ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³B o o m³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ By: Paul Miller One of the greatest feelings in the world is knowing you have the technology to wipe out your whole neighborhood. Not that anyone would want to destroy a neighborhood in one fell swoop, but bombs are good clean fun if used in the proper context of insanity. It is obvious that people enjoy fire and explosions and things, and many people are not satisfied with a safe and legal extravaganza every 4th of july. That's why they stuff matchheads into metal pipes and increase their surgeon's income while wondering what went wrong. Everyone has been told not to make bombs forever. That attempt at prevention of accidents is futile. This book tells exactly what to do and what not to do in order to keep the shrapnel out of your face and the skin on your hands. This book tells how to make it, how to use it, and where to get the stuff you need. Nitro from battery acid and drugstore chemicals, nerve gas, contact explosive, blasting powder, etc, etc, etc. Behave yourself, and happy bombing! Additional copies of this book can be ordered directly from the publisher. Send $15 in check, cash, or money order to: Pyrochem Box 5386 Rockford, Il. 61125 Enclose 75› extra for first class mail delivery. Wholesale inquiries are invited. Prices are subject to change without notice. Preface ~~~~~~~ The explosion for which I was arrested was definitely impressive. The discarded 55 gallon oil drum dissapeared as the blast echoed several times from the facing concrete walls of Aldeen Dam. The blast rattled windows all over the Rockford College campus; about a quarter mile away. I was told that it was heard for four miles around. Seeing as how we were very proud of our accomplishment, Gary insisted that we return with the barrel as an indication of our pyrotechnic prowess to our friends on campus. This barrel was a wonderful treasure. It looked markedly like a gargantuan kernal of metallic popcorn. I would have preferred to donate it anonymously to Clark Arts Center as a specimen of pop art. It would have looked nice next to their four foot sheet metal skull. I conceeded to return to the dorm, barrel in hand. This was our most stupid decision of the evening because the wrong person, specifically billy bird, saw us coming with the suspicious remnants of the blast. We two had a long, worrying, wearying night at the police station. Cops walked into the room and got a thrill looking at the mutilated oil drum and at the array of confiscated homemade pyrotechnics on the table. Throughout the intermittent interrigation procedure, officers related their various experiences and philosophies. Every other one had a story about "When I was a kid...". I talked to one cop who used to make firebombs with gasoline, liquid saop, and shotgun powder. Another one used to be fond of putting shotgun shells in the ground and shooting BB's at them until they fired. In a world of robberies, traffic tickets, and unlawful drunkenness, I think some of them enjoyed having a couple of fun loving bombers for a change. On the other hand, we were both at the prime rioting age of 19, and they were rather paranoid about radicals with our chemical technology. By the next morning, Friday, February 27, 1976, we had been charged with possession if explosives (a felony punishable by up to ten years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine) and gotten bailed out for $500 each. I was walking on eggshells for about two months until we finally got off on a reduced charge of reckless conduct with no penalty. We got off more easily then we might have because we had only a small quantity of low explosives (tee hee). We were also lucky to have an excellent lawyer and an understanding judge. It is the sequence of events leading to and folloeing this explosion which prompted me to write this book. I am most grateful to Attourney Armour Beckstrand for helping Gary and me out. I am also grateful to Craig, Barb, and Ann for a timely disappearing act in the advent of the police search, and to Bill for the use of his Advent speaker box. I am thankful to my parents for not discouraging my pyrotechnic efforts. Thanks to Ledlie and Palmer for offering to beat the Bird, but no, thanks. Lastly, thanks to all the cool people who helped me out through my post-explosion ordeal. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE AND UNPURPOSE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I want to make it perfectly clear that I do not believe in violent subversion. This is not intended as a handbook for destruction by radicals or vandals. It is intended for peaceful people like myself who enjoy pyrotechnics in a powerful but non-destructive context. Many people are against gun control. I am also against explosives control; at least to a point. If used thoughtfully, carefully, and with consideration for others, explosives can be a lot of fun; just like sex, drugs, and roadracing. I sincerely hope that no one will be needlessly blown up because of this book. The perpetual trend amoung school kids is to make pipe bombs and such with match heads and similar primitive or unduly dangerous materials. Hopefully this book will give people a better idea of what not to do in order to stay in one piece. I beseech you, please do be careful for your own sake, and especially for the safety of others. Test explosives far away from any unconcerned people, animals, or damageable property. Be sure any shrapnel or other debris will not fly far enough to cause damage. Use paper casings whenever practical. Walls, banks, etc. are good for stopping shrapnel. Remember that a very large explosion can break glass at a distance just by the shock wave. If a bomb fails to go off, I recommend leaving it for up to an hour depending on it's nature, before retrieving or refusing it. Unexploded bombs should not be left lying around where some curious half-wit can find it and blow himself up. A friend of mine left a Dr. Pepper bottle full of a rather unstable mixture lying on the ground after the fuse failed. The poor boob who found it tried to dig the composition out of the bottle in order to return it for deposit, and he consequently got his hand and face badly maimed and burned. This bomb contained a horrendous hodge-podge of chemicals. It is most definately an unwise practice to make an exlposive with lots of different, possibly uncompatible chemicals if you are not sure that they will be stable together. High explosives should be made as pure as possible. Contaminants can decrease stability. Gritty particles in any explosive make it more sensitive to friction, and other chemicals can cause spontaneous decomposition. In the intrest of safety, credibility, and the advancement of pyrotechnology, I will be glad to answer any correspondence including a self addressed stamped envelope. I would love to hear from any fellow bomber. Send any correspondence to: Paul Miller RFD 2 Barre, Vt. 05641 Bear in mind that explosives, even firecrackers, are illegal almost everywhere. If you are not careless, incosiderate, or too noisy in populated areas, you are not likely to get in trouble. Don't bring back the barrel. Part One: Chemicals ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ fp-flash point(temperature at which a chemical will emit fumes which burn in the air) at-autoignition temperature(temperature at which a chemical will ignite on contact will air) mp-melting point bp-boiling point dp-decomposition point d-density NOTE : ALL TEMPERATURES IN CELCIUS Acetylene mp:-82ø bp:-84ø fp:-18ø at:335ø ~~~~~~~~~ Acetylene is a colorless gas with no odor, but the gas made from calcium carbide usually is contaminated such that it has an objectional odor. A concentration of 2.5 to 80% by volume in air is explosive. It can explode in air down to four degrees centigrade. It is an endothermic compound and is explosive by itself when under a pressure of more than two atmospheres. The gas itself is not very toxic, but impurities found in acetylene may be poisonous. Anyone exposed to an excessive amount of acetylene should be removed to fresh air and treated for lack of oxygen if necessary. Acetylene should be stored so that if it escapes it will not fill a room or enclosed space where it may explode. It may be safely stored at pressures exceeding two atmospheres only if it is dissolved in acetone. It can be made by reacting calcium carbide and water, and it can be bought in cylinders for welding. Aluminum mp:660ø d:2.7 ~~~~~~~~ Aluminum dust is an extremely useful additive for many compositions. It is a very fine gray or silvery powder. It is usually so fine that it may appear to smoke when agitated because the particles float in the air. It can also turn your skin temporarily silver. The dust ignites very easily and burns extremely hot. Therefore it will make an explosive when mixed with almost any oxidant. The finest dust makes the best explosive. An aluminum flame is very bright, and the metal in any form reacts with hydroxides to librate explosive hydrogen gas. The dust is somewhat irritating to the lungs and eyes. Aluminum dust should be kept away from flame because it can act as an incendiary. If aluminum dust is involved in a fire, water should not be thrown on it because an exlposion may result. The fire should be smotheres with sand or something. Ammonium dicromate dp:170ø d:2.15 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ammonium dicromate is not often used in explosives, but is a favorite chemical for producing beautiful displays of orange sparks and minature volcanoes. It is yellow or orange crystals