# Object that defies traditional destruction, What would you try? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 9, 2011, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/object-that-defies-traditional-destruction-what-would-you-try/581308 "2011-05-09T18:52:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/object-that-defies-traditional-destruction-what-would-you-try/581308/1 "2011-05-09T18:52:02Z")
Let’s say you had found a solid object of unknown origin (about the size of a breadbox), and its material properties are unknown to you, and confounding, because you’ve tried to demolish it with everything a typical civilian has at hand. (e.g. a baseball bat, sledge hammer, jack hammer, explosives, etc…) Now, you may or may not succeed, but can you give me ideas on where you would turn to next. A university with high intensity lasers (but what kind and where)? Some kind of hydraulic vice? Some sort of Diamond Anvil (if it could handle the size?). Actually the more obscure/interesting, yet existing, technology the better. Also, it’d be nice to know where or how one could gain access to these types of more advanced/esoteric technology. I’m asking, because my friend is a screenwriter, and asked me this question. I told him it’d depend on what you were trying to destroy as to the method you’d try using, but he made it clear the characters can’t make heads or tails of it, so they’re trying everything the can think of, within relative reason. I gave him some answers, but I’d like to see what the brain trust here might offer. What would you try, where would you go to do it, and where might you turn to next, if _that_ didn’t work? p.s. I understand that it’s impossible to construct something indestructible, but that’s not the point… the point is this artifact it defying most typical approaches to demolish it… its material properties are advanced and proving very resilient. ---
**Author:** ![Panurge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/fbc32d/32.png) [@Panurge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Panurge)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/object-that-defies-traditional-destruction-what-would-you-try/581308/2 "2011-05-09T20:05:57Z")
Dissolving it in acid or similar, perhaps? Why am I so bent on destroying this thing? ---
**Author:** ![Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df705f/32.png) [@Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Full_Metal_Lotus)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/object-that-defies-traditional-destruction-what-would-you-try/581308/3 "2011-05-09T20:07:31Z")
does the item have any openings or other methods of introducing things to the inside. If it did, even if it were a small opening, filling it it with explosive gas and ignighting it may prove interesting. Or, water for that matter, and then freezing it - let expanding ice do the work… ---
**Author:** ![Panurge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/fbc32d/32.png) [@Panurge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Panurge)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/object-that-defies-traditional-destruction-what-would-you-try/581308/4 "2011-05-09T20:11:08Z")
… or just leave it in the middle of a kindergarten playground for an hour or two … ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/object-that-defies-traditional-destruction-what-would-you-try/581308/5 "2011-05-09T20:15:28Z")
The first thing that came to my mind was throwing it off a cliff. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/object-that-defies-traditional-destruction-what-would-you-try/581308/6 "2011-05-09T20:15:43Z")
CT scan? I’d take it to a hospital. Of course, I probably would’ve done that before the jackhammer and explosives… ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/object-that-defies-traditional-destruction-what-would-you-try/581308/7 "2011-05-09T20:18:35Z")
[Thermal lance.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_lance) ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/object-that-defies-traditional-destruction-what-would-you-try/581308/8 "2011-05-09T20:22:57Z")
> [@Panurge](#): > > … or just leave it in the middle of a kindergarten playground for an hour or two … Damn you. I wanted to give that answer. 😉 Yeah, give it to some little kids, or smear peanut butter on it and give it to a pack of dogs. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/object-that-defies-traditional-destruction-what-would-you-try/581308/9 "2011-05-09T20:27:02Z")
If my Fred Flinstone style sledgehammer doesn’t do the trick, move on to a bottle jack, or a hydraulic press, like at a car mechanic’s or auto body shop. If that’s no good, maybe rent a jackhammer or a diamond saw at my local tool rental shop. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/object-that-defies-traditional-destruction-what-would-you-try/581308/10 "2011-05-09T20:50:44Z")
Cool cool cool. I’ll pass these ideas on. He didn’t say if it has any openings, seals or is hollow. I got the impression it’s a completely solid object (a “Macguffin” in screenwriting terms) and the characters figure it must be destroyed, ala The One Ring in LotR (but this is sci-fi), but can’t figure out how. I believe he’s looking for a place for the characters to turn to, like an elaborate lab/university/government installment for an interesting set piece. ---
**Author:** ![Santos\_L\_Halper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/santos_l_halper/32/1_2.png) [@Santos\_L\_Halper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santos_L_Halper)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/object-that-defies-traditional-destruction-what-would-you-try/581308/11 "2011-05-09T21:02:40Z")
Nuke it from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/object-that-defies-traditional-destruction-what-would-you-try/581308/12 "2011-05-09T21:05:07Z")
I hear the US Navy has some new railguns that need further testing. ---
