in the sail, enough to cripple the ship.

 

[Checkmate]

Nevermind that if they were desperate enough to use wheels of cheese as ammo, clearly they had already used up everything else that was viable!

You'll also note that they never actually tested the wheel of cheese against a sturdier target. For all we know, it could have been pretty damn effective. Not as good as a cannonball, but better than nothing. Which is obviously all they had if they were using it -- nothing.

I know I wouldn't want to be on the recieving end.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Well, on the cannon ball thing I guess it's better than nothing, but a real cannon ball to the hull of the ship or the mast would be far more devestating than a hole in the sail from a single block of cheese.

Indeed.
When aiming for sails, they would use grapeshot (basically a giant shotgun) to shred the sail. A single cannonball hole would not impair the sail noticeably.

Surely cheese would be more effective than grapes.

 

[Brent]

Just saw the episode, a couple things

1.) Calling the grease myth busted cause it reached 20-25 ft instead of 30 ft is stupid, come on, that is close enough to call, and not every situation will be the same. For example, they tested outside, and I saw that wind pushing the fire ball pretty far to the right side, so if there was NO wind I could imagine it would reach 30 ft. Also, who cares if it matches exactly 30 ft, anywhere near 30 ft is good enough for me, I mean crap 8oz of water in grease is going to kill your kitchen.

2.) I would have liked to have seen the water from the helicopter being dumped on the kitchen BEFORE they dumped the 8oz glass of water into the thing. I would think the 8oz glass of water they added already killed the potential for the vaporized boom.

3.) I would have liked to have seen more kitchen myths tested, using kitchen appliances and other types of food. I think they could make a 2 hour special on kitchen appliances and kitchen foods.

 

[Christopher]

Surely cheese would be more effective than grapes.

Mmm, cheese and grapes...

 

[cultcross]

1.) Calling the grease myth busted cause it reached 20-25 ft instead of 30 ft is stupid, come on, that is close enough to call, and not every situation will be the same. For example, they tested outside, and I saw that wind pushing the fire ball pretty far to the right side, so if there was NO wind I could imagine it would reach 30 ft. Also, who cares if it matches exactly 30 ft, anywhere near 30 ft is good enough for me, I mean crap 8oz of water in grease is going to kill your kitchen.

In fact, it's much much worse in your kitchen, because unless you live in a mansion, your ceiling isn't 25 feet high - the fire goes up the wall, flows across the ceiling and falls behind you - it can very quickly engulf the whole room and trap you, and is one of the most common causes of fire related death after smoke inhalation, I believe.

 

[Reverend]

^And it really doesn't take much oil at all. Way back in my school days our chemistry teacher demonstrated it with less than a 3rd of a tin can's worth of oil and a quick skirt from a squeezy bottle. Even that was enough to touch the ceiling, which must have been in the 20ft range (it was a high ceilinged lab.)

I'm not certain but I think it's possible to get the same effect without getting the oil temperature all the way up to the flashpoint, so long as there's a secondary ignition source. I know from experiance I've manages to set the grill on fire when spitting fat has hit the element , flamed and fallen into the pan.
Easily dealt with, by just smothinging it with a damp tea-towel, provided you don't panic of course. Having said that, it's surprising how many people will totally loose it at the sight of fire.

 

[Trekker4747]

Yeah, the oil doesn't need to auto ignite. If the oil is really hot and you dump enough water into it the water is going to flash-boil, repel the oil and splash it out of the pan there it will touch the flame/burner and auto-ignite and then ignite the rest of the oil.