05x06 - Myths Redux

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: on this episode of
"mythbusters"...
Fire in the hole!

Narrator: it's wham...
Bam...
Thank you, fans.

It's another "myths revisited"
special...
There's no telling what might

Happen this time.
Narrator: ...where you judge
how the mythbusters have been

Conducting themselves.
Were adam and jamie responsible
for a trombone travesty?

That's just awesome.
Narrator: did the
exploding-hammers myth strike a

Low blow?
Whoa!
Narrator: and we revisit two

High-caliber myths...
Where you say the guys didn't
aim up.

Now we're talking.
Narrator: who are the
mythbusters?

Adam savage...
Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow.
Narrator: ...and

Jamie hyneman.
It's almost too exciting.
Narrator: between them, more

Than 30 years of special-effects
experience.
Cue dramatic music.

Narrator: joining them --
kari byron...
That's gonna be so cool!

Narrator: ...grant imahara...
Listen to that baby purr!
Narrator: ...and

Tory belleci.
Paramedics are nowhere to be
found.

Narrator: they don't just
tell the myths.
They put them to the test.

Yes, it's that time again.
The mythbusters are going to
answer their critics the only

Way they know how -- by going
back to the drawing board.
And first on the chopping block,

A myth that has long been a
trombone of contention with
fans.

[ Imitates trombone ]
yeah, you know we shot "mad
trombonist" during season one?

That's the longest distance
we've ever had between a myth
and its revisit.

What the heck did we get wrong?
There wasn't a trombonist.
Ah!

Narrator: once upon a time,

Two fresh-faced, fledgling

Mythbusters blew up some brass.

The myth?
A trombonist wants to put a bit
more bang into the "1812

Overture," so he fills his mute
with firecrackers.
When they go off, the force of

The blast turns the trombone
slide into a musical m*ssile,
which strikes the conductor and

Knocks him into the audience.
But no matter how much black
powder jamie packed into that

Trombone, the slide wouldn't
fly.
When the smoke had cleared and

The police had calmed down, adam
was adamant.
We had taken this myth

Absolutely to pieces.
This is another rarity for us.
Every aspect of it is completely

Impossible.
Narrator: that left fans
feeling brassed off, and they've

Been demanding an encore
performance ever since.
Only this time, we want to see a

Pair of lips pressed against the
trombone's mouthpiece.
So, how would a trombonist

Have made a difference?
The idea is that the
trombonist's lips would seal the

Trombone more effectively, hence
making the expl*sive propel the
slide off the end of the

Trombone like a rocket.
Okay, that's good enough.
You know, if we're going to do

This, though, I think we should
make sure we can put it way to
bed.

Let's put a pair of lips behind
the mouthpiece, but if that
doesn't work, let's make a

Mouthpiece that we weld shut.
Sure.
Narrator: okay.

So according to you guys, having
someone's mouth pressed against
the trombone will make it a

Sealed system.
Expanding gases from the
expl*si*n will no longer be able

To escape through the
mouthpiece.
They'll have nowhere to go but

Through that slide.
Right. You asked for it.
Adam and jamie are going to take

It again -- from the top.
Look at all those trumpets.
Did you play the trumpet?

No.
Weren't you a bugler in the
civil w*r?

Narrator: once again, the
guys go trawling for
trombones -- secondhand, of

Course.
They're perfect.
Narrator: they also need some

Mouthpieces...
And some mutes.
Unfortunately, this is the

Last note this trombone will
ever play.
[ Sour notes play ]

Narrator: trust adam to turn
a trombone into an instrument of
t*rture.

Question is, will they still be
able to blow their own trumpet
when this revisit's done?

Finger in a barrel.
I knew we were going to have to
revisit this one.

That's the one where a g*n
barrel can explode into a banana
peel, just like in the cartoons.

Narrator: this one's well
worth a revisit, if only so we
can catch up with our friends

The myth toons.
They're a g*n barrel of laughs.
When our familiar foes come

Face-to-face, there's plenty of
animated animosity.
But instead of saying his

Prayers, our cheeky red-haired
rodent forces his finger into
the barrel, and the hunter's

Best-laid plans backfire
big-time.

The mythbusters tried to get the

Same result in real life.

They took modern r*fles and

Plugged ballistics gel fingers

Into the barrels.

One!

Narrator: the b*ll*ts won --
hands-down.
I'll be darned.

Narrator: and while they got
one or two bulges in their
barrels, nothing could trigger

That famous cartoon banana peel.
I don't want to count our
chickens before they hatch, but

I think we may end up revisiting
this one.
Narrator: well, adam, those

Chickens have now hatched, and
they're coming home to roost.
Since busting the myth, fans

Have been firing a volley of
suggestions.
First, let's try this.

It's an older g*n with a
damascus barrel.
And what is that?

Up until the 20th century,
they were making damascus
barrels.

