Hardest-to-Obtain Item in MythBusters History

In this livestream excerpt, Adam answers MythBusters-related questions from Tested members Monkeycircus and Jman3302 about which items were the hardest to obtain for the show, and what filming at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was like. Thank you for your questions and support, Monkey and Jman! Join this channel to support Tested and get access to perks, like asking Adam questions!: / @tested
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Intro bumper by Abe Dieckman
Thanks for watching!
#MythBusters #adamsavage

[@michaelramon2411]

Adam: "Can we blow up a grenade?" Insurance: "No. Too dangerous." Adam: "Can we make our own grenade out of plastic explosives and blow it up?" Insurance: "I don't see why not."

[@SyntheticFuture]

Weird thing being is that I am pretty sure there's civilians with grenades that have posted videos on KZbin showing they own a grenade... I'd 100% trust Adam more with one than some random Texas guy xD

[@worldchamp1999]

@@SyntheticFuture yea i see dumb guntubers getting their hands on this kind of stuff, the reason why they actually can do it is because they dont have an insurance company telling them what they can and cant do

[@iabervon]

I think it's really that insurance can't evaluate the risk from getting anyone else's live grenade. It's like requiring that you pack your own luggage and remain in control of it.

[@biokrash]

its hard to accurately remotely detonate a grenade. imagine tying a strying to the pin and ping! but no explosion. the scenario of undetonated c4 is easier to apporoach than a grenade

[@mysteriousplankton]

@@biokrash Just like in the movies!

[@GijsvanDam]

To make it even thinner than requested is the most German thing ever, but also they probably used metric, so delivered 20 micron thick lead foil, which is 0.000787 inch.

[@MagnusWissler]

Easy there, tiger. Adam said it was "point seven of one thousandth of an inch". Isn't that so much clearer?

[@MytronixOfficial]

@@MagnusWissler 0.000787 inch. Or, point seven eight seven of one thousands of an inch. Also, the Germans probably were very sad that their machines could only dial microns in steps of 10 and they had to deliver the next best thing.

[@slickstretch6391]

@@MytronixOfficial lol Only the Germans would be disappointed in delivering a product that's better than what was requested because it's not exactly what was requested.

[@sainsay]

@@thereinthetrees_5626 no, he is not. 0.7 thousandths is 7 ten thousandths which is 0.0007 inch which is roughly 20 micron

[@ErwinPommel]

@@thereinthetrees_5626 I'm embarrassed for you.

[@jackalopewright5343]

I had a friend that bought an L-19 Birddog aircraft that was French military surplus. After purchase, he set off to do a careful inspection. In a small compartment near the wing root, (overhead in this case) he felt something rolling around in there and found what appeared to be a hand grenade. Thinking it could either be a training grenade or maybe a real one, he carefully put it in a shoebox padded with newspaper and drove to the local police department. He didn't bring it inside, but told the story. When he got to the "I found what looks like a hand grenade" part, a bunch of police flattened him to the floor. Once they determined he didn't bring it in, they let him finish the story. In the end he got to watch as the bomb squad blew it up. It was real.

[@garmack12]

Probably should have had them come to him. Call in advance next time

[@hellishcyberdemon7112]

Dont tell the police you own stuff they will charge you when in reality your trying to turn it in

[@ElisArid]

@@hellishcyberdemon7112 not true 🤦

[@hellishcyberdemon7112]

@@ElisArid you just read the story about how they tackled him... imagine if he messed up his story they would have charged him for a bomb threat... I've seen it happen many times... people are good Samaritans and they call the police to report a gun or a bomb or whatever then they get charged for the crime

[@MrOrgeston]

@@ElisArid Happens all the time.

[@nlpnt]

The one I remember from the early seasons was the drug tests, the whole drug-testing industry didn't want it to be known that poppy-seed cakes and bagels cause false positives and you had to go to ridiculous lengths to get the test kits. A couple years later they started selling them at CVS and Walgreens' to anyone with cash.

[@FyreWulff]

They found out there was more money in people buying them to check if they'd pass a test AND to the companies used the tests than just selling to the companies using the tests. Play both sides and come out on top!

[@ameliatbh001]

I was wondering why those bomb squad folks worked with y'all so readily over the years. It's so interesting (and entertaining) to me that they considered all those explosions to be training exercises.

[@MonkeyChessify]

Its one of those things that sounds surprising and then after thinking about it makes total sense. Bomb squads always have the possibility of coming across some random device. What better way to practice procedures, learn something, and have a lil fun too than working with mythbusters and seeing what they come up with. Experience is experience.

[@JV-pu8kx]

Same with the fire department.

[@seanbarraclough2484]

It's great foresight, what would x be like under y circumstances with z variables? Fail to prepare, prepare to fail, and the 7 P's. Why not take every opportunity to blow shi, errrr learn the properties of explosive ordinance under specific conditions?

[@ironcito1101]

Besides, people who join the bomb squad surely like explosives and explosions. Exploding things on TV, having it broadcast and seen by millions, seeing the slo-mo, meeting the show's stars... what's not to like? 😉

[@ZombieJesus1987]

Give them an excuse to blow something up and they'll be all in

[@Real28]

That story about the lead foil is fascinating. It's incredible that it took a year and half and your request broke 2 companies machines. So crazy.

[@Yugophoto]

as soon as I read the title I knew the lead balloon story was coming

[@makettaja]

well american quality. what can you expect. Had to go to Germany to get the real deal. hahaa

[@QuantumConundrum]

This is a prime example on how production delays happen in a lot of products. Even more so in electronics.

