Ever Wondered What Happens When You Pour Metal Into A Melon? No? Find Out Anyway

Some scientific experiments make sense, like getting a machine to work or figuring out the basic physical properties of the universe. Then, there”s this: the experiment where molten aluminum is poured into a watermelon.

This experiment comes to us thanks to The Backyard Scientist, who hosts crazy science experiments for your enjoyment on YouTube. Surprisingly enough, there was a pretty amazing result, and certainly not the explosion they”d expected.

This does not bode well.

(Don”t worry, they”ve got it totally under control.)

First, a hole is punched in a sacrificial watermelon.

 

In the meantime, some aluminum was melted down in a foundry.

The Backyard Scientist”s foundry is propane powered and homemade.

The aluminum is then poured into the watermelon.

The molten metal splashes out as it reacts with the water inside the melon. This is why the lawn is a little bit on fire here. No big deal, though.

Before we spoil it for you, watch the whole process here. We hope we don”t need to tell you not to try this at home.

The moment of truth.

The hypothesis here, as is explained, was that the watermelon would just explode from the intense heat of the liquid aluminum, but something a little different happened.

The aluminum found its way into the seed pockets before hardening, forming this amazing sculpture!

They made a second one to see if the same thing would happen, and it did.

This time, they corralled the aluminum into the watermelon using a can, which is why the second sculpture has a thicker, cylindrical base.

You can see more of The Backyard Scientist”s experiments, including some more with liquid aluminum, on his YouTube channel. You can also see what creations are for sale on their Etsy page.

And of course, The Backyard Scientist concludes the video with some advice that everyone, scientist or not, should heed: “Don”t blow yourselves up.”