which decompose before melting. It is not easy to ignite, but it is flammable and can explode when mixed with other substances. Ammonium perchlorate d:1.95 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ammonium perchlorate is a white solid which does not melt. When heated to high temperatures it decomposes exothermically. This decomposition is violent enough that the compound can be used as a propellent by itself. All the products of combustion are gaseous. This results in a theoretically more powerful explosive than can be made with potassium perchlorate, although it would be slower burning. Enerjet rocket engines used a solid propellant composed of ammonium perchlorate and polyurethane. This propellant was two or three times as powerful as black powder. Because ammonium perchlorate can burn violently alone or explode when confined, it should be treated as a relatively safe explosive. Ammonium chlorate is more hazardous. It explodes at 102øC. Ammonium periodate is a sensitive explosive. Calcium carbide mp:2300ø d:2.22 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Calcium carbide is the grey solid used in old fashioned carbide lamps. It is practically inert and harmless when dry, but it releases acetylene when it contacts water. It should be stored in a dry ventilated place to prevent the accumulation of explosive acetylene gas. It should be free from such metals as copper and silver because it may form explosive acetylides. Carbon disulfide mp:-108.6ø bp:46ø fp:-30ø at:100ø d:1.26 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Carbon disulfide is a clear, almost odorless, flammble liquid. It can explode in air at concentrations of 1 to 50% by volume. The vapors are 2.4 times the density of air and can be ignited by such a mild stimulus as a spark of static electricity or a hot light bulb. The vapors can cause intoxication. It should be used with ample ventilation. Large quantities can be stored most safely under water. It is used as a solvent and can be used in incendiary devices. Glycerine mp:18ø bp:290ø d:1.26 fp:160ø at:393ø ~~~~~~~~~ Glycerine is a colorless or yellow syrupy liquid with a sweet taste and no odor. It will burn, but is not hazardous. Keep it away from permanganates. It is not toxic. Glycerine can be used to make nitroglycerine and dynamite. It has lots of legitimate pharmaceutical uses, and it can be bought at any drugstore without a prescription. Hydrazine mp:2ø bp:113.5ø d:1.0 ~~~~~~~~~ Hydrazine is a colorless, fuming liquid, soluable in water. It is caustic and will burn skin or eyes. Eyes should be washed off with plenty of water and then with boric acid solution, It is very unstable, and the vapors are explosive. It must be stored away from heat. Goggles should be worn when using it. Hydrazine is used alone or with nitric acid as a rocket fuel/ Hydrogen peroxide mp:-89ø bp:152ø d:1.46 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hydrogen peroxide is a colorless liquid, usually sold dissolved in water. The 3% solution that you can buy at a drugstore is harmless and worthless as an explosive ingredient. More concentrated solutions, up to and exceeding 60% can be used as an oxidant in rocket fuels and such. Hydrogen peroxide can decompose violently with certain catalysts such as iron, copper, chromium, and their salts. This decomposition is violent enough so that a very concentrated solution can be used as a rocket fuel alone. Concentrated hydrogen peroxide is sensitive to light and should be kept in the dark. It should be kept away from fuels and free from catalytic metals and organic materials. Magnesium mp:651ø d:1.74 ~~~~~~~~~ Magnesium is a grey or silvery metal. It can be used in just about any pyrotechnic application in place of aluminum. Magnesium ribbon or strips are difficult to ignite, but they burn with intense heat and white light. Magnesium powder is easily flammable and can cause explosions. Therefore, it should be stored away from fire in closed containers. Magnesium fires should be smothered. Water, foam, carbon tet, or carbon dioxide should not be used. Explosives are easy to make with magnesium, but they may be very sensitive. Sparklers can be made by simply sticking magnesium powder to a stick with a flammable glue. Nitric acid mp:-42ø bp:86ø d:1.502 ~~~~~~~~~~~ Nitric acid is a clear or yellowich liquid. Very concentrates acid gives off suffocating fumes. It is used in making most high explosives and as an oxidant in rocket fuels. Pure nitric acid will eat anything, including silver spoons, tables, chairs, clothing, and people. In contact with easily oxidizable materials, it may cause fires or release toxic gasses. The fumes from concentrated acid are poisonous and can cause symptons several hours after contact. Skin or eyes that have been touched with nitric acid should be washed with plenty of water. It can be stored in glass or in metal or in metal containers of special stainless steel or certan other alloys. It is sensitive to light, so the very concentrated acid should be stored in the dark. Most commercial concentrates nitric acid is about 70%. Pure nitric acid, which is needed for the synthesis of most explosives is not as easy to find or buy. A friend of mine once got some from a senile druggist who didn't really know what he was doing. I hear the poor old man was ultimately busted by the feds for witlessly selling illegal drugs to users without prescriptions. Anyways, if your neighborhood lacks a well meaning senile druggist, you can still make nitric acid with battery acid from an auto supply shop and saltpeter from the drugstore. The battery acid, which is in the neighborhood of 30%, can be boiled down until it is 98% sulfuric acid. Then add an equal weight of sodium or potassium nitrate to the concentrates acid, and distill in a vacuum. The boilng point of pure nitric acid at atmospheric pressure is high enough to decompose the acid, but in a vacuum, it can be readily distilled. The nitric acid should be caught in a glass container packed in ice. The most concentrated acid is decomposed by light, so it is best to protect the apparatus from light. My first attempt to do this was soley in the intrest of proving that it can be easily done. I was successful except that the pure acid was so strong as to eat the first rubber stopper and the metal thermometer dripped nitrate goop into the first flask, but this did not signifigantly contaminate the distilled product. The stopper in the the receiving flask was unharmed because the acid never touched it, and it was cold enough not to fume signifigantly. A vacuum pump can be made by any clever gadgeteer by reversing the valves in a tire pump, or you can buy one from a scientific supply company. A hand vacuum pump from Edmund Scientific company costs about thirty bucks. The concentration of nitric acid can be increased by distilling it in a vacuum apparatus with twice it's volume of sulfuric acid, or by adding some dry formaldehyde. Fuming nitric acid, specific gravity 1.52 to 1.53, can be made by distilling pure nitric and 95% sulfuric acid at 20 mm. of mercury pressure. Oxygen mp:-218.5ø bp:-183ø d:1.43 ~~~~~~ Pure oxygen adds spice to any gas explosion. Hydrogen peroxide will release oygen when a catalyst is added. A little sodium carbonate and cobalt chloride dumped into 3% hydrogen peroxide will release oxygen. You can get oxygen by heating potassium chlorate. It is best to add some maganese dioxide as a catalyst to the chlorate. This makes it easy to decompose the chlorate by heating it in a test tube. Perchloric acid bp:203ø(72.4%) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Perchloric acid is colorless, fuming, hygroscopic liquid. It is a strong acid and oxidizing agent. It is extremely unstable when it is more concentrated than 72%. Perchloric acid can cause fires or explosions on contact with flammable material. At room temperature the 72% acid acts as a strong non-oxidizing acid, but at temperatures above 160 degrees it becomes a very strong oxidizing agent. When mixed with any fuel it becomes a dangerous explosive. Anhydrous perchloric acid can be prepared by distilling a mixture of dry potassium perchlorate with an excess of 95% sulfuric acid in a vacuum. The receiver should be in an ice bath. Ice made from salt water is colder, and therefor preferable. This anhydrous acid is unstable at room temperature. It tends to change from pale yellow to brown and then explodes. No organic material should be used in the distilling apparatus. Rubber tubing, stoppers, and grease in joints can oxidize and explode. Everything that touches the acid should be glass. A way to make less concentrated acid is by mixing ammonium perchlorate, nitric acid, and hydrocloric acid. The ammonium perchlorate and nitric acid will not react without hydrochloric acid. The resulting solution can be boiled down to a concentration of 72.4% with a boiling point of 203ø. The chlorine given off is very poisonous. The nitrous oxide is known as laughing gas. Perchloric acid is dangerous and shouls be stored in glass away from oxidizable material. Anhydrous perchloric acid has to be kept cold. I don't recommend making it. If you do make the diluted acid by first making the anhydrous acid, it shoul be diluted immediately aftrt distillation. Phosphorus yellow- mp:44.1ø bp:280ø d:1.82 at:30ø ~~~~~~~~~~ red- bp:280ø at:260ø Phosphorus comes in two allotropic forms. The yellow or white form is the most dangerous because it can ignite spontaneously when it is exposed to air. It has been used in incendiary devices. It is a colorless waxy solid. Amorphous red phosphorus is less dangerous. Although it will not ignite spontaneously, it burns