Aug 26th 2010 By Alastair Plumb

Genius Invents Play-able Trombone Flamethrower

Ever taken a bottle of propane, attached it to a trombone and then used it as a flamethrower? Jonathon Crawford has, and he's got a YouTube video to prove it.

We do not, in any way, encourage anyone to do anything like this, ever; but, as Mr Crawford has, we thought we ought to share. You know, to warn people against doing it themselves. Of course.

Bizarrely, instead of increasing in strength as the trombone is played, the fireball remains roughly the same intensity, with licks of flame jetting out from the trombone's bell.

But we're picking nits here. It's a trombone flamethrower. A flame-bone, if you will. Look on it, ye mighty, and despair, because music practice will never look as cool as this. Ever.

Tags: fire - flame - FlameThrower - jonathan crawford - JonathanCrawford - trombone - trombone flamethrower - TromboneFlamethrower - youtube

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Thursday 26 August

By rich

Lowest Rank

this should have never been shown to the public so many kid's will be getting hurt and houses burning down because kid's love to try this kind of stuff. BIG MISTAKE.
richie

Thursday 26 August

By c

Neutral

This guy is an idiot. Wait til he blows his head off.

Saturday 28 August

By chexwarrior

Neutral

"Bizarrely, instead of increasing in strength as the trombone is played, the fireball remains roughly the same intensity"

I think the pressure from the propane tank is probably doing most of the work since playing a brass instrument resembles making a raspberry into the mouthpiece more than actually blowing air through it

Monday 30 August

By Chris

Neutral

You are quite right about the "raspberry". I teach trombone and I mention to new students that they should imagine they are making a noise like a baby makes....i.e. a "raspberry" sound. Once they get good at it, a little more "air" is added in to fill out the sound and make it less nasal, but there is not LOTS of air involved. Most of the air is needed to keep the air column in the horn, "full". The "tank" of air is falling out of the bell all the time, and must be replenished. Loud playing results in a bit more "falling" out, and therefore requires a bit more blowing.

This is more obvious when a player blows smoke into the horn. It takes perhaps as much as thirty seconds before smoke appears at the bell of the horn. So, lots of time elapses before air coming in at the mouthpiece becomes air moving out of the bell.

Thursday 26 August

By BobbyNiceguy

Neutral

It's always funny untill someone blows his head off

Thursday 26 August

By ray

Neutral

I saw this same guy lighting farts with his trombone !!

Thursday 26 August

By handsome

Neutral

Not original, Bottom 12 (a band) was doing this at their shows in the early 90's as was as did the Dusty 45's in the late 90's and early 2000's. I admire his ingenuity, but lets not call him "the" inventor.

Thursday 26 August

By FrankieZ

Neutral

It's all fun and games till someone loses an eye...wait till he lights the curtains on fire, man will his mom be pissed!!

Thursday 26 August

By Rich

Neutral

Genius ??? Really ? If he's a genius then the editor, Alastair Plumb, is a complete moron.

Thursday 26 August

By robsphase

Neutral

I'm sure he knows the risks. There are plenty of things people do which could maim or kill a person, I do plenty of these myself. We're not asking others to do this, just sharing what we enjoy! You certainly don't need to do them. Just please don't have the government pass more laws limiting these things we find enjoyable. We feel people that only do non active no risk games will likely die from a heart attack due to clogged veins. Let people do what they want without interference. But if you want to watch, by all means do so!

Monday 30 August

By Chris

Neutral

The reason that the flame does not increase that much as a note is played has to do with understanding how a trombone, or other brass wind instrument works. The thing happening when a note is played on a horn, is the lips are "actuating" the air column into vibrating. The player is blowing air into the horn, but that is just making up for lost air from the front of the horn, together with making up for lost energy due to moisture being heated etc.

The amount of air coming out of the front is not really that huge, nor is it traveling as fast as it is at the lips. Certainly it is not so large that it would be obvious in looking at a flame. Also, it appears to me, that the flame is under pressure and is coming out in the form of a "jet". That would also reduce additions of air into the fuel/flame. The jet column would resist the addition of more air.