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I live near the heath and regularly walk and run through it - would have loved it if there had been some pictures of it, or even a diagram/map or where it was o

I live near the heath and regularly walk and run through it - would have loved it if there had been some pictures of it, or even a diagram/map or where it was or what it looked like! There are a few pictures here: - This one shows the entrance hatch http://camdennewjournal.com/article/homeless-man-living-on-hampstead-heath-jailed-for-making-and-burying-gun http://camdennewjournal.com/article/homeless-man-living-on-h... - https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/hampstead-heath-breaking-badstyle-crystal-meth-lab-found-in-north-london-park-a3937186.html https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/hampstead-heath-breaki... - https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/7265542/real-life-breaking-bad-outdoor-meth-lab-uncovered-london-hampstead-heath/ https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/7265542/real-life-breaking-bad... Based on those pictures, the description in the article, and some local knowledge of the layout around there, I am guessing it was approximately in this area: - https://goo.gl/maps/FNxHU6MVZ2B9phkU7 https://goo.gl/maps/FNxHU6MVZ2B9phkU7 or https://goo.gl/maps/hNwBfC1tcYGpeDzFA https://goo.gl/maps/hNwBfC1tcYGpeDzFA

yboris 7y ago
I came to the comments to say "pics or it didn't happen" :P I'm really disappointed when articles exclude obviously-helpful visual details where appropriate (like graphs, photos, or maps).
arethuza 7y ago
Not being hugely familiar with London I recognised the name but I've never been to Hampstead Heath - it does have quite an extensive Wikipedia entry that makes it sound fascinating: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hampstead_Heath https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hampstead_Heath Mind you, I am easily fascinated.
- wooptoo 7y ago
  It's one of my favourite parts of London. Paid ridiculous amounts in rent years ago for a small flat just to live close and be able to enjoy it every day. It's not really a park, more like a forest inside the city, peppered with mansions on the edge, swimming ponds, and all sorts of secluded paths. I'm glad they've kept it away from new development as it's one of the few places to truly escape the city without actually going away.
mindslight 7y ago
That first link has a picture of the "gun", which appears to be a PVC pipe of the type used for a bathroom sink drain. It wouldn't hold water pressure, never mind an exploding bullet. And it's the wrong diameter for a gun barrel. I wonder if there is actually a metal pipe inside that (with the PVC for a nicer grip or something), or if this is another thing the police dramatically mischaracterized.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- tyingq 7y ago
  You wouldn't want to hold and fire it in your hand, but it could be a landmine of sorts with a shotgun shell. Maybe relevant since it was found buried. Like: https://www.quora.com/How-can-I-make-a-gun-for-just-5 https://www.quora.com/How-can-I-make-a-gun-for-just-5
  - pengaru 7y ago
    I imagine it'd be fine for a single use even holding the thing if it's a low-power bird-shot shell. Frankly I'm surprised by all the comments here dismissing the practicality of the plastic pipe gun. Sure, there's risk of it potentially failing, but the whole scenario is implicitly a pretty desperate situation where someone's constructing a single-use firearm on a budget near zero. Safety and reliability aren't going to be the top priorities. It wouldn't surprise me if you were able to fire a smaller caliber slug from PVC simply by sizing the barrel larger than the slug so there's not a good seal containing the pressure. Sure you'll lose muzzle velocity and accuracy, but for an up-close weapon it can still be lethal while reducing the explosion risks. Anyone who's played with class-c fireworks like mortars will know that even a thin cardboard tube can be both safe and reusable in launching loose-fitting projectiles with black powder. The powder I removed from .357 bullets and mortars as a pyromaniac kid was pretty damn similar, almost identical looking in grain size and flame speed when burned in open air.