[@Outside85]

It kinda makes me wonder what the Germans were actually using it for when they could make it that thin without any great amount of difficulty... because I am going to be polite and assume it has nothing to do with Germans working in millimetres and Americans working in inches.

[@ThaPakue]

@@Outside85 I'd guess for medical/science instruments that need good EMI and radiation shielding.

[@mgsPWlover]

One could argue they actually made their own very large grenade via the exploding cement truck

[@cryptodentist]

I also recall explosives (simulating a grenade) in a fridge. Myth being it would reduce the explosion, but actually it caused more damage due to fragmenting debris.

[@debbiebernhardt5406]

They did that because of the myth. But the side effects were recorded that became a base for custom test subjects and results.

[@davidtatum8682]

Best explosion ever.

[@cosmicraysshotsintothelight]

Except that the shell or frag casing in the case of the truck would be considerably thinner. They should have glued a bunch of barbell weights onto it to get the same effect... and stood back even further...

[@Palmtop_User]

Hulk's grenade

[@MrCunningham4]

I love the symbiotic relationship you guys had with the bomb squad, you get free C4, they get a training experience, and everyone wins

[@Slide100]

Throwing your first live grenade is simultaneously exciting and terrifying. You’ve been hearing the booms all morning while you’ve been waiting your turn, and then you’re holding this small, surprisingly heavy globe of death in your hand.

[@noremorsewoodworking2258]

Imagine the rookie whose very first live grenade (and he was the very first to throw of the squad of rookies) was a dud! I was there as one of the range officers, tasked mostly with keeping a bunch of nervous rookies calm enough to stay behind the safety barricade but my secondary task was - in the event - to "deal with" any duds. I had of course been behind the barricade myself when he threw so I had not seen where it had landed - and let me tell you: it was indeed a very long and lonesome walk to go out and search for the damn thing. Often, when rookies throw duds it is because they have failed to pull the pin correctly and the mechanism is at least somewhat safe to approach, but this guy had pulled the pin (he still had it in his shaking hand) so the grenade I was searching for was indeed a "hang-fire", and thus very sensitive to anything, even a heavy footfall could set it off. Long story short: I found it where it had landed, luckily on top of the sand and not in any shallow depression (from the previous squads successful throwing), carried out the neccessary steps to safely dispose of it (which involves even more explosives, a detonator and a timed fuse). And by the way: I was not wearing a full blast-suit - nor even a fragmentation vest (those weren't issued to units at my level at the time) so all I had for protection was a helmet on my head. Trying to place the disposing charge while keeping the helmet between me and the dud was - shall we say challenging, especially since I am very much a right-hander and thought "if I am going to lose a hand, better the left" so I had to do the most delicate work essentially blind and with my left hand.. Thankfully the rest of the day went without other hitches but I will never - ever - forget that morning as it was also my first time dealing with a live, thown but unexploded grenade.

[@stamfordly6463]

The DS (a short and vicious Argyle IIRC) had a very well practised line, "Don't feck it up sir, but if you do we'll try to pick up most of the bits."

[@Slide100]

@@noremorsewoodworking2258 I saw that happen the odd time. Kudos to you for your bravery sir.

[@zenistfpv]

and incredibility underwhelming after years of hollywood grenades.

[@penchant4]

By the time I got to the live range, I had thrown at least three or four practice grenades. The AI (Assistant Instructor) in my pit looked me in the eyes and said; " If for any reason, you drop this grenade; do NOT attempt to recover it. Yell "GRENADE" and jump behind those sandbags at the back of the pit. I will deal with the grenade and beat you over the sandbags."

[@fissionphoenix4995]

I love that Adam is able to reminisce about Mythbusters in such a positive way without also bemoaning them as being the "good old days" in his life or anything like that. The way he tells his stories it was just a super positive experience and even though it's over and done with he has absolutely no issues with that fact. Storytelling is a wonderful skill and one I really wish to develop because I find that even family members get bored when I try to tell a story haha.

[@sparkplug1018]

I got the feeling at the end that he was of the opinion that, I want to go out on top. While I'm still enjoying it and having a good time. Going out with a bang as it were. Because at least in my experience so far, the guys that pine for the good ol' days are usually the guys who either got out way to early, or stayed in way to long. But when you go out on your terms, while at the height of it, it remains in your memory as this amazing, positive, incredible thing you did and always excites you thinking about it.

[@v44n7]

@@sparkplug1018 reminds me to the seinfield cast and the difference feelings between them and Larry David's experience leaving early

[@superbaas8822]

If you've followed what he has been up to, you know he has plenty of good ol' days still ahead of him.

[@ZBritt92]

@@superbaas8822 I think he's saying they're sick of it while he just got to enjoy his mountain of money.

[@vmaldia]

I tell myself that too about college, that this was a great part of my life, but it is over and we have to move on

[@tommywolfe2706]

The deal with the bomb squad sounds like just about the best possible scenario that you could EVER run into, especially for a show like yours. Thats incredible, what a great partnership!

[@leokimvideo]

I can relate to the C4 story, I was involved in a bridge explosion for a film in Malaysia. It requited different loads of detonation cord and C4 to pack into chevron shaped metal cutting charges. The only people who had C4 were the bomb squad. I always thought that was weird but it seems that's how it works everywhere. As for the det cord that came via normal channels, 10g/m and 70g/m from memory. The 70g/m det cord was fun to play with.

[@ericharrison6418]

The film: Tropic Thunder

[@Tunkkis]

Linear shaped charges are really cool.

[@PhysicsGamer]

70g/m... wow, I bet that was fun! How big were the spools it came on?