**Author:** ![picker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/picker/32/13969_2.png) [@picker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picker)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/object-that-defies-traditional-destruction-what-would-you-try/581308/13 "2011-05-09T21:05:44Z")
Well, if it’s truly a MacGuffin, it doesn’t matter what it looks like. Take the coolest looking/most interesting reasonable methods for the character and tailor the look of the McG to it. I would say that some easily available methods I would try to dispose of said object would be: - oxyacetylene torch - bonfire/furnace - train tracks - table saw or wet saw - shotgun blast - soak in a potent acid/base (what’s available at Home Depot?) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/object-that-defies-traditional-destruction-what-would-you-try/581308/14 "2011-05-09T21:25:52Z")
I’d be kinda wary of opening it. Maybe it’s especially difficult because the contents are not something I ought to release. I think I’d hand it over to the local research university. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/object-that-defies-traditional-destruction-what-would-you-try/581308/15 "2011-05-09T21:31:22Z")
Submerge in liquid air until brittle. Then, whack with wiffleball bat. ---
**Author:** ![Girl\_From\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3da27b/32.png) [@Girl\_From\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Girl_From_Mars)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/object-that-defies-traditional-destruction-what-would-you-try/581308/16 "2011-05-09T21:53:27Z")
I saw something on tv the other day on a science show which was like a giant set of lenses shin focused the sun’s rays at a smal focal point. They sprayed with water to see where it was and then melted iron and a rock within seconds. Thy said they had discovered nothing on earth which could withstand it. I’m on an iPhone so can’t search but sounds like a match for your indestructible breadbox. Ah, it’s a solar furnace. [http://m.boingboing.net/2010/11/23/solar-furnace-melts.html](http://m.boingboing.net/2010/11/23/solar-furnace-melts.html) ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/object-that-defies-traditional-destruction-what-would-you-try/581308/17 "2011-05-09T21:56:52Z")
Anything can be destroyed by fire (except other fires). So if the fire I tried didn’t work, I would get a hotter fire. aka welding thingie or blowtorch. If that doesn’t work, lasers. If they don’t work, clearly the object is made of some kind of solid fire, and should be delivered to/examined by scientists. Also, impenetrable objects found lying on the ground… well, I’ve read Andromeda Strain. I know what happens when local doctors open up strange meteorites. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/object-that-defies-traditional-destruction-what-would-you-try/581308/18 "2011-05-09T22:32:26Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > [Thermal lance.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_lance) Very cool. > [@Santos\_L\_Halper](#): > > Nuke it from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure. That’s worth a try, but we don’t know if it’s gonna affect it. 😉 > [@Suburban\_Plankton](#): > > I hear the US Navy has some new railguns that need further testing. Rail gun! Brilliant! > [@picker](#): > > Well, if it’s truly a MacGuffin, it doesn’t matter what it looks like. Take the coolest looking/most interesting reasonable methods for the character and tailor the look of the McG to it. > > I would say that some easily available methods I would try to dispose of said object would be: > > - oxyacetylene torch > - bonfire/furnace > - train tracks > - table saw or wet saw > - shotgun blast > - soak in a potent acid/base (what’s available at Home Depot?) Yepp. Truly is a MacGuffin. All great ideas, I especially like the train tracks. > [@Mangetout](#): > > I’d be kinda wary of opening it. Maybe it’s especially difficult because the contents are not something I ought to release. I think I’d hand it over to the local research university. Indeed. I have no idea what his story is, or why it needs to be destroyed. He knows I’m pretty decent when it comes to general science, so he usually comes to me for the “nerdy” questions. This one could be answered in so many ways, I thought it merited some feedback from here. > [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > Submerge in liquid air until brittle. > > Then, whack with wiffleball bat. HA! Liquid Nitrogen, or perhaps something even colder might be interesting. Knowing him, I’m sure he’ll like the rail gun idea… more tech-impressive. Although, who doesn’t want to see alien technology destroyed by a wiffleball bat?! > [@Girl\_From\_Mars](#): > > I saw something on tv the other day on a science show which was like a giant set of lenses shin focused the sun’s rays at a smal focal point. They sprayed with water to see where it was and then melted iron and a rock within seconds. Thy said they had discovered nothing on earth which could withstand it. I’m on an iPhone so can’t search but sounds like a match for your indestructible breadbox. > > Ah, it’s a solar furnace. [http://m.boingboing.net/2010/11/23/solar-furnace-melts.html](http://m.boingboing.net/2010/11/23/solar-furnace-melts.html) Reaaally interesting. I shall pass it on! Thanks! > [@rachelellogram](#): > > Anything can be destroyed by fire (except other fires). So if the fire I tried didn’t work, I would get a hotter fire. aka welding thingie or blowtorch. If that doesn’t work, lasers. If they don’t work, clearly the object is made of some kind of solid fire, and should be delivered to/examined by scientists. > > Also, impenetrable objects found lying on the ground… well, I’ve read Andromeda Strain. I know what happens when local doctors open up strange meteorites. Heee. Well, right, and that’s what I tried to explain. Even if they’re aliens with advanced technology, they’re made of the same matter we are. You raise temperatures hot enough, and whatever it is, its atoms won’t like it at all. Unless it has some sort of magical cooling system? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/object-that-defies-traditional-destruction-what-would-you-try/581308/19 "2011-05-09T22:50:55Z")
```auto object->~Class(); delete static_cast(object); ``` ---
**Author:** ![fumster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@fumster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fumster)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/object-that-defies-traditional-destruction-what-would-you-try/581308/20 "2011-05-10T03:22:28Z")
Wait for Thor to pick it up [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/object-that-defies-traditional-destruction-what-would-you-try/581308.md?page=2)