Note from the author: Remember, the First Amendment is not a shield. Care must be taken to ensure that no law is broken when information is gained or divulged. I have read every word of this file, and swear that no article of this document is illegal in any way.
"THE BIG BOOK OF MISCHIEF" PART 1 - The Terrorist's Handbook - Self explanatory. THE TERRORIST'S HANDBOOK 1.0 INTRODUCTION Chaos Industries (CHAOS), is proud to present this revised edition of The Terrorist's Handbook. First and foremost, let it be stated that Chaos Industries assumes no responsibilities for any use of the information presented in this publication. The purpose of this is to show the many techniques and methods used by those people in this and other countries who employ terror as a means to acheive political and social goals. The techniques described here may be found in public libraries, and can often be carried out by a terrorist with minimal resources. The processes and techniques herein SHOULD NOT BE CARRIED OUT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!! SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH COULD RESULT FROM ATTEMPTING TO PERFORM ANY OF THE METHODS IN THIS PUBLICATION. ALTHOUGH ALL EFFORTS HAVE BEEN MADE TO INSURE ACCURACY THIS IS MERELY FOR READING ENJOYMENT, AND IS NOT INTENDED FOR ACTUAL USE!! We feel that it is important that everyone has some idea of just how easy it is for a terrorist to perform acts of terror; that is the justification for the existence of this publication.
1.1 Table of Contents ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
2.0 ....... BUYING EXPLOSIVES AND PROPELLANTS
2.01 ........ Black Powder
2.02 ........ Pyrodex
2.03 ........ Rocket Engine Powder
2.04 ........ Rifle/Shotgun Powder
2.05 ........ Flash Powder
2.06 ........ Ammonium Nitrate
2.1 ....... ACQUIRING CHEMICALS
2.11 ........ Techniques for Picking
Locks
2.2 ....... LIST OF USEFUL HOUSEHOLD
CHEMICALS AND AVAILABILITY
2.3 ....... PREPARATION OF CHEMICALS
2.31 ........ Nitric Acid
2.32 ........ Sulfuric Acid
2.33 ........ Ammonium Nitrate
3.0 ....... EXPLOSIVE RECIPES
3.01 ........ Explosive Theory
3.1 ....... IMPACT EXPLOSIVES
3.11 ........ Ammonium Triiodide Crystals
3.12 ........ Mercury Fulminate
3.13 ........ Nitroglycerine
3.14 ........ Picrates
3.2 ....... LOW ORDER EXPLOSIVES
3.21 ........ Black Powder
3.22 ........ Nitrocellulose
3.23 ........ Fuel + Oxodizer mixtures
3.24 ........ Perchlorates
3.25 ........ Flash Powder
3.3 ....... HIGH ORDER EXPLOSIVES
3.31 ........ R.D.X. (Cyclonite)
3.32 ........ Ammonium Nitrate
3.33 ........ ANFOS
3.34 ........ T.N.T.
3.35 ........ Potassium Chlorate
3.36 ........ Dynamite
3.37 ........ Nitrostarch Explosives
3.38 ........ Picric Acid
3.39 ........ Ammonium Picrate (Explosive
D)
3.40 ........ Nitrogen Trichloride
3.41 ........ Lead Azide
3.5 ....... OTHER "EXPLOSIVES"
3.51 ........ Thermite
3.52 ........ Molotov Cocktails
3.53 ........ Chemical Fire Bottle
3.54 ........ Bottled Gas Explosives
3.6 ......... Dry Ice
4.0 ....... USING EXPLOSIVES
4.1 ....... SAFETY
4.11 ........ How Not To Get Killed
4.12 ........ Guidelines For Production
4.2 ....... IGNITION DEVICES
4.21 ........ Fuse Ignition
4.22 ........ Impact Ignition
4.23 ........ Electrical Ignition
4.24 ........ Electro - Mechanical
Ignition
4.241 ....... Mercury Switches
4.242 ....... Tripwire Switches
4.243 ....... Radio Control Detonators
4.3 ....... DELAYS
4.31 ........ Fuse Delays
4.32 ........ Timer Delays
4.33 ........ Chemical Delays
4.4 ....... EXPLOSIVE CONTAINERS
4.41 ........ Paper Containers
4.42 ........ Metal Containers
4.43 ........ Glass Containers
4.44 ........ Plastic Containers
4.5 ....... ADVANCED USES FOR EXPLOSIVES
4.51 ........ Shaped Charges
4.52 ........ Tube Explosives
4.53 ........ Atomized Particle Explosions
4.54 ........ Lightbulb Bombs
4.55 ........ Book Bombs
4.56 ........ Phone Bombs
5.0 ....... SPECIAL AMMUNITION FOR
PROJECTILE WEAPONS
5.1 ....... PROJECTILE WEAPONS (PRIMITIVE)
5.11 ........ Bow and Crossbow Ammunition
5.12 ........ Blowgun Ammunition
5.13 ........ Wrist Rocket and Slingshot
Ammunition
5.2 ....... PROJECTILE WEAPONS (FIREARMS)
5.21 ........ Handgun Ammunition
5.22 ........ Shotguns
5.3 ....... PROJECTILE WEAPONS (COMPRESSED
GAS)
5.31 ........ .177 Caliber B.B Gun
Ammunition
5.32 ........ .22 Caliber Pellet Gun
Ammunition
6.0 ....... ROCKETS AND CANNONS
6.1 ....... ROCKETS
6.11 ........ Basic Rocket-Bomb
6.12 ........ Long Range Rocket-Bomb
6.13 ........ Multiple Warhead Rocket-Bombs
6.2 ........ CANNONS
6.21 ........ Basic Pipe Cannon
6.22 ........ Rocket-Firing Cannon
6.23 ........ Reinforced Pipe Cannon
7.0 ....... PYROTECHNICA ERRATA
7.1 ......... Smoke Bombs
7.2 ......... Colored Flames
7.3 ......... Tear Gas
7.4 ......... Fireworks
7.41 ........ Firecrackers
7.42 ........ Skyrockets
7.43 ........ Roman Candles
8.0 ....... LISTS OF SUPPLIERS AND
FURTHER INFORMATION
9.0 ....... CHECKLIST FOR RAIDS ON
LABS
10.0 ...... USEFUL PYROCHEMISTRY
11.0 ...... ABOUT THE AUTHOR 2.0 BUYING
EXPLOSIVES AND PROPELLANTS Almost any city or town of reasonable size has
a gun store and one or more pharmacies. These are two of the places that
potential terrorists visit in order to purchase explosive material. All
that one has to do is know something about the non- explosive uses of the
materials. Black powder, for example, is used in blackpowder firearms.
It comes in varying "grades", with each different grade being a slightly
different size. The grade of black powder depends on what the calibre of
the gun that it is used in; a fine grade of powder could burn too fast
in the wrong caliber weapon. The rule is: the smaller the grade, the faster
the burn rate of the powder.
2.01 BLACK POWDER Black powder is generally
available in three grades. As stated before, the smaller the grade, the
faster the powder burns. Burn rate is extremely important in bombs. Since
an explosion is a rapid increase of gas volume in a confined environment,
to make an explosion, a quick-burning powder is desirable. The three common
grades of black powder are listed below, along with the usual bore width
(calibre) of what they are used in. Generally, the fastest burning powder,
the FFF grade is desirable. However, the other grades and uses are listed
below: GRADE BORE WIDTH EXAMPLE OF GUN ÄÄÄÄÄ ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
F .50 or greater model cannon; some rifles FF .36 - .50 large pistols;
small rifles FFF .36 or smaller pistols; derringers The FFF grade is the
fastest burning, because the smaller grade has more surface area or burning
surface exposed to the flame front. The larger grades also have uses which
will be discussed later. The price range of black powder, per pound, is
about $8.50 - $9.00. The price is not affected by the grade, and so one
saves oneself time and work if one buys the finer grade of powder. The
major problems with black powder are that it can be ignited accidentally
by static electricity, and that it has a tendency to absorb moisture from
the air. To safely crush it, a one would use a plastic spoon and a wooden
salad bowl. Taking a small pile at a time, he or she would apply pressure
to the powder through the spoon and rub it in a series of strokes or circles,
but not too hard. It is fine enough to use when it is about as fine as
flour. The fineness, however, is dependant on what type of device one wishes
to make; obviously, it would be impracticle to crush enough powder to fill
a 1 foot by 4 inch radius pipe. Any adult can purchase black powder, since
anyone can own black powder firearms in the United States.
2.02 PYRODEX Pyrodex is a synthetic
powder that is used like black powder. It comes in the same grades, but
it is more expensive per pound. However, a one pound container of pyrodex
contains more material by volume than a pound of black powder. It is much
easier to crush to a very fine powder than black powder, and it is considerably
safer and more reliable. This is because it will not be set off by static
electricity, as black can be, and it is less inclined to absorb moisture.
It costs about $10.00 per pound. It can be crushed in the same manner as
black powder, or it can be dissolved in boiling water and dried.
2.03 ROCKET ENGINE POWDER One of the
most exciting hobbies nowadays is model rocketry. Estes is the largest
producer of model rocket kits and engines. Rocket engines are composed
of a single large grain of propellant. This grain is surrounded by a fairly
heavy cardboard tubing. One gets the propellant by slitting the tube length-
wise, and unwrapping it like a paper towel roll. When this is done, the
gray fire clay at either end of the propellant grain must be removed. This
is usually done gently with a plastic or brass knife. The material is exceptionally
hard, and must be crushed to be used. By gripping the grain in the widest
setting on a set of pliers, and putting the grain and powder in a plastic
bag, the powder will not break apart and shatter all over. This should
be done to all the large chunks of powder, and then it should be crushed
like black powder. Rocket engines come in various sizes, ranging from 1/4
A - 2T to the incredibly powerful D engines. The larger the engine, the
more expensive. D engines come in packages of three, and cost about $5.00
per package. Rocket engines are perhaps the single most useful item sold
in stores to a terrorist, since they can be used as is, or can be cannibalized
for their explosive powder.
2.04 RIFLE/SHOTGUN POWDER Rifle powder
and shotgun powder are really the same from a practicle standpoint. They
are both nitrocellulose based propellants. They will be referred to as
gunpowder in all future references. Smokeless gunpowder is made by the
action of concentrated nitric and sulfuric acid upon cotton or some other
cellulose material. This material is then dissolved by solvents and then
reformed in the desired grain size. When dealing with smokeless gunpowder,
the grain size is not nearly as important as that of black powder. Both
large and small grained smokeless powder burn fairly slowly compared to
black powder when unconfined, but when it is confined, gunpowder burns
both hotter and with more gaseous expansion, producing more pressure. Therefore,
the grinding process that is often necessary for other propellants is not
necessary for smokeless powder. owder costs about $9.00 per pound. In most
states any citizen with a valid driver's license can buy it, since there
are currently few restrictions on rifles or shotguns in the U.S. There
are now ID checks in many states when purchasing powder at a retail outlet.
Mail-orders aren't subject to such checks. Rifle powder and pyrodex may
be purchased by mail order, but UPS charges will be high, due to DOT regulations
on packaging.
2.05 FLASH POWDER Flash powder is a
mixture of powdered aluminum metal and various oxidizers. It is extremely
sensitive to heat or sparks, and should be treated with more care than
black powder, with which it should NEVER be mixed. It is sold in small
containers which must be mixed and shaken before use. It is very finely
powdered, and is available in three speeds: fast, medium, and slow. The
fast flash powder is the best for using in explosives or detonators. It
burns very rapidly, regardless of confinement or packing, with a hot white
"flash", hence its name. It is fairly expensive, costing about $11.00.
It is sold in magic shops and theatre supply stores. Flash powder is often
made with aluminum and/or magnesium. Zirconium metal is the main ingredient
in flash BULBS, but is too expensive to be used in most flash powder mixtures.
2.06 AMMONIUM NITRATE Ammonium nitrate
is a high explosive material that is often used as a commercial "safety
explosive" It is very stable, and is difficult to ignite with a match.
It will only light if the glowing, red-hot part of a match is touching
it. It is also difficult to detonate; (the phenomenon of detonation will
be explained later) it requires a large shockwave to cause it to go high
explosive. Commercially, it is sometimes mixed with a small amount of nitro-
glycerine to increase its sensitivity. Ammonium nitrate is used in the
"Cold- Paks" or "Instant Cold", available in most drug stores. The "Cold
Paks" consist of a bag of water, surrounded by a second plastic bag containing
the ammonium nitrate. To get the ammonium nitrate, simply cut off the top
of the outside bag, remove the plastic bag of water, and save the ammonium
nitrate in a well sealed, airtight container, since it is rather hydroscopic,
i.e. it tends to absorb water from the air. It is also the main ingredient
in many fertilizers.
2.1 ACQUIRING CHEMICALS The first section
deals with getting chemicals legally. This section deals with "procuring"
them. The best place to steal chemicals is a college. Many state schools
have all of their chemicals out on the shelves in the labs, and more in
their chemical stockrooms. Evening is the best time to enter lab buildings,
as there are the least number of people in the buildings, and most of the
labs will still be unlocked.
2.11 TECHNIQUES FOR PICKING LOCKS If
it becomes necessary to pick a lock to enter a lab, the world's most effective
lockpick is dynamite, followed by a sledgehammer. There are unfortunately,
problems with noise and excess structural damage with these methods. The
next best thing, however, is a set of professional lockpicks. These, unfortunately,
are difficult to acquire. If the door to a lab is locked, but the deadbolt
is not engaged, then there are other possibilities. The rule here is: if
one can see the latch, one can open the door. There are several devices
which facilitate freeing the latch from its hole in the wall. Dental tools,
stiff wire ( 20 gauge ), specially bent aluminum from cans, thin pocket
knives, and credit cards are the tools of the trade. The way that all these
tools and devices are uses is similar: pull, push, or otherwise move the
latch out of its recess in the wall, thus allowing the door to open. This
is done by sliding whatever tool that you are using behind the latch, and
forcing the latch back into the door. Most modern doorknob locks have two
fingers. The larger finger holds the door closed while the second (smaller)
finger only prevents the first finger from being pressed in when it (the
second finger) is pressed in by the catchplate of the door. If you can
separate the catch plate and the lock sufficiently far, the second finger
will slip out enough to permit the first finger to be slipped. (Ill. 2.11)
___ | } < Small -> (| } <--- The large (first) finger second |___}
< finger Some methods for getting through locked doors are: 1) Another
method of forced entry is to use an automobile jack to force the frame
around the door out of shape, freeing the latch or exposing it to the above
methods. This is possible because most door frames are designed with a
slight amount of "give". Simply put the jack into position horizontally
across the frame in the vicinity of the latch, and jack it out. If the
frame is wood it may be possible to remove the jack after shutting the
door, which will relock the door and leave few signs of forced entry. This
technique will not work in concrete block buildings, and it's difficult
to justify an auto jack to the security guards. 2) use a screwdriver or
two to pry the lock and door apart. While holding them apart, try to slip
the lock. Screwdrivers, while not entirely innocent, are much more subtle
than auto jacks, and much faster if they work. If you're into unsubtle,
I suppose a crowbar would work too, but then why bother to slip the lock
at all? 3) Find a set of double doors. They are particularly easy to pry
apart far enough to slip. 4) If the lock is occasionally accessible to
you while open, "adjust" or replace the catchplate to make it operate more
suitably (i.e., work so that it lets *both* fingers out, so that it can
always be slipped). If you want, disassembling the lock and removing some
of the pins can make it much easier to pick. 5) If, for some odd reason,
the hinges are on your side (i.e., the door opens outward), remove the
hinge pins (provided they aren't stopped with welded tabs). Unfortunately,
this too lacks subtlety, in spite of its effectiveness. 6) If the door
cannot be slipped and you will want to get through regularly, break the
mechanism. Use of sufficient force to make the first finger retreat while
the second finger is retreated will break some locks (e.g., Best locks)
in such a way that they may thereafter be slipped trivially, yet otherwise
work in all normal ways. Use of a hammer and/or screwdriver is recommended.
Some care should be used not to damage the door jamb when attempting this
on closed and locked doors, so as not to attract the attention of the users/owners/locksmith/police/....
7) Look around in desks. People very often leave keys to sensitive things
in them or other obvious places. Especially keys to shared critical resources,
like supply rooms, that are typically key-limited but that everyone needs
access to. Take measurements with a micrometer, or make a tracing (lay
key under paper and scribble on top), or be dull and make a wax impression.
Get blanks for the key type (can be very difficult for better locks; I
won't go into methods, other than to say that if you can get other keys
made from the same blank, you can often work wonders with a little ingenuity)
and use a file to reproduce the key. Using a micrometer works best: keys
made from mic measurements are more likely to work consistently than keys
made by any other method. If you us tracings, it is likely to take many
tries before you obtain a key that works reliably. Also, if you can 'borrow'
the cylinder and disassemble it, pin levels can be obtained and keys constructed.
8) Simple locks, like desks, can be picked fairly easily. Many desks have
simple three or four pin locks of only a few levels, and can be consistently
picked by a patient person in a few minutes. A small screwdriver and a
paper clip will work wonders in practiced hands. Apply a slight torque
to the lock in the direction of opening with the screwdriver. Then 'rake'
the pins with the unfolded paper clip. With practice, you'll apply enough
pressure with the screwdriver that the pins will align properly (they'll
catch on the cylinder somewhere between the top and bottom of their normal
travel), and once they're all lined up, additional pressure on the screwdriver
will then open the lock. This, in conjunction with (7) can be very effective.
This works better with older or sloppily machined locks that have a fair
amount of play in the cylinder. Even older quality locks can be picked
in this manner, if their cylinders have been worn enough to give enough
play to allow pins to catch reliably. Even with a well worn quality lock,
though, it generally takes a *lot* of patience. 9) Custodial services often
open up everything in sight and then take breaks. Make the most of your
opportunities. 10) No matter what you're doing, look like you belong there.
Nothing makes anyone more suspicious than someone skulking about, obviously
trying to look inconspicuous. If there are several of you, have some innocuous
and normal seeming warning method ("Hey, dummy! What time is it?") so that
they can get anything suspicious put away. Don't travel in large groups
at 3 AM. Remember, more than one car thief has managed to enlist a cop's
aid in breaking into a car. Remember this. Security people usually *like*
to help people. Don't make them suspicious or annoy them. If you do run
into security people, try to make sure that there won't be any theft or
break-ins reported there the next day... 11) Consider the possibilities
of master keys. Often, every lock in a building or department will have
a common master (building entrance keys are a common exception). Take apart
some locks from different places that should have common masters, measure
the different pin lengths in each, and find lengths in common. Experiment.
Then get into those places you're *really* curious about. 12) Control keys
are fun, too. These keys allow the user to remove the lock's core, and
are generally masters. (A pair of needle nose pliers or similar tool can
then be used to open the lock, if desired.)
2.11.1 SLIPPING A LOCK The best material
we've found for slips so far is soft sheet copper. It is quite flexible,
so it can be worked into jambs easily, and can be pre-bent as needed. In
the plane of the sheet, however, it is fairly strong, and pulls nicely.
