Coils...
Coils can be a lot of fun. Nothing feels better than shooting nails from a 300 volt discharge (well… maybe shooting a pig with it). So I decided to make such a thing. This is the first version. The next will include a larger capacitor bank and a stronger coil. http://kbcarte.wordpress.com/2010/08/09/wrist-mounted-single-stage-coil-gun/
speaking of fires, I caused a forest fire once when I was 8. Three different county's fire trucks where there, and all the local news stations. I was sentenced to 120 hrs of community service. I had to scrub the graffiti off of the bolder at the state forest….
Another bad idea I have tried was stuffing a tennis ball full of "strike anywhere" match heads, and threw it at a brick wall…. Turns out tennis balls bounce, so I had a flaming ball zipping toward my face.