readily. This is a reddish brown powder and is used in the striking surface of safety matches. Red phosphorus is made by heating white phosphorus. White phosphorus can be made by condensing the vapor of red phosphorus. When phosphorus burns it gives off great white smoke, phosphorus pentoxide. Therefor it is used in some smoke bombs. It is very poisonous, and it glows in the dark. It can be safely stored under water. Potassium chlorate mp:356ø dp:400ø d:2.32 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Potassium chlorate is used to a small extent in pharmacology and is very important ingredient in explosives. It is usually sold as a white powder. Besides being a powerful oxidant, it is an endothermic compound which can be detonated alone. Explosions have resulted when buildings containing potassium chlorate burned. A mixture of potassium chlorate and sulfur is an unstable explosive, as these chemicals may react when stored together. A mixture of potassium chlorate and sugar is explosive and sensitive to friction. Any mixture containing potassium chlorate can ignite on contact with concentrated sulfuric acid. Sodium chlorate, which is used as a weed killer, is very similar to potassium chlorate except that the sodium compound is very hygroscopic and therefore inferior for explosive mixtures. Potassium nitrate mp:334ø dp:400ø d:2.1 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Potassium nitrate is usually a white powder, sometimes white or colorless crystals. It is the oxidant used in black powder. Besides being a common ingredient in low exlosives, it can be used in making nitric acid. It is also a great diuretic. A quarter teaspoon of saltpeter will send anyone scurrying to the bathroom. It can be bought at drugstores without a hassle. Potassium perchlorate dp:400ø d:2.52 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Potassium perchlorate is a white powder. It is an excellent oxidant. It is superior to chlorates in that it is more stable and will not react with sulfur during storage. It has been used to replace potassium nitrate in black powder. This results in a faster burning and more powerful explosive. Perchlorates are less stable than nitrates and are therefore somewhat more dangerous. A mixture of 75% potassium perchlorate and 25% asphalt oil has been used as a rocket fuel. Potassium permanganate dp:240ø d:2.7 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Potassium permanagnate is a purple or gray solid which forms a beautiful purple solution with water. It also stains skin, clothing, etc. brown. It is used extensively in labs as an oxidizing agent. It will ignite glycerine on contact. Potassium permanganate can be used as an oxidant in pyrotechnic compositions. The distinguishing thing about it is the brown smoke produced by the maganese content. Potassium permanganate reacts with some organic compounds to form manganese dioxide, which can react spontaneously with magnesium or aluminum. Therefore, it is best not to use it with aluminum, magnesium, or organic compounds. I recommend using nitrates and perchlorates in almost any composition. Sodium mp:97.5ø bp:888ø d:0.97 ~~~~~~ Sodium is a silvery white metal and is soft at room temperature. It can easily be cut with a knife. The suface of sodium oxidizes in moist air. Finely divided sodium powder will burn on contact with air. It reacts violently with water to liberate hydrogen gas and lots of heat. It should be stored immersed in a liquid which doesn't contain oxygen, such as kerosene or toluene. Potassium and lithium should be stored in the same way. Sodium is produced by electrolizing molten sodium chloride. This is not easy to do in one's home because the salt must be heated to 800ø to melt it. Some ding-a-lings once tried to do this at my high school by heating a coffee can full of salt with a propane torch. They did not succeed in melting the salt, but they did succeed in melting the can apart at the seams. Sodium Hyroxide mp:318.4ø bp:1390ø d:2.13 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sodium hydroxide is essentially similar to potassium hydroxide. It is a white deliquescent solid. It is very caustic and can cause chemical burns. The neat thing about sodium or potassium hydroxide is their affinity for water. They suck water out of the air. A solution of these hydroxides will eat aluminum, liberating hydrogen gas. Sulfur mp:113ø bp:445ø d:2.07 ~~~~~~ Sulfur is yellow, usually a powder. It is not toxic in itself, but the dust is rather unpleasant to breathe. It burns easily, emitting poisonous sulfur dioxide. This is why it is a favorite stink bomb ingredient amoung vandals of the olfactory. The main hazard frin a sulfur fire is the sulfur dioxide fumes. Sulfuric acid d:1.83 mp:10.49ø bp:330ø ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sulfuric acid is a colorless, oily, thick liquid. It is a very strong acid, and, like nitric acid, it eats almost anything and burns skin. If it is spilled on your body, wash it off with plenty of water. Spills can be neutralized with a carbonate or hydroxide, but this results in the release of lots of heat. Therefore, neutralizing chemicals should not be applied to the skin until it has been thoroughly flushed off with water. Sulfuric acid releases heat when it combines with water, so it is preferable to smother fires involving sulfuric acid, rather than using water. The acid is usually contained in iron or glass. It is wierd, but dilute sulfuric acid eats iron whereas the concentrated acid does not. Sulfuric acid is used in the synthesis of many explosives. It can also be used to make pure nitric acid. It can be bought from almost any chemical supply companym or from a gas station as a battery electrolyte. The acid used in car batteries is not pure, but the water can be boiled away until the concentration reaches 98% and the boiling point rises to 330ø. Zinc mp:420ø bp:907ø d:7.14 ~~~~ Zinc is a bluish white metal that burns with a green flame, emitting poisonous zinc oxide. Zinc dust should be kept away from flame and is extremely explosive. Part Two: Low Explosives ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Low exposives, sometimes called propellants, don't detonate. They deflagrate; that is they burn rapidly. They seldom require a detonator or booster charge, but this frequently does make them more effective. Most of them are made by simply mixing the ingredients together. The ingredients should be ground together as finely as possible before mixing. This mixing should be done with extreme care. No metal tools should be used for mixing because they may spark. Wood or plastic is ideal. I am writing on a sample of the miriad of effective explosive combinations one can make by simply mixing oxidizing and reducing agents, as a theoretical chemist would call. Many combinations will work well, and many will not. Some unproven combinations may work too well or too soon with subsequent detriment to the adventuresome pyrotechnician's career. ALL PROPORTIONS ARE BY MASS UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED Bangor ~~~~~~ This powder, or some similar composition, is used in most commercial firecrackers. It is an unaesthetic grey color, stable, and effective. A friend of mine completely pulverized a cinder block with a small film can full of bangor in one experiment. He also blew fifty five gallon oil drums pretty high into the air with it. Incidentally, discarded oil drums are great things to blow up. They help to stop shrapnel from small bombs, and they can resonate to make a louder boom. You can measure the effectiveness of the explosion by the condition of the barrel and by how high it flies. It's a fun way to protest high oil prices, too, if you're really into protesting things. However, a barrel can add shrapnel to the blast from a very large bomb. Bangor is made of: Potassium nitrate 60% Aluminum 30% Sulfur 10% I have also found the following to work well, too: Potassium nitrate 66.6% Aluminum 16.7% Sulfur 16.7% Berge's blasting powder ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This yellow powder is easy to make, safe, and powerful. It can easily packed into casings. It works well when it is set off by another charge or detonator. It consists of: Potassium chlorate 40.8% Sugar 18.4% Potassium chromate 4.1% Beeswax 36.7% The potassium chromate apparently acts as a catalyst to speed up the cumbustion. The two potassium salts are mixed first. Then the sugar is added. This is the onlt part that comes close to being dangerous. Finally the was is cut up into teensie weensie pieces and mixed in. Regular candle wax can be used. It is hard, and therefore hard to mix. It can be melted down and then mixed in more easily. The wax functions as a water repellant and densensitizer, and it can be left out. The waxless powder is more sensitive to sparks, heat, friction, etc. Potassium chromate can be replaced with potassium dichromate. This makes a pretty orange powder. I have used the following in many successful firecrackers: Potassium chlorate 62.4% Sugar 31.3% Potassium dicromate 6.3% This mixture is pretty sensitive, and should be treated carefully. It becomes relatively insensitive if wax is added. Substituting molasses or honey for sugar makes a gooey fast burning mess called molex. I have found this goop to be very useful fo sticking fuses together, lighting rocket engines, and so forth. This powder can ignite on contact with concentrated sulfuric acid. Black powder ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Potassium Nitrate 75% Charcoal 15% Sulfur 10% Black powder is made in the form of fine powder, large grains or pellets, or anything in