Yeah, I'm going with water bubble. Water is extremely energetic when it changes phase rapidly. Think the old "cup of water in a microwave" explosion or throwing water on to burning oil (eg. http://www.videosift.com/video/Kitchen-Oil-Fire-gone-terribly-wrong). Could be easily avoided by inserting the mold in to the furnace for about 10 seconds an end (if that is indeed the cause)

The cooling outer skin of the aluminium would have resisted the expansion of the steam which is why it took a second or so to pop after they had poured the bulk of the ingot, and why it caused such a big spray.

Both guys are, of course, extremely lucky.

As for putting it out, blowing on it??? Yeah, right. The moron trying to bat out a crucible that is up ended (hence there would be molten Al on the bench burning the bench top) and would be in excess of 660 deg cel, the melting point of Al, with a glove is just icing on the idiot cake at this point. /golfclap

In other news, Obama has a third nipple, rides a broomstick and causes cats to spontaneously implode.

Remind anyone of anything..? (The Crucible, 1996)

The movie is centered around the Salem Massachusetts witch trials of 1692. The movie is based on the play "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller. He also wrote the screen play adaptation. Written by {dfmarean@Cove.com}

A small group of teen girls in 1692 Salem, Massachusetts caught in an innocent conjuring of love potions to catch young men are forced to tell lies that Satan had invaded them and forced them to participate in the rites and are then forced to name those involved.

Thrown into the mix are greedy preachers and other major landowners trying to steal others' land and one young woman (Ryder) infatuated with a married man (Day-Lewis) and determined to get rid of his innocent wife (Allen).

Arthur Miller wrote the events and the subsequent trials where those who demanded thier innocence were executed, those who would not name names were incarcerated and tortured, and those who admitted their guilt were immediately freed as a parable of the Congressional Communist witch hunts led by Senator Joe McCarthy in 1950's America.