That's where they would take
alternate strips of steel and
iron, twist it around a rod, and

Then weld it together, so it
wasn't one piece of metal.
Narrator: okay, so, let's get

That straight.
A damascus barrel was made by
taking strips of iron and steel

And welding them together.
According to fans, those weld
points weaken the structure, and

If the barrel is blocked,
they'll give us our cartoon
peel-back.

Well, it looks like I need to
go dig out the hand molds we
used last time.

I'll work on a remote
trigger, because if this does
indeed work, it could very well

Explode.
Narrator: while the guys get
to work, let's revisit the

Science behind this cartoon
caper.
Pull the trigger of a g*n, and

There's a small expl*si*n.
The expanding gases propel the
b*llet through and out the

Barrel.
Lock the barrel, however, and
the gas has nowhere to escape.

The pressure builds, and g*n
ruptures.
Some fans might rupture, too,

When they see what the
mythbusters are going to do with
this collector's item.

Boy, you better marry my
daughter.
Narrator: this 10-gauge

Shotgun had both barrels
fashioned damascus style.
This one was made in 1877,

So it's an antique.
And we're going to destroy it.
Narrator: grant mounts the

Shotgun on jamie's special r*fle
rig and wires up a remote
trigger.

I have a radio-control
system.
That transmits a wireless signal

To the receiver.
The receiver sends a control
signal to the servo.

It's going to turn the head of
the servo, which pulls a string.
The string goes around the

Trigger and is catched on the
other side by a hose clamp, and
then that fires the g*n.


There you go.
Narrator: meanwhile, you've

Got to hand it to kari.
She's got hand making down pat.
So, here we have a ballistics

Gel hand with a skeleton cast
inside.
It's been sitting up overnight.

And the nervous part is over,
because it came out of the mold
and looks all right.

Narrator: out in the
mythbusters' purpose-built
bunker, the r*fle rig is screwed

Down and kari fits the finger
into the damascus barrel.
Another thing that I read off

The message board was people
were complaining that we didn't
have a skin layer on the outside

Of our ballistics gel.
So I've been recommended to use
a finger from a glove to create

A skin layer, which will make an
extra seal.
Here we go.

One skin layer -- an extra bit
of authenticity, and at least
one audience member, if not

Many, much more satisfied with
our result.
Hey, al.

Narrator: overseeing the
experiment, firearms specialist
sergeant alan normandy.

He always rides shotgun when the
guys go busting g*n myths.

So we have the shotgun set

Up.

What kind of a*mo are we using

Today?

Well, today we're gonna go

With maximum power, so we're

Going with a 3 1/2 inch magnum



That's a big b*llet.
It's a big shell.
Narrator: it's the first

Round this museum piece has seen
in quite a while.
This shotgun is absolutely

Unsafe with modern ammunition.
Fantastic!
[ Laughs ]

Fantastic.
All right.

Narrator: tory, kari, and
grant are revisiting the
finger-in-the-barrel myth.

Fans say this antique shotgun
with its old-fashioned, welded
damascus barrel will give them a

Result worthy of toon town.
In 3...2...1!
Oh!

Oh, wow.
Hey, we got something.
The hand's gone.

Dang, I think the g*n's
ruined.
That's pretty good.

It's better than what we got
last time.
Narrator: first time 'round,

All they got was a little barrel
bulge.
This time, the damascus barrel's

Torn open and peeled back like
cardboard.
That's a better result, but it's

Still not the full banana.
And unlike the cartoons, the guy
who pulled the trigger still has

A face.
Our sh**ter doesn't look
harmed at all.

But the guy with the finger.
A little worse for wear,
wouldn't you say?

Not so good.
Narrator: it's obvious a
flesh-and-bone finger isn't

Strong enough to cause a barrel
to explode.
So tory wants to take a slight

Detour on the road to damascus
barrel busting.
I found this piece of steel.

It fits perfectly in the barrel,
like so.
I'm just going to cut off a

Little piece.
Then I'm gonna sculpt it to
look like a finger, just because

I can.
Narrator: being the model
model maker that he is, tory is

Pretty handy at making a finger.
And there's my steel finger.
Narrator: uh, tory, that

Needs to go into another
orifice.
Thank you.

I am going to weld in the
steel finger I made into the
good barrel.

This way, we're sure it's not
going to pop out when we take a
shot.

Narrator: the barrel is now
well and truly blocked.
Back in the bunker, the shotgun

Is remounted, and kari loads
another shell.
Okay. We're hot.

Narrator: we're set for a
cartoon catastrophe.
Fire in the hole!

3...2...1!
Whoo!
Narrator: the shotgun

Suddenly becomes a sawn-off.
That's not a banana peel.
That's like loss of tip.

That just total shattered the
end off.
Narrator: but where's the

Finger?
The end is gone.
We wrecked the g*n.

Steel finger.
It's gone.
Gone.

