Harry Veeder wrote: What does it take to ignite thermite? Hi All,
Thermite can be ignited with a short thin strip of magnesium metal, which can be lit with a match. Every high school chemistry laboratory which I spent any time at always had powdered aluminum metal and iron oxide powder on hand, as well as at least one roll of magnesium stripping. These things can be ordered from the ads at the back of Popular Science. In addition to my students, my own kids were fascinated with pyrotechnics. I would make the thermite from the aluminum and iron oxide powders, and a family project would be to use it to burn out ground hornets. First, bags of napalm, made by dissolving polystyrene (McDonald's cups) in gasoline, were placed on the nest. Then a cup of thermite was put on top of the napalm. Finally a strip of Mg would be inserted into the thermite and lit. Destroying large paper bald-faced hornet nests in trees was much more mundane: The kids would aim their shotguns at the nest from several angles and simultaneously fire. Jack Smith