[@jaydentierney2194]

I find it funny how they were allowed to build a granade with C4 but not allowed to source one, "can we have a granade please" "no just build one"

[@ryano.5149]

"Can we have a grenade?" "No, we have grenade at home." lol

[@eddominates]

Same thing with fully automatic machine guns. 'MERICA!

[@semi-useful5178]

@@eddominates FFFFFFFFUCKING WILSSSOOOOOOOON!

[@tanall5959]

@@eddominates That is actually worlds easier. The really crazy part is that it is easier to get a grenade LAUNCHER and ammunition, than it is to get hand grenades. All thanks to the layers of bureaucracy that have built up over the years.

[@TzunSu]

@@eddominates How is it the same thing? Anyone who can legally own a firearm in the US can own a fully automatic weapon, just have to pay the tax stamp, and it's a lot harder to get the permissions to build your own.

[@SaschaFerda]

I trained as a sign painter in Germany. We used super thin lead foil to mask car enamel. You can use vegetable oil to adhere the foil to the enamel, then use a pounce pattern to transfer the design. Finally cut out the letters with an X-Acto knife. Because it is so soft, it is great to use on compound curves. The lead foil is also super easy to cut. Then you cover it with a piece of paper, wad up a scrap of lead foil, and use that to burnish the edges for a fantastically sharp finished edge. Clean off the oil from the cut outs, spray an adhesion promoter and then spray your lettering color. I have tried lots of other masking materials, but never found anything that worked as well for cars as lead foil.

[@angrydragonslayer]

"The better it is at its job, the better it is at putting you in the box" We had a cutting fluid that made chlorine gas when evaporating.... It made cutting hardened steel (68 HRC) feel (and feed) like high-lead brass.

[@thescholarlychronicler1805]

That sounds so satisfying to be able to see.

[@CoolAsFreya]

As an electronics enthusiast there's just no better solder than lead solder. I've tried every brand of lead free solder and it's just a worse alloy. Lead is an amazing metal with lots of useful properties, shame about the toxicity!

[@angrydragonslayer]

@@CoolAsFreya you should try doped solder (germanium is my favorite) Some of the stuff will make you drop dead if you miss any of the safety measures but the usefulness goes up proportionally

[@RyTrapp0]

@@CoolAsFreya Fun fact: the Xbox 360's 'red ring of death' issue was never figured out(at least while he was there), but was suspected to be caused by the lead free solder they switched to due to EU regulation changes not long before it went into mass production. This according to Peter Moore, from the 'Podcast Unlocked' episode 201; it features Moore, Seamus Blackley(dude who thought of the idea & presented it to Gates & Co), and Phil Spencer all talking about the origin of the brand and first console up through the XB1(after Phil took over, before the XBS), amazing insight(including how they arrived at hardware specs and such) if you're into this behind the scenes stuff.

[@ibey01]

When I was in high school I had a teacher that had been in Vietnam. He told us about a time a grenade was thrown into the fox hole his squad was in. A squad mate grabbed a sand bag and dove on the grenade. The squad mate was seriously injured but survived.

[@1014p]

Smart, that sand bag would eat a lot of energy.

[@tomhenry897]

Under powered commie gernade

[@ninjalectualx]

NOT smart. Just throw thr bag without using your own body

[@CyVinci]

@@ninjalectualxeasy to take time and reflect on what that man had to decide in a moments notice. It was a smart decision to make in the moment, who knows if the sand bag would’ve been enough

[@JL32506]

@@ninjalectualx Human body is very resilient. If he was seriously injured, then it's very likely his body stopped a good portion of the shrapnel and saved everyone's lives by eating it.

[@patrickdiehl6813]

I never understood the phrase "Up on the wheel" Until I drove a 6oo HP Nascar stock car around Michigan International Speedway @ 140+ mph. The intense focus of going that fast literally tenses all of your body into that moment and when it's over you look back and realise you were pulling yourself forward gripping the wheel and straining against the 5 point harness in ernest. An experience I will never forget.

[@marvindebot3264]

Adam: "There is no permit for C4 or a grenade" Ordnance Lab: "Hold my non alcoholic beverage"

[@johnbeauvais3159]

They’re manufacturers, I think Adam means that for your average individual in the state of California there is no pathway to being able to do that.

[@AwfulxAim]

@@johnbeauvais3159 TXMGO, the company that owns ordnance lab, sells the opportunity to just throw (and detonate) a live grenade. In fact, they just got done with a lawsuit from the ATF, which decided that they ARE legally allowed to do so. But I'm sure at the time that Mythbusters was being filmed, this wasn't nearly as possible.

[@johnbeauvais3159]

@@AwfulxAim I’m a big fan of Ordnance Lab and please don’t think I’m trying to correct you, from their videos it seems that if you manufacture and detonate the same day it’s a different paperwork than if you were to make, then store, then destroy an explosive.

[@AwfulxAim]

@@johnbeauvais3159 Absolutely, the paperwork is different because they don't have to file that they manufactured and then later file that they destroyed a destructive device.

[@benjaminshropshire2900]

@@johnbeauvais3159 I strongly suspect the most important part of your comment is "in the state of California". IIRC Nationally, if you can find a legal owner willing to sell, getting a grenade isn't really that hard to do. Fill out the right ATF Form (5320?), get it signed off by the local CLEO and approved by the ATF, pay for the tax stamp and 6-24 months later bob's your uncle.

[@dpsamu2000]

What a wonderful story teller Adam is. That's the result of pursuing a rewarding life. So lucky when you enjoy your work. Not a criticism of those who don't. But the pursuit is so worthwhile.

[@resaledragon]

Am I the only one that noticed the creepy hand at 7:32?

[@JoshSweetvale]

Well, Jamie did headhunt him to get a cohost with a reasonably high CHA stat. He didn't choose the vlog life, the vlog life chose him.