We'll find the finger later.
Narrator: our hirsute hunter
has suffered no ill effects,

But the damascus is done for.
So in our second test with
the steel plug welded into the

Damascus barrel, we didn't get
any banana-peeling effect.
Now this piece may look like

It's a banana peel, but it's not
actually a part of the barrel.
This is just a detail piece that

Goes between the two barrels of
this double-barreled shotgun.
Narrator: once again, the

Finger myth gets the thumbs
down.

It's a musical mishap that could
have come straight from the
golden age of slapstick.

Can a mute full of fireworks
turn a trombone slide into a
musical m*ssile?

For this raucous recital, adam
and jamie are off to the alameda
county b*mb range.

Look at this.
Isn't this so mythbusters?
Jamie's truck flanked by the

b*mb squad and the paramedics.
Just like last time, buster the
conductor will have to face the

Music.
He'll be propped up on a simple
metal frame.

Should he be buffeted by flying
brass, he'll topple backwards.
Now he just has to dress for the

Occasion.
Hey, buster, that suit's a nice
cut.

Butt's too big.
Narrator: last time they
tried this, the trombone was on

Its own.
This time, crucially, they've
got a bust of grant puckering up

Behind the mouthpiece.
This is ballistics material.
It's got the same consistency as

Human flesh, human muscle
tissue.
That's behind this mouthpiece.

He is snug there.
That is a committed trombonist
behind this mouthpiece.

Narrator: to make sure that
the slide can launch smoothly,
jamie takes out his handy tube

Of lube and goes to work.
And we suddenly find out yet
another startling fact about his

Past.
The only time I had any kind
of band-instrument experience

Was I got ahold of an old tuba.
So I mounted it in the bathroom
when I was a teenager, and you

Could sit on the toilet, and
everybody in the house knew what
was going on.

That's unique.
Narrator: hold it, hold it,
hold it.

At this point, there are so many
one-liners, my brain's about to
explode.

Stuff about movements, bum
notes, crotches, and wind.
Oh, no!

Oh.
Okay. Better now.
While we try to wipe from our

Minds the image of the hyneman
cistern symphony, let's take
stock.

Here is a disgruntled or very
ambitious trombone player.
He's decided, during the "1812

Overture," to fill his mute
with expl*sives for the finale.
He fills them with expl*sives.

They blow up.
They send his slide sh**ting
all the way towards the

Conductor -- boom -- who falls
backwards and into the audience.
That's the myth.

Narrator: with the b*mb squad
supervising, the mute is packed
with black powder and loaded

Into the trombone bell.
Places, please, everybody.
We're ready to strike up the

Band.
It's good to go.
This is mad trombonist.

Lips behind the mouthpiece
revisit in 5...4...3...2...1.
[ Chuckles ]

I can see the slide moved a
little bit.
Just a little.

I'm having the most shocking
sense of déjà vu.
Narrator: the high-speed

Shows the mute flying from the
trombone like shiny shrapnel and
bouncing off buster's cranium.

But he remains unmoved.
And as for the trombone slide,
well, it's still firmly attached

To the instrument.
The trombonist's lips don't
seem worse for wear, but I don't

Think they made much of a
difference.
Narrator: in the name of due

Diligence, and because they love
blowing stuff up, the guys reset
for a reprise.

This time, jamie doubles the
amount of black powder.
That's perfect.

Narrator: this mute is going
to be anything but.
In 5...4...3...2...1.

[ Laughs ]
the music's on fire.
Now, that's a finale.

Narrator: in the aftermath of
the second b*mb trombone, it
seems the mythbusters might have

Settled an old score with the
fans.
Again, just like the last

One, we can see the shock wave
in the bell.
And the slide didn't come off.

That's about the only thing
that didn't suffer with this
one, is the slide.

It didn't even knock the
baton from his hand.
Which is barely hanging

There.
Narrator: this musical myth
is looking more busted than

Pete townsend's guitar.
Or is it?
I think there's one last

Thing we can do to put this to
bed once and for all, and that
would be to take our second

Backup trombone and solder or
weld the mouthpiece so that no
air can escape from it.

Okay.
Not just count on the lips,
but make a complete blockage

There and see if that works.
If you say so.
[ Chuckles ]

Try and have some enthusiasm,
jamie.
Narrator: don't believe the

Cartoons, friends.
Shoving your finger in the
barrel of a g*n won't make the

g*n explode.
Your hand, however, will.
Whoa!

The guy with the finger.
A little worse for wear,
wouldn't you say?

Not so good.
Narrator: but that's not
all, folks.

Having busted the myth a second
time, the mythbusters now want
to find out what will make a

Barrel bend back like a banana
peel.
That's like, loss of tip.

Narrator: and the fans have a
surefire suggestion.
So, next test is somebody was

sh**ting a .30-06 with the bore
sighter still in the barrel, and
that thing ripped to shreds.

