What Happens When You Pour Molten Aluminum into a Watermelon?

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What Happens When You Pour Molten Aluminum into a Watermelon?
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Over at The Backyard Scientist, they wanted to know what would happen if you poured molten aluminum into a watermelon. The results were surprising. And very cool.

I guess the aluminum flowed into the more watery, less dense cavities inside the melon where the water quickly cooled the metal before it could cook its way into the denser parts of the fruit.

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Warning: This is, of course, potentially very dangerous. Just because their watermelon didn’t explode doesn’t mean that such a potential doesn’t exist. I would advise against actually attempting this. As my friend Kaden Harris says: “You cannot imagine the pain of a liquid metal burn.”

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Gareth Branwyn is a freelance writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture. He is currently a contributor to Boing Boing, Wink Books, and Wink Fun. His free weekly-ish maker tips newsletter can be found at garstipsandtools.com.

View more articles by Gareth Branwyn

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