Of course, if they're flexible enough, credit cards, student IDs, etc.,
work just fine on locks that have been made slippable if the door jamb
is wide enough. Wonderfully subtle, quick, and delightfully effective.
Don't leave home without one. (Ill. 2.11.1 #1) The sheet should then be
folded to produce an L,J,or U shaped device that looks like this: ________________________________________
/________________________________________| | | | | L-shaped | | | | |_|
(Ill. 2.11.1 #2) _____________________________ / ___________________________|
| | | | J-shaped | | | |________ \________| (Ill. 2.11.1 #3) _____________________
/ ___________________| | | | | | | U-shaped | | | |____________________
\____________________| We hasten to add here that many or most colleges
and universities have very strict policies about unauthorized possession
of keys. At most, it is at least grounds for expulsion, even without filing
criminal charges. Don't get caught with keys!!! The homemade ones are particularly
obvious, as they don't have the usual stamps and marks that the locksmiths
put on to name and number the keys.] we should also point out that if you
make a nuisance of yourself, there are various nasty things that can be
done to catch you and/or slow you down. For instance, by putting special
pin mechanisms in, locks can be made to trap any key used to open them.
If you lose one this way, what can I say? At least don't leave fingerprints
on it. Or make sure they're someone else's. Too much mischief can also
tempt the powers that be to rekey.
2.11.2 OPENING MASTER "WARDED" LOCKS
(by Vlad Tepes) These are the lock with the keys that look like this: (Ill.
2.11.2 #1) _ _ / \_[]_[]__[]_[] A cross section looks like this: \_/ \
\_/ [] [] [] [] Just file the key down so it looks like this: (Ill. 2.11.2
#2) _ _ / \___________[] A cross section looks like this: ~~~~~ \_/ []
Now you can bypass the wards... sometimes you have to pull the key up and
down, turning as you pass each block, to find the internal lever that will
release the latch. It's possible that some of the newer locks have more
than one lever, which makes the process much more difficult. 2.2 LIST OF
USEFUL HOUSEHOLD CHEMICALS AND THEIR AVAILABILITY Anyone can get many chemicals
from hardware stores, supermarkets, and drug stores to get the materials
to make explosives or other dangerous compounds. A would-be terrorist would
merely need a station wagon and some money to acquire many of the chemicals
named here. Chemical Used In Available at ________ _______ ____________
alcohol, ethyl * alcoholic beverages liquor stores solvents (95% min. for
both) hardware stores ammonia + CLEAR household ammonia supermarkets/7-eleven
ammonium instant-cold paks, drug stores, nitrate fertilizers medical supply
stores nitrous oxide pressurizing whip cream party supply stores poppers
(like CO2 ctgs.) Head shops (The Alley at Belmont/Clark, Chgo) magnesium
firestarters surplus/camping stores lecithin vitamins pharmacies/drug stores
mineral oil cooking, laxative supermarket/drug stores mercury mercury thermometers
supermarkets, hardware stores sulfuric acid uncharged car batteries automotive
stores glycerine pharmacies/drug stores sulfur gardening gardening/hardware
store charcoal charcoal grills supermarkets gardening stores sodium nitrate
fertilizer gardening store cellulose (cotton) first aid drug medical supply
stores strontium nitrate road flares surplus/auto stores, fuel oil kerosene
stoves surplus/camping stores, bottled gas propane stoves surplus/camping
stores, potassium permanganate water purification purification plants hexamine
or hexamine stoves surplus/camping stores methenamine (camping) nitric
acid ^ cleaning printing printing shops plates photography stores Iodine
disinfectant (tinture) Pharmacy, OSCO sodium perchlorate solidox pellets
hardware stores (VERY impure) for cutting torches ^ Nitric acid is very
difficult to find nowadays. It is usually stolen by bomb makers, or made
by the process described in a later section. A desired concentration for
making explosives about 70%. & The iodine sold in drug stores is usually
not the pure crystaline form that is desired for producing ammonium triiodide
crystals. To obtain the pure form, it must usually be acquired by a doctor's
prescription, but this can be expensive. Once again, theft is the means
that terrorists result to.
2.3 PREPARATION OF CHEMICALS While
many chemicals are not easily available in their pure form, it is sometimes
possible for the home chemist to purify more easily available sources of
impure forms of desired chemicals.
2.31 NITRIC ACID There are several
ways to make this most essential of all acids for explosives. One method
by which it could be made will be presented. Once again, be reminded that
these methods SHOULD NOT BE CARRIED OUT!! Materials: Equipment: ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ sodium nitrate or
adjustable heat source potassium nitrate retort distilled water ice bath
concentrated sulfuric acid stirring rod collecting flask with stopper 1)
Pour 32 milliliters of concentrated sulfuric acid into the retort. 2) Carefully
weigh out 58 grams of sodium nitrate, or 68 grams of potassium nitrate.
and add this to the acid slowly. If it all does not dissolve, carefully
stir the solution with a glass rod until it does. 3) Place the open end
of the retort into the collecting flask, and place the collecting flask
in the ice bath. 4) Begin heating the retort, using low heat. Continue
heating until liquid begins to come out of the end of the retort. The liquid
that forms is nitric acid. Heat until the precipitate in the bottom of
the retort is almost dry, or until no more nitric acid is forming. CAUTION:
If the acid is headed too strongly, the nitric acid will decompose as soon
as it is formed. This can result in the production of highly flammable
and toxic gasses that may explode. It is a good idea to set the above apparatus
up, and then get away from it. Potassium nitrate could also be obtained
from store-bought black powder, simply by dissolving black powder in boiling
water and filtering out the sulfur and charcoal. To obtain 68 g of potassium
nitrate, it would be necessary to dissolve about 90 g of black powder in
about one litre of boiling water. Filter the dissolved solution through
filter paper in a funnel into a jar until the liquid that pours through
is clear. The charcoal and sulfur in black powder are insoluble in water,
and so when the solution of water is allowed to evaporate, potassium nitrate
will be left in the jar.
2.32 SULFURIC ACID Sulfuric acid is
far too difficult to make outside of a laboratory or industrial plant.
However, it is readily available in an uncharged car battery. A person
wishing to make sulfuric acid would simply remove the top of a car battery
and pour the acid into a glass container. There would probably be pieces
of lead from the battery in the acid which would have to be removed, either
by boiling or filtration. The concentration of the sulfuric acid can also
be increased by boiling it; very pure sulfuric acid pours slightly faster
than clean motor oil.
2.33 AMMONIUM NITRATE Ammonium nitrate
is a very powerful but insensitive high-order explosive. It could be made
very easily by pouring nitric acid into a large flask in an ice bath. Then,
by simply pouring household ammonia into the flask and running away, ammonium
nitrate would be formed. After the materials have stopped reacting, one
would simply have to leave the solution in a warm place until all of the
water and any unneutralized ammonia or acid have evaporated. There would
be a fine powder formed, which would be ammonium nitrate. It must be kept
in an airtight container, because of its tendency to pick up water from
the air. The crystals formed in the above process would have to be heated
VERY gently to drive off the remaining water.
3.0 EXPLOSIVE RECIPES Once again, persons
reading this material MUST NEVER ATTEMPT TO PRODUCE ANY OF THE EXPLOSIVES
DESCRIBED HEREIN. IT IS ILLEGAL AND EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TO ATTEMPT TO DO
SO. LOSS OF LIFE AND/OR LIMB COULD EASILY OCCUR AS A RESULT OF ATTEMPTING
TO PRODUCE EXPLOSIVE MATERIALS. These recipes are theoretically correct,
meaning that an individual could conceivably produce the materials described.
The methods here are usually scaled-down industrial procedures.
3.01 EXPLOSIVE THEORY An explosive
is any material that, when ignited by heat or shock, undergoes rapid decomposition
or oxidation. This process releases energy that is stored in the material
in the form of heat and light, or by breaking down into gaseous compounds
that occupy a much larger volume that the original piece of material. Because
this expansion is very rapid, large volumes of air are displaced by the
expanding gasses. This expansion occurs at a speed greater than the speed
of sound, and so a sonic boom occurs. This explains the mechanics behind
an explosion. Explosives occur in several forms: high-order explosives
which detonate, low order explosives, which burn, and primers, which may
do both. High order explosives detonate. A detonation occurs only in a
high order explosive. Detonations are usually incurred by a shockwave that
passes through a block of the high explosive material. The shockwave breaks
apart the molecular bonds between the atoms of the substance, at a rate
approximately equal to the speed of sound traveling through that material.
In a high explosive, the fuel and oxodizer are chemically bonded, and the
shockwave breaks apart these bonds, and re-combines the two materials to
produce mostly gasses. T.N.T., ammonium nitrate, and R.D.X. are examples
of high order explosives. Low order explosives do not detonate; they burn,
or undergo oxidation. when heated, the fuel(s) and oxodizer(s) combine
to produce heat, light, and gaseous products. Some low order materials
burn at about the same speed under pressure as they do in the open, such
as blackpowder. Others, such as gunpowder, which is correctly called nitrocellulose,
burn much faster and hotter when they are in a confined space, such as
the barrel of a firearm; they usually burn much slower than blackpowder
when they are ignited in unpressurized conditions. Black powder, nitrocellulose,
and flash powder are good examples of low order explosives. Primers are
peculiarities to the explosive field. Some of them, such as mercury fulminate,
will function as a low or high order explosive. They are usually more sensitive
to friction, heat, or shock, than the high or low explosives. Most primers
perform like a high order explosive, except that they are much more sensitive.
Still others merely burn, but when they are confined, they burn at a great
rate and with a large expansion of gasses and a shockwave. Primers are
usually used in a small amount to initiate, or cause to decompose, a high
order explosive, as in an artillery shell. But, they are also frequently
used to ignite a low order explosive; the gunpowder in a bullet is ignited
by the detonation of its primer.
3.1 IMPACT EXPLOSIVES Impact explosives
are often used as primers. Of the ones discussed here, only mercury fulminate
and nitroglycerine are real explosives; Ammonium triiodide crystals decompose
upon impact, but they release little heat and no light. Impact explosives
are always treated with the greatest care, and even the stupidest anarchist
never stores them near any high or low explosives.
3.11 AMMONIUM TRIIODIDE CRYSTALS Ammonium
triiodide crystals are foul-smelling purple colored crystals that decompose
under the slightest amount of heat, friction, or shock, if they are made
with the purest ammonia (ammonium hydroxide) and iodine. Such crystals
are said to detonate when a fly lands on them, or when an ant walks across
them. Household ammonia, however, has enough impurities, such as soaps
and abrasive agents, so that the crystals will detonate when thrown,crushed,
or heated. Ammonia, when bought in stores comes in a variety of forms.
The pine and cloudy ammonias should not be bought; only the clear ammonia
should be used to make ammonium triiodide crystals. Upon detonation, a
loud report is heard, and a cloud of purple iodine gas appears about the
detonation site. Whatever the unfortunate surface that the crystal was
detonated upon will usually be ruined, as some of the iodine in the crystal
is thrown about in a solid form, and iodine is corrosive. It leaves nasty,
ugly, permanent brownish-purple stains on whatever it contacts. Iodine
gas is also bad news, since it can damage lungs, and it settles to the
ground and stains things there also. Touching iodine leaves brown stains
on the skin that last for about a week, unless they are immediately and
vigorously washed off. While such a compound would have little use to a
serious terrorist, a vandal could utilize them in damaging property. Or,
a terrorist could throw several of them into a crowd as a distraction,
an action which would possibly injure a few people, but frighten almost
anyone, since a small crystal that may not be seen when thrown produces
a rather loud explosion. Ammonium triiodide crystals could be produced
in the following manner: Materials Equipment ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ iodine crystals
funnel and filter paper paper towels clear ammonia (ammonium hydroxide,
two throw-away glass jars for the suicidal) 1) Place about two teaspoons
of iodine into one of the glass jars. The jars must both be throw away
because they will never be clean again. 2) Add enough ammonia to completely
cover the iodine. 3) Place the funnel into the other jar, and put the filter
paper in the funnel. The technique for putting filter paper in a funnel
is taught in every basic chemistry lab class: fold the circular paper in
half, so that a semi-circle is formed. Then, fold it in half again to form
a triangle with one curved side. Pull one thickness of paper out to form
a cone, and place the cone into the funnel. 4) After allowing the iodine
to soak in the ammonia for a while, pour the solution into the paper in
the funnel through the filter paper. 5) While the solution is being filtered,
put more ammonia into the first jar to wash any remaining crystals into
the funnel as soon as it drains. 6) Collect all the purplish crystals without
touching the brown filter paper, and place them on the paper towels to
dry for about an hour. Make sure that they are not too close to any lights
or other sources of heat, as they could well detonate. While they are still
wet, divide the wet material into eight pieces of about the same size.
7) After they dry, gently place the crystals onto a one square inch piece
of duct tape. Cover it with a similar piece, and gently press the duct
tape together around the crystal, making sure not to press the crystal
itself. Finally, cut away most of the excess duct tape with a pair of scissors,
and store the crystals in a cool dry safe place. They have a shelf life
of about a week, and they should be stored in individual containers that
can be thrown away, since they have a tendency to slowly decompose, a process
which gives off iodine vapors, which will stain whatever they settle on.
One possible way to increase their shelf life is to store them in airtight
containers. To use them, simply throw them against any surface or place
them where they will be stepped on or crushed.
3.12 MERCURY FULMINATE Mercury fulminate
is perhaps one of the oldest known initiating compounds. It can be detonated
by either heat or shock, which would make it of infinite value to a terrorist.
Even the action of dropping a crystal of the fulminate causes it to explode.
A person making this material would probably use the following procedure:
MATERIALS EQUIPMENT ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ 5 g mercury glass
stirring rod 35 ml concentrated 100 ml beaker (2) nitric acid ethyl alcohol
(30 ml) adjustable heat source distilled water blue litmus paper funnel
and filter paper Solvent alcohol must be at least 95% ethyl alcohol if
it is used to make mercury fulminate. Methyl alcohol may prevent mercury
fulminate from forming. Mercury thermometers are becoming a rarity, unfortunately.
They may be hard to find in most stores as they have been superseded by
alcohol and other less toxic fillings. Mercury is also used in mercury
switches, which are available at electronics stores. Mercury is a hazardous
substance, and should be kept in the thermometer or mercury switch until
used. It gives off mercury vapors which will cause brain damage if inhaled.
For this reason, it is a good idea not to spill mercury, and to always
use it outdoors. Also, do not get it in an open cut; rubber gloves will
help prevent this. 1) In one beaker, mix 5 g of mercury with 35 ml of concentrated
nitric acid, using the glass rod. 2) Slowly heat the mixture until the
mercury is dissolved, which is when the solution turns green and boils.
3) Place 30 ml of ethyl alcohol into the second beaker, and slowly and
carefully add all of the contents of the first beaker to it. Red and/or
brown fumes should appear. These fumes are toxic and flammable. 4) After
thirty to forty minutes, the fumes should turn white, indicating that the
reaction is near completion. After ten more minutes, add 30 ml of the distilled
water to the solution. 5) Carefully filter out the crystals of mercury
fulminate from the liquid solution. Dispose of the solution in a safe place,
as it is corrosive and toxic. 6) Wash the crystals several times in distilled
water to remove as much excess acid as possible. Test the crystals with
the litmus paper until they are neutral. This will be when the litmus paper
stays blue when it touches the wet crystals 7) Allow the crystals to dry,
and store them in a safe place, far away from any explosive or flammable
material. This procedure can also be done by volume, if the available mercury
cannot be weighed. Simply use 10 volumes of nitric acid and 10 volumes
of ethanol to every one volume of mercury.
3.13 NITROGLYCERINE Nitroglycerine
is one of the most sensitive explosives, if it is not the most sensitive.
Although it is possible to make it safely, it is difficult. Many a young
anarchist has been killed or seriously injured while trying to make the
stuff. When Nobel's factories make it, many people were killed by the all-to-frequent
factory explosions. Usually, as soon as it is made, it is converted into
a safer substance, such as dynamite. An idiot who attempts to make nitroglycerine
would use the following procedure: MATERIAL EQUIPMENT ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ distilled water
eye-dropper table salt 100 ml beaker sodium bicarbonate 200-300 ml beakers
(2) concentrated nitric ice bath container acid (13 ml) ( a plastic bucket
serves well ) concentrated sulfuric centigrade thermometer acid (39 ml)
glycerine blue litmus paper 1) Place 150 ml of distilled water into one
of the 200-300 ml beakers. 2) In the other 200-300 ml beaker, place 150
ml of distilled water and about a spoonful of sodium bicarbonate, and stir
them until the sodium bicarbonate dissolves. Do not put so much sodium
bicarbonate in the water so that some remains undissolved. 3) Create an
ice bath by half filling the ice bath container with ice, and adding table
salt. This will cause the ice to melt, lowering the overall temperature.
4) Place the 100 ml beaker into the ice bath, and pour the 13 ml of concentrated
nitric acid into the 100 ml beaker. Be sure that the beaker will not spill
into the ice bath, and that the ice bath will not overflow into the beaker
when more materials are added to it. Be sure to have a large enough ice
bath container to add more ice. Bring the temperature of the acid down
to about 20 degrees centigrade or less. 5) When the nitric acid is as cold
as stated above, slowly and carefully add the 39 ml of concentrated sulfuric
acid to the nitric acid. Mix the two acids together, and cool the mixed
acids to 10 degrees centigrade. It is a good idea to start another ice
bath to do this. 6) With the eyedropper, slowly put the glycerine into
the mixed acids, one drop at a time. Hold the thermometer along the top
of the mixture where the mixed acids and glycerine meet. DO NOT ALLOW THE
TEMPERATURE TO GET ABOVE 30 DEGREES CENTIGRADE; IF THE TEMPERATURE RISES
ABOVE THIS TEMPERATURE, WATCH OUT !! The glycerine will start to nitrate
immediately, and the temperature will immediately begin to rise. Add glycerine
until there is a thin layer of glycerine on top of the mixed acids. It
is always safest to make any explosive in small quantities. 7) Stir the
mixed acids and glycerine for the first ten minutes of nitration, adding
ice and salt to the ice bath to keep the temperature of the solution in
the 100 ml beaker well below 30 degrees centigrade. Usually, the nitroglycerine
will form on the top of the mixed acid solution, and the concentrated sulfuric
acid will absorb the water produced by the reaction. 8) When the reaction
is over, and when the nitroglycerine is well below 30 degrees centigrade,
slowly and carefully pour the solution of nitroglycerine and mixed acid
into the distilled water in the beaker in step 1. The nitroglycerine should
settle to the bottom of the beaker, and the water-acid solution on top
can be poured off and disposed of. Drain as much of the acid- water solution
as possible without disturbing the nitroglycerine. 9) Carefully remove
the nitroglycerine with a clean eye-dropper, and place it into the beaker
in step 2. The sodium bicarbonate solution will eliminate much of the acid,
which will make the nitroglycerine more stable, and less likely to explode
for no reason, which it can do. Test the nitroglycerine with the litmus
paper until the litmus stays blue. Repeat this step if necessary, and use
new sodium bicarbonate solutions as in step 2. 10) When the nitroglycerine
is as acid-free as possible, store it in a clean container in a safe place.
