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Badgermurphy New user 2 Posts |
Hi all. I found this site while looking for info on buried alive acts. The reason is this: I'm a performance artist, fascinated with Houdini & escape artists & a piece I have cooked up might involve myself in a phone booth I've made, filled to the brim with sand. I've not figured out if I will be completely submerged in the sand, or just up to my head, but I'm wondering if anyone can give me their tips & warnings. Not secrets, but I want to familiarize myself with the procedure & preparations. If anyone can help with their thoughts it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Eric |
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dave_matkin Inner circle 4522 Posts |
SURE:-
cut a hole in teh top of the phone box ---- this will let the sand in! also make sure hte phone is not disconected -that way if you get in trouble you can phone for help. Dot forget your @@*****@@ that is REALLY important! are you serious about this? What message are you trying to put forward in your "perfromance art"? It may help us give you "no secrets" but procedures (are they not the same?) Dave |
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jay leslie V.I.P. Southern California 9498 Posts |
Performance art is one thing but I'm sure the rest of the clan will chime in and agree that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Make sure you fill out a will before attempting this. The art of escape is a learned process that requires much more knowledge then a few tips. I would try going to the beach and being buried up to you waist then imagine how difficult it will be when the san is crushing against your chest and depleting your ability to breathe. Then if you still want to do this, purchase a pair of thumb cuffs and work your way up.
Jay Leslie
www.TheHouseOfEnchantment.com |
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Moxahalla Special user Los Angeles 751 Posts |
You might ask Anthony Martin --- because he did almost that exact same stunt on TV:
...escaping from a full-view "phone booth" upright clear container---after it had filled with sand. _____________________________________________________________________________ January 20, 1996 Anthony is featured in his first network television special. ABC airs "Secrets of the World's Greatest Escape Artist," ....the show concluded with Anthony's dramatic escape from beneath 2000 pounds of sand at the Las Vegas Hilton in Las Vegas, Nevada. ______________________________________________________________________________ --oh, and don't expect Anthony to respond, or to be thrilled with "your idea". |
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jay leslie V.I.P. Southern California 9498 Posts |
But the question is... are we doing this person a favor by showing him how to possibly kill himself?
He only has ONE post and no real world experience. AND as we read the initial post it appears the anticipated method of operation is to actually be buried up to his head... which I can tell you does not always work out the way you imagine.
Jay Leslie
www.TheHouseOfEnchantment.com |
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Margarette Special user Memphis area 956 Posts |
If I can interject an engineering/soil mechanics viewpoint here...
Sand is a poor choice of soil material to use. I understand that it has already been done, but that still doesn't make sand a wise choice of material to use. Sand has no cohesive properties (in soil mechanics terms, it is "non-plastic"). This means that its behavior will cause it to constantly strive to compact itself...to occupy the least amount of space...no air between the particles of sand. Any movement and/or vibration will cause the material to compact...this could be floor vibrations due to equipment being moved nearby or even people walking. If this were to be set up outside, traffic and environmental conditions would be a problem. I'm sure everyone is familiar with the Bible phrase of the foolish build their house upon the sand...meaning sand is not very stable (due to its non-plastic properties). Yes, this is true. If a building's foundation sits on sandy soil, and an earthquake happens, something called "soil liquifaction" occurs...which means the sand will basically flow like water. HOWEVER, if you were to put sand in a confined space, such as a phone booth, its exhibits great stability and is quite solid...almost like concrete. Think of sand in a confined space like the bricks of coffee you can buy in the grocery store. With enough vibration, the sand will eventually become as solid as one of those vacuum sealed bricks of coffee. Another problem you have is the pressure from the sand exerted on the walls of the phone booth from the inside. Is the one atmosphere of pressure exerted on the walls from the outside greater than the pressure from the sand exerted on the walls from the inside....and what is the strength of the material used to construct the walls? The pressures from outside the booth and from inside the booth must be in equilibrium. Otherwise, in an attempt to reach a state of equilibrium, the walls will collapse. Just a few things to think about. Margarette
The only stupid question is the one not asked.
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Harley Newman Inner circle 5117 Posts |
Well put, M!
Another thing that happens due to the ability of sand to flow, is that when you exhale, it will fill the space formerly occupied by your chest. Each breath, you have less room for chest expansion, and consequently less volume for your lungs to do what they're supposed to do. Hence, oxygen deprivation and suffocation. On the other hand, there's a good thing about it. When you pass out, you won't fall down and skin your knee.
“You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus” -Mark Twain
www.bladewalker.com |
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jay leslie V.I.P. Southern California 9498 Posts |
So far the vote is 4 against. I'll go to the kitchen and make a sandwich and see who else responds. Please continue.