    - zaroth 7y ago
m-i-l 7y ago
Yes, looks like the spot just north of the East Heath Road car park. I vaguely recall it being cordoned off for a while, but assumed it must have been related to the Hampstead Heath Ponds Project or something like that. It's not unusual to see cordons around there. They even had the top of Parliament Hill fenced off a few weeks back for filming a scene in one of the new Marvel films. Just goes to show that there could be all sorts of things going on that locals don't know about. That said, its hard not to notice the big increase in homeless there has been in London over the past 5-10 years. I don't think that is all due to rising house prices - there are other factors like the big sell off of social housing. Anyway, the bunker sounds ingenious, but is nowhere as big as that of the Mole Man of Hackney[0]. [0] https://www.theguardian.com/society/2006/aug/08/communities.uknews https://www.theguardian.com/society/2006/aug/08/communities....
londons_explore 7y ago
That picture of the "pipe gun" found is total rubbish... Who builds a pipe gun out of a plastic pipe? It would just blow up in your hands. I can't tell from the photo what the device really is intended to be, but it might be just a DIY container for keeping tinder dry.
- TeMPOraL 7y ago
  EDIT: disregard the comment and see btrettel's reply below. -- Original comment: -- > Who builds a pipe gun out of a plastic pipe? It would just blow up in your hands. Someone who's aware that when a metal pipe bursts, you get shrapnel. The potato guns I've seen tend to be made from plastic pipes for that reason. PVC is surprisingly strong for these applications. As a teenager, I've built some solid rocket motors with a friend, and we've been using plastic pipes for the same reason.
  - btrettel 7y ago
    > > Who builds a pipe gun out of a plastic pipe? It would just blow up in your hands. > Someone who's aware that when a metal pipe bursts, you get shrapnel. > The potato guns I've seen tend to be made from plastic pipes for that reason. PVC is surprisingly strong for these applications. As a teenager, I've built some solid rocket motors with a friend, and we've been using plastic pipes for the same reason. Mechanical engineer with potato gun experience here. Your statements here are not just wrong, but dangerous. PVC pipe is discouraged for potato guns specifically because of shrapnel: https://www.spudfiles.com/spud_wiki/index.php?title=PVC_pipe https://www.spudfiles.com/spud_wiki/index.php?title=PVC_pipe > One of the main disadvantages of PVC is that it becomes brittle in cold weather, which may lead to chamber failure, especially in pneumatic launchers. When PVC fails under pressure it breaks into sharp shards, which are propelled at high velocity. Because of this danger PVC pipe is not rated for use with pressurized gases, and the use in spudguns is to be regarded as outside of specifications. Shrapnel from failure of PVC can be fatal. The reason PVC does not shatter with water is that water is not compressible, so water stores very little energy. Air is compressible and stores lots of energy. As a result, pressure rated ABS pipe is a better choice for a spudgun, as it is rated for compressed air. You can find it online or at an industrial supply store. There have been reports of serious injury and death from exploding PVC pipe, even at low pressures. Alternative materials, such as ABS, copper, and steel are much better choices. Potato guns are typically built from PVC pipe because PVC pipe is cheap, PVC pipe is readily available, and most people building potato guns don't know better. The more knowledgeable folks tend to avoid it in my experience. Metal pipe would absolutely be stronger at the typical thicknesses of plumbing pipes.