I'm extremely familiar with
the pictures of that.
I have had so many e-mails sent

To my in-box going, "look --
banana peel."
We got the same exact g*n

That that happened with.
We're going to set that up and
try the same way.

I really want to find out if
that's real.
Narrator: do these photos

Show a real-deal peel?
Are they smoking-g*n evidence?
The mythbusters have their

Sights set on finding out.
With the bore sighter, you
put it in, turn on the laser.

Where the laser goes, that's
where the b*llet should go.
Then you get your scope, and you

Put your crosshairs on that
laser point.
Narrator: of course, you're

Supposed to take the bore
sighter out of the barrel before
pulling the trigger -- something

Our unfortunate marksman
apparently forgot to do.
Sergeant normandy's got a theory

As to how this scenario might
work.
Perhaps the little rubber

Gaskets on the bore sighter
creates such an adequate seal on
what is a fairly small diameter

For the b*llet that it creates
so much pressure in the barrel
that it blows it up.

Containment, combustion,
expl*si*n.
Exactly.

Narrator: okay, then, let's
see.
Okay, we are loaded.

Narrator: they've got a
brand-new .30-06 hunting r*fle
with a bore sighter stuck in the

Barrel.
3...2...1!
Oh!

What the heck?
Whoa!
I think the bore sighter

Bounced off the b*llet catcher
and hit the light.
Oh, wait a minute.

We got a split.
Did we?
Yeah, it split the barrel.

Oh, wow.
Narrator: that's about a


The barrel separated from the
start.
The bore sighter's in bits.

But still no banana peel.
I'm feeling like it is
possible.

We have never gotten any kind of
damage like this before, where
it's actually splitting down the

Length of the barrel.
Think about it.
This has got to be a one in a

Million shot to create that
banana-peel effect.
We've got a crack up the barrel.

We've got the stock separated.
I mean, under the perfect
circumstances, that photo could

Be that one in a million shot.
Also, we don't know what the
age of the g*n was, what kind of

Abuse it might have gone
through.
This is a brand-new g*n.

That's a totally valid point.
He could have had that g*n for
years, and it was already

Stressed.
That's a great point.
All right, so I guess we call

This one plausible.
Plausible.
I agree.

Narrator: from one firearm

Myth to another that made fans

Fume.

Sniperscope revisit?
Yeah, I am very pleased that
we found some things to retest

In this one, 'cause, personally,
I don't really enjoy making
sn*pers angry.

Is that why you're wearing
this thing?
Yes, it is.

So, what exactly did we get
wrong on the first try?
Well, according to some

Viewers, we used the wrong r*fle
and/or the wrong scope.
Oh, is that all?

Narrator: this myth goes back
to vietnam.
The story goes that u.s. Marine

sn*per carlos hathcock took out
his v.c. Counterpart with a
single shot straight down the

Scope.

But when adam and jamie scored

Direct hits on scope after

Scope, the b*ll*ts never made it

All the way through...

Leaving adam to conclude...

We don't have the scope that
gunny hathcock shot at, so we
can't know for sure.

I say we have to call this myth
busted.
Narrator: fans went, well,

Ballistic.
So, what was wrong with the
scope?

Fans said that we were not
using a period scope, which
apparently has a lot fewer glass

Elements then a modern scope,
and thus, by extension, should
be easier to get through with a

b*llet.
Okay.
What about the a*mo?

It turns out that the modern
a*mo we used, while very
accurate, is designed much more

Efficiently to k*ll than the
period a*mo, which means it
breaks up much faster.

We got a letter saying the
period a*mo would have made it
through more glass than modern

a*mo.
It was a harder b*llet.
Yes.

Narrator: okay, let's see how
the mythbusters aim up this
time.

That's there like that.
Narrator: fresh from helping
out with finger in a barrel,

Sergeant alan normandy will once
again be calling the shots.
According to photographic

Evidence, this is the exact same
model of r*fle that
gunnery sergeant hathcock would

Have been firing against.
Exact same r*fle, mount, scope.
This is not a replica r*fle.

This is an actual period g*n.
It's looks like there's some
russian writing on here.

You want to see if you can
translate?
Narrator: there's russian

Writing on the r*fle.
Lucky, jamie studied russian
literature.

[ Speaking russian ]
so it means that it was made in


Of the factory, I believe.
Narrator: alan's also scoped

Out a bunch of period-correct
scopes.
Put next to their modern

Counterparts, you can see that
size does matter.
You can see there's a size

Difference.
There's not much of a difference
in functionality.

There's between six and eight
elements in each of these
scopes.

The light is moving similarly
through them, but the lenses in
this one are much bigger, which

Means they're much fatter.
There's a lot more glass for the
b*llet to get through.

There's a lot less glass for the
b*llet to get through in this
scope.

Narrator: last time, the
b*ll*ts were hitting the modern
scope dead-on but were deflected

By the heavy-duty lenses inside.
That shouldn't be a problem with
this scope.