between. It is usually black, but may be brown or grey, depending on composition. When no confined it will burn quickly, producing lots of heat and sparks. When confined it explodes. It can be exlpoded by concussion if a thin layer is hit sharply with a hammer. It can be easily ignited by a spark. Black powder is used for blasting, but it has been largely replaced by modern blasting materials. It is used to produce sparks, as a rocket propellant, and in firecrackers. It can be made by simply grinding the seperate components and then mixing them as thoroughly as possible. The individual ingredients are safe by themselves, but after mixing they require tender loving care. They should not be mixed with stone or metal tools. Homemade powder powder frequently works better if the amount of nitrate is reduced. A much faster burning powder is made using aluminum dust in place of charcoal. Sodium nitrate can be used, but is slightly inferior. The gunpowder used in some primers and fuses is made with no sulfur so that it will not react with chlorates. Black powder can be bought at gunshops, but it is hard to find, sometimes. In most locations you need no liscense or permit to but it. The going price is about $15 a pound. Model rocket engines from Estates, Centuri, and the like can be cut apart. Grind up the propellant, and you've got gunpowder. Chlorate/sulfur mixture ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chlorates and sulfur do not get along well together. I have always accepted this as a proven fact, after almost blowing myself up once, and I don't usually bother with the mixture. When chlorates and sulfur are mixed they may form unstable products during storage, and this can be messy. However, I do have a friend who is a firm believer in this mixture, and I have seen impressive displays of acoustic vandalism performed with his magical concoction. He mixes equal volumes of sulfur and finely ground potassium chlorate and sets the mixture off with a firecracker. In the most successful attempt I have seen he set off a beer can full of it with a homemade firecracker which contained about a cherry bomb's equivalent of explosive. Apparently this works so well because of the mixture's sensitivity to shock. This guy also likes to melt sulfur and mix in potassium chlorate. Then he molds the mixture into marble size pellets which exlpode when they are thrown against a hard surface. Melting this down is not easy as it tends to blow up shortly after it melts. Maganese dioxide and gritty particles will make this mixture even more sensitive. Match heads ~~~~~~~~~~~ Match heads are the first source of explosive for many juvenile basement bombers. They will work, but they make a lousy explosive. They don't burn fast enough, and they are generally deficient in oxygen. The chemicals from safety matches are not so hazardous, but those from the strike anywhere variety are very dangerous. They tend to go off when being packed into casings. Cutting the stuff off the matches is a laborious process. Nevertheless, kids persistantly will use this composition for fireworks, bombs, and rockets. A tiny rocket can be made by straregically enveloping a wooden match head in aluminum foil. This is safe. Bigger rockets are made by stuffing match heads into carbon dioxide cartridges. This is totally ineffective if the hole in the rear of the improvised engine is too large. It is suicide if the hole is small enough for an effective nozzle. This device is essentially a primitive, unpredictable hand grenade. I have seen on explosde unexpectedly, and I know many people get hurt or even killed by them. Perchlorate mixtures ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Perchlorates are more stable than chlorates, and they are compatible with sulfur. Perchlorates can be substituted for nitrates in just about any composition. This results in a more powerful and shattering explosive. My favorite explosive for firecrackers is: Potassium perchlorate 66.6% Aluminum 16.7% Sulfur 16.7% I also like to use it in boosters for large low explosive charges. This is a pretty sensitive mixture, but it is pretty stable and safe if treated tactfully. Ammonium perchlorate is theoretically better than potassium perchlorate because all the products od combustion are gaseous. It should make a more powerful explosive mixture, but according to my experience it burns slower if no booster charge is used. This makes a very powerful explosive: Ammonium perchlorate 80% Aluminum 20% Zinc/sulfur ~~~~~~~~~~~ This mixture is a popular rocket fuel for many amateur rocketeers. It is very safe, but i would advise treating it with the same care as black powder. It is widely used even though it has a lousy specific impulse. It is made by simply mixing: Zinc dust 66.7% Sulfur 33.3% Part 3: High Explosives ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The exceptional effectiveness of high exlposives is a resuolt of their ability to detonate. A detonation is not just a fast burning as in low explosives. A detonation is practically instantaneous. It travels as a shock wave through the charge. The explosive is instantly converted into combustion products at the wave front which travels at the rate of several thousand meters per second. Although they are generally more powerful, high explosives are frequently safer the low explosives [Yeah right]. Dry mercury fulminate is very hazardous, but TNT can be used as a golf ball without exploding. All proportions are by mass unless otherwise specified. Temperatures are in degrees centigrade. Density is in grams/cc. Ammonium Nitrate d:1.725 mp:169.6 rate of detonation:2500m/sec ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ammonium nitrate is a white compound, frequently in the form od small pellets. It is very stable, in fact it is very difficult to make it explode. It can be detonated under high pressure at high temperature. A ship full of it accidentally blew up on April 16, 1947 and wiped out Texas City. As I understand it, a fire broke out in the cargo hold of a ship full of ammonium nitrate. The ship was equipped with a newfangled steam firefighting system which works pretty well on the average fire. They sealed up the hatches and started pumping in steam to smother the flames. As I said, ammonium nitrate can explode at high temperature and pressure. The sealed, steam pressurized cargo hold made a very effective bomb casing. Ammonium nitrate can be detonated by subjecting it to a large explosion. A stick of dynamite will do it. It is harder to detonate when it is densely packed. Addition of up to 8% carbonaceous material such as wood pulp, oil, or wax sensitizes ammonium nitrate. Adding 1 to 10% nitroglycerine sensitizes ammonium nitrate considerably. Sometimes aluminum powder is added. Amatol is made of 80 to 50% ammonium nitrate and 20 to 50% TNT. It is used as a fertilizer and in blasting agents. It is also decomposed by heat to make laughing gas. Nitrogen tri-iodide contact explosive ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This reddish brown or black compound is the least stable explosive in this book. Sometimes it can be detonated by brushing it with a feather. It is made by adding iodine crystals very slowly to ammonia solution. The precipitated nitrogen tri-iodide is filtered on filter paper. Then it should be disolved in ether so that it will be relatively safe. Be sure it all dissolves because any residue may explode at the slightest touch. This solution can be painted on things so that the ether will evaporate, leaving the explosive behind. I heard of a plot in the Evabaton, Illinois high school to paint the faculty johns with this explosive. I don't believe the plan was executed. A more acceptable trick is to paint a door casing so that it will bang ferociously when the door is shut. Cyclonite mp:205ø d:1.8 ~~~~~~~~~ Cyclonite is colorless crystals. It is an extreemly powerful explosive and is very stable. It is more sensitive to percussion than TNT. Cyclonite is made by slowly adding one part hexamethylene tetramine (hexamine) to 11 parts of 100% nitric acid. This must be stirred vigorously while keeping the temperature at 30 degrees or less. Then cool the mixture to zero degrees. Stir for 20 minutes and drown it in ice water. It is washed with water to free it from acid and recrystalized from acetone. Plastic explosives can be made by mixing about 88 parts cyclonite with 12 parts lubricating oil or some other material like wax. Lead azide rate of detonation:4500m/sec ~~~~~~~~~~ Pure lead azide is colorless crystals. Dextrinated lead azide is yellowish white. It is a sensitive high explosive like mercury fulminate, but it is easier to make, and safer. It is used in detonators, as are fulminates, and it is a more effective detonator even though it has less explosive power. It can be stored for 15 months at up to 80ø without decomposition. It is sensitive to heat, impact, friction, and stab action, but less so than fulminates. Mercury azide is more sensitive than mercury fulminate. Crystalline lead azide is made by slow addition of dilute sodium azide to dilute lead acetate or lead nitrate with constant stirring. Rapid mixing of more concentrated solutions makes amorphous lead azide, which is more stable. Dextrinated lead azide is made by adding a solution of sodium azide containing a little sodium hydroxide to a solution to a solution of lead nitrate or acetate and dextrin. The precipitated lead azide is washed with water and stored like mercury fulminate. It should contain at least 20% water when it is stored. A friend of mine helped to make and test sine home brewed lead azide. They made the mistake of making the