The best place to store nitroglycerine is far away from anything living,
or from anything of any value. Nitroglycerine can explode for no apparent
reason, even if it is stored in a secure cool place.
3.14 PICRATES Although the procedure
for the production of picric acid, or trinitrophenol has not yet been given,
its salts are described first, since they are extremely sensitive, and
detonate on impact. By mixing picric acid with metal hydroxides, such as
sodium or potassium hydroxide, and evaporating the water, metal picrates
can be formed. Simply obtain picric acid, or produce it, and mix it with
a solution of (preferably) potassium hydroxide, of a mid range molarity.
(about 6-9 M) This material, potassium picrate, is impact-sensitive, and
can be used as an initiator for any type of high explosive.
3.2 LOW-ORDER EXPLOSIVES There are
many low-order explosives that can be purchased in gun stores and used
in explosive devices. However, it is possible that a wise wise store owner
would not sell these substances to a suspicious-looking individual. Such
an individual would then be forced to resort to making his own low-order
explosives.
3.21 BLACK POWDER First made by the
Chinese for use in fireworks, black powder was first used in weapons and
explosives in the 12th century. It is very simple to make, but it is not
very powerful or safe. Only about 50% of black powder is converted to hot
gasses when it is burned; the other half is mostly very fine burned particles.
Black powder has one major problem: it can be ignited by static electricity.
This is very bad, and it means that the material must be made with wooden
or clay tools. Anyway, a misguided individual could manufacture black powder
at home with the following procedure: MATERIALS EQUIPMENT ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ potassium clay grinding
bowl nitrate (75 g) and clay grinder or or sodium wooden salad bowl nitrate
(75 g) and wooden spoon sulfur (10 g) plastic bags (3) charcoal (15 g)
300-500 ml beaker (1) distilled water coffee pot or heat source 1) Place
a small amount of the potassium or sodium nitrate in the grinding bowl
and grind it to a very fine powder. Do this to all of the potassium or
sodium nitrate, and store the ground powder in one of the plastic bags.
2) Do the same thing to the sulfur and charcoal, storing each chemical
in a separate plastic bag. 3) Place all of the finely ground potassium
or sodium nitrate in the beaker, and add just enough boiling water to the
chemical to get it all wet. 4) Add the contents of the other plastic bags
to the wet potassium or sodium nitrate, and mix them well for several minutes.
Do this until there is no more visible sulfur or charcoal, or until the
mixture is universally black. 5) On a warm sunny day, put the beaker outside
in the direct sunlight. Sunlight is really the best way to dry black powder,
since it is never too hot, but it is hot enough to evaporate the water.
6) Scrape the black powder out of the beaker, and store it in a safe container.
Plastic is really the safest container, followed by paper. Never store
black powder in a plastic bag, since plastic bags are prone to generate
static electricity.
3.22 NITROCELLULOSE Nitrocellulose
is usually called "gunpowder" or "guncotton". It is more stable than black
powder, and it produces a much greater volume of hot gas. It also burns
much faster than black powder when it is in a confined space. Finally,
nitrocellulose is fairly easy to make, as outlined by the following procedure:
MATERIALS EQUIPMENT ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ cotton (cellulose)
two (2) 200-300 ml beakers concentrated funnel and filter paper nitric
acid blue litmus paper concentrated sulfuric acid distilled water 1) Pour
10 cc of concentrated sulfuric acid into the beaker. Add to this 10 cc
of concentrated nitric acid. 2) Immediately add 0.5 gm of cotton, and allow
it to soak for exactly 3 minutes. 3) Remove the nitrocotton, and transfer
it to a beaker of distilled water to wash it in. 4) Allow the material
to dry, and then re-wash it. 5) After the cotton is neutral when tested
with litmus paper, it is ready to be dried and stored.
3.22.1 PRODUCING CELLULOSE NITRATE
(From andrew at CMU) I used to make nitrocellulose, though. It was not
guncotton grade, because I didn't have oleum (H2SO4 with dissolved SO3);
nevertheless it worked. At first I got my H2SO4 from a little shop in downtown
Philadelphia, which sold soda-acid fire extinguisher refills. Not only
was the acid concentrated, cheap and plentiful, it came with enough carbonate
to clean up. I'd add KNO3 and a little water (OK, I'd add the acid to the
water - but there was so little water, what was added to what made little
difference. It spattered concentrated H2SO4 either way). Later on, when
I could purchase the acids, I believe I used 3 parts H2SO4 to 1 part HNO3.
For cotton, I'd use cotton wool or cotton cloth. Runaway nitration was
commonplace, but it is usually not so disasterous with nitrocellulose as
it is with nitroglycerine. For some reason, I tried washing the cotton
cloth in a solution of lye, and rinsing it well in distilled water. I let
the cloth dry and then nitrated it. (Did I read this somewhere?) When that
product was nitrated, I never got a runaway reaction. BTW, water quenched
the runaway reaction of cellulose. The product was washed thoroughly and
allowed to dry. It dissolved (or turned into mush) in acetone. It dissolved
in alcohol/ether. WARNINGS All usual warnings regarding strong acids apply.
H2SO4 likes to spatter. When it falls on the skin, it destroys tissue -
often painfully. It dissolves all manner of clothing. Nitric also destroys
skin, turning it bright yellow in the process. Nitric is an oxidant - it
can start fires. Both agents will happily blind you if you get them in
your eyes. Other warnings also apply. Not for the novice. Nitrocellulose
decomposes very slowly on storage if it isn't stablized. The decomposition
is auto- catalyzing, and can result in spontaneous explosion if the material
is kept confined over time. The process is much faster if the material
is not washed well enough. Nitrocellulose powders contain stabilizers such
as diphenyl amine or ethyl centralite. DO NOT ALLOW THESE TO COME INTO
CONTACT WITH NITRIC ACID!!!! A small amount of either substance will capture
the small amounts of nitrogen oxides that result from decomposition. They
therefore inhibit the autocatalysis. NC eventually will decompose in any
case. Again, this is inherently dangerous and illegal in certain areas.
I got away with it. You may kill yourself and others if you try it.
3.22.2 Commercially produced Nitrocellulose
is stabilized by: 1. Spinning it in a large centrifuge to remove the remaining
acid, which is recycled. 2. Immersion in a large quantity of fresh water.
3. Boiling it in acidulated water and washing it thoroughly with fresh
water. If the NC is to be used as smokeless powder it is boiled in a soda
solution, then rinsed in fresh water. The purer the acid used (lower water
content) the more complete the nitration will be, and the more powerful
the nitrocellulose produced. There are actually three forms of cellulose
nitrate, only one of which is useful for pyrotechnic purposes. The mononitrate
and dinitrate are not explosive, and are produced by incomplete nitration.
If nitration is allowed to proceed to complete the explosive trinatrate
is formed. (Ill. 3.22.2) CH OH CH ONO | 2 | 2 2 | | C-----O HNO C-----O
/H \ 3 /H \ -CH CH-O- --> -CH CH-O- \H H/ H SO \H H/ C-----C 2 4 C-----C
| | | | OH OH ONO ONO 2 2 CELLULOSE CELLULOSE TRINITRATE 3.23 FUEL-OXODIZER
MIXTURES There are nearly an infinite number of fuel-oxodizer mixtures
that can be produced by a misguided individual in his own home. Some are
very effective and dangerous, while others are safer and less effective.
A list of working fuel- oxodizer mixtures will be presented, but the exact
measurements of each compound are debatable for maximum effectiveness.
A rough estimate will be given of the percentages of each fuel and oxodizer:
oxodizer, % by weight fuel, % by weight speed # notes ================================================================================
potassium chlorate 67% sulfur 33% 5 friction/impact sensitive; unstable
potassium chlorate 50% sugar 35% 5 fairly slow burning; charcoal 15% unstable
potassium chlorate 50% sulfur 25% 8 extremely magnesium or unstable! aluminum
dust 25% potassium chlorate 67% magnesium or 8 unstable aluminum dust 33%
sodium nitrate 65% magnesium dust 30% ? unpredictable sulfur 5% burn rate
potassium permanganate 60% glycerine 40% 4 delay before ignition depends
WARNING: IGNITES SPONTANEOUSLY WITH GLYCERINE!!! upon grain size potassium
permanganate 67% sulfur 33% 5 unstable potassium permangenate 60% sulfur
20% 5 unstable magnesium or aluminum dust 20% potassium permanganate 50%
sugar 50% 3 ? potassium nitrate 75% charcoal 15% 7 this is sulfur 10% black
powder! potassium nitrate 60% powdered iron 1 burns very hot or magnesium
40% Oxidizer, % by weight fuel, % by weight speed # notes ================================================================================
potassium chlorate 75% phosphorus 8 used to make strike- sesquisulfide
25% anywhere matches ammonium perchlorate 70% aluminum dust 30% 6 solid
fuel for and small amount of space shuttle iron oxide potassium perchlorate
67% magnesium or 10 flash powder (sodium perchlorate) aluminum dust 33%
potassium perchlorate 60% magnesium or 8 alternate (sodium perchlorate)
aluminum dust 20% flash powder sulfur 20% barium nitrate 30% aluminum dust
30% 9 alternate potassium perchlorate 30% flash powder barium peroxide
90% magnesium dust 5% 10 alternate aluminum dust 5% flash powder potassium
perchlorate 50% sulfur 25% 8 slightly magnesium or unstable aluminum dust
25% potassium chlorate 67% red phosphorus 27% 7 very unstable calcium carbonate
3% sulfur 3% impact sensitive potassium permanganate 50% powdered sugar
25% 7 unstable; aluminum or ignites if magnesium dust 25% it gets wet!
potassium chlorate 75% charcoal dust 15% 6 unstable sulfur 10% ================================================================================
NOTE: Mixtures that uses substitutions of sodium perchlorate for potassium
perchlorate become moisture-absorbent and less stable. The higher the speed
number, the faster the fuel-oxodizer mixture burns AFTER ignition. Also,
as a rule, the finer the powder, the faster the rate of burning. As one
can easily see, there is a wide variety of fuel-oxodizer mixtures that
can be made at home. By altering the amounts of fuel and oxodizer(s), different
burn rates can be achieved, but this also can change the sensitivity of
the mixture.
3.24 PERCHLORATES As a rule, any oxidizable
material that is treated with perchloric acid will become a low order explosive.
Metals, however, such as potassium or sodium, become excellent bases for
flash-type powders. Some materials that can be perchlorated are cotton,
paper, and sawdust. To produce potassium or sodium perchlorate, simply
acquire the hydroxide of that metal, e.g. sodium or potassium hydroxide.
It is a good idea to test the material to be treated with a very small
amount of acid, since some of the materials tend to react explosively when
contacted by the acid. Solutions of sodium or potassium hydroxide are ideal.
3.25 FLASH POWDER (By Dr. Tiel) Here
are a few basic precautions to take if you're crazy enough to produce your
own flash powder: (1) Grind the oxidizer (KNO3, KClO3, KMnO4, KClO4 etc)
separately in a clean vessel. (2) NEVER grind or sift the mixed composition.
(3) Mix the composition on a large paper sheet, by rolling the composition
back and forth. (4) Do not store flash compositions, especially any containing
Mg. (5) Make very small quantities at first, so you can appreciate the
power of such mixtures. KNO3 50% (by weight) Mg 50% It is very important
to have the KNO3 very dry, if evolution of ammonia is observed then the
KNO3 has water in it. Very pure and dry KNO3 is needed. KClO3 with Mg or
Al metal powders works very well. Many hands, faces and lives have been
lost with such compositions. KMnO4 with Mg or Al is also an extremely powerful
flash composition. KClO4 with Al is generally found in comercial fireworks,
this does not mean that it is safe, it is a little safer than KClO3 above.
K2Cr2O7 can also be used as an oxidizer for flash powder. The finer the
oxidizer and the finer the metal powder the more powerful the explosive.
This of course will also increase the sensetivity of the flash powder.
For a quick flash small quantities can be burnt in the open. Larger quantities
(50g or more) ignited in the open can detonate, they do not need a container
to do so. NOTE: Flash powder in any container will detonate. Balanced equations
of some oxidizer/metal reactions. Only major products are considered. Excess
metal powders are generally used. This excess burns with atmospheric oxygen.
4 KNO3 + 10 Mg --> 2 K2O + 2 N2 + 10 MgO + energy KClO3 + 2 Al --> KCl
+ Al2O3 + energy 3 KClO4 + 8 Al --> 3 KCl + 4 Al2O3 + energy 6 KMnO4 +
14 Al --> 3 K2O + 7 Al2O3 + 6 Mn + energy Make Black Powder first if you
have never worked with pyrotechnic materials, then think about this stuff.
Dr. Van Tiel- Ph.D. Chemistry Potassium perchlorate is a lot safer than
sodium/potassium chlorate.
3.3 HIGH-ORDER EXPLOSIVES High order
explosives can be made in the home without too much difficulty. The main
problem is acquiring the nitric acid to produce the high explosive. Most
high explosives detonate because their molecular structure is made up of
some fuel and usually three or more NO2 ( nitrogen dioxide ) molecules.
T.N.T., or Tri-Nitro-Toluene is an excellent example of such a material.
When a shock wave passes through an molecule of T.N.T., the nitrogen dioxide
bond is broken, and the oxygen combines with the fuel, all in a matter
of microseconds. This accounts for the great power of nitrogen-based explosives.
Remembering that these procedures are NEVER TO BE CARRIED OUT, several
methods of manufacturing high-order explosives in the home are listed.
3.31 R.D.X. R.D.X., also called cyclonite, or composition C-1 (when mixed
with plasticisers) is one of the most valuable of all military explosives.
This is because it has more than 150% of the power of T.N.T., and is much
easier to detonate. It should not be used alone, since it can be set off
by a not-too severe shock. It is less sensitive than mercury fulminate,
or nitroglycerine, but it is still too sensitive to be used alone. (Ill.
3.31) NO 2 | N / \ RDX MOLECULE / \ H C H C / 2 2 / | O N N--NO 2 \ / 2
\ / \ / CH 2 R.D.X. can be made by the surprisingly simple method outlined
hereafter. It is much easier to make in the home than all other high explosives,
with the possible exception of ammonium nitrate. MATERIALS EQUIPMENT ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ hexamine 500 ml
beaker or methenamine glass stirring rod fuel tablets (50 g) funnel and
filter paper concentrated nitric acid (550 ml) ice bath container (plastic
bucket) distilled water centigrade thermometer table salt blue litmus paper
ice ammonium nitrate 1) Place the beaker in the ice bath, (see section
3.13, steps 3-4) and carefully pour 550 ml of concentrated nitric acid
into the beaker. 2) When the acid has cooled to below 20 degrees centigrade,
add small amounts of the crushed fuel tablets to the beaker. The temperature
will rise, and it must be kept below 30 degrees centigrade, or dire consequences
could result. Stir the mixture. 3) Drop the temperature below zero degrees
centigrade, either by adding more ice and salt to the old ice bath, or
by creating a new ice bath. Or, ammonium nitrate could be added to the
old ice bath, since it becomes cold when it is put in water. Continue stirring
the mixture, keeping the temperature below zero degrees centigrade for
at least twenty minutes 4) Pour the mixture into a litre of crushed ice.
Shake and stir the mixture, and allow it to melt. Once it has melted, filter
out the crystals, and dispose of the corrosive liquid. 5) Place the crystals
into one half a litre of boiling distilled water. Filter the crystals,
and test them with the blue litmus paper. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until the
litmus paper remains blue. This will make the crystals more stable and
safe. 6) Store the crystals wet until ready for use. Allow them to dry
completely using them. R.D.X. is not stable enough to use alone as an explosive.
7) Composition C-1 can be made by mixing 88.3% R.D.X. (by weight) with
11.1% mineral oil, and 0.6% lecithin. Kneed these material together in
a plastic bag. This is one way to desensitize the explosive. 8) H.M.X.
is a mixture of T.N.T. and R.D.X.; the ratio is 50/50, by weight. it is
not as sensitive, and is almost as powerful as straight R.D.X. 9) By adding
ammonium nitrate to the crystals of R.D.X. after step 5, it should be possible
to desensitize the R.D.X. and increase its power, since ammonium nitrate
is very insensitive and powerful. Soduim or potassium nitrate could also
be added; a small quantity is sufficient to stabilize the R.D.X. 10) R.D.X.
detonates at a rate of 8550 meters/second when it is compressed to a density
of 1.55 g/cubic cm.
3.32 AMMONIUM NITRATE Ammonium nitrate
could be made by a terrorist according to the haphazard method in section
2.33, or it could be stolen from a construction site, since it is usually
used in blasting, because it is very stable and insensitive to shock and
heat. A terrorist could also buy several Instant Cold-Paks from a drug
store or medical supply store. The major disadvantage with ammonium nitrate,
from a terrorist's point of view, would be detonating it. A rather powerful
priming charge must be used, and usually with a booster charge. The diagram
below will explain. (Ill. 3.32) _________________________________________
| |__ | ________|_ | | | | T.N.T. | ammonium nitrate | |primer |booster
| + | |________| | fuel oil | | __| | |_______|_______________________________|
The primer explodes, detonating the T.N.T., which detonates, sending a
tremendous shockwave through the ammonium nitrate, detonating it.
3.33 ANFOS ANFO is an acronym for Ammonium
Nitrate - Fuel Oil Solution. An ANFO solves the only other major problem
with ammonium nitrate: its tendency to pick up water vapor from the air.
This results in the explosive failing to detonate when such an attempt
is made. This is rectified by mixing 94% (by weight) ammonium nitrate with
6% fuel oil, or kerosene. The kerosene keeps the ammonium nitrate from
absorbing moisture from the air. An ANFO also requires a large shockwave
to set it off. 3.33.1 About ANFO (From Dean S.) Lately there was been a
lot said about various ANFO mixtures. These are mixtures of Ammonium Nitrate
with Fuel Oil. This forms a reasonably powerful commercial explosive, with
its primary benifit being the fact that it is cheap. Bulk ANFO should run
somewhere around 9-12 cents the pound. This is dirt cheap compared to 40%
nitro gel dynamites at 1 to 2 dollars the pound. To keep the cost down,
it is frequently mixed at the borehole by a bulk truck, which has a pneumatic
delivery hopper of AN prills (thats pellets to most of the world) and a
tank of fuel oil. It is strongly recommended that a dye of some sort, preferably
red be added to the fuel oil to make it easier to distinguish treated AN
explosive from untreated oxidizer. ANFO is not without its problems. To
begin with, it is not that sensitive to detonation. Number eight caps are
not reliable when used with ANFO. Booster charges must be used to avoid
dud blast holes. Common boosters include sticks of various dynamites, small
pours of water gel explosives, dupont's detaprime cast boosters, and Atlas's
power primer cast explosive. The need to use boosters raises the cost.