If we can't fire through this
scope, this myth is busted.
Narrator: grant's ballistic

Bust is on another tour of
duty, this time as the sn*per.
His r*fle and scope setup is

Authentic -- exactly what
sergeant hathcock's enemy target
would have been using.

For this test, we're going to
use this .30-06 r*fle with an
original 1968 vintage m-72


This is the actual type of round
that gunny hathcock would have

Used in his r*fle.
Narrator: .30-06,


Full-metal-jacket round.
And we've seen what these
.30-06 b*ll*ts do in several

Times in the past, and we know
that, for example, this b*llet
right here will go through two

Thicknesses of the ballistics
glass that we use to protect
ourselves here.

These really are powerful
b*ll*ts.
Narrator: jamie prepares to

Replicate sergeant hathcock's
k*ller shot.
Deep breath.

Let it surprise you.
Dude.
Oh, man.

How'd I do?
Well, we obliterated the
scope mount, for one.

That's what I can see from here.
I think we wasted a little
energy on some of the metal.

Narrator: jamie was just off
target.
The b*llet didn't make it

Through the scope.
Instead, it smashed the casing.
Our sn*per's still a clear and

Present danger.
It looks like the old scope
isn't as easy to penetrate as

First thought.
It may seem like the period
scope has less glass to

Penetrate, and it probably does.
But here's the catch.
The period scope has a metal

Ring that's actually quite
thick, that the b*llet has to
push all that glass through to

Get to the other side.
It's a little more difficult
than it might seem.

Narrator: adam's solution is
typically straightforward.
I don't know.

I'm starting to think that we
should just place this thing at
point-blank for the highest

Percentage of just seeing what
the b*llet will do.
I'm all for it.

Narrator: but jamie doesn't
agree.
He thinks adam's taking a

Potshot at his aiming ability,
and soon our science-loving
sn*pers are sniping at each

Other.
I was pretty centered.
I just need to move it up a

Little bit.
I don't like to change the
variables every time we redo a

Test here.
Well, I wasn't trying to
change the variables.

I was trying to eliminate them.
By moving the desk closer --
well, by moving all the way

Up till the barrel is kissing
the thing, that's just removing
the variable of aim.

If you want to keep working with
a variable of aim, I'm happy to.
Okay.

Narrator: jamie sets for a
second shot.
Making ready for live fire.

Narrator: he adjusts his aim
just a fraction.
And another .30-06 round

Thunders into the sniperscope.
That looks like a good shot.
Well, the glass is all

Obliterated.
That's one good sign.
Narrator: adam admits

Admiration.
Well, that was a good shot,
jamie.

That made it all the way
through.
The question is, is that our

b*llet?
It sure looks like it to me.
Really?

Oh, yeah, there's the copper.
It melted some of the glass
with some of the heat exchange.

Wow.
That's definitely copper.
Narrator: the b*llet blasted

Straight through the scope but
somehow stopped before
sn*per grant's beady eye.

The b*llet made it all the
way through and obliterated the
glass, but it still was just

Sitting right there.
Yep.
Our little guy here is not happy

At all, but he's not dead.
The period scope plus the
period r*fle and the period

a*mo all made significant
differences, but I still want to
call this one busted.

What do you think, al?
I'm not ready to call it over
just yet.

I got one little trick up my
sleeve.
U.s.g.i., .30-06 armor-piercing

Ammunition.
Let's do it.
Narrator: now, the next myth

Ripe for revisiting is one I
don't quite remember.
Can a hammerhead really explode?

Oh.
That type of hammerhead.
Got it. Sorry.

You know what?
It's always the little ones.
You think you've tested them

Thoroughly, but the fans -- they
still complain about it.
It's exploding hammer.

You know, I really thought we
nailed that one.
I think we did, too, but the

People disagree.
Why?
Why don't we let the narrator

Explain?

Narrator: oh, okay then.

Well, see, it all started when

Jamie innocently used one hammer

To bang another.

"Don't do that," fans exclaimed.

"A hammer can explode if struck

By another hammer."

That sparked a frenzy of
flailing tools, as the
mythbusters tried to blow a

Hammer sky-high without success.
It looks like the handle's
bent, but no shattering.

Narrator: but according to
fans, they got one or two things
wrong.

For a start, the modern hammers
they tested were too soft.
And when they fired up the

Homemade forge to try and harden
a hammer, they didn't get the
temperature right.

Nag, nag, nag.
And to top it all off, the anvil
they used wasn't a real anvil.

It was what blacksmiths call an
aso, or anvil-shaped object.
It looks like we need to get

Some pre-world w*r ii hammers,
some modern-day hammers we can
get all the way to transition

Temperature and then quenched.
Finally, I think we need to get
ourselves a real anvil.

Sounds like another trip to
the blacksmith.
You got it.

Narrator: so the guys are
going to take another swing at
this one.