[@backdraft916]

Same things with “Practice Burns” when we got donated houses in my fire jurisdiction. We were accused of ‘just playing’, but it gave us valuable opportunities to try different techniques of search, rescue, and fire suppression.

[@thedeviantguy]

Real world experience can’t be beat, especially when lives are on the line.

[@FurryMcMemes]

What I loved about seeing you guys working with the bomb squad was you could tell they were having just as much fun as you guys were and everyone was learning in those moments.

[@nightrunnerxm393]

Yes. I laughed at the whole "calling it a training exercise" thing. Not because of the end run nature of it (didn't know about the lack of permitting around C4) but because I knew that for a bomb squad it really _was_ a training exercise. That's just the way they are.

[@filanfyretracker]

Similar to why the FD let them burn so much crap down I am sure, They can study fire theory all they want but nothing beats having the crews take up a hose and put something out for real. Well also from a fire department angle, lots of MB tested fire myths were able to be tied to important fire safety lessons for people so they did not have to do it at someone's home hopefully.

[@Kevin2432]

Technically, if you have an NFA Class 4 designation, you maybe could get c4 legally. I have an ex military friend and his rifle has an M203 launcher (class 4 since it launches explosives). I have no clue where or why someone would sell you explosives, but there is a legal channel for law enforcement, military, and federal agents.

[@tanall5959]

@@Kevin2432 NFA Class 4 is, technically, a dealer's license. So if you have one of those you are, again 'technically' part of said supply channel.

[@plastix6041]

i want to know "Given today's technology, can you think of any myths who's results wouldve changed if you had given tech "

[@DraconianEmpath]

high speed cameras /might/ fall into that category? I know Adam's talked about that before, how slow motion footage would have changed the which storeys they could do, out how they documented things. especially in the first few seasons.

[@plastix6041]

@@DraconianEmpath I meant which resuts would have changed. A busted myth being confirmed, or vice versa

[@tbotalpha8133]

@@plastix6041 I think most of their experiments were too imprecise for modern technology to really affect how they recorded the results. They were looking for big, obvious results, not anything that more sensitive equipment could help them find. Meanwhile, a lot of their experiments revolved around things that happened in the past, at some indeterminate point (as is the way with urban legends). So being able to replicate a myth's claims with modern technology wouldn't actually change anything. They wanted to know if it could be done with the technology of the day. The only experiments that could be affected by this, would be myths about things that are supposedly true here and now. Like the idea that submerging in a body of water will protect you from bullets - that was true then, but is it true now, with modern bullets? Yes, it is. But that's what I'm getting at: truths that may have been invalidated by advances in technology.

[@nes999]

I think Drone and the ever cheapend camera tech would have a large effect.

[@davidmcgill1000]

Pretty much all the myths they used ballistics gel for. Just seeing the end result doesn't tell the whole story. Need that high speed footage.

[@ZtotheMills]

I am now very curious how much time was spent between shots, of the bomb squad analyzing every single detail of the explosion, the footage, and aftermath to get their own data. I just find this 'Training exercise' relationship to be very fascinating.

[@zachlewis9751]

Adam: we couldn’t get a grenade! Also Adam: we vaporized a cement truck!

[@violinmiata]

Mario Andretti is a total legend. About five years ago I picked my kid up from preschool and there was a picture of Mario Andretti hanging out with his class at the 500 Museum. I asked his teacher if it was a cutout that they posed with, she said “nope, he was just there and offered to take the picture”. Still kicking myself for not signing up as a parent volunteer!

[@tommerwhite]

I have had the pleasure of meeting him 3 times, always a humble gentleman ,I treasure the items he signed for me including 3 Honda z50s

[@brandonobaza8610]

In 2016, I was helping my stepdad move when I found a six pack of Coca-Cola from 1994 commemorating Mario's retirement. Had a good chuckle at that 😁

[@ImrePolik]

Adam in the early days on the phone: "I'm trying to locate a pig's stomach... Hello? ..." Classic!

[@Yugophoto]

Man season 1 must have been a massive nightmare for sourcing weird stuff. By probably season 4 or so just about everyone knew about the mythbusters and were eager to help, but the first year or two they must have seemed like prank callers.

[@daddynitro199]

“A very fleshy swimming cap”

[@Oshroth]

@@Yugophoto I've been rewatching MB recently and the JATO rocket myth is a great example of them trying and failing to get a JATO. I can't remember if they do get one in one of the revisits. Though by the time of season 2 (and seemingly late season 1) they have a much easier time and also plenty of people who want to give them stuff to use

[@garavonhoiwkenzoiber]

@@Yugophoto I hear the early years of Jackass had similar problems with insurance. "Hello we would like to-" "NO *click-brrrrrr*"

[@dakotalovell6992]

Man this is so cool seeing you talk about these things. I watched EVERY SINGLE EPISODE until I was unable to (1 year before the closing of the og show) and they always made me laugh, learn, and just generally answer all those questions nobody would answer. I especially loved you titanic episode. I love saying they could have both survived. I believe that you are the main reason I’m so open to unexpected results, and fully created my desire to learn and grow in a isotope way. You deserve to be remembered for eternity and beyond, no doubts at all! I have to pay respect to grant too. Rip to one of the best creative teachers

[@Concorde4711]

For those who wonder: This extreme thin lead foil is used for industrial x-ray films. They have an amplifying effect and reduce exposure time. Greetings from Germany.

[@TECHNOBOGAN]

Adam struggling not to call drivers race-ists made my night.

[@bwc1976]

When I was a kid and heard the word "sexist" for the first time, I thought it was someone who was really good at sex or really into sex!