Secondly, ANFO is very water susceptable. It dissolves in it, or absorbes
it from the atmosphere, and becomes quite worthless real quick. It must
be protected from water with borehole liners, and still must be shot real
quick. Third, ANFO has a low density, somewhere around .85. This means
ANFO sacks float, which is no good, and additionally, the low density means
the power is somewhat low. Generally, the more weight of explosive one
can place in a hole, the more effective. ANFO blown into the hole with
a pneumatic system fractures as it is places, raising the density to about
.9 or .92. The delivery system adds to the cost, and must be anti static
in nature. Aluminum is added to some commercial, cartridge packaged ANFOs
to raise the density---this also raises power considerable, and a few of
these mixtures are reliablly cap sensitive. Now than, for formulations.
An earlier article mentioned 2.5 kilos of ammonium nitrate, and I believe
5 to 6 liters of diesel. This mixture is extremely over fueled, and I'd
be surprised if it worked. Dupont recommends a AN to FO ratio of 93% AN
to 7% FO by weight. Hardly any oil at all. More oil makes the mixture less
explosive by absorbing detonation energy, and excess fuel makes detonation
byproducts health hazzards as the mixture is oxygen poor. Note that commercial
fertilizer products do not work as well as the porous AN prills dupont
sells, because fertilizers are coated with various materials meant to seal
them from moisture, which keep the oil from being absorbed. Another problem
with ANFO: for reliable detonation, it needs confinement, either from a
casing, borehole, etc, or from the mass of the charge. Thus, a pile of
the stuff with a booster in it is likely to scatter and burn rather than
explode when the booster is shot. In boreholes, or reasonable strong casings
(cardboard, or heavy plastic film sacks) the stuff detonated quite well.
So will big piles. Thats how the explosive potential was discovered: a
small oil freighter rammed a bulk chemical ship. Over several hours the
cargoes intermixed to some degree, and reached critical mass. Real big
bang. A useful way to obtain the containment needed is to replace the fuel
oil with a wax fuel. Mix the AN with just enough melted wax to form a cohesive
mixture, mold into shape. The wax fuels, and retains the mixture. This
is what the US military uses as a man placed cratering charge. The military
literature states this can be set off by a blasting cap, but it is important
to remember the military blasting caps are considerable more powerful than
commercial ones. The military rightly insists on reliability, and thus
a strong cap (maybe 70-80 percent stronger than commercial). They also
tend to go overboard when calculating demolition charges...., but then
hey, who doesn't.... Two manuals of interest: Duponts "Blaster's Handbook",
a $20 manual mainly useful for rock and seismographic operations. Atlas's
"Powder Manual" or "Manual of Rock Blasting" (I forget the title, its in
the office). This is a $60 book, well worth the cash, dealing with the
above two topics, plus demolitions, and non-quarry blasting. Incidently,
combining fuel oil and ammonium nitrate constitutes the manufacture of
a high explosive, and requires a federal permit to manufacture and store.
Even the mines that mix it on site require the permit to manufacture. Those
who don't manufacture only need permits to store. Those who don't store
need no permits, which includes most of us: anyone, at least in the US
may purchase explosives, provided they are 21 or older, and have no criminal
record. Note they ought to be used immediately, because you do need a liscence
to store. Note also that commercial explosives contain quantities of tracing
agents, which make it real easy for the FBI to trace the explosion to the
purchaser, so please, nobody blow up any banks, orphanages, or old folks
homes, okay. D. S.- Civil Engineer at large.
3.34 T.N.T. T.N.T., or Tri-Nitro-Toluene,
is perhaps the second oldest known high explosive. Dynamite, of course,
was the first. It is certainly the best known high explosive, since it
has been popularized by early morning cartoons. It is the standard for
comparing other explosives to, since it is the most well known. In industry,
a T.N.T. is made by a three step nitration process that is designed to
conserve the nitric and sulfuric acids which are used to make the product.
A terrorist, however, would probably opt for the less economical one step
method. The one step process is performed by treating toluene with very
strong (fuming) sulfuric acid. Then, the sulfated toluene is treated with
very strong (fuming) nitric acid in an ice bath. Cold water is added the
solution, and it is filtered.
3.35 POTASSIUM CHLORATE Potassium chlorate
itself cannot be made in the home, but it can be obtained from labs. If
potassium chlorate is mixed with a small amount of vaseline, or other petroleum
jelly, and a shockwave is passed through it, the material will detonate
with slightly more power than black powder. It must, however, be confined
to detonate it in this manner. The procedure for making such an explosive
is outlined below: MATERIALS EQUIPMENT ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ potassium chlorate
zip-lock plastic bag (9 parts, by volume) petroleum jelly clay grinding
bowl (vaseline) or (1 part, by volume) wooden bowl and wooden spoon 1)
Grind the potassium chlorate in the grinding bowl carefully and slowly,
until the potassium chlorate is a very fine powder. The finer that it is
powdered, the faster (better) it will detonate. 2) Place the powder into
the plastic bag. Put the petroleum jelly into the plastic bag, getting
as little on the sides of the bag as possible, i.e. put the vaseline on
the potassium chlorate powder. 3) Close the bag, and kneed the materials
together until none of the potassium chlorate is dry powder that does not
stick to the main glob. If necessary, add a bit more petroleum jelly to
the bag. 4) The material must me used within 24 hours, or the mixture will
react to greatly reduce the effectiveness of the explosive. This reaction,
however, is harmless, and releases no heat or dangerous products.
3.36 DYNAMITE The name dynamite comes
from the Greek word "dynamis", meaning power. Dynamite was invented by
Nobel shortly after he made nitroglycerine. It was made because nitroglycerine
was so dangerously sensitive to shock. A misguided individual with some
sanity would, after making nitroglycerine (an insane act) would immediately
convert it to dynamite. This can be done by adding various materials to
the nitroglycerine, such as sawdust. The sawdust holds a large weight of
nitroglycerine per volume. Other materials, such as ammonium nitrate could
be added, and they would tend to desensitize the explosive, and increase
the power. But even these nitroglycerine compounds are not really safe.
3.37 NITROSTARCH EXPLOSIVES Nitrostarch
explosives are simple to make, and are fairly powerful. All that need be
done is treat various starches with a mixture of concentrated nitric and
sulfuric acids. 10 ml of concentrated sulfuric acid is added to 10 ml of
concentrated nitric acid. To this mixture is added 0.5 grams of starch.
Cold water is added, and the apparently unchanged nitrostarch is filtered
out. Nitrostarch explosives are of slightly lower power than T.N.T., but
they are more readily detonated.
3.38 PICRIC ACID Picric acid, also
known as Tri-Nitro-Phenol, or T.N.P., is a military explosive that is most
often used as a booster charge to set off another less sensitive explosive,
such as T.N.T. It another explosive that is fairly simple to make, assuming
that one can acquire the concentrated sulfuric and nitric acids. Its procedure
for manufacture is given in many college chemistry lab manuals, and is
easy to follow. The main problem with picric acid is its tendency to form
dangerously sensitive and unstable picrate salts, such as potassium picrate.
For this reason, it is usually made into a safer form, such as ammonium
picrate, also called explosive D. A social deviant would probably use a
formula similar to the one presented here to make picric acid. MATERIALS
EQUIPMENT ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
phenol (9.5 g) 500 ml flask concentrated adjustable heat source sulfuric
acid (12.5 ml) 1000 ml beaker concentrated nitric or other container acid
(38 ml) suitable for boiling in distilled water filter paper and funnel
glass stirring rod 1) Place 9.5 grams of phenol into the 500 ml flask,
and carefully add 12.5 ml of concentrated sulfuric acid and stir the mixture.
2) Put 400 ml of tap water into the 1000 ml beaker or boiling container
and bring the water to a gentle boil. 3) After warming the 500 ml flask
under hot tap water, place it in the boiling water, and continue to stir
the mixture of phenol and acid for about thirty minutes. After thirty minutes,
take the flask out, and allow it to cool for about five minutes. 4) Pour
out the boiling water used above, and after allowing the container to cool,
use it to create an ice bath, similar to the one used in section 3.13,
steps 3-4. Place the 500 ml flask with the mixed acid an phenol in the
ice bath. Add 38 ml of concentrated nitric acid in small amounts, stirring
the mixture constantly. A vigorous but "harmless" reaction should occur.
When the mixture stops reacting vigorously, take the flask out of the ice
bath. 5) Warm the ice bath container, if it is glass, and then begin boiling
more tap water. Place the flask containing the mixture in the boiling water,
and heat it in the boiling water for 1.5 to 2 hours. 6) Add 100 ml of cold
distilled water to the solution, and chill it in an ice bath until it is
cold. 7) Filter out the yellowish-white picric acid crystals by pouring
the solution through the filter paper in the funnel. Collect the liquid
and dispose of it in a safe place, since it is corrosive. 8) Wash out the
500 ml flask with distilled water, and put the contents of the filter paper
in the flask. Add 300 ml of water, and shake vigorously. 9) Re-filter the
crystals, and allow them to dry. 10) Store the crystals in a safe place
in a glass container, since they will react with metal containers to produce
picrates that could explode spontaneously.
3.39 AMMONIUM PICRATE Ammonium picrate,
also called Explosive D, is another safety explosive. It requires a substantial
shock to cause it to detonate, slightly less than that required to detonate
ammonium nitrate. It is much safer than picric acid, since it has little
tendency to form hazardous unstable salts when placed in metal containers.
It is simple to make from picric acid and clear household ammonia. All
that need be done is put the picric acid crystals into a glass container
and dissolve them in a great quantity of hot water. Add clear household
ammonia in excess, and allow the excess ammonia to evaporate. The powder
remaining should be ammonium picrate.
3.40 NITROGEN TRICHLORIDE Nitrogen
trichloride, also known as chloride of azode, is an oily yellow liquid.
It explodes violently when it is heated above 60 degrees celsius, or when
it comes in contact with an open flame or spark. It is fairly simple to
produce. 1) In a beaker, dissolve about 5 teaspoons of ammonium nitrate
in water. Do not put so much ammonium nitrate into the solution that some
of it remains undissolved in the bottom of the beaker. 2) Collect a quantity
of chlorine gas in a second beaker by mixing hydrochloric acid with potassium
permanganate in a large flask with a stopper and glass pipe. 3) Place the
beaker containing the chlorine gas upside down on top of the beaker containing
the ammonium nitrate solution, and tape the beakers together. Gently heat
the bottom beaker. When this is done, oily yellow droplets will begin to
form on the surface of the solution, and sink down to the bottom. At this
time, remove the heat source immediately. Alternately, the chlorine can
be bubbled through the ammonium nitrate solution, rather than collecting
the gas in a beaker, but this requires timing and a stand to hold the beaker
and test tube. The chlorine gas can also be mixed with anhydrous ammonia
gas, by gently heating a flask filled with clear household ammonia. Place
the glass tubes from the chlorine-generating flask and the tube from the
ammonia-generating flask in another flask that contains water. 4) Collect
the yellow droplets with an eyedropper, and use them immediately, since
nitrogen trichloride decomposes in 24 hours.
3.41 LEAD AZIDE Lead Azide is a material
that is often used as a booster charge for other explosive, but it does
well enough on its own as a fairly sensitive explosive. It does not detonate
too easily by percussion or impact, but it is easily detonated by heat
from an igniter wire, or a blasting cap. It is simple to produce, assuming
that the necessary chemicals can be procured. By dissolving sodium azide
and lead acetate in water in separate beakers, the two materials are put
into an aqueous state. Mix the two beakers together, and apply a gentle
heat. Add an excess of the lead acetate solution, until no reaction occurs,
and the precipitate on the bottom of the beaker stops forming. Filter off
the solution, and wash the precipitate in hot water. The precipitate is
lead azide, and it must be stored wet for safety. If lead acetate cannot
be found, simply acquire acetic acid, and put lead metal in it. Black powder
bullets work well for this purpose.
3.5 OTHER "EXPLOSIVES" The remaining
section covers the other types of materials that can be used to destroy
property by fire. Although none of the materials presented here are explosives,
they still produce explosive-style results.
3.51 THERMITE Thermite is a fuel-oxodizer
mixture that is used to generate tremendous amounts of heat. It was not
presented in section 3.23 because it does not react nearly as readily.
It is a mixture of iron oxide and aluminum, both finely powdered. When
it is ignited, the aluminum burns, and extracts the oxygen from the iron
oxide. This is really two very exothermic reactions that produce a combined
temperature of about 2200 degrees C. This is half the heat energy produced
by an atomic weapon. It is difficult to ignite, however, but when it is
ignited, it is one of the most effective firestarters around. MATERIALS
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ powdered aluminum
(10 g) powdered iron oxide (10 g) 1) There is no special procedure or equipment
required to make thermite. Simply mix the two powders together, and try
to make the mixture as homogenous as possible. The ratio of iron oxide
to aluminum is 50% / 50% by weight, and be made in greater or lesser amounts.
2) Ignition of thermite can be accomplished by adding a small amount of
potassium chlorate to the thermite, and pouring a few drops of sulfuric
acid on it. This method and others will be discussed later in section 4.33.
The other method of igniting thermite is with a magnesium strip. Finally,
by using common sparkler-type fireworks placed in the thermit, the mixture
can be ignited.
3.52 MOLOTOV COCKTAILS First used by
Russians against German tanks, the Molotov cocktail is now exclusively
used by terrorists worldwide. They are extremely simple to make, and can
produce devastating results. By taking any highly flammable material, such
as gasoline, diesel fuel, kerosene, ethyl or methyl alcohol, lighter fluid,
turpentine, or any mixture of the above, and putting it into a large glass
bottle, anyone can make an effective firebomb. After putting the flammable
liquid in the bottle, simply put a piece of cloth that is soaked in the
liquid in the top of the bottle so that it fits tightly. Then, wrap some
of the cloth around the neck and tie it, but be sure to leave a few inches
of lose cloth to light. Light the exposed cloth, and throw the bottle.
If the burning cloth does not go out, and if the bottle breaks on impact,
the contents of the bottle will spatter over a large area near the site
of impact, and burst into flame. Flammable mixtures such as kerosene and
motor oil should be mixed with a more volatile and flammable liquid, such
as gasoline, to insure ignition. A mixture such as tar or grease and gasoline
will stick to the surface that it strikes, and burn hotter, and be more
difficult to extinguish. A mixture such as this must be shaken well before
it is lit and thrown
3.53 CHEMICAL FIRE BOTTLE The chemical
fire bottle is really an advanced molotov cocktail. Rather than using the
burning cloth to ignite the flammable liquid, which has at best a fair
chance of igniting the liquid, the chemical fire bottle utilizes the very
hot and violent reaction between sulfuric acid and potassium chlorate.
When the container breaks, the sulfuric acid in the mixture of gasoline
sprays onto the paper soaked in potassium chlorate and sugar. The paper,
when struck by the acid, instantly bursts into a white flame, igniting
the gasoline. The chance of failure to ignite the gasoline is less than
2%, and can be reduced to 0%, if there is enough potassium chlorate and
sugar to spare. MATERIALS EQUIPMENT ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ potassium chlorate
12 oz.glass bottle (2 teaspoons) sugar (2 teaspoons) cap for bottle, w/plastic
inside conc. sulfuric acid (4 oz.) cooking pan with raised edges gasoline
(8 oz.) paper towels glass or plastic cup and spoon 1) Test the cap of
the bottle with a few drops of sulfuric acid to make sure that the acid
will not eat away the bottle cap during storage. If the acid eats through
it in 24 hours, a new top must be found and tested, until a cap that the
acid does not eat through is found. A glass top is excellent. 2) Carefully
pour 8 oz. of gasoline into the glass bottle. 3) Carefully pour 4 oz. of
concentrated sulfuric acid into the glass bottle. Wipe up any spills of
acid on the sides of the bottle, and screw the cap on the bottle. Wash
the bottle's outside with plenty of water. Set it aside to dry. 4) Put
about two teaspoons of potassium chlorate and about two teaspoons of sugar
into the glass or plastic cup. Add about 1/2 cup of boiling water, or enough
to dissolve all of the potassium chlorate and sugar. 5) Place a sheet of
paper towel in the cooking pan with raised edges. Fold the paper towel
in half, and pour the solution of dissolved potassium chlorate and sugar
on it until it is thoroughly wet. Allow the towel to dry. 6) When it is
dry, put some glue on the outside of the glass bottle containing the gasoline
and sulfuric acid mixture. Wrap the paper towel around the bottle, making
sure that it sticks to it in all places. Store the bottle in a place where
it will not be broken or tipped over. 7) When finished, the solution in
the bottle should appear as two distinct liquids, a dark brownish-red solution
on the bottom, and a clear solution on top. The two solutions will not
mix. To use the chemical fire bottle, simply throw it at any hard surface.
8) NEVER OPEN THE BOTTLE, SINCE SOME SULFURIC ACID MIGHT BE ON THE CAP,
WHICH COULD TRICKLE DOWN THE SIDE OF THE BOTTLE AND IGNITE THE POTASSIUM
CHLORATE, CAUSING A FIRE AND/OR EXPLOSION. 9) To test the device, tear
a small piece of the paper towel off the bottle, and put a few drops of
sulfuric acid on it. The paper towel should immediately burst into a white
flame.
3.54 BOTTLED GAS EXPLOSIVES Bottled
gas, such as butane for refilling lighters, propane for propane stoves
or for bunsen burners, can be used to produce a powerful explosion. To
make such a device, all that a simple-minded anarchist would have to do
would be to take his container of bottled gas and place it above a can
of Sterno or other gelatinized fuel, light the fuel and run. Depending
on the fuel used, and on the thickness of the fuel container, the liquid
gas will boil and expand to the point of bursting the container in about
five minutes. In theory, the gas would immediately be ignited by the burning
gelatinized fuel, producing a large fireball and explosion. Unfortunately,
the bursting of the bottled gas container often puts out the fuel, thus
preventing the expanding gas from igniting. By using a metal bucket half
filled with gasoline, however, the chances of ignition are better, since
the gasoline is less likely to be extinguished. Placing the canister of
bottled gas on a bed of burning charcoal soaked in gasoline would probably
be the most effective way of securing ignition of the expanding gas, since
although the bursting of the gas container may blow out the flame of the
gasoline, the burning charcoal should immediately re-ignite it. Nitrous
oxide, hydrogen, propane, acetylene, or any other flammable gas will do
nicely. During the recent gulf war, fuel/air bombs were touted as being
second only to nuclear weapons in their devastating effects. These are
basically similar to the above devices, except that an explosive charge
is used to rupture the fuel container and disperse it over a wide area.
a second charge is used to detonate the fuel. The reaction is said to produce
a massive shockwave and to burn all the oxygen in a large area, causing
suffocation. Another benefit of a fuel-air explosive is that the gas will
seep into fortified bunkers and other partially-sealed spaces, so a large
bomb placed in a building would result in the destruction of the majority
of surrounding rooms, rendering it structurally unsound.