First, they'll take two modern
commercial hammers, have them
super-hardened by a blacksmith,

And see if it's crunch time.
Whoa!
Narrator: then, they'll try

It with antique, work-hardened
hammers.
Let's see if the fans are

Right.
Narrator: and finally,
they'll put the antique tools up

Against a real anvil.
One!
Narrator: last time around,

Tory put together a top
hammer-swinging rig...
Ka-blammo!

It'll be like bla-dow!
Narrator: ...which he
promptly destroyed after the

Myth had been busted.
We need a hammer rig.
Unfortunately, I chopped it up

And turned it into a chop-saw
table.
You'd think we would learn.

Narrator: while tory puts the
rig back together, kari and
grant are off to forge a

Relationship with a blacksmith.
You even look like a
blacksmith.

Amazing.
Well, thank you.

Narrator: as president of the

California blacksmith

Association, herb upham knows a

Thing or two about swinging

Steel.

Here, a rather large piece

Has broken free from the top and

Has probably flown off at nearly

The speed of sound.

Really?
Really.
The speed of sound?

The speed of sound.
Narrator: and he has one or
two hammer horror stories.

The chip flew off the
hammerhead and cut the artery
in their left arm.

Oh my god.
So -- what happened?
They needed immediate first

Aid because the artery where it
was severed was squirting blood
directly out of their arm.

Ew!
Narrator: modern hammers are
a blend of metals, including

Tungsten and chrome, which
softens the tool, making it less
likely to chip and shatter.

To make a hammer harder, you
heat it to the point where the
metal loses its magnetism.

That's called the transition
temperature.
Then when the steel cools, it's

Harder and, so the theory goes,
more likely to shatter.

Now, the mythbusters tried this

Last time, but their homemade

Forge just wasn't hot enough.

Herb's propane-fueled forge is a
different beast.
That's like the easy-bake

Oven from hell.
Yes, it will toast your
waffles to almost 3,000 degrees.

Narrator: the brand-new
hammers are given the heat
treatment.

When they no longer hold any
attraction for a magnet, they're
quickly cooled.

This hammer is as hard as
it's ever going to get.
Narrator: but has the process

Made it any more shatter-prone?
It's in the danger zone.
This, if you struck it or hit it

On something, it would have a
very high likelihood of shards
coming off, shattering, and

Doing some real damage.
Great.
Excellent! Danger!

We'll take two.
Narrator: back at hammer
headquarters, tory's reassembled

The rig.
It's powered by compressed air
and a pair of pneumatic

Actuators.
In 3...2...1!
It works!

Narrator: out in the blast
chamber, it's hammer time.
Banging, banging, banging.

Narrator: herb's heat-treated
modern hammers are about to
swing.

If the fans are right, we should
be in for a smashing time.
I'm going to attach them to

The rig closer to the head, so
that way there's no chance of
bending.

All the energy will take place
at the hammerheads.

Narrator: first time 'round,

The guys worked out that a top

Human hammer swing hits with a

Force of around 50 pounds per

Square inch.


Inch-pounds of torque.
Will that be enough to make

Those hammers explode?
We should probably define
what an expl*si*n is before we

Do this test.
Did you see the death star
when it went out?

I want to see that, but like
it's a hammer.
A shattering of hammerheads.

We want it to look like it
was made of rock candy.
Here we go.

In 3...2...1.
Whoa!
We broke off the handle.

Yeah.
Well, it busted, but it
didn't explode.

No.
In fact, there's no damage to
the head.

Narrator: if these hardened
hammers won't explode, there's
no way a hardware-store hammer

Is going to even think about
going west.
These are modern hammers with

Modern alloys that are
specifically made not to
shatter.

They're made not to break into
pieces.
I mean, they're extra, extra

Hard, so if it's not gonna
happen with our hard hammers,
it's not gonna happen with a

Modern hammer.
High five.
Narrator: don't get too

c*ck, guys.
You might have hammered home the
point on the modern tools, but

Antiques and anvils are still
waiting in the wings.
Adam and jamie have one last

Shot at sh**ting a sn*per
through his scope.
And they're going to take it

Using armor-piercing ammunition.
This b*llet has a tungsten
carbide core.

It's designed to drill through
quarter-inch steel plate without
fragmenting.

They're down to their last
scope.
Jamie will have to be right on

Target.
They stick a dot to the dummy's
eye so any damage will show up

Clearly.
Are you ready?
I'm ready.

You feeling good?
Going to make the shot?
Yep.

Narrator: it's make or break
for this myth.
Deep breath.

On the exhale, squeeze slowly.
Narrator: jamie gets a bead
on the enemy's eyepiece.

You took his wig off.
Oh! Oh, jamie!
Now we're talking.

Narrator: jamie's pulled off
the perfect shot.
That hole is right down the

Middle of the scope.
It couldn't be any cleaner than
that.

I see a disintegrated dot --
what may be a hole in the
middle.