crystalline form instead of the amorphous form. It was so unstable as to ignite while being scraped off the filter paper. It also worked very well. The master mind of the operation was fond of wrapping the explosive in aluminum foil and setting it on the stove to demonstrate it's power. Lead styphnate ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lead styphnate is a fine orange or reddish brown material. It is less sensitive to impact or friction than lead azide or mercury fulminate but more sensitive to heat. It explodes loudly when you hit it or throw a spark on it. Basic lead styphnate can be made by mixing solutions of lead acetate and sodium or magnesium styphnate. This is pretty worthless as an explosive, but it can be made into the normal salt by treatment with dilute nitric acid. The normal salt can also be made by treating a solution of lead nitrate with sodium styphnate in the presence of acetic acid. The normal salt is used in blasting caps. It can be stored under water or under a mixture of water and alcohol. Mercury fulminate d:4.42 rate of detonation:4500m/sec ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pure mercury fulminate is white, but in it's usual form it is gray crystals. It is very sensitive to impact, friction, stab action and heat. It is usually stored soaking wet in cloth bags under water or wet sawdust. It should be stored at 20 degrees or below to prevent decompositionm but 99.75% pure fulminate should last for a couple years at 50ø. Here is how it's made: One part of mercury is added to 8-10 parts of nitric acid (68%). The mixture is kept at 55-60ø overnight in a water bath until all the mercury is disolved and the solution turns green. It may not actually take this long. Then the mixture is slowly added to 8-10 parts of 95% ethyl alcohol in a cold water bath. White fumes will form. They are toxic and flammable. If colored nitrogen oxide fumes appear, the reaction is slowed down by adding more alcohol. After 1« hours the mixture is cooled to room temperature and the crystallized fulminate is filtered out. The product is washed with cold water to remove left over acid and impurities. The yield is about 120 parts per 100 parts of mercury if you're lucky. Mercury fulminate is a likely candidate for home synthesis because the acid used is only 68% nitric acid and 32% water. This is the approximate concentration of most commercial nitric acid, and it can be bought much more easily than pure acid. Most explosives require more concentrated acid. Nitrocellulose rate of detonation:5500m/sec (wet);7300m/sec (dry guncotton) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nitrocellulose is a fibrous white solid resembling the cotton or wood pulp cellulose from which it was made. It is used in manufacturing laquers, plastics, gunpowder, and gelatin type dynamites. I would not tend to trust homemade nitrocellulose because it's stability is very dependant on purity. Impure nitrocellulose explodes whenever it takes notion, not just when you tell it to. There are different grades of nitrocellulose, depending on the degree of nitration. The biggest and baddest is guncotton, made with 25% nitric acid, 64% sulfuric acid, and 11% water. A lesser degree of nitration is achieved with 35% nitric, 45% sulfuric, and 20% water. About five parts of mixed acid is used for every part cellulose. The cellulose, as dry as possible, is rapidly dunked under the acid and stirred for about 30 minutes to prevent local overheating. Then the product is seperated in a centrifuge and dumped into a tub of water. It is purified by washing and boiling it in several changes of water and dilute sodium carbonate until it doesn't turn blue litmus paper pink. An alternate method is to mix 125 grams of potassium nitrate with 160mL of 98% sulfuric acid. When this is cooled, add 120 grams of cotton. Then proceed as in the previous synthesis. The ingredients in both syntheses should be as pure as possible. Impure nitrocellulose has been known to explode during storage. It is much safer if it is stored wet with water or alcohol. It will work when it is wet, but it is harder to detonate when it contains water. Most smokeless powder contains nitrocellulose. One might use this powder with nitroglycerine to make blasting gelatin. Smokeless powders usually consist of high nitrated cellulose (guncotton) whereas low nitrated cellulose is preferable for gelatinizing nitroglycerine. You can buy smokeless powder at sporting goods stores for about $24 a pound. You don't usually need any kind of liscense. Small unconfined quantities of nitrocellulose can burn quietly, but it can be easily detonated with a blasting cap. According to Abbie Hoffman, black powder is superior to smokeless powder for making bombs. This is generally true, but he really doesn't know shit about the technology of explosives. I heard of one guy who pressed smokeless powder into a pipe with a hydraulic jack. I believe he used a cherry bomb as a primer in this pipe bomb. The results were reportedly spectacular. Nitroglycerine mp:13ø d:1.59 rate of detonation:8000m/sec ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nitroglycerine, a dearly beloved explosive to many, is a clear oily liquid. It is frequently yellow because of impurities. It generally fumes when it's container is opened. The fumes can cause headaches. It is very unstable to heat and shock. It is more stable at low temperatures and most stable when frozen, however while in the process of thawing it is most unstable. Under some conditions it may freeze in a liable form at 2.2 degrees. This form will gradually change to the more stble form. Nitro is miscible with acetone, ther, benzene, chloroform, nitrobenzene, acetic acid, and methonal. It mixes very well with nitrocellulose as in some flashless gunpowders. Nitro can be carried much more safely by mixing 30 parts nitro with 70 parts acetone. Acetone can be evaporated in the air to recover the nitro, or adding lots of water will make nitro seperate. Nitro is made by slowly adding 1 part of glycerine to 4.3 parts mixed acid. Do this real slow: a drop at a time. This anhydrous acid is half nitric and half sulfuric. It is constantly stirred and cooled to 25ø or les. This reaction liberates lots of heat. White fumes may be given off. This is OK, but if red fumes are evolved the whole charge should be immediately dumped into a large drowning tank full of water. Mistakes are expensive. Keep the acid in an ice bath while you add the glycerine. If the temperature rises to 30ø, dump it in the drowning tank. After the addition is complete the mixture is stirred and cooled to 15ø. The nitro will float to the top and can be removed (carefully). It contains about 10% acid. Mixing it with water removes most of the acid. After settling out the nitroglycerine is washed additional times with water and 2% sodium carbonate solution until the nitro is neutral to litmus. That is, if it turns blue litmus paper pink, keep washing. The purified product looks milky because of water content. It should turn clear in storage. If it gives off red fumes, it should be dumped immediately, if not sooner. Nitro is mixed with materials such as kieselguhr to make dynamite. 40% dynamite is equivalent to 40% nitro and 60% inert material like kieselguhr. Dynamite is relatively safe when it is in good condition, but if it decomposes it may become very dangerous. Common signs of deterioration are excessive hardness or softness, dicoloration, leakiness, or crystals forming on the ouside of the casing. Nitroglycerine as such is easily detonated with a fuse if it is confined. Dynamite is not so easily detonated and requires a detonator of lead azide or something. When dynamite is simply lit, it ordinarily will burn quietly with a bluish flame. Blasting gelatin is made of 88 to 92 parts nitroglycerine and 12 to 8 parts nitrocellulose mixed together and warmed to form a jelly-like mass. I know of a couple friends who made nitro once. I suspect their mistake was in adding the glycerine too fast, and in not purifying the product. They soaked up the nitroglycerine with cotton and put it in a carboard tube. Then one of the pair took it out in the country where he could safely test it. I suspect that the excess acid in the product may have nitrated the cotton cellulose to make impure unstable nitrocellulose. Actually, the explosive worked very well, and it went off in the guy's car when he drove over the railroad tracks. He was only slightly burned, but I hear he is out of the bomb business now. Nitroguanidine d:1.72 mp:232ø ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nitroguanidine is a white solid. It is about as powerful as TNT and very insensitive. It is harder to detonate than TNT. Nitroguanidine can be made by dehydrating guanidine nitrate with sulfuric acid. This is done by cooling 500 mL of 95% sulfuric acid on ice and adding 400 grams of dry guanidine nitrate. The acid should be stirred, and the nitrate should be added slowly so that the temperature stays below 10ø. As soon as the nitrate dissolves, pour the mixture into 3 liters of crushed ice and water. Keep it cold until the nitroguanidine precipitates out. The explosive can be filtered off, washed with cold water, and purified by recrystalizing from water. Pentaerythritol tetranitrate mp:141ø d:1.77 rate of detonation:8300m/sec ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This explosive is used in detonators and as a bursting charge. It is les sensitive than nitroglycerine, but it is the most sensitive explosive used as a military bursting charge. It is 1« times as powerful as TNT. It is made by nitrating pentaerythritol with 95% nitric