3.6 Fun with dry ice... LOTS of fun
with dry ice. (from the Usenet.) There is no standard formula for a dry
ice bomb, however a generic form is as follows: Take a 2-liter soda bottle,
empty it completely, then add about 3/4 Lb of Dry Ice (crushed works best)
and (optional) a quantity of water. Depending on the condition of the bottle,
the weather, and the amount and temperature of the bottle the bomb will
go off in 30 seconds - 5 minutes. Without any water added, the 2-liter
bottles will go often in 3-7 minutes if dropped into a warm river, and
in 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours in open air. The explosion sounds equivalent
to an M-100. _Plastic_ 16 oz. soda bottles and 1 liter bottles work almost
as well as do the 2-liters, however glass bottles aren't nearly as loud,
and can produce dangerous shrapnel. Remember, these are LOUD! Dorian, a
classmate of mine, set up 10 bottles in a nearby park without adding water.
After the first two went off (there was about 10 minutes between explosions)
the Police arrived and spent the next hour trying to find the guy who they
thought was setting off M-100's all around them... USES FOR DRY ICE Time
Bombs: 1. Get a small plastic container with lid (we used the small plastic
cans that hold the coaters used for large-format Polaroid film). A film
canister would probably work; the key is, it should seal tightly and take
a fair amount of effort to open). Place a chunk of dry ice in the can,
put on the lid without quite sealing it. Put the assembled bomb in your
pocket, or behind your back. Approach the mark and engage in normal conversation.
When his attention is drawn away, quickly seal the lid on the bomb, deposit
it somewhere within a few feet of the mark, out of obvious sight, then
leave. Depending on variables (you'll want to experiment first), you'll
hear a loud "pop" and an even louder "Aarrggghhh!" within a minute, when
the CO2 pressure becomes sufficient to blow off the lid. In a cluttered
lab, this is doubly nasty because the mark will proabably never figure
out what made the noise. 2. Put 2-3 inches of water in a 2-liter plastic
pop bottle. Put in as many chunks of dry ice as possible before the smoke
gets too thick. Screw on the cap, place in an appropriate area, and run
like hell. After about a minute (your mileage may vary), a huge explosion
will result, spraying water everywhere, along with what's left of the 2-liter
bottle. More things to do with Dry Ice: Has anyone ever thrown dry ice
into a public pool? As long as you chuck it into the bottom of the deep
end, it's safe, and it's really impressive if the water is warm enough
"Fun stuff. It SCREAMS when it comes into contact with metal..." "You can
safely hold a small piece of dry ice in your mouth if you KEEP IT MOVING
CONSTANTLY. It looks like you're smoking or on fire." Editor's Note: Dry
ice can be a lot of fun, but be forewarned: Using anything but plastic
to contain dry ice bombs is suicidal. Dry ice is more dangerous than TNT,
because it's extremely unpredictable. Even a 2-liter bottle can produce
some nasty shrapnel: One source tells me that he caused an explosion with
a 2-liter bottle that destroyed a metal garbage can. In addition, it is
rumored that several kids have been killed by shards of glass resulting
from the use of a glass bottle. For some reason, dry ice bombs have become
very popular in the state of Utah. As a result, dry ice bombs have been
classified as infernal devices, and possession is a criminal offense.
4.0 USING EXPLOSIVES Once a terrorist
has made his explosives, the next logical step is to apply them. Explosives
have a wide range of uses, from harassment, to vandalism, to assassination.
NONE OF THE IDEAS PRESENTED HERE ARE EVER TO BE CARRIED OUT, EITHER IN
PART OR IN FULL! DOING SO CAN LEAD TO PROSECUTION, FINES, AND IMPRISONMENT!
The first step that a person that would use explosive would take would
be to determine how big an explosive device would be needed to do whatever
had to be done. Then, he would have to decide what to make his bomb with.
He would also have to decide on how he wanted to detonate the device, and
determine where the best placement for it would be. Then, it would be necessary
to see if the device could be put where he wanted it without it being discovered
or moved. Finally, he would actually have to sit down and build his explosive
device. These are some of the topics covered in the next section.
4.1 SAFETY There is no such thing as
a "safe" explosive device. One can only speak in terms of relative safety,
or less unsafe.
4.11 HOW NOT TO GET KILLED (Ways to
avoid scoring an "Own Goal") An "own goal" is the death of a person on
your side from one of your own devices. It is obvious that these should
be avoided at all costs. While no safety device is 100% reliable, it is
usually better to err on the side of caution. BASIC SAFETY RULES 1) DON'T
SMOKE! (don't laugh- an errant cigarette wiped out the Weathermen) 2) GRIND
ALL INGREDIENTS SEPERATELY. It's suprising how friction sensitive some
supposedly "safe" explosives really are. 3) ALLOW for a 20% margin of error-
Just because the AVERAGE burning rate of a fuse is 30 secs/foot, don't
depend on the 5 inches sticking out of your pipe bomb to take exactly 2.5
minutes. 4) OVERESTIMATE THE RANGE OF YOUR SHRAPNEL. The cap from a pipe
bomb can oftentravel a block or more at high velocities before coming to
rest- If you have to stay nearby, remember that if you can see it, it can
kill you. 5) When mixing sensitive compounds (such as flash powder) avoid
all sources of static electricity. Mix the ingredients by the method below:
4.12 HOW TO MIX INGREDIENTS The best
way to mix two dry chemicals to form an explosive is to do as the small-scale
fireworks manufacturer's do: Ingredients: 1 large sheet of smooth paper
(for example a page from a newspaper that does not use staples) The dry
chemicals needed for the desired compound. 1) Measure out the appropriate
amounts of the two chemicals, and pour them in two small heaps near opposite
corners of the sheet. 2) Pick up the sheet by the two corners near the
powders, allowing the powders to roll towards the middle of the sheet.
3) By raising one corner and then the other, roll the powders back and
forth in the middle of the open sheet, taking care not to let the mixture
spill from either of the loose ends. 4) Pour the powder off from the middle
of the sheet, and use immediately. If it must be stored use airtight containers
(35mm film canisters work nicely) and store away from people, houses, and
valuable items.
4.2 IGNITION DEVICES There are many
ways to ignite explosive devices. There is the classic "light the fuse,
throw the bomb, and run" approach, and there are sensitive mercury switches,
and many things in between. Generally, electrical detonation systems are
safer than fuses, but there are times when fuses are more appropriate than
electrical systems; it is difficult to carry an electrical detonation system
into a stadium, for instance, without being caught. A device with a fuse
or impact detonating fuze would be easier to hide.
4.21 FUSE IGNITION The oldest form
of explosive ignition, fuses are perhaps the favorite type of simple ignition
system. By simply placing a piece of waterproof fuse in a device, one can
have almost guaranteed ignition. Modern waterproof fuse is extremely reliable,
burning at a rate of about 2.5 seconds to the inch. It is available as
model rocketry fuse in most hobby shops, and costs about $3.00 for a nine-foot
length. Cannon Fuse is a popular ignition system for pipe bombers because
of its simplicity. All that need be done is light it with a match or lighter.
Of course, if the Army had fuses like this, then the grenade, which uses
fuse ignition, would be very impracticle. If a grenade ignition system
can be acquired, by all means, it is the most effective. But, since such
things do not just float around, the next best thing is to prepare a fuse
system which does not require the use of a match or lighter, but still
retains its simplicity. One such method is described below: MATERIALS _________
strike-on-cover type matches electrical tape or duct tape waterproof fuse
1) To determine the burn rate of a particular type of fuse, simply measure
a 6 inch or longer piece of fuse and ignite it. With a stopwatch, press
the start button the at the instant when the fuse lights, and stop the
watch when the fuse reaches its end. Divide the time of burn by the length
of fuse, and you have the burn rate of the fuse, in seconds per inch. This
will be shown below: Suppose an eight inch piece of fuse is burned, and
its complete time of combustion is 20 seconds. 20 seconds / 8 inches =
2.5 seconds per inch. If a delay of 10 seconds was desired with this fuse,
divide the desired time by the number of seconds per inch: 10 seconds /
2.5 seconds per inch = 4 inches NOTE: THE LENGTH OF FUSE HERE MEANS LENGTH
OF FUSE TO THE POWDER. SOME FUSE, AT LEAST AN INCH, SHOULD BE INSIDE THE
DEVICE. ALWAYS ADD THIS EXTRA INCH, AND PUT THIS EXTRA INCH AN INCH INTO
THE DEVICE!!! 2) After deciding how long a delay is desired before the
explosive device is to go off, add about 1/2 an inch to the premeasured
amount of fuse, and cut it off. 3) Carefully remove the cardboard matches
from the paper match case. Do not pull off individual matches; keep all
the matches attached to the cardboard base. Take one of the cardboard match
sections, and leave the other one to make a second igniter. 4) Wrap the
matches around the end of the fuse, with the heads of the matches touching
the very end of the fuse. Tape them there securely, making sure not to
put tape over the match heads. Make sure they are very secure by pulling
on them at the base of the assembly. They should not be able to move. 5)
Wrap the cover of the matches around the matches attached to the fuse,
making sure that the striker paper is below the match heads and the striker
faces the match heads. Tape the paper so that is fairly tight around the
matches. Do not tape the cover of the striker to the fuse or to the matches.
Leave enough of the match book to pull on for ignition. (Ill. 4.21) _____________________
\ / \ / ------ match book cover \ / | M|f|M ---|------- match head | A|u|A
| | T|s|T | | C|e|C | |tapeH|.|Htape| | |f| | |#####|u|#####|-------- striking
paper |#####|s|#####| \ |e| / \ |.| / \ |f| / \ |u| / |ta|s|pe| |ta|e|pe|
|.| |f| |u| |s| |e| |.| |_| The match book is wrapped around the matches,
and is taped to itself. The matches are taped to the fuse. The striker
will rub against the matcheads when the match book is pulled. 6) When ready
to use, simply pull on the match paper. It should pull the striking paper
across the match heads with enough friction to light them. In turn, the
burning matcheads will light the fuse, since it adjacent to the burning
match heads.
4.21.1 HOW TO MAKE BLACKMATCH FUSE:
Take a flat piece of plastic or metal (brass or aluminum are easy to work
with and won't rust). Drill a 1/16th inch hole through it. This is your
die for sizing the fuse. You can make fuses as big as you want, but this
is the right size for the pipe bomb I will be getting to later. To about
1/2 cup of black powder add water to make a thin paste. Add 1/2 teaspoon
of corn starch. Cut some one foot lengths of cotton thread. Use cotton,
not silk or thread made from synthetic fibers. Put these together until
you have a thickness that fills the hole in the die but can be drawn through
very easily. Tie your bundle of threads together at one end. Separate the
threads and hold the bundle over the black powder mixture. Lower the threads
with a circular motion so they start curling onto the mixture. Press them
under with the back of a teaspoon and continue lowering them so they coil
into the paste. Take the end you are holding and thread it through the
die. Pull it through smoothly in one long motion. To dry your fuse, lay
it on a piece of aluminum foil and bake it in your 250 degree oven or tie
it to a grill in the oven and let it hang down. The fuse must be baked
to make it stiff enough for the uses it will be put to later. Air drying
will not do the job. If you used Sodium Nitrate, it will not even dry completely
at room temperatures. Cut the dry fuse with sissors into 2 inch lengths
and store in an air tight container. Handle this fuse carefuly to avoid
breaking it. You can also use a firecracker fuse if you have any available.
The fuses can usually be pulled out without breaking. To give yourself
some running time, you will be extending these fuses (blackmatch or firecracker
fuse) with sulfured wick. Finally, it is possible to make a relatively
slow-burning fuse in the home. By dissolving about one teaspoon of black
powder in about 1/4 a cup of boiling water, and, while it is still hot,
soaking in it a long piece of all cotton string, a slow-burning fuse can
be made. After the soaked string dries, it must then be tied to the fuse
of an explosive device. Sometimes, the end of the slow burning fuse that
meets the normal fuse has a charge of black powder or gunpowder at the
intersection point to insure ignition, since the slow-burning fuse does
not burn at a very high temperature. A similar type of slow fuse can be
made by taking the above mixture of boiling water and black powder and
pouring it on a long piece of toilet paper. The wet toilet paper is then
gently twisted up so that it resembles a firecracker fuse, and is allowed
to dry.
4.21.2 HOW TO MAKE SULFURED WICK Use
heavy cotton string about 1/8th inch in diameter. You can find some at
a garden supply for tieing up your tomatoes. Be sure it's cotton. You can
test it by lighting one end. It sould continue to burn after the match
is removed and when blown out will have a smoldering coal on the end. Put
some sulfur in a small container like a small pie pan and melt it in the
oven at 250 degrees. It will melt into a transparent yellow liquid. If
it starts turning brown, it is too hot. Coil about a one foot length of
string into it. The melted sulfur will soak in quickly. When saturated,
pull it out and tie it up to cool and harden. It can be cut to desired
lengths with sissors. 2 inches is about right. These wicks will burn slowly
with a blue flame and do not blow out easily in a moderate wind. They will
not burn through a hole in a metal pipe, but are great for extending your
other fuse. They will not throw off sparks. Blackmatch generates sparks
which can ignite it along its length causing unpredictable burning times.
4.22 IMPACT IGNITION Impact ignition
is an excellent method of ignition for spontaneous terrorist activities.
The problem with an impact-detonating device is that it must be kept in
a very safe container so that it will not explode while being transported
to the place where it is to be used. This can be done by having a removable
impact initiator. The best and most reliable impact initiator is one that
uses factory made initiators or primers. A no. 11 cap for black powder
firearms is one such primer. They usually come in boxes of 100, and cost
about $2.50. To use such a cap, however, one needs a nipple that it will
fit on. Black powder nipples are also available in gun stores. All that
a person has to do is ask for a package of nipples and the caps that fit
them. Nipples have a hole that goes all the way through them, and they
have a threaded end, and an end to put the cap on. A cutaway of a nipple
is shown below: (Ill. 4.22) ________________ | | _ | | | | |/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\|
_______| |^^^^^^^| | ___________| | | no. 11 |_______| percussion _______
------- threads for screwing cap : here |__________ nipple onto bomb |____
| | |^^^^^^^^^| |_| |/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/| | | |_________________| When making
using this type of initiator, a hole must be drilled into whatever container
is used to make the bomb out of. The nipple is then screwed into the hole
so that it fits tightly. Then, the cap can be carried and placed on the
bomb when it is to be thrown. The cap should be bent a small amount before
it is placed on the nipple, to make sure that it stays in place. The only
other problem involved with an impact detonating bomb is that it must strike
a hard surface on the nipple to set it off. By attaching fins or a small
parachute on the end of the bomb opposite the primer, the bomb, when thrown,
should strike the ground on the primer, and explode. Of course, a bomb
with mercury fulminate in each end will go off on impact regardless of
which end it strikes on, but mercury fulminate is also likely to go off
if the person carrying the bomb is bumped hard.
4.22.1 MAGICUBE IGNITOR A VERY SENSITIVE
and reliable impact iniator can be produced from the common MAGICUBE ($2.40
for 12) type flashbulbs. Simply crack the plastic cover off, remove the
reflector, and you will see 4 bulbs, each of which has a small metal rod
holding it in place. CAREFULLY grasp this rod with a pair of needle-nose
pliers, and pry gently upwards, making sure that NO FORCE IS APPLIED TO
THE GLASS BULB. Each bulb is coated with plastic, which must be removed
for them to be effective in our application. This coating can be removed
by soaking the bulbs in a small glass of acetone for 30-45 minutes, at
which point the plastic can be easily peeled away. The best method to use
these is to dissolve some nitrocellulose based smokeless powder in acetone
and/or ether, forming a thich glue-like paste. Coat the end of the fuse
with this paste, then stick the bulb (with the metal rod facing out) into
the paste. About half the bulb should be completely covered, and if a VERY
THIN layer of nitrocellulose is coated over the remainder then ignition
should be very reliable. To insure that the device lands with the bulb
down, a small streamer can be attached to the opposite side, so when it
is tossed high into the air the appropriate end will hit the ground first.
4.23 ELECTRICAL IGNITION Electrical ignition systems for detonation are
usually the safest and most reliable form of ignition. Electrical systems
are ideal for demolition work, if one doesn't have to worry so much about
being caught. With two spools of 500 ft of wire and a car battery, one
can detonate explosives from a "safe", comfortable distance, and be sure
that there is nobody around that could get hurt. With an electrical system,
one can control exactly what time a device will explode, within fractions
of a second. Detonation can be aborted in less than a second's warning,
if a person suddenly walks by the detonation sight, or if a police car
chooses to roll by at the time. The two best electrical igniters are military
squibs and model rocketry igniters. Blasting caps for construction also
work well. Model rocketry igniters are sold in packages of six, and cost
about $1.00 per pack. All that need be done to use them is connect it to
two wires and run a current through them. Military squibs are difficult
to get, but they are a little bit better, since they explode when a current
is run through them, whereas rocketry igniters only burst into flame. Most
squibs will NOT detonate KClO3/petroleum jelly or RDX. This requires a
blasting cap type detonation in most cases. There are, however, military
explosive squibs which will do the job. Igniters can be used to set off
black powder, mercury fulminate, or guncotton, which in turn, can set of
a high order explosive.
4.23.1 HOW TO MAKE AN ELECTRIC FUZE
(By Capt. Hack & GW) Take a flashlight bulb and place it glass tip
down on a file. Grind it down on the file until there is a hole in the
end. Solder one wire to the case of the bulb and another to the center
conductor at the end. Fill the bulb with black powder or powdered match
head. One or two flashlight batteries will heat the filament in the bulb
causing the powder to ignite.
4.23.2 ANOTHER ELECTRIC FUZE Take a
medium grade of steel wool and pull a strand out of it. Attach it to the
ends of two pieces of copper wire by wrapping it around a few turns and
then pinch on a small piece of solder to bind the strand to the wire. You
want about 1/2 inch of steel strand between the wires. Number 18 or 20
is a good size wire to use. Cut a 1/2 by 1 inch piece of cardboard of the
type used in match covers. Place a small pile of powdered match head in
the center and press it flat. place the wires so the steel strand is on
top of and in contact with the powder. Sprinkle on more powder to cover
the strand. The strand should be surounded with powder and not touching
anything else except the wires at its ends. Place a piece of blackmatch
in contact with the powder. Now put a piece of masking tape on top of the
lot, and fold it under on the two ends. Press it down so it sticks all
around the powder. The wires are sticking out on one side and the blackmatch
on the other. A single flashlight battery will set this off.
4.24 ELECTRO-MECHANICAL IGNITION Electro-mechanical
ignition systems are systems that use some type of mechanical switch to
set off an explosive charge electrically. This type of switch is typically
used in booby traps or other devices in which the person who places the
bomb does not wish to be anywhere near the device when it explodes. Several
types of electro-mechanical detonators will be discussed
4.24.1 Mercury Switches Mercury switches
are a switch that uses the fact that mercury metal conducts electricity,
as do all metals, but mercury metal is a liquid at room temperatures. A
typical mercury switch is a sealed glass tube with two electrodes and a
bead of mercury metal. It is sealed because of mercury's nasty habit of
giving off brain-damaging vapors. The diagram below may help to explain
a mercury switch. (Ill. 4.24.1) ______________ A / \ B _____wire +______/_________
\ \ ( Hg )| / \ _(_Hg___)|___/ | | wire - | | | When the drop of mercury
("Hg" is mercury's atomic symbol) touches both contacts, current flows
through the switch. If this particular switch was in its present position,
A---B, current would be flowing, since the mercury can touch both contacts
in the horizontal position. If, however, it was in the | position, the
drop of mercury would only touch the + contact on the A side. Current,
then couldn't flow, since mercury does not reach both contacts when the
switch is in the vertical position. This type of switch is ideal to place
by a door. If it were placed in the path of a swinging door in the verticle
position, the motion of the door would knock the switch down, if it was
held to the ground by a piece if tape. This would tilt the switch into
the verticle position, causing the mercury to touch both contacts, allowing
current to flow through the mercury, and to the igniter or squib in an
explosive device.