Narrator: but what happened
to the b*llet?
It's not amongst the scope

Debris, and there's no exit
wound in the dummy.
No hole on the back of her

Head.
I've got to say, that's worth
looking into.

We should take it back to the
shop, cut it open, do a real
autopsy, see if there's a b*llet

In him.
Okay.
I'm driving.

Narrator: they heft the head
back to h.q.
[ Tires squeal ]

And with absolutely no surgical
precision whatsoever...
We're getting in there.

That's good.
Narrator: ...adam carves
himself a wedge.

All right, I'm going to cut
this chunk out.
Narrator: I mean, don't let

This guy near your fresh-baked
apple pie.
Okay.

Hey, look at that.
That looks like debris a good


Eye.
Narrator: sure enough, like
an insect trapped in amber, the

b*llet is buried in the gel.
Gee, that looks like a
b*llet.

Narrator: and that means the
fans have scored a direct hit.
Well, that's definitive.

This b*llet made it all the way
through one of these scopes and
in far enough to be a k*ll.

That's a plausible myth.
Yep, he's dead.
The fans were right.

I'm really glad that we no
longer have to worry about a


Against angry sn*per fans.

Narrator: the mythbusters
have shown that a modern hammer,
even a heat-treated one, isn't

About to explode in the user's
face.
There's no damage to the

Head.

Narrator: so jamie was never

In any real danger.

But what if our bereted banger

Had been using historic hammers?

Before world w*r ii, hammers
were fashioned from straight
steel.

Theoretically, the high carbon
content makes them more brittle
and, therefore, more likely to

Explode on impact.
Tory takes the heads of two
antique tools and welds them on

To the swinging rig.
This next test should address
two issues.

One -- pre-world w*r ii hammers,
which means they should have a
higher carbon content.

And secondly, they are seriously
work-hardened -- blacksmith
work-hardened, not just our shop

Work-hardened.
Let's see if the fans are
right.

In 3...2...1.
Narrator: the hammers go
head-to-head.

Oh! That was a massive hit.
Narrator: but apparently,
even old hammers die hard.

Obviously, neither of these
exploded.
No.

Not even a chip.
No.
Narrator: not content with

Sending an e-mail, one
blacksmith named dorothy has
actually sent in some

Pre-world w*r ii hammers for the
guys to test.
She's sure her antique tools

Will give the guys their big
break.
These have been work hardened

Over many years.
She's actually retired them
because she feels they're too

Unsafe.
Are those modern alloy
hammers, or are these

Pre-world w*r ii?
These are old hammers.
They're ready to go.

So are we.
Here we go.
No, wait. I don't need this.

[ Laughter ]
don't worry, grant.
You never can be too safe.

In 3...2...1.
Whoa!
It looked like they hit right

On the face.
Oh, yeah.
Narrator: and what do you

Know?
One of dorothy's retired tools
has given this myth its best

Crack at success.
It's a chip and a crack.
That's not bad.

She wasn't lying.
They're ready to go.
Narrator: surely if it's

Subjected to a second blow
straight away, it will shatter
like honeycomb.

This is probably our best
chance of getting an exploding
hammerhead.

That's true.
Got some serious
fissures and weaknesses in

There.
This is it. Here we go.
In 3...2...1.

Narrator: that hammer's lost
its head.
But, still, no expl*sive

Shattering.
If you hit a hammer and you
saw a crack like that, you would

Obviously stop using it.
Absolutely.
You ready?

Yeah.
Narrator: tory, kari and
grant are still trying to make a

Hammer explode.
They've really been putting
their heads together.

But to date, their best result
has been a single fracture.
I think that does it for

Hammer versus hammer.
Yeah.
Narrator: maybe, grant.

But fans want one more test --
hammer versus anvil.
And they want to see a real

Anvil this time, not the
lightweight copy you tried to
pass off in the original story.

This is 260 pounds' worth of
heat-treated tool steel that is
a real anvil.

Narrator: now they're looking
for a way to slam a hammer down
on it.

The sharpest tool in the shed's
been struck...
Oh!

Narrator: ...by an idea.

Decapitation hazard,

Everybody.

Narrator: this powerful

Rotating rig was once used to

Cut a sword with a sword.

What I need to do is rotate
it 90 degrees.
So that way, instead of doing

This, the rig will do this.
Narrator: this new
hammer-heaving hunk of metal

Will also be powered by
compressed air.
The really good thing about

It is that it can be scaled up.
We can start out at
human pressure, but then it has

The ability, thanks to a huge
actuator, to go to superhuman
strength.

Narrator: tory attaches an
antique hammer.
Remember, the older and more

Work-hardened the tool, the
harder and more brittle the
steel.

All right. You guys ready?
In 3...2...1!
Does that look like anything

Happened?
Narrator: hammer hits anvil
with maximum human force.