[@kacperwhite386]

Can you explain it for me?

[@Shakes-Off-Fear]

I think part of the issue with the insurance with the grenades, Adam, is that they saw you on television, trying to pull a pin (on an inert grenade) with your teeth 😂 and they said to themselves “Ohhhhh my god…”

[@projektdarkside8757]

Seeing Adam be so excited about things genuinely makes me happy.

[@thesusuncle5607]

Man, I Rember watching you growing up you made me feel like I could do anything. You have no idea how many people you have inspired and helped my biggest dream is to have a shop like yours one day and just wake up and build what's in my mind! Thank you so much!!

[@boscorner]

I've heard the story about the lead foil like 3 times from Adam and I still love it lol

[@toeb1n]

Was just gonna say lol. There needs to be a counter for every episode that it's mentioned. I think I've heard it at least 6 or 7 times, goes to show how proud of it they were.

[@MattyBmemes]

Weird question but where have you herd it? on this channel? or other stuff hes been in?

[@toeb1n]

@@MattyBmemes On various tested channel episodes. I mainly watch the Q&A videos and one days build videos. Especially in the Q&A video where he talks about Mythbusters.

[@jonathanbair523]

I love the pure joy he has when talking about the "MythBuster days" I find it funny when they started out in season 1 the company was like "Get the pros to make it safe." So they look at each other and the other folks in the field of theres and come back saying "Ok we got a few pros"... Adding Grant to the team really did help the show all together tho. RIP Grant

[@stangiles2001]

Jamie's approval. Jamie's smile. Jamie's love

[@SnowPheasant]

😂 a worthwhile pursuit nonetheless

[@MisterJackmanB]

I wasn't expecting the IndyCar question in this video! Happy you enjoyed the track; it really is a cool place. We love going there every year for Indy GP and the 500.

[@catbraunwell6450]

Adam you are an absolute delight to watch. Your unending enthusiasm and energy are contagious. Thanks man. You’re awesome.

[@skiser7176]

For the German foil company: I think they gave you a foil with the thickness of 0.001 cm instead of 0.001 inch. Because 0.0007 inch is approximately 0.001 cm

[@logitech4873]

Or 10 micrometers

[@bripslag]

@@logitech4873 how many nanofortnights is that?

[@freescape08]

Actually, that would be closer to 0.4 thousands of an inch. Someone else posted that 20 Micros would be about right, and I agree with that. 0.787 thousandths.

[@skiser7176]

@@freescape08 yes you're right

[@epicninjacakez6716]

Whoopsie!

[@bshilling9924]

I started watching Mythbusters again. I have always loved it went from no agency wanting to work with you to everyone wanting to work with you. It is funny to watch the oldest episodes and see a flip phone and to watch the evolution of camera technology.

[@boruff68]

I am GLAD you enjoyed the IMS track experience Adam. I guess I just feel complacent as I drive by it everyday for decades now,but Indy has SUCH a history behind it,and I still ove it as well !

[@Onelegleg]

The one you guys did that still just amazing me is when you pressurized the airliner cabin and set off the shaped charge, the resulting damage was just amazing. Your explosives expert really knew his stuff.

[@anneliseolsen6896]

Gods, I miss Mythbusters. It was the highlight of my day when I could watch you all do your thing. It was especially good when you all had fun with what you were doing, and seeing the joy on your faces.

[@wildlifewarrior2670]

I Miss Grant also

[@punkdigerati]

You've mentioned the difficulty in obtaining Buster before, that it was essentially an off the books legally grey deal due to a conversation on a plane.

[@RichardHopkinsLobosSolos]

Dad lived in Indy for a time back in the seventies. He hung around the track and got to take a class from AJ Foyt and Andy Granatelli. He even got to drive the pace car during one of the time trials.

[@brianb760]

i was looking away from my computer when this came on so i had no idea what was going to be next in queue; A behind-the-scenes MythBusters livestream is just about the farthest thing from what I could imagine it would've been. I mean dude it's been like a decade since I saw ANYTHING from that show. Loved it! Just never kept up with it. Glad this came on though because MAN, Adam is a truly engaging speaker and storyteller. I would looooove to see him do a one-man show type thing and just tell stories live because he's great at it.

[@chrislonghurst]

What about the original JATO bottles? I remember the military kept calling you back for months afterwards, continuously telling you “no” even long after you made the episode. Not getting a grenade seems tame by comparison 😅

[@johnknapp952]

The problem with JATO bottles is that there just aren't any around anymore, though there were some for that first show. The military stopped using (and buying) them a long time ago except for the Navy's Blue Angles C-130 Fat Albert (which I did see doing a JATO takeoff). But once the supply system ran out of those, that was it, no more.

[@rooknado]

@@johnknapp952 what are JATO bottles?

[@bayardkyyako7427]

@@rooknado Basically military grade bottle rockets. Quite big and were first successfuly launched in 1941.

[@obsoleteprofessor2034]

@@rooknado Basically, a rocket in a bottle attached to side of an airplane to boost takeoff. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JATO

[@mikesixx7655]

@@rooknado think instead of a catapult to launch a plane its rockets. It stands for Jet Assisted Take Off and its hilarious to watch

[@erinhoffer9920]

Leave it to the Germans to not only get the lead that thin, but one up the other companies and say they will get it even thinner

[@KonradTheWizzard]

We are metric over here. 1/1000 inch is 0.0254 mm or 25.4µm which is a bit odd for us. A typical metric foil thicknesses is 15µm - that is about 0.0006 inch - I guess that's what they sent. If it oxidizes a bit it will probably be measured at 0.0007 inch. They probably went into their inventory and looked for the first standard thing thinner than what Mythbusters specified. Why do they even produce this thin stuff and call it a "standard thickness"? We are in the EU. Accoding to the EU lead in any form is evil (because it can be in some forms). So customers who need to line something with lead will ask for the thinnest possible foil that still does the job, because it will be hard enough to get permission to use it anyway - the thicker it is the more difficult the paperwork.