4.24.2 Tripwire Switches A tripwire
is an element of the classic booby trap. By placing a nearly invisible
line of string or fishing line in the probable path of a victim, and by
putting some type of trap there also, nasty things can be caused to occur.
If this mode of thought is applied to explosives, how would one use such
a tripwire to detonate a bomb. The technique is simple. By wrapping the
tips of a standard clothespin with aluminum foil, and placing something
between them, and connecting wires to each aluminum foil contact, an electric
tripwire can be made, If a piece of wood attached to the tripwire was placed
between the contacts on the clothespin, the clothespin would serve as a
switch. When the tripwire was pulled, the clothespin would snap together,
allowing current to flow between the two pieces of aluminum foil, thereby
completing a circuit, which would have the igniter or squib in it. Current
would flow between the contacts to the igniter or squib, heat the igniter
or squib, causing it it to explode. Make sure that the aluminum foil contacts
do not touch the spring, since the spring also conducts electricity.
4.243 Radio Control Detonators In the
movies, every terrorist or criminal uses a radio controlled detonator to
set off explosives. With a good radio detonator, one can be several miles
away from the device, and still control exactly when it explodes, in much
the same way as an electrical switch. The problem with radio detonators
is that they are rather costly. However, there could possibly be a reason
that a terrorist would wish to spend the amounts of money involved with
a RC (radio control) system and use it as a detonator. If such an individual
wanted to devise an RC detonator, all he would need to do is visit the
local hobby store or toy store, and buy a radio controlled toy. Taking
it back to his/her abode, all that he/she would have to do is detach the
solenoid/motor that controls the motion of the front wheels of a RC car,
or detach the solenoid/motor of the elevators/rudder of a RC plane, or
the rudder of a RC boat, and re-connect the squib or rocket engine igniter
to the contacts for the solenoid/motor. The device should be tested several
times with squibs or igniters, and fully charged batteries should be in
both he controller and the receiver (the part that used to move parts before
the device became a detonator).
4.3 DELAYS A delay is a device which
causes time to pass from when a device is set up to the time that it explodes.
A regular fuse is a delay, but it would cost quite a bit to have a 24 hour
delay with a fuse. This section deals with the different types of delays
that can be employed by a terrorist who wishes to be sure that his bomb
will go off, but wants to be out of the country when it does.
4.31 FUSE DELAYS It is extremely simple
to delay explosive devices that employ fuses for ignition. Perhaps the
simplest way to do so is with a cigarette. An average cigarette burns for
between 8-11 minutes. The higher the "tar" and nicotine rating, the slower
the cigarette burns. Low "tar" and nicotine cigarettes burn quicker than
the higher "tar" and nicotine cigarettes, but they are also less likely
to go out if left unattended, i.e. not smoked. Depending on the wind or
draft in a given place, a high "tar" cigarette is better for delaying the
ignition of a fuse, but there must be enough wind or draft to give the
cigarette enough oxygen to burn. People who use cigarettes for the purpose
of delaying fuses will often test the cigarettes that they plan to use
in advance to make sure they stay lit and to see how long it will burn.
Once a cigarettes burn rate is determined, it is a simple matter of carefully
putting a hole all the way through a cigarette with a toothpick at the
point desired, and pushing the fuse for a device in the hole formed. (Ill
4.31) |=| |=| ---------- filter |=| | | | | |o| ---------- hole for fuse
cigarette ------------ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |_| ----------
light this end 4.31.1 IMPROVED CIGARETTE DELAY (By Atur {THE pyromaniac
}) A variation on the standard cigarette display was invented by my good
friend Atur (THE Pyromaniac). Rather than inserting the fuse into the SIDE
of the cigarette (and risk splitting it) half of the filter is cut off,
and a small hole is punched THROUGH the remainder of the filter and into
the tobacco. (Ill. 4.31.1) --------------------------------- |FIL|Tobacco
Tobacco Tobacco fusefusefusefuse Tobacco Tobacco side view |TER|Tobacco
Tobacco Tobacco --------------------------------- ___ / \ | o | filter
end view \___/ (artwork by The Author) The fuse is inserted as far as possible
into this hole, then taped or glued in place, or the cigarette can be cut
and punched ahead of time and lit normally, then attached to the fuse at
the scene. A similar type of device can be make from powdered charcoal
and a sheet of paper. Simply roll the sheet of paper into a thin tube,
and fill it with powdered charcoal. Punch a hole in it at the desired location,
and insert a fuse. Both ends must be glued closed, and one end of the delay
must be doused with lighter fluid before it is lit. Or, a small charge
of gunpowder mixed with powdered charcoal could conceivably used for igniting
such a delay. A chain of charcoal briquettes can be used as a delay by
merely lining up a few bricks of charcoal so that they touch each other,
end on end, and lighting the first brick. Incense, which can be purchased
at almost any novelty or party supply store, can also be used as a fairly
reliable delay. By wrapping the fuse about the end of an incense stick,
delays of up to 1/2 an hour are possible.
4.32 TIMER DELAYS Timer delays, or
"time bombs" are usually employed by an individual who wishes to threaten
a place with a bomb and demand money to reveal its location and means to
disarm it. Such a device could be placed in any populated place if it were
concealed properly. There are several ways to build a timer delay. By simply
using a screw as one contact at the time that detonation is desired, and
using the hour hand of a clock as the other contact, a simple timer can
be made. The minute hand of a clock should be removed, unless a delay of
less than an hour is desired. The main disadvantage with this type of timer
is that it can only be set for a maximum time of 12 hours. If an electronic
timer is used, such as that in an electronic clock, then delays of up to
24 hours are possible. By removing the speaker from an electronic clock,
and attaching the wires of a squib or igniter to them, a timer with a delay
of up to 24 hours can be made. All that one has to do is set the alarm
time of the clock to the desired time, connect the leads, and go away.
This could also be done with an electronic watch, if a larger battery were
used, and the current to the speaker of the watch was stepped up via a
transformer. This would be good, since such a timer could be extremely
small. The timer in a VCR (Video Cassette Recorder) would be ideal. VCR's
can usually be set for times of up to a week. The leads from the timer
to the recording equipment would be the ones that an igniter or squib would
be connected to. Also, one can buy timers from electronics stores that
would be work well. Finally, one could employ a digital watch, and use
a relay, or electro-magnetic switch to fire the igniter, and the current
of the watch would not have to be stepped up.
4.33 CHEMICAL DELAYS Chemical delays
are uncommon, but they can be extremely effective in some cases. These
were often used in the bombs the Germans dropped on England. The delay
would ensure that a bomb would detonate hours or even days after the initial
bombing raid, thereby increasing the terrifying effect on the British citizenry.
If a glass container is filled with concentrated sulfuric acid, and capped
with several thicknesses of aluminum foil, or a cap that it will eat through,
then it can be used as a delay. Sulfuric acid will react with aluminum
foil to produce aluminum sulfate and hydrogen gas, and so the container
must be open to the air on one end so that the pressure of the hydrogen
gas that is forming does not break the container. (Ill. 4.33) _ _ | | |
| | | | | | | | | | |_____________| | | | | | | | sulfuric | | | | | |
| | acid | | | | | |---------- aluminum foil | |_____________| | (several
thicknesses) |_________________| The aluminum foil is placed over the bottom
of the container and secured there with tape. When the acid eats through
the aluminum foil, it can be used to ignite an explosive device in several
ways. 1) Sulfuric acid is a good conductor of electricity. If the acid
that eats through the foil is collected in a glass container placed underneath
the foil, and two wires are placed in the glass container, a current will
be able to flow through the acid when both of the wires are immersed in
the acid. 2) Sulfuric acid reacts very violently with potassium chlorate.
If the acid drips down into a container containing potassium chlorate,
the potassium chlorate will burst into flame. This flame can be used to
ignite a fuse, or the potassium chlorate can be the igniter for a thermite
bomb, if some potassium chlorate is mixed in a 50/50 ratio with the thermite,
and this mixture is used as an igniter for the rest of the thermite. 3)
Sulfuric acid reacts with potassium permangenate in a similar way.
4.331 MORE SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION Some
of the ingredients for these can only be had from a chemical supply so
they are not my favorites. Look for powdered aluminum at a good painting
supply. METHOD # 1 Scatter out a few crystals of chromic anhydride. Drop
on a little ethyl alcohol. It will burst into flame immediately. METHOD
# 2 Mix by weight, four parts ammonium chloride, one part ammonium nitrate,
four parts powered zinc. Pour out a small pile of this and make a depression
on top. Put one or two drops of water in the depression. Stay well back
from this. METHOD # 3 Spoon out a small pile of powdered aluminum. Place
a small amount of sodium peroxide on top of this. A volume the size of
a small pea is about right. One drop of water will cause this to ignite
in a blinding flare. METHOD # 4 Mix by volume 3 parts concentrated sulfuric
acid with 2 parts concentrated nitric acid. Hold a dropper of turpentine
about 2 feet above the mixture. When drops strike the acid they will burst
into flame.
4.4 EXPLOSIVE CASINGS This section
will cover everything from making a simple firecracker to a complicated
scheme for detonating an insensitive high explosive, both of which are
methods that could be utilized by perpetrators of terror.
4.41 PAPER CONTAINERS Paper was the
first container ever used for explosives, since it was first used by the
Chinese to make fireworks. Paper containers are usually very simple to
make, and are certainly the cheapest. There are many possible uses for
paper in containing explosives, and the two most obvious are in firecrackers
and rocket engines. Simply by rolling up a long sheet of paper, and gluing
it together, one can make a simple rocket engine. Perhaps a more interesting
and dangerous use is in the firecracker. The firecracker shown here is
one of Mexican design. It is called a "polumna", meaning "dove". The process
of their manufacture is not unlike that of making a paper football. If
one takes a sheet of paper about 16 inches in length by 1.5 inches wide,
and fold one corner so that it looks like this: (Ill 4.41) ________________________________________________
| |\ | | \ | | \ |_____________________________________________|___\ and
then fold it again so that it looks like this: ______________________________________________
| /| | / | | / | |________________________________________/___| A pocket
is formed. This pocket can be filled with black powder, pyrodex, flash
powder, gunpowder,rocket engine powder, or any of the quick-burning fuel-
oxodizer mixtures that occur in the form of a fine powder. A fuse is then
inserted, and one continues the triangular folds, being careful not to
spill out any of the explosive. When the polumna is finished, it should
be taped together very tightly, since this will increase the strength of
the container, and produce a louder and more powerful explosion when it
is lit. The finished polumna should look like a 1/4 inch - 1/3 inch thick
triangle, like the one shown below: (Ill. 4.41) ^ / \ ----- securely tape
all corners / \ / \ / \ / \ / \____________________________ /_____________\__/__/__/__/__/__/__/__/__/
---------- fuse
4.42 METAL CONTAINERS The classic pipe
bomb is the best known example of a metal-contained explosive. Idiot anarchists
take white tipped matches and cut off the match heads. They pound one end
of a pipe closed with a hammer, pour in the white- tipped matches, and
then pound the other end closed. This process often kills the fool, since
when he pounds the pipe closed, he could very easily cause enough friction
between the match heads to cause them to ignite and explode the unfinished
bomb. By using pipe caps, the process is somewhat safer, and the less stupid
anarchist would never use white tipped matches in a bomb. Regular matches
may still be ignited by friction, but it is far less likely than with "strike-anywhere"
matches. He would buy two pipe caps and threaded pipe. First, he would
drill a hole in one pipe cap, and put a fuse in it so that it will not
come out, and so powder will not escape during handling. The fuse would
be at least 3/4 an inch long inside the bomb. He would then screw the cap
with the fuse in it on tightly, possibly putting a drop of super glue on
it to hold it tight. He would then pour his explosive powder in the bomb.
To pack it tightly, he would take a large wad of tissue paper and, after
filling the pipe to the very top, carefully pack the powder down, by using
the paper as a ramrod tip, and pushing it with a pencil or other wide ended
object, until it would not move any further. Finally, he would screw the
other pipe cap on, and glue it. The tissue paper would help prevent some
of the powder from being caught in the threads of the pipe or pipe cap
from being crushed and subject to friction, which might ignite the powder,
causing an explosion during manufacture. An assembled bomb is shown in
fig. 4.42 (Ill. 4.42) ________ ________ | _____|________________________________|_____
| | |__________________________________________| | | |: : : : |- - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - -| | | | tissue | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- |_| | | : : : |- - - low order explosive - - ---------------------- |
| paper | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |-| fuse | |: : : : |- - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - -| | | |________|_________________________________|
| | |__________________________________________| | |______| |______| endcap
pipe endcap w/ hole fig. 2 Assembled pipe bomb. The metal caps are VERY
difficult to drill holes in, it is much easier to drill a hole into the
middle of the pipe (BEFORE FILLING IT!!!) and place the fuse there. Lionel
(a friend of mine) has had great success with this design. After detonating
one of these inside a cookie tin, he found the lid about 1/2 block away,
the sides of the tin blown out, and an impression of the pipe (which was
later found blown flat) threads and all on the bottom of the tin... it
seems that the welded seam gives out on most modern rolled pipes, however
a cast pipe (no seam) would produce more shrapnel (which may or may not
be desirable). This is one possible design that a mad bomber would use.
If, however, he did not have access to threaded pipe with endcaps, he could
always use a piece of copper or aluminum pipe, since it is easily bent
into a suitable position. A major problem with copper piping, however,
is bending and folding it without tearing it; if too much force is used
when folding and bending copper pipe, it will split along the fold. The
safest method for making a pipe bomb out of copper or aluminum pipe is
similar to the method with pipe and endcaps.
4.42.1 PIPE BOMBS FROM SOFT METAL PIPES
First, one flattens one end of a copper or aluminum pipe carefully, making
sure not to tear or rip the piping. Then, the flat end of the pipe should
be folded over at least once, if this does not rip the pipe. A fuse hole
should be drilled in the pipe near the now closed end, and the fuse should
be inserted. Next, the bomb- builder would partially fill the casing with
a low order explosive, and pack it with a large wad of tissue paper. He
would then flatten and fold the other end of the pipe with a pair of pliers.
If he was not too dumb, he would do this slowly, since the process of folding
and bending metal gives off heat, which could set off the explosive. A
diagram is presented below: (Ill. 4.42.1 #1) ________ _______________________________________________/|
| | | o | | |______________________________________________ | | \_|______|
fig. 1 pipe with one end flattened and fuse hole drilled (top view) (Ill.
4.42.1 #2) ______ ____________________________________________/ | | | |
| | o | | |___________________________________________ | | \__|__| fig.
2 pipe with one end flattened and folded up (top view) (Ill. 4.42.1 #3)
____________ fuse hole v _______________________________ ______ | \ |___
| | \____| | | ______| | / |_____________________________/ fig. 3 pipe
with flattened and folded end (side view)
4.42.2 CARBON DIOXIDE "Pellet Gun"
or Seltzer cartridges. A CO2 cartridge from a B.B gun is another excellent
container for a low- order explosive. It has one minor disadvantage: it
is time consuming to fill. But this can be rectified by widening the opening
of the cartridge with a pointed tool. Then, all that would have to be done
is to fill the CO2 cartridge with any low-order explosive, or any of the
fast burning fuel-oxodizer mixtures, and insert a fuse. These devices are
commonly called "crater makers". From personal experience, I have found
that a CO2 cartridge is easiest to fill if you take a piece of paper and
tape it around the opening to form a sort of funnel: (Ill 4.42.2) A full
\ / Use a punch or sharp philips (+) screwdriver to cartridge \ / enlarge
the pin-hole opening on a used cartridge. can also be \ / fun- @ It doesn't
seem to be neccessary to seal the hole, / \ but if you must do so, Epoxy
and electrical tape toss it into | | work quite well. a lite fire | | and
it will (__) CONDENSATION may form inside a recently used explode, and
bottle- if you must use one right after emptying the CO2 may it, heat it
in a warm oven to dry it out. extinguish the flames. A CO2 cartridge also
works well as a container for a thermite incendiary device, but it must
be modified. The opening in the end must be widened, so that the ignition
mixture, such as powdered magnesium, does not explode. The fuse will ignite
the powdered magnesium, which, in turn, would ignite the thermite . 4.42.3
PRIMED EXPLOSIVE CASINGS The previously mentioned designs for explosive
devices are fine for low- order explosives, but are unsuitable for high-order
explosives, since the latter requires a shockwave to be detonated. A design
employing a smaller low-order explosive device inside a larger device containing
a high-order explosive would probably be used. (Ill. 4.42.3) _____________________________________
| _ | | / \ | | High Explosive filler |LO ======= | \_/ | |____________________________________|
If the large high explosive container is small, such as a CO2 cartridge,
then a segment of a hollow radio antenna can be made into a low-order pipe
bomb, which can be fitted with a fuse, and inserted into the CO2 cartridge.
4.43 GLASS CONTAINERS Glass containers
can be suitable for low-order explosives, but there are problems with them.
First, a glass container can be broken relatively easily compared to metal
or plastic containers. Secondly, in the not-too-unlikely event of an "accident",
the person making the device would probably be seriously injured, even
if the device was small. A bomb made out of a sample perfume bottle-sized
container exploded in the hands of one boy, and he still has pieces of
glass in his hand. He is also missing the final segment of his ring finger,
which was cut off by a sharp piece of flying glass... Nonetheless, glass
containers such as perfume bottles can be used by a demented individual,
since such a device would not be detected by metal detectors in an airport
or other public place. All that need be done is fill the container, and
drill a hole in the plastic cap that the fuse fits tightly in, and screw
the cap-fuse assembly on. (Ill. 4.43) ________________________ fuse | |
| _____|_____ | ___|___ | | > | < | drill hole in cap, and insert fuse;
| > | < | be sure fuse will not come out of cap | > | < | < |
| | | | | | | | | screw cap on bottle | | | | V_________V Large explosive
devices made from glass containers are not practicle, since glass is not
an exceptionally strong container. Much of the explosive that is used to
fill the container is wasted if the container is much larger than a 16
oz. soda bottle. Also, glass containers are usually unsuitable for high
explosive devices, since a glass container would probably not withstand
the explosion of the initiator; it would shatter before the high explosive
was able to detonate.
