Don't try this at home: YouTuber builds homemade thermite cannon

We learn from a young age that a lighter and a can of deodorant can make a rudimentary flamethrower. But such meagre firepower is beneath YouTuber Colin Furze, who not only laughs in the face of danger but does a little dance around it.

Furze's latest contraption is a steampunk-esque cannon that launches canisters of deadly thermite and turns everything it its wake into a pile of smouldering ashes. The cannon, which Furze has built himself for reasons best left unknown, ignites the thermite inside a chamber before lobbing at equally flammable targets, including a canister of petrol and a pile of fireworks.

It's probably worth mentioning here that you should in no way try to build anything like this yourself at home. For those unfamiliar with thermite, the substance is a mixture of extremely volatile metal compounds that burns at up to 2,500 degrees Celsius when ignited. It's the same thing used in welding and for incendiary bombs and something you really, really don't want to mess with.

Furze, meanwhile, has experience in dodging death. Previous inventions from the YouTuber include flamethrowers, Wolverine claws and a terrifying rocket-powered bicycle.

You can see Furze's latest invention blackening the earth in the video below, and check out his full arsenal over on his YouTube channel.