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SNOWMASS VILLAGE — There’s nothing magical about running an engine on water, says magician Mike T., of Galveston, Texas.
In his bejeweled top hat and wearing a wide smile beneath a twirled mustache, T. — his last name is an initial because he claims his actual surname has more than 30 letters — can spin a balloon poodle in just seven seconds and can command the short attention spans of children with his cagey card tricks and rapid-fire banter.
But that’s nothing compared with his higher calling: living green.
A hobby hot-rod builder, T. travels to festivals all over the country each year. And, when gas prices began to skyrocket, he decided to do something about it.
He now builds engines that run on water, and on Saturday, as part of the “Snowmagical Family Fun Fest” in Snowmass, T. had one of his custom hydrogen engines on display.
“I’m just trying to help the world,” T. said.
The magician, who talks in an excited staccato, stressed that he is not selling anything; he simply wants to get the word out on new science and efficient vehicles.
“It’s strictly science,” T. said.
Using an electrolysis process in a kitchen water filter, T. separates hydrogen from water, then runs the gas through a “bubbler” and creates power.
T. has devised a handful of water-powered engines, from a two-horsepower lawn edger to a 16-horsepower lawn mower, as well as a hybrid engine he uses to power his truck.
T. had a larger engine on display Saturday, the very contraption that enables him to run a two-ton truck at 26 miles per gallon (it usually gets 12).
The magician also uses a handful of other tricks to make engines run more efficiently, from pumping up tires above recommended levels to taping magnets to fuel lines and using after-market air filters.
“This is not about personal profit; it’s about sharing the world and making it greener,” T. said.
He recommends anyone interested in building their own engine do an Internet search for HHO or “Brown Water.”
“Most people have not heard of it,” T. said.
And he just wants to get the word out, free of charge.
If you want to book him for a kid’s birthday party, however, that’ll cost you, he said.
cagar@aspentimes.com
In his bejeweled top hat and wearing a wide smile beneath a twirled mustache, T. — his last name is an initial because he claims his actual surname has more than 30 letters — can spin a balloon poodle in just seven seconds and can command the short attention spans of children with his cagey card tricks and rapid-fire banter.
But that’s nothing compared with his higher calling: living green.
A hobby hot-rod builder, T. travels to festivals all over the country each year. And, when gas prices began to skyrocket, he decided to do something about it.
He now builds engines that run on water, and on Saturday, as part of the “Snowmagical Family Fun Fest” in Snowmass, T. had one of his custom hydrogen engines on display.
“I’m just trying to help the world,” T. said.
The magician, who talks in an excited staccato, stressed that he is not selling anything; he simply wants to get the word out on new science and efficient vehicles.
“It’s strictly science,” T. said.
Using an electrolysis process in a kitchen water filter, T. separates hydrogen from water, then runs the gas through a “bubbler” and creates power.
T. has devised a handful of water-powered engines, from a two-horsepower lawn edger to a 16-horsepower lawn mower, as well as a hybrid engine he uses to power his truck.
T. had a larger engine on display Saturday, the very contraption that enables him to run a two-ton truck at 26 miles per gallon (it usually gets 12).
The magician also uses a handful of other tricks to make engines run more efficiently, from pumping up tires above recommended levels to taping magnets to fuel lines and using after-market air filters.
“This is not about personal profit; it’s about sharing the world and making it greener,” T. said.
He recommends anyone interested in building their own engine do an Internet search for HHO or “Brown Water.”
“Most people have not heard of it,” T. said.
And he just wants to get the word out, free of charge.
If you want to book him for a kid’s birthday party, however, that’ll cost you, he said.
cagar@aspentimes.com