4.44 PLASTIC CONTAINERS Plastic containers
are perhaps the best containers for explosives, since they can be any size
or shape, and are not fragile like glass. Plastic piping can be bought
at hardware or plumbing stores, and a device much like the ones used for
metal containers can be made. The high-order version works well with plastic
piping. If the entire device is made out of plastic, it is not detectable
by metal detectors. Plastic containers can usually be shaped by heating
the container, and bending it at the appropriate place. They can be glued
closed with epoxy or other cement for plastics. Epoxy alone can be used
as an endcap, if a wad of tissue paper is placed in the piping. Epoxy with
a drying agent works best in this type of device. (Ill. 4.44) || || ||
|| ||\_____________/|| || || || epoxy || ||_______________|| || tissue
|| || paper || ||_______________|| ||***************|| ||***************||
||***************|| ||***************|| ||** explosive **|| ||***************||
||***********----------------------- fuse ||***************|| ||ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ||
|| || || tissue || || paper || ||_______________|| || || || epoxy || ||
_____________ || ||/ \|| || || || || One end must be made first, and be
allowed to dry completely before the device can be filled with powder and
fused. Then, with another piece of tissue paper, pack the powder tightly,
and cover it with plenty of epoxy. PVC pipe works well for this type of
device, but it cannot be used if the pipe had an inside diameter greater
than 3/4 of an inch. Other plastic puttys can be used in this type of device,
but epoxy with a drying agent works best. In my experience, epoxy plugs
work well, but epoxy is somewhat expensive. One alternative is auto body
filler, a grey paste which, when mixed with hardener, forms into a rock-like
mass which is stronger than most epoxy. The only drawback is the body filler
generates quite a bit of heat as it hardens, which might be enough to set
of a overly sensitive explosive. One benefit of body filler is that it
will hold it's shape quite well, and is ideal for forming rocket nozzles
and entire bomb casings.
4.44.1 FILM CANISTERS (By Bill) For
a relatively low shrapnel explosion, I suggest pouring it into an empty
35mm film cannister. Poke a hole in the plastic lid for a fuse. These goodies
make an explosion audible a mile away easily. 1) Poke the hole before putting
the flash powder into the cannister. 2) Don't get any powder on the lip
of the cannister. 3) Only use a very small quantity and work your way up
to the desired result. 4) Do not pack the powder, it works best loose.
5) Do not grind or rub the mixture - it is friction sensitive. 6) Use a
long fuse. Bill
4.5 ADVANCED USES FOR EXPLOSIVES The
techniques presented here are those that could be used by a person who
had some degree of knowledge of the use of explosives. Some of this information
comes from demolitions books, or from military handbooks. Advanced uses
for explosives usually involved shaped charges, or utilize a minimum amount
of explosive to do a maximum amount of damage. They almost always involve
high- order explosives.
4.51 SHAPED CHARGES A shaped charge
is an explosive device that, upon detonation, directs the explosive force
of detonation at a small target area. This process can be used to breach
the strongest armor, since forces of literally millions of pounds of pressure
per square inch can be generated. Shaped charges employ high-order explosives,
and usually electric ignition systems. KEEP IN MIND THAT ALL EXPLOSIVES
ARE DANGEROUS, AND SHOULD NEVER BE MADE OR USED!! An example of a shaped
charge is shown below. (Ill. 4.51) + wire ________ _______ - wire _ _________|_________|____________
^ | ________|_________|__________ | | | | | | | | | | | \ igniter / | |
| | | \_______/ | | | | | priming charge | | | | | (mercury fulminate)
| | | | | ^ | | | | | / \ | | | | | / \ | | | | | / \ | | | | | / \ | |
| | | / \ | | | | | / \ | | | | / \ | | 8 inches high | | / \ | | | | /
high \ | | | | | / explosive \ | | | | | / charge \ | | | | | / \ | | |
| |/ \| | | | | ^ | | | | | / \ | | | | | / \ | | | | | / \ | | | | | /
\ | | | | | / \ | | | | | / \ | | | | | / \ | | | | | / \ | | | | | / \
| | ------- 1/2 inch | | | / \ | | thick steel | | | / \ | | pipe | | |
/ \ | | | | |/ \| | | hole for | | | | hole for | screw | | | | screw V_______
___________| | | |___________ ________ |______| |____________| |_____________|
|______| |<------- 8 inches -------->| If a device such as this is screwed
to a safe, for example, it would direct most of the explosive force at
a point about 1 inch away from the opening of the pipe. The basis for shaped
charges is a cone-shaped opening in the explosive material. This cone should
have an angle of 45 degrees. A device such as this one could also be attached
to a metal surface with a powerful electromagnet. 4.52 TUBE EXPLOSIVES
A variation on shaped charges, tube explosives can be used in ways that
shaped charges cannot. If a piece of 1/2 inch plastic tubing was filled
with a sensitive high explosive like R.D.X., and prepared as the plastic
explosive container in section 4.44, a different sort of shaped charge
could be produced; a charge that directs explosive force in a circular
manner. This type of explosive could be wrapped around a column, or a doorknob,
or a telephone pole. The explosion would be directed in and out, and most
likely destroy whatever it was wrapped around. In an unbent state, a tube
explosive would look like this: (Ill. 4.52) ||\____/|| || epoxy|| ||------||
||tissue|| || paper|| ||______|| ||******|| ||******|| ||******|| || RDX
|| ||*____*|| ||*| s|*|| ||*| q|*|| ||*| u|*|| ||*| i|*|| ||*| b|*|| ||*|
b|*|| ||*|__|*|| ||__||__|| ||tissue|| || paper|| ||--||--|| || epoxy||
|| || || ||/ || \|| || || || ||_______ + wire ______________ |________
- wire ______________ When an assassin or terrorist wishes to use a tube
bomb, he must wrap it around whatever thing he wishes to destroy, and epoxy
the ends of the tube bomb together. After it dries, he/she can connect
wires to the squib wires, and detonate the bomb, with any method of electric
detonation.
4.53 ATOMIZED PARTICLE EXPLOSIONS If
a highly flammable substance is atomized, or, divided into very small particles,
and large amounts of it is burned in a confined area, an explosion similar
to that occurring in the cylinder of an automobile is produced. The tiny
droplets of gasoline burn in the air, and the hot gasses expand rapidly,
pushing the cylinder up. Similarly, if a gallon of gasoline was atomized
and ignited in a building, it is very possible that the expanding gassed
would push the walls of the building down. This phenomenon is called an
atomized particle explosion. If a person can effectively atomize a large
amount of a highly flammable substance and ignite it, he could bring down
a large building, bridge, or other structure. Atomizing a large amount
of gasoline, for example, can be extremely difficult, unless one has the
aid of a high explosive. If a gallon jug of gasoline was placed directly
over a high explosive charge, and the charge was detonated, the gasoline
would instantly be atomized and ignited. If this occurred in a building,
for example, an atomized particle explosion would surely occur. Only a
small amount of high explosive would be necessary to accomplish this feat,
about 1/2 a pound of T.N.T. or 1/4 a pound of R.D.X. Also, instead of gasoline,
powdered aluminum could be used. It is necessary that a high explosive
be used to atomize a flammable material, since a low-order explosion does
not occur quickly enough to atomize or ignite the flammable material.
4.54 LIGHTBULB BOMBS An automatic reaction
to walking into a dark room is to turn on the light. This can be fatal,
if a lightbulb bomb has been placed in the overhead light socket. A lightbulb
bomb is surprisingly easy to make. It also comes with its own initiator
and electric ignition system. On some lightbulbs, the lightbulb glass can
be removed from the metal base by heating the base of a lightbulb in a
gas flame, such as that of a blowtorch or gas stove. This must be done
carefully, since the inside of a lightbulb is a vacuum. When the glue gets
hot enough, the glass bulb can be pulled off the metal base. On other bulbs,
it is necessary to heat the glass directly with a blowtorch or oxy-acetylene
torch. In either case, once the bulb and/or base has cooled down to room
temperature or lower, the bulb can be filled with an explosive material,
such as black powder. If the glass was removed from the metal base, it
must be glued back on to the base with epoxy. If a hole was put in the
bulb, a piece of duct tape is sufficient to hold the explosive in the in
the bulb. Then, after making sure that the socket has no power by checking
with a working lightbulb, all that need be done is to screw the lightbulb
bomb into the socket. Such a device has been used by terrorists or assassins
with much success, since few people would search the room for a bomb without
first turning on the light.
4.55 BOOK BOMBS Concealing a bomb can
be extremely difficult in a day and age where perpetrators of violence
run wild. Bags and briefcases are often searched by authorities whenever
one enters a place where an individual might intend to set off a bomb.
One approach to disguising a bomb is to build what is called a book bomb;
an explosive device that is entirely contained inside of a book. Usually,
a relatively large book is required, and the book must be of the hardback
variety to hide any protrusions of a bomb. Dictionaries, law books, large
textbooks, and other such books work well. When an individual makes a bookbomb,
he/she must choose a type of book that is appropriate for the place where
the book bomb will be placed. The actual construction of a book bomb can
be done by anyone who possesses an electric drill and a coping saw. First,
all of the pages of the book must be glued together. By pouring an entire
container of water-soluble glue into a large bucket, and filling the bucket
with boiling water, a glue-water solution can be made that will hold all
of the book's pages together tightly. After the glue-water solution has
cooled to a bearable temperature, and the solution has been stirred well,
the pages of the book must be immersed in the glue-water solution, and
each page must be thoroughly soaked. It is extremely important that the
covers of the book do not get stuck to the pages of the book while the
pages are drying. Suspending the book by both covers and clamping the pages
together in a vise works best. When the pages dry, after about three days
to a week, a hole must be drilled into the now rigid pages, and they should
drill out much like wood. Then, by inserting the coping saw blade through
the pages and sawing out a rectangle from the middle of the book, the individual
will be left with a shell of the book's pages. The pages, when drilled
out, should look like this: (Ill. 4.55) ________________________ | ____________________
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | |__________________| | |______________________| (book
covers omitted) This rectangle must be securely glued to the back cover
of the book. After building his/her bomb, which usually is of the timer
or radio controlled variety, the bomber places it inside the book. The
bomb itself, and whatever timer or detonator is used, should be packed
in foam to prevent it from rolling or shifting about. Finally, after the
timer is set, or the radio control has been turned on, the front cover
is glued closed, and the bomb is taken to its destination.
4.56 PHONE BOMBS The phone bomb is
an explosive device that has been used in the past to kill or injure a
specific individual. The basic idea is simple: when the person answers
the phone, the bomb explodes. If a small but powerful high explosive device
with a squib was placed in the phone receiver, when the current flowed
through the receiver, the squib would explode, detonating the high explosive
in the person's hand. Nasty. All that has to be done is acquire a squib,
and tape the receiver switch down. Unscrew the mouthpiece cover, and remove
the speaker, and connect the squib's leads where it was. Place a high explosive
putty, such as C-1 (see section 3.31) in the receiver, and screw the cover
on, making sure that the squib is surrounded by the C-1. Hang the phone
up, and leave the tape in place. When the individual to whom the phone
belongs attempts to answer the phone, he will notice the tape, and remove
it. This will allow current to flow through the squib. Note that the device
will not explode by merely making a phone call; the owner of the phone
must lift up the receiver, and remove the tape. It is highly probable that
the phone will be by his/her ear when the device explodes...
4.56.1 IMPROVED PHONE BOMB (from Dave
R.) The above seems overly complicated to me... it would be better to rig
the device as follows: _________ FIRST UNPLUG THE PHONE FROM THE WALL /|-------|\
Wire the detonator IN LINE with the wires going to the earpiece, ~ | |
~ (may need to wire it with a relay so the detonator can receive @@@@@@@@
the full line power, not just the audio power to the earpiece) @@@@@@@@@@
@@@@@@@@@@ Pack C4 into the phone body (NOT the handset) and plug it back
in. When they pick up the phone, power will flow through the circuit to
the detonator....
5.0 SPECIAL AMMUNITION FOR PROJECTILE
WEAPONS Explosive and/or poisoned ammunition is an important part of a
social deviant's arsenal. Such ammunition gives the user a distinct advantage
over individual who use normal ammunition, since a grazing hit is good
enough to kill. Special ammunition can be made for many types of weapons,
from crossbows to shotguns.
5.1 SPECIAL AMMUNITION FOR PRIMITIVE
WEAPONS For the purposes of this publication, we will call any weapon primitive
that does not employ burning gunpowder to propel a projectile forward.
This means blowguns, bows and crossbows, and wristrockets.
5.11 BOW AND CROSSBOW AMMUNITION Bows
and crossbows both fire arrows or bolts as ammunition. It is extremely
simple to poison an arrow or bolt, but it is a more difficult matter to
produce explosive arrows or bolts. If, however, one can acquire aluminum
piping that is the same diameter of an arrow or crossbow bolt, the entire
segment of piping can be converted into an explosive device that detonates
upon impact, or with a fuse. All that need be done is find an aluminum
tube of the right length and diameter, and plug the back end with tissue
paper and epoxy. Fill the tube with any type of low-order explosive or
sensitive high-order explosive up to about 1/2 an inch from the top. Cut
a slot in the piece of tubing, and carefully squeeze the top of the tube
into a round point, making sure to leave a small hole. Place a no. 11 percussion
cap over the hole, and secure it with super glue or epoxy. Finally, wrap
the end of the device with electrical or duct tape, and make fins out of
tape. Or, fins can be bought at a sporting goods store, and glued to the
shaft. The finished product should look like: (Ill. 5.11) ____________
___|____________\____________________ \ ---. /__ ________________________________---`
|____________/ When the arrow or bolt strikes a hard surface, the percussion
cap explodes, igniting or detonating the explosive.
5.12 SPECIAL AMMUNITION FOR BLOWGUNS
The blowgun is an interesting weapon which has several advantages. A blowgun
can be extremely accurate, concealable, and deliver an explosive or poisoned
projectile. The manufacture of an explosive dart or projectile is not difficult.
To acquire a blowgun, please contact the editor at one of the addresses
given in the introduction. Perhaps the most simple design for such involves
the use of a pill capsule, such as the kind that are taken for headaches
or allergies. Empty gelatin pill capsules can be purchased from most health-food
stores. Next, the capsule would be filled with an impact-sensitive explosive,
such as mercury fulminate. An additional high explosive charge could be
placed behind the impact sensitive explosive, if one of the larger capsules
were used. Finally, the explosive capsule would be reglued back together,
and a tassel or cotton would be glued to the end containing the high explosive,
to insure that the impact-detonating explosive struck the target first.
Such a device would probably be about 3/4 of an inch long, not including
the tassel or cotton, and look something like this: (Ill. 5.12) ____________________
/mercury | \----------------------- (fulminate| R.D.X. )----------------------
} tassels \________|___________/----------------------- Care must be taken-
if a powerful dart went off in the blowgun, you could easily blow the back
of your head off. 5.13 SPECIAL AMMUNITION FOR WRISTROCKETS AND SLINGSHOTS
A modern wristrocket is a formidable weapon. It can throw a shooter marble
about 500 ft. with reasonable accuracy. Inside of 200 ft., it could well
be lethal to a man or animal, if it struck in a vital area. Because of
the relatively large sized projectile that can be used in a wristrocket,
the wristrocket can be adapted to throw relatively powerful explosive projectiles.
A small segment of aluminum pipe could be made into an impact-detonating
device by filling it with an impact-sensitive explosive material. Also,
such a pipe could be filled with a low-order explosive, and fitted with
a fuse, which would be lit before the device was shot. One would have to
make sure that the fuse was of sufficient length to insure that the device
did not explode before it reached its intended target. Finally, .22 caliber
caps, such as the kind that are used in .22 caliber blank guns, make excellent
exploding ammunition for wristrockets, but they must be used at a relatively
close range, because of their light weight.
5.2 SPECIAL AMMUNITION FOR FIREARMS
When special ammunition is used in combination with the power and rapidity
of modern firearms, it becomes very easy to take on a small army with a
single weapon. It is possible to buy explosive ammunition, but that can
be difficult to do. Such ammunition can also be manufactured in the home.
There is, however, a risk involved with modifying any ammunition. If the
ammunition is modified incorrectly, in such a way that it makes the bullet
even the slightest bit wider, an explosion in the barrel of the weapon
will occur. For this reason, NOBODY SHOULD EVER ATTEMPT TO MANUFACTURE
SUCH AMMUNITION.
5.21 SPECIAL AMMUNITION FOR HANDGUNS
If an individual wished to produce explosive ammunition for his/her handgun,
he/she could do it, provided that the person had an impact-sensitive explosive
and a few simple tools. One would first purchase all lead bullets, and
then make or acquire an impact-detonating explosive. By drilling a hole
in a lead bullet with a drill, a space could be created for the placement
of an explosive. After filling the hole with an explosive, it would be
sealed in the bullet with a drop of hot wax from a candle. A diagram of
a completed exploding bullet is shown below. (Ill. 5.21) _o_ ------------
drop of wax /|*|\ | |*|-|----------- impact-sensitive explosive | |_| |
|_____| This hollow space design also works for putting poison in bullets.
In many spy thrillers, an assassin is depicted as manufacturing "exploding
bullets" by placing a drop of mercury in the nose of a bullet. Through
experimentation it has been found that this will not work. Mercury reacts
with lead to form a inert silvery compound.
5.22 SPECIAL AMMUNITION FOR SHOTGUNS
Because of their large bore and high power, it is possible to create some
extremely powerful special ammunition for use in shotguns. If a shotgun
shell is opened at the top, and the shot removed, the shell can be re-closed.
Then, if one can find a very smooth, lightweight wooden dowel that is close
to the bore width of the shotgun, a person can make several types of shotgun-launched
weapons. Insert the dowel in the barrel of the shotgun with the shell without
the shot in the firing chamber. Mark the dowel about six inches away from
the end of the barrel, and remove it from the barrel. Next, decide what
type of explosive or incendiary device is to be used. This device can be
a chemical fire bottle (sect. 3.43), a pipe bomb (sect 4.42), or a thermite
bomb (sect 3.41 and 4.42). After the device is made, it must be securely
attached to the dowel. When this is done, place the dowel back in the shotgun.
The bomb or incendiary device should be on the end of the dowel. Make sure
that the device has a long enough fuse, light the fuse, and fire the shotgun.
If the projectile is not too heavy, ranges of up to 300 ft are possible.
A diagram of a shotgun projectile is shown below: (Ill. 5.22) ____ || |
|| | || | ----- bomb, securely taped to dowel || | ||__| || | || | -------
fuse || | || || || || --------- dowel || || || || --------- insert this
end into shotgun || || Special "grenade-launcher blanks" should be used-
use of regular blank ammunition may cause the device to land perilously
close to the user.
5.3 SPECIAL AMMUNITION FOR COMPRESSED
AIR/GAS WEAPONS This section deals with the manufacture of special ammunition
for compressed air or compressed gas weapons, such as pump B.B guns, CO2
B.B guns, and .22 cal pellet guns. These weapons, although usually thought
of as kids toys, can be made into rather dangerous weapons.