acid. One part of pentaerythritol is added to 4« parts of acid whilst keeping the temperature at 20-23ø. After mixing they should be stirred for 20 minutes before being dumped into about 10 parts of water. The explosive can be filtered out and washed with water. Then it should sit in dilute sodium carbonate solution to neutralize acid before filtering and washing in water again. If you're a real nut for purity, then more acid can be neutralized by dissolving PETN in acetone at 50ø with a little sodium bicarbonate. It can be recovered by adding cold water to the acetone. Then the acetone should be washed out of the explosive with water. This is a sensitive explosive and should be stored wet with water, like lead azide or mercury fulminate. Picric acid mp:122ø rate of detonation:7250m/sec ~~~~~~~~~~~ Picric acid is a yellow, crystalline, extremely bitter compound. It ignites at 260ø. It is very stable and powerful explosive, much like TNT. In fact, their chemical structers are almost identical. It combines with many metals such as lead and iron to form sensitive explosive salts. This can cause problems if it is kept in a metal container. Picric acid is used as a yellow dye and as a chemical reagent. It can be bought from many chemical companies. It is made by first sulfonating phenol by pourin 1 part of hot molten phenol into 4 parts of sulfuric acid. The mixture is kept at 95ø and stirred occasionally for 6 hours. The phenol sulfonate is then mixed with nitric acid with vigorous stirring. Two parts nitric acid is used for every part of phenol. This is started at 20ø and the temperature is allowed to gradually rise to 70 or 80 degrees. It is agitated for a couple hours. The picric acid is then mixed with water, filtered off, and washed with water to remove acid. Ammonium picrate is a stable, safe explosive made by mixing picric acid with hot water in which it will not dissolve, and adding ammonia. 74.8 grams of ammonium picrate is soluable in 100 grams of water at 101 degrees, but only 1 gram is soluble at 20ø, so the picrate formed will dissolve and recrystallize on cooling. Ammonium picrate will not react with metals to form dangerous salts as picric acid will. Ammonium picrate is comparable to TNT in stability and power. Tetranitromethane d:1.65 mp:14.2ø bp:126.7ø ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tetranitromethane is an ultra-hairy compound. The pure compound is colorless. It is volatile, and the fumes are poisonous. It is stable and considerably safer than nitoglycerine. It is not so stable in the presence of moisture or even damp air, and it should be kept high and dry in a tightly closed bottle. As one can see from the formula, it has lots of extra oxygen. When it is mixed with a fuel such as alcohol, toluene, or ether, it becomes a very powerful and hazardous explosive. 40 grams of tetan and 10 grams of dry alcohol will make a lot of noise. Once 15 grams of tetranitromethane-toluene mixture exploded in a lab, killing 10 people and injuring 20. These compounds are stable before they are mixed, however. Tetan can be made like this: Put 150 mL of ice cold fuming nitric acid (specific gravity 1.52; this is super strong acid) in a flask with glass chips in the bottom. Pack the flask in ice and add 325 mL of acetic anhyride slowly while keeping the temperature at 15-20ø. Let the stuff sit for a long time; up to a couple weeks. Keep it on ice all the time. Then add 1.5 liters od cold water and seperate the oily goop from the bottom. This is crude tetan. This should be washed with cold 5% sodium carbonate solution and then with cold water. Then it should be dried with sodium sulfate. Trinitrotoluene mp:70-80ø d:1.65 rate of detonation:6950m/sec ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TNT is a very stable explosive yelloe crystalline compound. If an unconfined pile of TNT is lit it will burn with a hot and smokey flame, but won't explode. As much as a ton of TNT has been known to burn away quitely. You can fire a rifle bullet through it or hit it with a hammer without detonating it. It can be detonated with other explosives such as lead azide or mercury fulminate. Crystals of TNT are more sensitive than cast TNT. It is about equivalent to 40% dynamite in power. Amatol is made by mixing 50 to 80 parts ammonium nitrate with 50 to 20 parts TNT. TNT melts at about 75ø, so TNT or amatol can be melted and cast into casings. Whereas TNT is oxygen deficient and produces a lot of smoke, amatol is smokeless. TNT is generally made by the three stage nitration of toluene. First, mononitrotoluene is made by mixing 100 parts toluene with 170 parts acid. This acid is 2 parts nitric (70% concentration) and 3 parts sulfuric (100%). They are mixed gradually and stirred below 30ø. When the temperature no longer tends to rise, the mixture sets for 30 minutes and seperates. The mononitrotoluene is seperated and 100 parts of it is mixed with 215 parts of acid. (1 part pure nitric and 2 parts pure sulfuric) The temperature is kept at 60 to 70ø while they are slowly mixed. The temperature is raised to 90-100ø and it is stirred at this temperature fo half an hour. Then the mixture is seperated. 100 parts of the seperated dinitotoluene is added to 225 parts of 20% oleum (pure sulfuric acid with 20% extra dissolved sulfur trioxide) and 65 parts pure nitric acid. They are heated to 95 degrees for an hour and then to 120 degrees for 1« hours. After sitting a while, the TNT is seperated and sloshed around in hot water to remove acid, and then it is dried. It can be purified by soaking the powder in alcohol or benzene or a similar solvent to dissolve impurities or by recrystallizing it from the same solvents. TNT and other insensitive explosives should not be stored with sensitive explosives which may detonate them. Part 4: Miscellaneous ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Casings ~~~~~~~ Many high exlosives and all low explosives work best when properly confined. Most commercial fireworks have paper casings. One can roll black cat type firecrackers much like one rolls a joint. I never had need to roll a joint, but i believe my experience at rolling firecrackers would be valuable if i were to start smoking. More substantial casings can be made by rolling paper around a dowel rod and gluing. Ends can be folded over and glued or plugged. Some people sell good paper casings. Expended model rocket engine casings work well. If you're going to punch a hole for the fuse, do this before adding the explosive, ok? Fiber tape is safe and effective for reenforcing casings. This tape is really strong in only one direction, so wrap the casing twice so that the fibres cross. Cloth or plastic tape can help, too, but fiber tape is the best. The charge should completely fill the casing. Most explosives work better when densely packed [bullshit!]. The principle is to get the particles of explosive as close together as possible, so the whole charge will ignite as instantly as possible. The theoretically perfect casing is a sphere in which th charge is ignited at the center. Putting the fuse in the middle of a long casing, instead of at the end, can decrease burning time by 50%. In general, a stronger casing means a bigger bang. The ultimate casing is a steel pip with screwed on end caps. An expended carbon dioxide cartridge makes a good casing. While paper casings are pretty safe, metal ones are prone to throw shrapnel. Any bomb with a metal casing should be respected as equivalent to a hand granade. Wrapping a small bomb in several layers of cloth helps to stop shrapnel. Metal can throw sparks, so if you're going to pack the stuff, pack it with a wooden rod. I have seen bomb casings made or root beer extract bottles, olive jars, match cases, and stoneware clay. All of these casings worked with varying efficiency, and they all have the potential of throwing shrapnel. The clay casings contained about five grams of waxless Berge's Blasting powder. Pieces of clay became embedded in boards 5 feet away when it was tested. Chokno ~~~~~~ Chokno is a cheap mixture that I always like to have on hand. It is simply a 1 to 1 mixture of potassium nitrate and sugar. It burns very hot and produces a considerable amount of smoke. One can use it in smoke bombs and as a priming charge to start some less sensitive charge burning. I have never known chokno to explode [i have]. It can be melted down (carefully) and cooled into a solid mass. It must be stirred while being melted to prevent local overheating. This can be done more safely by melting down the sugar seperately. Then the heat source can be removed, and the nitrate can quickly mixed in before the mixture cools. I have used Chokno to propel minature torpedoes, but the smoke looks like hell for the water ecology, so I don't recommend this if you want to stay on friendly terms with the fish. Detonators ~~~~~~~~~~ Many high explosives such as dynamite and TNT are insensitive enough as to require initiation by another explosive if they are to detonate properly. These explosives are detonated by blasting caps in all blasting operations. Blasting caps consist of a metal tube containing a sensitive high explosive like lead azide, tetryl, PETN, of lead styphnate, and either a fuse or electric firing device. The cap is inserted in the charge to be fired and detonated electically or with the fuse crimped into the end of the cap. Like any other explosive, blasting caps should be kept cool, and dry, and they should no be stored with other explosives. Electric caps are especially dangerous. When they are used in the ground they can be set off by stray electric currents from underground electric equipment