[@itwasagoodideaatthetime7980]

@@KonradTheWizzard I think they were referring to the rather well known stereotype about German over efficiency.

[@itwasagoodideaatthetime7980]

Gotta love them for being an overly efficient people.

[@KonradTheWizzard]

@@itwasagoodideaatthetime7980 While I appreciate your admiration of our efficiency, I've got to admit that most of the time we are just running away from the bureaucracy. We German engineers prefer to solve seemingly impossible problems over filling out a stack of forms to explain why it cannot be done... 😁 Efficiency comes into play when we solve the problem before anyone can get the "brilliant" idea to make up a form about it, because the form will inevitably be worse than the original problem. A functioning bureaucracy can be a great motivator to avoid it...

[@mattkennedy9308]

@@KonradTheWizzard I can see that. Well, we can engineer the product better or we can fill out forms...

[@AgentSn0wWhite]

Just love how passionate you are about everything

[@chillindillon1889]

This is so damn cool. I just came across your videos a couple days ago and I'm loving it. I was looking for a video of you and Grant and your videos came up. What a great ass surprise!!! I'm a fam like so many millions of people and it's such a delight to hear you talk about the Myth and ILM days. Love it!!!

[@brickct123]

You can absolutely get a permit for a grenade, through the typical NFA paperwork with the ATF. Or at least you can these days. An SOT is required to manufacture one, and you need an FFL to be a transferee, though.

[@thewalrus511]

I’m pretty sure the thing here is that you can’t get a permit to throw a grenade in California.

[@Yugophoto]

A big problem was california specific laws. Im sure they could have had a way easier time with any explosive myth if they travelled to other states/countries, but theres a huge expense difference between doing a shoot at a facility an hour or two away vs a multi day trip dragging a whole crew out hundreds or thousands of miles away. Plus Adam already said the insurance wasn't having it either. Even if you can find a place to do it, if your insurance won't let you then you can't film.

[@2010RSHACKS]

Private jet could fly the whole crew to another state in under an hour and would only be a few grand in fuel

[@2010RSHACKS]

Or really any private aircraft. How many times did myth busters rent helicopters and planes for ridiculous shit?

[@rrr-mi9kv]

Sometimes, I wonder if people are making up abbreviations and everyone else is just going along with it.

[@worldchamp1999]

you know im always trying to find contributing factors as to why i turned out the way i did, and its funny i completely forgot how obsessed with mythbusters i was in jr high and high school. and its crazy how much of it rubbed off on me unbeknownst to me.

[@katrinareads]

I skipped taking physics in high school, not due to lack of intelligence or schedule space but because the teacher was boring. I promised my mom I'd watch Mythbusters every week if I didn't have to take physics because I'd still learn what I'd need to know for college. Sure enough, I get to one of the mandatory science courses for elementary education majors, and the other students who hadn't taken physics would come to me for help during the physics unit, not to anyone who'd actually taken physics. My entire way I figured it out in college was just rewriting every scenario in my head as a Mythbusters experiment.

[@irregularassassin6380]

@@katrinareads That's honestly brilliant. When I was a kid, I had an educational game about dinosaurs on my parents' laptop. I completely beat the thing at least five times, and absorbed every single fact about dinosaurs in it. By Grade 1, I was at the point where I already knew things that were in Nova science programs, and I was able to interact with museum curators on an intellectual level about dinosaur (and other fossil) exhibits on a trip to Australia. If you give children, who are eager to learn, educational content that is also highly enjoyable, they will absorb astonishing amounts of knowledge. That's literally the principle upon which _Sesame Street_ operates.

[@nathandiefenbach1274]

I absolutely adore hearing these stories and reliving the episodes like this.

[@ZachMauch]

Sometime in my lifetime I want to hang out with you Adam. I don't know how or when or whatever, but I just want to buy you a drink and let you ramble. You honestly shaped me so much during my college life and influenced who I am as an Engineer today. Thank you for all you have done for science and making people curious. God Bless!!!

[@ChefHazmat]

Another item that was apparently hard for them to get because they did a whole segment on it being hard to find was the pig stomach with the esophagus still attached. I want to say it was for the pop rocks and cola myth.

[@Oshroth]

Yes

[@BJGvideos]

You'd think all they'd have to do was ask at a pig farm

[@katrinareads]

It was. I rewatched that about a month ago, and I think Jamie said it was apparently illegal or a hazardous material or something. That was also Episode 1, though, so I'm sure some things became easier to get once people wanted to help the Mythbusters do their super cool things.

[@BJGvideos]

@@katrinareads A pig stomach plus esophagus was a hazardous material?

[@Defirence]

@@BJGvideos consider the COVID-19 pandemic and Swine flu ..

[@SimuLord]

My one biggest regret in life is not applying myself when I was younger toward a path that would let me satisfy my infinite curiosity. Not many opportunities to venture into the unknown with an accounting degree. There's a life lesson in there that I hope young folks learn.

[@matthewrose2908]

Even in the science and engineering fields, it’s still challenging to find a career where your creativity isn’t stifled by red tape and bureaucracy. You’re honestly likely in a good position of financially security which will eventually give you the free time to pursue your interests outside of a work environment if you so choose.

[@jacobkarns2025]

I genuinely appreciate this type of content. As fascinating as the show was, I can only imagine the trials and tribulations of the entire crew.

