They say having a hobby is good for your lifespan, but that potentially doesn't apply to UK YouTuber Colin Furze, whose hobbies include pyrotechnics and cannons.
Furze, who constructs an array of inventions of varying levels of safety on his YouTube page, just completed his latest project: a homemade pneumatic launcher that propels lit canisters of thermite.
The wicked thing looks some Victorian version of the Fat Man from the Fallout series, which seems in line with Furze's other pop culture-inspired projects, like his weaponized Far Cry 4 tuk-tuk and functional Assassin's Creed rope launcher.
While "dangerous" is an obvious term to describe Furze's crafts project, the device he constructed is rather cleverly designed.
The weapon utilizes a series of switches that independently load, light, and launch the thermite, which ensures that the payload doesn't ignite prematurely and render Furze an amputee, or worse.
It's also admittedly well-crafted, with a clean steampunk look rather than the burnt-out "scrap aesthetic" you so often see in DIY cannonsmithing.
Anyway, enough waiting around - in the video below, Furze takes his weapon to task, resulting in a video that harkened us back to our schoolyard days of playing with fireworks. [Editor's Note: Do not play with fireworks...or thermite...or anything flammable, really]
For those more intrigued in the construction of the cannon than its application, Furze also posted two other videos detailing his building process for the thermite shells and the cannon, respectively.
While we respect Furze's ingenuity and overall prowess in the workshop, we also hope that his latest creation doesn't fall into the wrong hands.
Still, a part of us wishes we paid more attention in metal shop during school so we could be making our own bread-toasting knife or jet-powered go-kart.
Image Credit: Colin Furze