Holy crap.
There's a huge crack in the head

Of this.
It's very faint, but you can see
right along there is a hairline

Crack.
Narrator: maybe.
But there are no chips, no steel

Shards, and definitely no
expl*si*n.
All right.

Let's ramp it up.
Superhuman strength.
You got it.

Narrator: grant ups the air
pressure to 100 p.s.i.
The rig will now deliver more

Than 1,500 inch-pounds of
torque.
Way faster, way stronger than

Any human could possibly swing a
hammer.


Narrator: the god of thunder
himself couldn't have connected
any harder.

Well, the head didn't
explode.
Yep, that was a massive hit.

I thought that was going to
be it.
We took every single factor into

Account.
Work-hardened, pre-world w*r
ii,

Real anvil, superhuman strength.
Do you want to stop talking
for a sec?

Look at that.
It opened the crack up bigger.
That is no chip, even.

That's not an expl*sive
shattering.
I would have thought this would

Have done it.
Narrator: time to down tools,
people.

This myth has gone under the
hammer.
I feel like we really busted

This one the first time, and I
think that still stands.
I totally agree.

Hammerheads will not explode if
you hit them against each other,
on an anvil, whether the anvil's

Real or not.
We've never denied the chips
can fly off the hammer, and

Those chips can be extremely
dangerous and potentially lethal
as we've heard in some cases.

But as far as an expl*sive
shattering?
It's just not going to happen.

Narrator: adam and jamie have
blown the whistle on the
mad-trombonist myth.

Now they're orchestrating what
they hope will be a fitting
finale.

[ Laughs ]
one last thing we can do to
put this to bed once and for

All, and that would be to take
our second backup trombone and
solder or weld the mouthpiece so

That no air can escape from it.
Narrator: our mustachioed
maestro takes their one

Remaining mouthpiece, and with
all the delicate skill of a good
drummer, bashes a bolt of metal

Into it.
I've plugged this up
physically, and we're going to

Actually solder it into the end
of the trombone so there's no
other way for the gas to escape,

Other than through the slide.
Narrator: then adam takes
over with solder and flame.

I put them both in there, and
it's solid solder, and it's
soldered right into the body of

The trombone.
This mouthpiece and this
trombone never shall be rent

Asunder again.
Narrator: the trombone is now
sealed shut.

Will that be enough to give the
fans the result they're looking
for?

Good to go.
Narrator: adam's mug is
looking smug.

I do think it is part of due
diligence to put this thing to
bed.

But I don't think it's going to
do anything.
It's not going to send this

Slide out towards buster.
Just no way.
Narrator: bold as brass,

Isn't he?
All right.
Let's see what happens.

This is mad trombonist, final
test, final revisit, welded-shut
mouthpiece in 5...4...3...2...1.

[ Laughing ]

Narrator: well, the
trombonist's down, and buster
hasn't budged.

But hang on a cotton-picking
minute.
The slide came off our

Trombone.
Where did it go?
Jamie...

It's up there, dude.
Narrator: that's right --
a full 70 feet away on the side

Of a hill.
Only on "mythbusters."
There's a lot of people

Cheering at their television
sets right about now.
I was all arrogant and saying,

"No, it's not going to work.
This is just stupid.
I can't believe we're doing

This."
Narrator: that's right.
He did say that.

It's not going to send this
slide out towards buster.
Just no way.

Narrator: the slide took off
like a stinger m*ssile, somehow
missing our conductor

Altogether but probably knocking
out the doorman.
That's it.

It definitely did leave during
the expl*si*n.
Go right past buster.

You know, it's weird having a
job where you really like being
wrong.

That's true.
But, I mean, that's just
awesome.

Narrator: but despite that
spectacular result, the guys
aren't about to change their

Tune.
This doesn't change the
status of the myth.

We've already shown that a
person whose lips are basically
tied to the mouthpiece didn't

Put enough back pressure to
cause the same result.
So only if you had a metal

Person, whose metal lips were
welded to the mouthpiece, would
you have had the same result.

It's still busted.
Narrator: but it goes to
show, the fans are right to make

Overtures if they think the
mythbusters are off-key.
Based on what I've seen, the

Complaint the fans had about our
diligence the first time we did
this test seems to be correct.

I still got to say the myth
is busted.
Oh, no doubt.

I still put this easily in the
busted category.

But I am very pleased to see

That the fans' concept and

Theory about the reason this

Slide could have left is

Actually correct.

Yeah, well, we're done.

All right.

[ Orchestra plays ]

You know what I love about

The "myths revisited"?

I think we're unique on

Television for being willing to

Air something, come to a

Conclusion, get feedback from

Our audience, and go back and do

The experiment again and maybe

Come to a different conclusion.

Yeah, well, it doesn't stop

There, because we've got a whole

Episode coming up entirely made

Up of viewer-suggested myths.

So if you've got a myth you

Want us to bust, log on to

Discovery.com/mythbusters.

If it's any good, it will end up

On the air.