or lousy insulation. The waves from nerby radio transmitters may set them off. Some blasting agents, like ammonium nitrate, are so difficult to detonate that they require a larger detonator than a blasting cap. They may be set off by a stick of dynamite which is in turn detonated by a blasting cap. The effeciency of many low explosives can be enhanced by using a booster charge similat to a detonator. A charge of some explosive like Berge's blasting powder can be set off very effectively by putting a cherry bomb, M-80, or equivalent in the center. The fuse to the booster has to be wrapped in several layers of tape or something to prevent the main charge from going off first, course. This will result in a more instantaneous, more shattering, and louder explosion. The pipe bomb shown here contains a very fast burning explosive in the center. The flash from this explosive instantly ignited the slower explosive. The two fuse holes were staggered so as not to weaken the pipe in any one spot. When this bomb was testedm it was buried to prevent any danger from shrapnel. This safety measure was effective, but rather disappointing because the dirt muffled the sound of the explosion. Instead of an earsplitting "BLAM", we got a stifled "poof". Drying ~~~~~~ Chemicals that contain a small amount of water can be dried with anhydrous hyroscopic chemicals. A little sodium or potassium hydroxide, calcium carbide, or anhydrous sodium sulfate can be simply dumped into a liquid or solution with which it won't react to dry it out. Sodium sulfate is usually best for not reacting with most chemicals, including explosives. Usually the drying agent should sit in the liquid for several hours. Another way is to put a chemical, usually a solid, to be dried in a closed container with, but not in contact with, one of these drying agents. Once a huge firecracker of mine with a paper casing was damp and refused to go off. After sitting overnight in a flask with a few grams of calcium carbide, it was dry and magnificiently loud. Larger quantities of water will evaporate from most solid chemicals in the open air. The atmospheric drying can be sped up by putting the chemical in an oven or under a heat lamp, but remember that explosives tend to be heat sensitive. Putting the chemical in a vacuum apparatus may help. Flares ~~~~~~ Flares come in two basic kinds; illuminating and signalling. Signalling flares use some fuel as aluminum, magnesium, sugar, charcoal, or sulfur mixed with an oxygen provider like a nitrate or chlorate. A coloring agent can be added, or the oxidant can give color. A sodium compound gives yellow light, barium gives green, strontium gives red, and arsenic gives blue. Zinc dust gives a green light. Illuminating flares almost always use magnesium or aluminum. A 1 to 1 mixture of aluminum dust with potassium nitrate makes a good bright flare, as well as being a decent flash powder. The composition can be stuck together and desensitised with soft wax, glycerine, oil, or anything that will stick. After was or any other desensitising binder is added, these compositions are hard to ignite, so igniting composition like gunpowder is needed. Flash powder ~~~~~~~~~~~~ The essential ingrdient of flash powder is aluminum or magnesium dust, which burns very hot and bright. One part magnesium or aluminum mixed with one to two parts oxidizing agent such as potassium nitrate or potassium perchlorate makes good flash powder. The purpose of flash powder is to create a brilliant burst of light. It can also work as an explosive, so beware! A trick used by many special effects people to create a flash on stage is to remove the glass from the top of an electric fuse and stuff the cavity with flash powder. The fuse is screwed into a socket, and when the socket is turned on the fuse blows and ignites the powder to create a bright and harmless flash. A friend of mine worked in a theater in Woodstock, Illinois, and he told me about this trick. One day their adventuresome special effects man decided to replace the glass top on the fuse, thinking it would just blow off harmlessly. The result was an efficient anti-personnel bomb which showered the stage with glass and shredded the curtains. This is an example of the potential of flash powder when it is confined in a strong casing. No one was hurt, but it was an unexpectedly expensive experiment. Fuse ~~~~ Fuse comes in all kinds. The traditional firecracker fuse is simply a twisted strip of tissue paper holding ground black powder. You will find this fuse on most firecrackers, skyrockets, and other fireworks. It is easy to light, but it is not very dependable, especially in damp weather. Jetex makes a similar fuse. Jetex fuse, or Jet Wicks, are thin metal wires coated with flammable chemicals. They are designed for use with Jetex toy propellant engines, and can be bought at many hobby shops. This is lousy fuse for pyrotechincs and explosives. It is expensive, and the chemicals are prone to fallings off the wire. The best fuse money can buy is safety fuse, or cannon fuse. According to my nitroglycerine friend, red cannon fuse is superior to green cannon fuse, but I have never detected any appreciable difference. This fuse consists of black powder wrapped in a waterproof fabric sheath. It is about 2.5 mm thick and resembles old fashioned electrical wire. This fuse will burn underground, underwater, and in strong winds. If it is sharply bent, however, it may stop. It tends to dissolve in, and thereby be rendered useless by gasoline and similar solvents. A detonating fuse called primacord is used in blasting. It consists of high explosive PETN wrapped in a waterproof covering similar to safety fuse. Primacord is usually yellow or black. It is set off by a detonator, and it detonates at a rate of 8000 meters per second or more. It is used to detonate several charges simulataneously. I have made fuse with a mixture of 10 parts molasses, 10 parts potassium chlorate, and 1 part potassium dicromate. This composition will stick to a string to make a passable fuse, but it is not very satisfactory because it is so sensitive to atmospheric moisture. A more dependable, faster burning fuse can be made by diluting straight molex, with water and soaking a cotton string in it. Another technique is to soak paper or string in a solution of some oxidizing agent like potassium nitrate or chlorate. This is most suited as a time delay fuse. A cigarette makes a fair ten minute delay fuse. One can make fuse by dipping string in glue and then in gunpowder or a similar composition. This fuse can be made waterproof by the skillful application of tape. Abbie Hoffman recommends tying a rock to the end of this fuse and dropping it in the gas tank of a cop car. This impresses me as being a rather unethical practice as well as being physically dangerous. Your fuse should give you plenty of time to get to safety, but sometimes a fuse which is very long may give some unconcerned dumb-fuck time to stumble upon your explosion. If you are making a bomb which is very important to you, it might be wise to use two fuses, side by side. No fuse is foolproof. Keep your fuse dry. Gasses ~~~~~~ One can make rather impressive explosions with gasses. If you have an acetylene welding rig and are desperate for a cheap thrill try this. Fill one balloon with oygen, one with acetylene, and one with both gasses. Then touch a flame to each one. You should get a pop, a firery poof, and a BANG, respectively. Bombs can be made with containers (balloons, coffee cans, or whatever) full of any flammable gas and air or oxygen. They are, naturally, bulky for their power and impractical for anything but non-pragmatic experiments. One trick I learned from my father (who was a minister, a very peaceful, thoughtful person, and a terrific guy) was to put calcium carbide in a metal can with a recloseable top. When you spit on the carbide it releases acetylene gas. You put the lid on and hold a match next to the holw which you have previously punched in the side of the can. This can result in a very satisfying bang. It can also conceivably result in flying pieces of tin can and a singed body. Hydrogen is another very reactive gas. Remember the Hindenburg? You can get hydrogen by dumping sulfuric acid on iron or steel, or hydrochloric acid on zinc or magnesium. You can also get it by dumping sodium hydroxide solution on aluminum. This diagram shows the apparatus i used for filling hydrogen balloons in college. I didn't realize it, but although the chemicals and hydrogen were legal, I was committing a felony simply by posessing the syringe. Hydrogen is lighter than air, and it makes balloons float. Acetylene and natural gas float, too, but not as well. An aquaintance of mine used to amuse himself by launching garbage bags full of natural gas by O'Hare airport in Chicago. Electric ignition ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Most commercial blasting is done electrically. An electric blasting cap contains a high resistance wire which heats and fires a sensitive explosive when current passes through it. This current is supplied by a hand generator or a battery. Model rocket manufacturers insist that the only safe way to set off model rocket engines is electically. This is bullshit. However electric ignition is pretty effective if it's done right. Instead of fuse, an uninsulated high resistance wire is placed inside the charge. This wire should be pretty short; a centimeter at the most. Highly conductive wires (like copper) should lead from the ends of this heating wire to the outside of the charge. You will need a minimum of six volts to fire this device. A car battery is good. If