[@leon_De_Grelle]

You're rocking the mad scientist vibe harder than ever. Love it.

[@gloriouslyimperfect]

Andretti is still doing the ride alongs into his 80s!

[@RustyDroid]

Just drove an F1 car at Laguna Seca yesterday!

[@jamisonr]

Love you're enthusiasm over everything Adam. These stories are always great!

[@firemanjeff911]

I grew up in Indy. I used to spend at least 2 weeks of May at the track. I've also had the opportunity to go around the track once in my own car, once on my Harley, and twice running around it for the mini marathon.

[@joshhomer4367]

Amazing recall by Jamie! Not sure if he was prepping before this episode but still crazy memory.

[@SeanByramTheOneAndOnly]

I love what you had to say about the ethos of the bomb squad folks you've worked with. Though I burnt out on the industry, I experienced much the same ethos in cybersecurity/infosec/CNO, and even though I'm now (mostly) out of that work, it's still very much something I bring to all the work I do.

[@JustinBishop97]

Having trained in EOD school in the military, but ultimately failing out, I have never had the camaraderie I had with my fellow classmates and instructors that I had there. Nothing else compared.

[@ironwolfstudios2857]

I also seem to recall you saying in the last season that one of the all time most difficult objects to acquire ever in the show's history was the train car for "Tanker Crush". Good times

[@glassdave]

im fairly certain no one else in history has ever uttered the sentence "we had to build that from scratch which is why we had to take chicken cannon apart . . . " . . .. and that why i love the show lol

[@josephbilling]

Adam, I'd like to say thanks. Mythbusters stoked my interest in science and I've remained curious and I think(/hope) I always will. Cheers from Australia

[@usmcmech96]

I find the trouble acquiring a grenade due to safety very ironic since everyone in USMC boot camp got to throw one. It was quite a rush, and it's a lot bigger explosion than I would have thought.

[@88porpoise]

Any member of the USMC is liable to come across a grenade in the course of their duties. Knowing what it can do and how to handle it is pretty important, even if your duties don't entail carrying one. The vast majority of civilians in the US will never be in a position to encounter a grenade. The big difference is likely that all kinds of explosives have various legal civilian use cases. A grenade is explicitly a weapon with the sole purpose of killing.

[@russellstyles5381]

Army too. Bet they might be able to get permission to watch some recruits or grunts throw one. I've never seen that, and I threw one. Windows on the blast wall were small and rare. A recruit isn't going to be able to watch. I saw the bottom of the foxhole. Noisy.

[@finkelmana]

Speaking of Indy cars, there is one myth I suggested for decades since MythBusters started, but they never did: Can an Indy car actually drive upside down? Yes, its probably not safe to test, not to mention building an upside down section of track... but I sure would have liked to see it.

[@jacklougheed4561]

The main problems are trying to get the oil to the bottom of the motor when it collects at the top of the motor, potential of the brakes un bleeding themselves as the fluid would drain from the master cylinder into the reservoir, having a team lend you a car, and risk dropping it upside down on its lid at presumably 100+mph, and finding a spot to build a track where you can safely get up to speed, make the transition, get some shots, and get back. Not that they couldn’t do it, but the math is simple if you are only taking that question at the level of downforce that they are making. The practical side is way more complicated as gravity fights all of the mechanical components in the car.

[@finkelmana]

@@jacklougheed4561 Very good points.

[@fryerlawrence]

Ooooo! OOOO! Like Hot Wheels!

[@Shakes-Off-Fear]

The other aspect that one would have to consider is that, yes, on the ground, the car would generate enough downforce at less than 100 mph exceeds the weight of the car which would mean that it would stick to the ceiling HOWEVER, the gravity which pulled that weight towards the road surface is now inverted on the ceiling and is now trying to pull the car away from the surface. As any F1 or Indy driver will tell you, grip is absolutely crucial and any loss in grip is liable to make the rear wheels spin, which is bad news.

[@AutoAnomoly]

@@jacklougheed4561 the motor is most likely a dry sump for high lateral loads the main issue I would see is fuel starvation. With so many of the claims made over the years from many manufacturers and companies I would love to have someone actually do it

[@billjohnson69]

We were at the Indy race at Laguna Seca this fall and he was still out there. He flew by us on a little Honda scooter at the race and it was so cool

[@Twerkulies]

Mythbusters: We need a grenade for a myth Bomb Squad: No. Mythbusters: We need 500 pounds of C4 to blow up a porta potty. Bomb Squad: Did we hear training exercise????

[@naut96]

I love how often these questions just come back around to lead balloon

[@juddphillips]

It is possible to buy and use c4 but it is extremely difficult. First you have to get a state issued buyers license, a storage license, a licensed magazine, licensed blaster, and an approved blasting area. I use to work for a company that did explosion welding and we used c4 and c2 all the time.

[@tomhenry897]

Not that hard to buy

[@tfp0052]

I really enjoyed Mythbusters back in the day! My favorite episode was when they blew up the concrete mixer truck. I was utterly amazed that they ever got permission to do it! Great show, back when TV was actually interesting! Now days I only watch TV one night a week!

[@SteezySteez2011]

Seeing him draw a blank on the word driver makes me feel so much better about doing similar things, and losing my train of thought lmao

[@MrOvergryph]

Adam, I had no idea you uploaded every day. I miss you! Glad to see you're still in it. Do more collabs!

[@SenorBolsa]

It's always very hard to express how intense being in a car at the limit really is, even a street car, sure, everyone thinks they have driven hard... I can imagine how brutal an Indy car is, my mustang already takes a lot out of you to be on the track for 30 minutes. if you ever get the chance to be driven around a track by a competent or professional track driver take it, you'll never look at driving the same way again.

