The Errors
Photograph from samuraisocialista's blogspot
Step by step
As seen on The Nuclear Boyscout
Gather materials, by tracking down radioactive sources as listed in the Boy Scout Atomic Energy Merit Badge Book such smoke detectors, lithium batteries, thorium nitrate, and thorium lanterns.
This is both an expensive and dangerous pursuit. Many items that contain some radioactivity are expensive, such as purchasing hundreds of smoke detectors. Moreover, while in small quantities these substances are relatively harmless, in large enough quantities, it is possible they could pose a substantial health threat.
Extract radioactive thorium by blow torching lantern covers, adding lithium, and wrapping in tin foil. Heat this up in a cooking oil filled tin can.
The method itself sounds like there are plenty of safety concerns. Blow torch? Oil filled tin can, on fire? Besides, this method is further concentrating radioactive material, making it more dangerous.
Extract radioactive americium from smoke detectors by breaking them into small pieces, and looking for the radioactive bits with a Geiger counter.
According to The Nuclear Boy Scout, Americium is fairly harmless when protected by plastic casing, but can be dangerous when opened. Dave Minnaar, the radiological expert on the show, said the Americium from hundreds of smoke detectors combined was no longer benign, and was a matter of some concern.
Build a neutron gun to make elements radioactive. Take a lead block, put Americium from smoke detectors inside of it, and wrap the whole thing in tin foil. The Americium releases alpha particles, which makes the tin foil produce neutrons. Neutrons react with other elements to produce radioactive variants of the elements.
A neutron gun can produce a large amount of radiation over time, and can lead to potentially significantly more dangerous substances.
When enough material has been gathered, create a reactor. I won't tell you the steps for this one, it is easy enough to look up and I would rather not be an accomplice to informed stupidity. The purpose of this website is to inform the reader about what happens when a physics prodigy chooses the wrong route to fame.
Breeder reactors are very dangerous. While they do have the ability to create substantial quantities of radioactive fuel at low cost, they also have a strong potential to explode violently. As David discovered, the reactors are produce quantities of radioactive material that are very hard to contain in the kind of lab environment that can be achieved in a standard potting shed.