you want to be sure there is no power deficiency, you can plug it directly into an AC outlet, but one is usually not available. Such power overkill is intresting. The wire iteslf explodes with a shower of sparks. Disconnect the system immediately after the blast to avoid blowing fuses or burning out wires. You can use electric ignition to set off several charges simultaneously. Connect them in parallelm not in series. Remember, more charges means you need more current. You can get high resistance wires made of nicrome or some similar metal from old toasters, wire resisters, etc. Model rocket companies sell nichrome igniters. Nerve gas ~~~~~~~~~ These nerve gasses cause a sudden loss of sense of muscular control. A large dose is instantaneously fatal. Hydrogen cyanide can be dissolved in water to make hydrocyanide acid which is very poisonous and has a bitter almond smell. If these gasses are to be made, it should be done outside or under a laboratory hood. Hydrogen cyanide can be made by adding sulfuric acid to sodium cyanide. Cyanogen gas, can be made by adding sodium cyanide solution to coppper sulfate solution. All cyanides are very poisonous, so keep your fingers out of them. Avoid getting the slightest smell of these gasses. Pyrotechnic cement ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This cement can be used where a fireproof adhesive or putty type goop is required. Mix equal parts of calcium carbonate ans zinc oxide. Thes can be stored indefinately after mixing. Then add sodium silicate soultion (water glass, gettable at a few drug stores). This should be the concentrated syrupy stuff, not the watery kind used as a label adhesive. The consistency of the cement depends on how much sodium silicate you add. After this is added it will clump up and harden, so it should be used soon. You can water it down to make it runny, and it will come off if it is soaked in water. Recrystallization ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This technique is used to purify chemicals. The chemical is dissolved in a minimum amount of hot solvent. Then the solution is cooled and the chemical crystalizes out of solution. When it is filtered much of the impurities will stay in the solvent and be disposed of. Smoke bombs ~~~~~~~~~~~ There are many ways to make smoke bombs. Just a bunch of matches rolled up in a wad of paper can be effective. Chockno makes a good smoke bomb. A very potent smoke bomb can be made with carbon tetrachloride and zinc dust. Here's one formula: Carbon tetrachloride 40% Zinc dust 40% Potassium chlorate 20% I have also found it to be rather unstable one say, and I haven't mixed any more since then. A similar formula is: Carbon tetrachloride 45% Zinc Oxide 45% Aluminum 10% The reason these mixtures work so well is that ther form zinc chloride particles. These particles suck up water from the air to become larger and more opaque. Phosphorus is used in smoke bombs. It produces a white cloud of hygroscopic phosphorus pentoxide. Phosphorus is dangerous and expensive. It is easy to produce a cloud of harmless smoke by heating ammonium chloride over a flame. Ammonium chloride won't burn, but it decomposes easily when heated. Spontaneous combustion ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Spontaneous combustion is well worth knowing about. It can be used in fancy igniting devices by the clever gadgeteer. A knowledge of spontaneous combustion can also prevent the experimental mixing of the wrong chemicals. 1. A few drops of glycerine dumped onto a pile of potassium permanganate will burst into flames in a few seconds. 2. Lithium, sodium, and potassium will react violently with water to form a hydroxide and hydrogen gas. If the sodium is held in one place on the water, or if the piece is big enough, the hydrogen will ignite or exlpode. I once conversed with a college counsellor who in his younger days was found of throwing a whole pound of sodium into the river and watching it explode. This always got a hasty reaction from the populus of the community. My only personal objection to this practice is that the sodium hydroxide formed is hell for the fish, ducks, or anything in the water. Potassium is more violent than sodium and invariably explodes on contact with water. These metals all float. 3. Sulfur 20% Zinc dust 40% Ammonium nitrate 20% Ammonium chloride 20% This mixture will emit ammonia gas and catch fire when ater is added. Bear in mind that ammonium nitrate is a deliquescent compound; that is, it sucks up water from the air. Therefore this mixture will go off if it is left uncapped on a humid day. 4. An Equal weight of aluminum dust and iodine crystals will ignite when water is added. 5. White phosphorous catches fire when it is exposed to warm air. Phosphorus can be dissolved in a small bottle of carbon disulfide. When the bottle is broken the carbon disulfide evaporates and the phosphorus ignites it. 6. Pyrophoric lead is a finely divided lead powder which ignites spontaneously in air, when it works. When it doesn't work it just sits there. It is made by decomposing lead tartrate by heating it in a test tube. Lead tartrate can be made by mixing solutions of lead acetate and tartaric acid. The precipitated lead tartrate can be filtered out and dried. 7. A mixture of potassium chlorate and a fuel such as sugar will ignite on contact with concentrated sulfuric acid. Stink bombs ~~~~~~~~~~~ Sulfur is the staple of many stink bombs. A mixture of sulfur and an oxidizing agent like potassium nitrate will release noxious sulfur dioxide gas. A mixture of sulfur and wax will emit hydogen sulfide when it is heated, which smells like rotten eggs. One can even buy sulfur candles. These are essentially candles made with sulfur instead of wax. They are used to fumigate buildings because when they burn they emit an enormous quantity of sulfur dioxide. The old German stink bomb is made by mixing an ounce of sulfur, and ounce of potassium sulfide, and an ounce of calcium hydroxide (slaked lime) with a quart of wtaer and boiling the mixture down to a pint. When a vial of this mixture is thrown in a fire it gives off a nauseating gas. Thermit ~~~~~~~ Thermit is a mixture of aluminum and iron oxide powder used in welding and incendiary devices. It is about: Iron Oxide 75% Aluminum 25% It burns with intense heat, leaving a mass of molten iron and aluminum oxide slag. A thermit bomb will burn through or melt just about anything. I heard of a bunch of vandalous fraternity members whom once set thermit bombs under the wheels of a trolly car, thereby welding it to the tracks. Thermit is hard to ignite and requires a hot igniting charge. I have found that the following mixture makes a fast burning fake thermite that is pretty easy to ignite: Manganese dioxide 66.7% Aluminum 33.3% Magnesium or aluminum powder can react spontaneously with wet manganese dioxide, so a combination thereof should not be stored. A nitrate is much safer as an oxidant. Better safe than incinerated. Vacuum distillation ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A vacuum distillation apparatus is the essential apparatus for making pure nitric of perchloric acid. It is not hard to set up or use. With a hand vacuum pump from Edmund, Educational Modules, or some other company you can pull a sufficient vacuum to make pure nitric acid. A better pump is necessary to make the most concentrated fuming acid. Just create as much vacuum as possible with your pump, then start boiling. An all glass thermometer is preferable; especially when boiling acid. Very volatile liquids can be boiled this way at room temperature. This is safer for flammable chemicals then boiling them at atmospheric pressure. Washing ~~~~~~~ Chemicals can be washed by dumping them into the washing liquid, usually water, and mixing them up. Then a solid can be filtered out or a liquid can be poured off after the liquid phases seperate. A solid can be left in filter paper in a funnel and washed by pouring water through the filter paper and chemical. Distilled water is preferable to tap water for synthesis and washing. Rain is a cheap source of fine distilled water. Sources of supplies ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ There are lots of companies who sell chemicals only to other corporations. The solution is obvious: start your own company. You can get letterheads printed up at any print shop. The country is full of one man corporations. Because chemicals are sometimes hard to buy, people are sometimes compelled to rip them off. Please have compassion for the rightful owner of these supplies. If you must steal, do so in moderation, and leave an appropriate compensation when applicable. After reading this book, you should be able to make or almost honestly buy all the pyrotechnic goodies you ever want. I should also make add a note on the sources of information. There are many books available about explosives. Ninety percent of these do not tell the average bomber what he wants to know. The only other book that I recommend is THE ANARCHIST COOKBOOK by William Powell. Because of the useful nature of this book, it is hard to find, but is worth reading if you can get it. Bibliography ~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE ANARCHIST COOKBOOK, William Powell, Lyle Stewart, Secaucus, NJ, 1971. BRITISH TEXTBOOK OF EXPLOSIVES, Donald B.McLean, Normount Technical Publications, 1969. ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY, Interscience Encyclopedia, inc., NY, 1947. HANDBOOK OF CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS, CRC Press, 1947. HANDBOOK OF DANGEROUS MATERIALS, N.Irving Sax, Reinhold Publishing Corporation, NY, 1947.