[@OldManTheseDays]

I used to live in Roseville, CA. Roseville has a very large railyard and military supply trains used to go through all the time. In 1973 there was a huge explosion of munitions bound for the Vietnam war (you can look up the story). Housing estates started going in around the rail yards in the late 80s and throughout the 90s. For years they were finding un-detonated explosives all over the place while building/excavating.

[@JBreeze4598]

I graduated from HDS in 2010, first that is a very nice complement. Second there were sever times after one of the MB shows, we would go back and try other ways to approach what happened in the show.

[@libertarian1637]

The “permitting” must be a California thing as in plenty of other states in the USA it can be quite easy to get and use explosives. Grenades and other destructive devices can also be procured and legally used with a simple application and tax payment. In some states you don’t even need a permit just a use, like farming; plenty of farmers use explosives from time to time without any major issues.

[@itwasagoodideaatthetime7980]

California is the *WORST* state when it comes to Red Tape. I think New York might be second.

[@anon_y_mousse]

Yeah, I'd wager if they'd done it in Texas it would've been easy to get. Basically just need to inform the police and fire department that you're about to blow something up and done.

[@unsoundmethodology]

It does also sound like - even beyond the legal red tape - that getting the insurance company to sign off on things was the real hangup. I mean, sure, if you were filming in Texas you could probably pick your grenades up at the Circle-K, but the underwriters would still say you couldn't set them off.

[@ExplosiveWeaponForum]

dude rancher friends with blasting permits are the best. i got tired of trying to dig this post hole in prehistoric river bed shit was hard as rock called up my rancher friend and was like yo i need a blasting cap and some expolosive to make a post hole. he was like come on over shit is in the barn keys are hanging in the house for the lock box caps are in the house on a shelf in the red ammo can. poped a new post hole for a gate and it was fast and simple. dad came out and helped me set it up as he took a corse in it for civil enginering had the post in the ground before lunch

[@SometimesMakayla]

Such a good story teller he is!!! People usually can't hold my attention if it's a video like this 😅

[@Legomanfred]

I love that Hellboys gun ( you made) is sitting unobtrusively on the desk while you're talking. Lovely. 👍❤️💪

[@ComradeJehannum]

YAY!!!! I've done something Adam has never done. Of course it was on a training range and I was enlisted at the time. They are bloody scary things.

[@firemanjeff911]

I went through US Army basic training, and qualified "expert" on grenades. I have never seen or held an actual live grenade. I broke my thumb early in basic, they let me finish with my class, but wouldn't let me any where near the grenade range with a cast on my hand. I was still expected to do push ups though.

[@NoMercy13567]

It’s actually so wild that Mythbusters we’re not allowed to have a grenade yet The Slow Mo Guys were able to get one. It’s also even more wild that it seemed like they pulled it out of nowhere like it was nothing

[@virgiljericho664]

I also recall there was a myth about steam cleaning a massive train tanker and the tank crushing itself when it started to rain. I recall about a third of that episode was your research team struggling to find one because who would have that lying around.

[@declanclaus6681]

Seeing adam’s reaction to stream is so wholesome

[@ulvsbane]

Oh, I got a ride with a Sikorsky AH-64 Skycrane when they for the first time were using a helicopter to build a large power line here in Sweden. I got a summer job building those things since my father worked for vattenfall, the agency who did that things here. Next time they rented a different helicopter instead, from the UK if I remember correctly. I seem to recall that they liked the UK helicopter better better since it apparently were able to keep those big two legged power tower thingies more stable (sorry, no idea what they are called in English).

[@crinkly.love-stick]

Those are called pylons

[@ulvsbane]

@@crinkly.love-stick Thank you.

[@Tollyman69]

What about the Oil tanker train car? I heard that was difficult to find.

[@jayjackson597]

you may be surprised but this is one of my favorite episodes, love the back stories

[@muthsera5680]

always loved you guys! i would love to see you and have a coffee or beer sometime for my bucket list

[@instarissicco]

As a combat engineer I've gotten to train a little with our local EOD squad can confirm they are some of the most curious people I have ever met it's crazy some of the things they come up with

[@russjudge]

One of my favorite explosives you detonated on Mythbusters was non-dairy creamer.

[@mateo1726]

Just started rewatching myth buster on D+. So much fun

[@eggbertreviews1477]

I absolutely love all these behind the scenes videos.

[@aaronbeaston4514]

So on a similar note. I hat are some of the surprising easiest things to get that you would think are more difficult to obtain.

[@simonagree4070]

The really weird thing about the grenade being unobtainable is how often they turn up in the property of deceased veterans. There is even a Dragnet episode about it. At least, that's the story one hears... Maybe there is one more myth out there that needs busting?

[@j.am501]

probably because a grenade was easy to steal

[@fastfiddler1625]

So that whole scene of "Brick, where did you get a hand grenade?" "I don't know" is even funnier now.

[@PrimalRenegade17]

I miss mythbusters so much. It was an amazing show that I won't ever forget.

[@shadowgattler]

What about the jato rocket? I remember half of the pilot episode was just you guys calling every agency in the phone book just to find one and you were never able to.

[@TheRealTrevorland]

Watching the show, I was impressed when the research team found a place that makes 18th century wooden artillery wheels, or found a company that would allow the use of a jet engine, or some other impossible challenge. I always thought that being a Mythbusters researcher would be a fun job as I love going down those rabbit holes!

[@vanstry]

Watching Andretti race was always fun. That man could drive.

[@mk-jf1ux]

this was fun, glad someones filmin adam and sharing these gems