Jay Leslie
www.TheHouseOfEnchantment.com |
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Badgermurphy New user 2 Posts |
Hi everybody, thank you all so much for the responses. This is an idea I had, not one that I have yet to put into action & before I even started I wanted to get info from people who would know, & that's a lot of you it seems. Thank you all again.
eric |
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Chance Inner circle 1385 Posts |
Make that 5.
What's next, another discussion of the merits of USD SJ with a fire rope? Blame it on utube. Now anyone with a camera and a sudden irrational impulse can copy Angel or Blain, but without the 20 techies and safety crew off camera. Darwin wins again! |
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Cliffg37 Inner circle Long Beach, CA 2491 Posts |
Good point Chance.
I wonder if there are any statistics on how many would be escape artists have been killd or injured due to poor planning or no planning on some ill fated yet spectacular stunt.
Magic is like Science,
Both are fun if you do it right! |
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jay leslie V.I.P. Southern California 9498 Posts |
Cliff, thought you were going to give us the weight of the sand and how much lung power it takes to hold it back as an equation and at what point the weight will overcome the body even if it's in the upright position... and how much the difference is weather you're standing at the bottom of the booth or near the top.
Jay Leslie
www.TheHouseOfEnchantment.com |
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Cliffg37 Inner circle Long Beach, CA 2491 Posts |
OK Jay, I didn't think anyone would want to know, but since you asked...
Pure sand weighs about 500 pounds for a cubic meter. A phone booth should hold just under 3 cubic meters. but lets make a subtraction for the volume opf the person. Depending on your size lets say the booth will hold roughly 1000 pounds of sand. Margarette's discussion of compaction is right on. You will not climb out of there. No worries though. The glass on the phone booth is about 1/4 inch thick. Glass is strong in some ways but quite weak in others. I am of the opinion that the force put against the glass at the bootom would be about 300 pounds. I think the glass would break, allowing the sand to slide out and free you from your death trap. (The sand at the top will put most of its' force down. The top of the booth will feel much less stress and therefore ramin in tact. Note: That calculation was for ordinary silicon dioxide glass at 1/4 inch think. There are dozens of grades and thinknessess of glass. There are additives that can bolter it up too. There are also many grades and thicknesses of plexiglass. There are diffeernt grades of sand too. Some of the grades that are more coarse MIGHT not compact as badly. I have never done this so I don't want to comment. Chest expansion: Well, what kind of shape are you in? There is a band you can wrap around yourself and measure your chest expansion power. This measurement is meaningless however, since IF you could breathe..You'd breathe in sand and begin to choke. The drain from the break at the bottom would save your life, but you would remember that experience for a very long time. Breaking bones. The average human bone can withstand 70 pounds of pressure before breaking. That is in stress and not crushing. I think you will be ok in this area. Overall findings... DON'T DO THIS! You will not escape un injured. Sand in your eyes is not fun either, and if you rub it in your eyes you can scrath the cornea resulting in a PERMANENT reduction in vision. class dismissed.
Magic is like Science,
Both are fun if you do it right! |
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Margarette Special user Memphis area 956 Posts |
Gee Cliff, with our explanations, people might think you and I are a couple of geeks!!!
Margarette
The only stupid question is the one not asked.
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mark2004 Loyal user UK 215 Posts |
The TV series Mythbusters did quite a good debunking job on live burial stunts. Not strictly speaking the same thing as was proposed with the telephone stunt, but still some relevance in terms of the soil mechanics. The basic message was that a relatively small depth of loose particulate material (sand or dry soil) will equate to high pressures that can buckle and crush props.
It bemuses me that people still seem to keep popping up with ideas about performing these types of stunts with basic props despite well documented evidence to the effect that it's dumb unless you have a lot of specialised expertise and planning...and even then it's pretty dumb. |
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jay leslie V.I.P. Southern California 9498 Posts |
Does the name Burris, ring any bells?
Jay Leslie
www.TheHouseOfEnchantment.com |
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Harley Newman Inner circle 5117 Posts |
Yes. He was "Burrissed alive", and dug up dead.
“You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus” -Mark Twain
www.bladewalker.com |
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Chance Inner circle 1385 Posts |
Yeah, like Harley Newman would know anything about dangerous stunts! As if!
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dave_matkin Inner circle 4522 Posts |
Quote:
On 2008-05-15 17:09, Moxahalla wrote: I bet that took ages to get out of the carpet! oh you said at not in...... |
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dave_matkin Inner circle 4522 Posts |
I really hope that Eric has nocked this on the head .... unles he is wanting to get burried alive - have the pressure break the glass - the sand pour out of hte phone booth - and hime not emmerge from the box as he is unconcious......
I hope he has said NOPE htis is not a good idea? Also am I right in him saying this is a n original idea? |
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