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Strawberry Pop Tarts are a cheap and
inexpensive source of incendiary devices. Toasters which
fail to eject Pop Tarts cause the Pop Tarts to emit
flames 10-18 inches in height.
Last year, an article by well-known
newspaper columnist Dave Barry noted that Kellogg's
Strawberry Pop Tarts (SPTs) could be made to emit flames
"like a blow torch" if left in a toaster too
long.
Materials
Used
Only three primary materials are needed to cause SPT-combustion:
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A Toaster (Figure 1)
I got this sharp-looking machine
free for opening a savings account some years
back.
This toaster is an Emerson Model
MT-7R, rated at 120 volts, 60 Hz and 850 Watts.
Wow, 850 Watts!!! That's more
than my microwave oven. Plenty of power...
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| Figure 1 - The Toaster |
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Kellogg's Strawberry Pop Tarts
(Figure 2)
The ingredients may explain some
of the incendiary properties of this "food",
but I have a feeling it is just the combination
of gooey sugar and LOTS of heat...
Auxiliary equipment will include:
digital camera, video camera, chemical fire extinguisher,
electric extension cord, intermediary surge-protector/circuit
breaker, leather gloves, and a few whips to keep
the neighborhood kids away from our experiment
and professional stunt/idiot team. And a backup
garden hose turned on full blast in case my garage
electrical system starts on fire.
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| Figure 2- The Pop Tarts |
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A Few Professional Idiots
(Figure 3) - For our experiment, this includes:
a photographer, a videographer, and a fire suppression
technician.
These roles fall in the hands
of (in previous order): Tony Rogers, Dan Horn,
Darryn Wallace.
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The Pre-Rigging
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I drilled a hole through the ignition
handle and wired it up with Oklahoma™ Brand
Electric Fence Wire.
I have seen documentation of other
experiments and they used heavy packing tape or
duct tape to hold the toaster handle down. When
the ensuing fire engulfed the toaster, the heat
threatened to melt the tape and prematurely end
the experiment.
That will not happen here, man...
This bitch is starting a blow
torch fire...
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| Drilling the wire hole. |
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I ran the electric fence wire
down to a handy base hole and snugged her up.
I tied the wire off on another plastic loop just
for backup.
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| The wiring of the ignition handle. |
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This baby is ready to go!
My initial plan was to go to Goodwill
and trade in this fine Emerson toaster for a piece
of crap, so I didn't just waste a good toaster.
But I went to Goodwill yesterday when I was taking
photos at the Port Authority, and none of them
looked like they would look good in photos, so
I canned that idea.
Plus, this toaster was free...
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| The wiring of the ignition handle. |
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