yboris 7y ago

I came to the comments to say "pics or it didn't happen" :P I'm really disappointed when articles exclude obviously-helpful visual details where appropriate (like graphs, photos, or maps).

arethuza 7y ago

Not being hugely familiar with London I recognised the name but I've never been to Hampstead Heath - it does have quite an extensive Wikipedia entry that makes it sound fascinating: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hampstead_Heath https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hampstead_Heath Mind you, I am easily fascinated.

wooptoo 7y ago
It's one of my favourite parts of London. Paid ridiculous amounts in rent years ago for a small flat just to live close and be able to enjoy it every day. It's not really a park, more like a forest inside the city, peppered with mansions on the edge, swimming ponds, and all sorts of secluded paths. I'm glad they've kept it away from new development as it's one of the few places to truly escape the city without actually going away.

mindslight 7y ago

That first link has a picture of the "gun", which appears to be a PVC pipe of the type used for a bathroom sink drain. It wouldn't hold water pressure, never mind an exploding bullet. And it's the wrong diameter for a gun barrel. I wonder if there is actually a metal pipe inside that (with the PVC for a nicer grip or something), or if this is another thing the police dramatically mischaracterized.

deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
tyingq 7y ago
You wouldn't want to hold and fire it in your hand, but it could be a landmine of sorts with a shotgun shell. Maybe relevant since it was found buried. Like: https://www.quora.com/How-can-I-make-a-gun-for-just-5 https://www.quora.com/How-can-I-make-a-gun-for-just-5
- pengaru 7y ago
  I imagine it'd be fine for a single use even holding the thing if it's a low-power bird-shot shell. Frankly I'm surprised by all the comments here dismissing the practicality of the plastic pipe gun. Sure, there's risk of it potentially failing, but the whole scenario is implicitly a pretty desperate situation where someone's constructing a single-use firearm on a budget near zero. Safety and reliability aren't going to be the top priorities. It wouldn't surprise me if you were able to fire a smaller caliber slug from PVC simply by sizing the barrel larger than the slug so there's not a good seal containing the pressure. Sure you'll lose muzzle velocity and accuracy, but for an up-close weapon it can still be lethal while reducing the explosion risks. Anyone who's played with class-c fireworks like mortars will know that even a thin cardboard tube can be both safe and reusable in launching loose-fitting projectiles with black powder. The powder I removed from .357 bullets and mortars as a pyromaniac kid was pretty damn similar, almost identical looking in grain size and flame speed when burned in open air.
  - zaroth 7y ago

m-i-l 7y ago

Yes, looks like the spot just north of the East Heath Road car park. I vaguely recall it being cordoned off for a while, but assumed it must have been related to the Hampstead Heath Ponds Project or something like that. It's not unusual to see cordons around there. They even had the top of Parliament Hill fenced off a few weeks back for filming a scene in one of the new Marvel films. Just goes to show that there could be all sorts of things going on that locals don't know about. That said, its hard not to notice the big increase in homeless there has been in London over the past 5-10 years. I don't think that is all due to rising house prices - there are other factors like the big sell off of social housing. Anyway, the bunker sounds ingenious, but is nowhere as big as that of the Mole Man of Hackney[0]. [0] https://www.theguardian.com/society/2006/aug/08/communities.uknews https://www.theguardian.com/society/2006/aug/08/communities....

londons_explore 7y ago

That picture of the "pipe gun" found is total rubbish... Who builds a pipe gun out of a plastic pipe? It would just blow up in your hands. I can't tell from the photo what the device really is intended to be, but it might be just a DIY container for keeping tinder dry.

TeMPOraL 7y ago
EDIT: disregard the comment and see btrettel's reply below. -- Original comment: -- > Who builds a pipe gun out of a plastic pipe? It would just blow up in your hands. Someone who's aware that when a metal pipe bursts, you get shrapnel. The potato guns I've seen tend to be made from plastic pipes for that reason. PVC is surprisingly strong for these applications. As a teenager, I've built some solid rocket motors with a friend, and we've been using plastic pipes for the same reason.
- btrettel 7y ago
  > > Who builds a pipe gun out of a plastic pipe? It would just blow up in your hands. > Someone who's aware that when a metal pipe bursts, you get shrapnel. > The potato guns I've seen tend to be made from plastic pipes for that reason. PVC is surprisingly strong for these applications. As a teenager, I've built some solid rocket motors with a friend, and we've been using plastic pipes for the same reason. Mechanical engineer with potato gun experience here. Your statements here are not just wrong, but dangerous. PVC pipe is discouraged for potato guns specifically because of shrapnel: https://www.spudfiles.com/spud_wiki/index.php?title=PVC_pipe https://www.spudfiles.com/spud_wiki/index.php?title=PVC_pipe > One of the main disadvantages of PVC is that it becomes brittle in cold weather, which may lead to chamber failure, especially in pneumatic launchers. When PVC fails under pressure it breaks into sharp shards, which are propelled at high velocity. Because of this danger PVC pipe is not rated for use with pressurized gases, and the use in spudguns is to be regarded as outside of specifications. Shrapnel from failure of PVC can be fatal. The reason PVC does not shatter with water is that water is not compressible, so water stores very little energy. Air is compressible and stores lots of energy. As a result, pressure rated ABS pipe is a better choice for a spudgun, as it is rated for compressed air. You can find it online or at an industrial supply store. There have been reports of serious injury and death from exploding PVC pipe, even at low pressures. Alternative materials, such as ABS, copper, and steel are much better choices. Potato guns are typically built from PVC pipe because PVC pipe is cheap, PVC pipe is readily available, and most people building potato guns don't know better. The more knowledgeable folks tend to avoid it in my experience. Metal pipe would absolutely be stronger at the typical thicknesses of plumbing pipes.