What happened in the show: Season 1, Episode 7 Jesses followed Walts instructions to get a variety of chemicals together so they can begin to cook, but a key chemical is missing. Jesse can get some professionals to steal it from a warehouse but its going to cost them $10k, so Walt decides they can do it themselves. One hitch however, the warehouses lock isnt easy to break. Its a secure unit and a crowbar just wont do. After careful planning they go ahead, locking the security guard in a port-a-loo and melting the warehouses lock using thermite that Walt made earlier on from aluminium powder extracted from the back of an Etch-A-Sketch. Could it really happen? Absolutely, but not just with an Etch-a-Sketch. Thermite is indeed the chemical for the job its used for welding and cutting through railway tracks so a steel door is childs play. The inaccuracy comes in the way Walt chooses to make the thermite. Thermite is made from a mixture of aluminium and other reactive metals. Walt only uses the iron or aluminium filings that are present in an Etch-A-Sketch. Its probably not a bad thing that the show didnt give step-by-step instructions on how to effectively break into high security premises though, so they could've missed out the other reactive metals on purpose.