5.31 SPECIAL AMMUNITION FOR B.B GUNS
A B.B gun, for this manuscript, will be considered any type of rifle or
pistol that uses compressed air or CO2 gas to fire a projectile with a
caliber of .177, either B.B, or lead pellet. Such guns can have almost
as high a muzzle velocity as a bullet-firing rifle. Because of the speed
at which a .177 caliber projectile flies, an impact detonating projectile
can easily be made that has a caliber of .177. Most ammunition for guns
of greater than .22 caliber use primers to ignite the powder in the bullet.
These primers can be bought at gun stores, since many people like to reload
their own bullets. Such primers detonate when struck by the firing pin
of a gun. They will also detonate if they are thrown at a hard surface
at a great speed. Usually, they will also fit in the barrel of a .177 caliber
gun. If they are inserted flat end first, they will detonate when the gun
is fired at a hard surface. If such a primer is attached to a piece of
thin metal tubing, such as that used in an antenna, the tube can be filled
with an explosive, be sealed, and fired from a B.B gun. A diagram of such
a projectile appears below: (Ill. 5.31) _____ primers _______ | | | | |
| V V ______ ______ | ________________________ |------------------- | ******
explosive ******* |------------------- } tassel or | ________________________
|------------------- cotton |_____ _____|------------------- ^ | | |_______
antenna tubing The front primer is attached to the tubing with a drop of
super glue. The tubing is then filled with an explosive, and the rear primer
is glued on. Finally, a tassel, or a small piece of cotton is glued to
the rear primer, to insure that the projectile strikes on the front primer.
The entire projectile should be about 3/4 of an inch long. 5.32 SPECIAL
AMMUNITION FOR .22 CALIBER PELLET GUNS A .22 caliber pellet gun usually
is equivalent to a .22 cal rifle, at close ranges. Because of this, relatively
large explosive projectiles can be adapted for use with .22 caliber air
rifles. A design similar to that used in section 5.12 is suitable, since
some capsules are about .22 caliber or smaller. Or, a design similar to
that in section 5.31 could be used, only one would have to purchase black
powder percussion caps, instead of ammunition primers, since there are
percussion caps that are about .22 caliber. A #11 cap is too small, but
anything larger will do nicely.
6.0 ROCKETS AND CANNONS Rockets and
cannon are generally thought of as heavy artillery. Perpetrators of violence
do not usually employ such devices, because they are difficult or impossible
to acquire. They are not, however, impossible to make. Any individual who
can make or buy black powder or pyrodex can make such things. A terrorist
with a cannon or large rocket is, indeed, something to fear.
6.1 ROCKETS Rockets were first developed
by the Chinese several hundred years before the myth of christ began. They
were used for entertainment, in the form of fireworks. They were not usually
used for military purposes because they were inaccurate, expensive, and
unpredictable. In modern times, however, rockets are used constantly by
the military, since they are cheap, reliable, and have no recoil. Perpetrators
of violence, fortunately, cannot obtain military rockets, but they can
make or buy rocket engines. Model rocketry is a popular hobby of the space
age, and to launch a rocket, an engine is required. Estes, a subsidiary
of Damon, is the leading manufacturer of model rockets and rocket engines.
Their most powerful engine, the "D" engine, can develop almost 12 lbs.
of thrust; enough to send a relatively large explosive charge a significant
distance. Other companies, such as Centuri, produce even larger rocket
engines, which develop up to 30 lbs. of thrust. These model rocket engines
are quite reliable, and are designed to be fired electrically. Most model
rocket engines have three basic sections. The diagram below will help explain
them. (Ill. 6.1) _________________________________________________________
|_________________________________________________________| -- cardboard
\ clay | - - - - - - - - - - | * * * | . . . .|c| casing \_______| - -
- - - - - - - | * * * | . . . |l| _______ - - - thrust - - - | smoke |
eject |a| / clay | - - - - - - - - - | * * * | . . . .|y| /________|_____________________|_______|________|_|_______
|_________________________________________________________| -- cardboard
casing The clay nozzle is where the igniter is inserted. When the area
labeled "thrust" is ignited, the "thrust" material, usually a large single
grain of a propellant such as black powder or pyrodex, burns, forcing large
volumes of hot, rapidly expanding gasses out the narrow nozzle, pushing
the rocket forward. After the material has been consumed, the smoke section
of the engine is ignited. It is usually a slow-burning material, similar
to black powder that has had various compounds added to it to produce visible
smoke, usually black, white, or yellow in color. This section exists so
that the rocket will be seen when it reaches its maximum altitude, or apogee.
When it is burned up, it ignites the ejection charge, labeled "eject".
The ejection charge is finely powdered black powder. It burns very rapidly,
exploding, in effect. The explosion of the ejection charge pushes out the
parachute of the model rocket. It could also be used to ignite the fuse
of a bomb... Rocket engines have their own peculiar labeling system. Typical
engine labels are: 1/4A-2T, 1/2A-3T, A8-3, B6-4, C6-7, and D12-5. The letter
is an indicator of the power of an engine. "B" engines are twice as powerful
as "A" engines, and "C" engines are twice as powerful as "B" engines, and
so on. The number following the letter is the approximate thrust of the
engine, in pounds. the final number and letter is the time delay, from
the time that the thrust period of engine burn ends until the ejection
charge fires; "3T" indicates a 3 second delay. NOTE: an extremely effective
rocket propellant can be made by mixing aluminum dust with ammonium perchlorate
and a very small amount of iron oxide. The mixture is bound together by
an epoxy.
6.11 BASIC ROCKET BOMB A rocket bomb
is simply what the name implies: a bomb that is delivered to its target
by means of a rocket. Most people who would make such a device would use
a model rocket engine to power the device. By cutting fins from balsa wood
and gluing them to a large rocket engine, such as the Estes "C" engine,
a basic rocket could be constructed. Then, by attaching a "crater maker",
or CO2 cartridge bomb to the rocket, a bomb would be added. To insure that
the fuse of the "crater maker" (see sect. 4.42) ignited, the clay over
the ejection charge of the engine should be scraped off with a plastic
tool. The fuse of the bomb should be touching the ejection charge, as shown
below. (Ill. 6.11 #1) ____________ rocket engine | _________ crater maker
| | | | V | _______________________________V_ |_______________________________|
______________________ \ | - - - - - -|***|::::| /# # # # # # # # # # #
\ \__| - - - - - -|***|::::| ___/ # # # # # # # # # # # \ __ - - - - -
-|***|::::|---fuse--- # # explosive # # ) / | - - - - - -|***|::::| ___
# # # # # # # # # # # / /___|____________|___|____|____ \_______________________/
|_______________________________| thrust> - - - - - - smoke> *** ejection
charge> :::: Duct tape is the best way to attach the crater maker to the
rocket engine. Note in the diagram the absence of the clay over the ejection
charge Many different types of explosive payloads can be attached to the
rocket, such as a high explosive, an incendiary device, or a chemical fire
bottle. Either four or three fins must be glued to the rocket engine to
insure that the rocket flies straight. The fins should look like the following
diagram: (Ill. 6.11 #2) |\ | \ | \ | \ <--------- glue this to rocket
engine | \ | \ | \ | | | | | | leading edge | -------> | | | | | trailing
edge | | <-------- | | | | | | | | \_____/ The leading edge and trailing
edge should be sanded with sandpaper so that they are rounded. This will
help make the rocket fly straight. A two inch long section of a plastic
straw can be attached to the rocket to launch it from. A clothes hanger
can be cut and made into a launch rod. The segment of a plastic straw should
be glued to the rocket engine adjacent to one of the fins of the rocket.
A front view of a completed rocket bomb is shown below. (Ill. 6.11 #3)
| fin | <------ fin | | | | | | | __|__ | V / \ V ---------------| |---------------
\_____/ |o <----------- segment of plastic straw | | | <------ fin
| | By cutting a coat hanger at the indicated arrows, and bending it, a
launch rod can be made. After a fuse is inserted in the engine, the rocket
is simply slid down the launch rod, which is put through the segment of
plastic straw. The rocket should slide easily along a coathanger, such
as the one illustated on the following page: (Ill. 6.11 #4) ____ / \ |
| cut here _____ | | | | | | / \ V / \ _________________/ \________________
/ \ / \ /____________________________________________\ ^ | | and here ______|
Bend wire to this shape: (Ill. 6.11 #5) _______ insert into straw | | |
V ____________________________________________ \ \ \ \ \ <---------
bend here to adjust flight angle | | | | | | <---------- put this end
in ground |
6.12 LONG RANGE ROCKET BOMB Long range
rockets can be made by using multi-stage rockets. Model rocket engines
with an "0" for a time delay are designed for use in multi-stage rockets.
An engine such as the D12-0 is an excellent example of such an engine.
Immediately after the thrust period is over, the ejection charge explodes.
If another engine is placed directly against the back of an "0" engine,
the explosion of the ejection charge will send hot gasses and burning particles
into the nozzle of the engine above it, and ignite the thrust section.
This will push the used "0" engine off of the rocket, causing an overall
loss of weight. The main advantage of a multi-stage rocket is that it loses
weight as travels, and it gains velocity. A multi-stage rocket must be
designed somewhat differently than a single stage rocket, since, in order
for a rocket to fly straight, its center of gravity must be ahead of its
center of drag. This is accomplished by adding weight to the front of the
rocket, or by moving the center of drag back by putting fins on the rocket
that are well behind the rocket. A diagram of a multi-stage rocket appears
on the following page: (Ill. 6.12) ___ / \ | | | C | | M | ------ CM: Crater
Maker | | | | |___| | | | | | | | C | ------ C6-5 rocket engine /| 6 |\
/ | | | \ / | 5 | \ / |___| \ ---- fin / /| |\ \ / / | | \ \ / / | | \
\ / / | C | \ \ | / | 6 | \ | | / | | | \ | | / | 0 | \ | |/ |___| \| |
/ \ | \______/ ^ \______/ ------- fin | | | | C6-0 rocket engine The fuse
is put in the bottom engine. Two, three, or even four stages can be added
to a rocket bomb to give it a longer range. It is important, however, that
for each additional stage, the fin area gets larger.
6.2 CANNON The cannon is a piece of
artillery that has been in use since the 11th century. It is not unlike
a musket, in that it is filled with powder, loaded, and fired. Cannons
of this sort must also be cleaned after each shot, otherwise, the projectile
may jam in the barrel when it is fired, causing the barrel to explode.
A sociopath could build a cannon without too much trouble, if he/she had
a small sum of money, and some patience.
6.21 BASIC PIPE CANNON A simple cannon
can be made from a thick pipe by almost anyone. The only difficult part
is finding a pipe that is extremely smooth on its interior. This is absolutely
necessary; otherwise, the projectile may jam. Copper or aluminum piping
is usually smooth enough, but it must also be extremely thick to withstand
the pressure developed by the expanding hot gasses in a cannon. If one
uses a projectile such as a CO2 cartridge, since such a projectile can
be made to explode, a pipe that is about 1.5 - 2 feet long is ideal. Such
a pipe MUST have walls that are at least 1/3 to 1/2 an inch thick, and
be very smooth on the interior. If possible, screw an endplug into the
pipe. Otherwise, the pipe must be crimped and folded closed, without cracking
or tearing the pipe. A small hole is drilled in the back of the pipe near
the crimp or endplug. Then, all that need be done is fill the pipe with
about two teaspoons of grade blackpowder or pyrodex, insert a fuse, pack
it lightly by ramming a wad of tissue paper down the barrel, and drop in
a CO2 cartridge. Brace the cannon securely against a strong structure,
light the fuse, and run. If the person is lucky, he will not have overcharged
the cannon, and he will not be hit by pieces of exploding barrel. Such
a cannon would look like this: (Ill. 6.21 #1) __________________ fuse hole
| | V ________________________________________________________________
| |_____________________________________________________________| |endplug|powder|t.p.|
CO2 cartridge | ______|______|____|____________________________________________
|_|______________________________________________________________| An exploding
projectile can be made for this type of cannon with a CO2 cartridge. It
is relatively simple to do. Just make a crater maker, and construct it
such that the fuse projects about an inch from the end of the cartridge.
Then, wrap the fuse with duct tape, covering it entirely, except for a
small amount at the end. Put this in the pipe cannon without using a tissue
paper packing wad. (Ill. 6.21 #2) ___ When the cannon is fired, it ( )
will ignite the end of the |C | fuse, and shoot the CO2 | M| cartridge.
The | | explosive-filled cartridge | | will explode in about three \ /
seconds, if all goes well. [] <--- taped fuse Such a projectile would
look [] like this: [] ! <--- Bare fuse (add matchheads)
6.22 ROCKET FIRING CANNON (Ill. 6.22)
___ A rocket firing cannon can be made exactly like a / \ normal cannon;
the only difference is the ammunition. A | | rocket fired from a cannon
will fly further than a rocket | C | alone, since the action of shooting
it overcomes the | M | initial inertia. A rocket that is launched when
it is | | moving will go further than one that is launched when it | |
is stationary. Such a rocket would resemble a normal |___| rocket bomb,
except it would have no fins. It would look | E | like the image to the
left. | N | | G | the fuse on such a device would, obviously, be short,
| I | but it would not be ignited until the rocket's ejection | N | charge
exploded. Thus, the delay before the ejection | E | charge, in effect,
becomes the delay before the bomb |___| explodes. Note that no fuse need
be put in the rocket; the burning powder in the cannon will ignite it,
and simultaneously push the rocket out of the cannon at a high velocity.
6.23 REINFORCED PIPE CANNON (added
by Loren) In high school, a friend and I built cannons and launched CO2
cartridges, etc, etc. However, the design of the cannon is what I want
to add here. It was made from plain steel water pipe, steel wire, and lead.
Here is a cross section: (Ill. 6.23) _______ | | | xxxxx_____________________________________________
2" ID pipe | |_________________________________________________ | | ....................
<- steel wire } | | _____ } 3/4" ID pipe this | | | xxx______________________________________}_________________
wire | | | |__________________________________________________________
holds | |....| | it up |>|....| | in the| | | |__________________________________________________________
cooker| | | xxx________________________________________________________
| | |____ } | | ..................... } <- cast lead | |_______________________________________________}_
| | _____________________________________________ | xxxxx |_____| We dug
into the side of a sand pile and built a chimney out of firebrick. Then
we stood the assembled pipe and wire on end in the chimney, sitting on
some bricks. We then had a blowtorch heating up the chimney, so that the
pipe was red hot. Then we poured molten lead into the space between the
pipes. If the caps aren't screwed on real tight, some of the lead will
leak out. If that happens, turn off the blowtorch and the pipe will cool
enough and the lead will stiffen and stop the leak. We used homemeade and
commercial black powder, and slow smokeless shotgun powder in this thing.
After hundreds of shots we cut it up and there was no evidence of cracks
or swelling of the inner pipe. Loren
7.0 PYROTECHNICA ERRATA There are many
other types of pyrotechnics that a perpetrator of violence might employ.
Smoke bombs can be purchased in magic stores, and large military smoke
bombs can be bought through ads in gun and military magazines. Also, fireworks
can also be used as weapons of terror. A large aerial display rocket would
cause many injuries if it were to be fired so that it landed on the ground
near a crowd of people. Even the "harmless" pull-string fireworks, which
consists of a sort of firecracker that explodes when the strings running
through it are pulled, could be placed inside a large charge of a sensitive
high explosive. Tear gas is another material that might well be useful
to the sociopath, and such a material could be instantly disseminated over
a large crowd by means of a rocket-bomb, with nasty effects.
7.1 SMOKE BOMBS One type of pyrotechnic
device that might be employed by a terrorist in many way would be a smoke
bomb. Such a device could conceal the getaway route, or cause a diversion,
or simply provide cover. Such a device, were it to produce enough smoke
that smelled bad enough, could force the evacuation of a building, for
example. Smoke bombs are not difficult to make. Although the military smoke
bombs employ powdered white phosphorus or titanium compounds, such materials
are usually unavailable to even the most well-equipped terrorist. Instead,
he/she would have to make the smoke bomb for themselves. Most homemade
smoke bombs usually employ some type of base powder, such as black powder
or pyrodex, to support combustion. The base material will burn well, and
provide heat to cause the other materials in the device to burn, but not
completely or cleanly. Table sugar, mixed with sulfur and a base material,
produces large amounts of smoke. Sawdust, especially if it has a small
amount of oil in it, and a base powder works well also. Other excellent
smoke ingredients are small pieces of rubber, finely ground plastics, and
many chemical mixtures. The material in road flares can be mixed with sugar
and sulfur and a base powder produces much smoke. Most of the fuel-oxodizer
mixtures, if the ratio is not correct, produce much smoke when added to
a base powder. The list of possibilities goes on and on. The trick to a
successful smoke bomb also lies in the container used. A plastic cylinder
works well, and contributes to the smoke produced. The hole in the smoke
bomb where the fuse enters must be large enough to allow the material to
burn without causing an explosion. This is another plus for plastic containers,
since they will melt and burn when the smoke material ignites, producing
an opening large enough to prevent an explosion.
7.11 SIMPLE SMOKE (By Zaphod) The following
reaction should produce a fair amount of smoke. Since this reaction is
not all that dangerous you can use larger amounts if necessary 6 pt. ZINC
POWDER 1 pt. SULFUR POWDER Insert a red hot wire into the pile, step back.
7.2 COLORED FLAMES Colored flames can
often be used as a signaling device for terrorists. by putting a ball of
colored flame material in a rocket; the rocket, when the ejection charge
fires, will send out a burning colored ball. The materials that produce
the different colors of flames appear below. COLOR MATERIAL USED IN red
strontium road flares, salts red sparklers (strontium nitrate) green barium
salts green sparklers (barium nitrate) yellow sodium salts gold sparklers
(sodium nitrate) blue powdered copper blue sparklers, old pennies white
powdered magnesium firestarters, or aluminum aluminum foil purple potassium
permanganate purple fountains, treating sewage
7.3 TEAR GAS A terrorist who could
make tear gas or some similar compound could use it with ease against a
large number of people. Tear gas is fairly complicated to make, however,
and this prevents such individuals from being able to utilize its great
potential for harm. One method for its preparation is shown below. EQUIPMENT
FOR MAKING TEAR GAS _________ 1. ring stands (2) 7. clamp holder 2. alcohol
burner 8. condenser 3. erlenmeyer flask, 300 ml 9. rubber tubing 4. clamps
(2) 10. collecting flask 5. rubber stopper 11. air trap 6. glass tubing
12. beaker, 300 ml MATERIALS _________ 10 gms glycerine 2 gms sodium bisulfate
distilled water 1.) In an open area, wearing a gas mask, mix 10 gms of
glycerine with 2 gms of sodium bisulfate in the 300 ml erlenmeyer flask.
2.) Light the alcohol burner, and gently heat the flask. 3.) The mixture
will begin to bubble and froth; these bubbles are tear gas. 4.) When the
mixture being heated ceases to froth and generate gas, or a brown residue
becomes visible in the tube, the reaction is complete. Remove the heat
source, and dispose of the heated mixture, as it is corrosive. 5.) The
material that condenses in the condenser and drips into the collecting
flask is tear gas. It must be capped tightly, and stored in a safe place.
7.4 FIREWORKS While fireworks cannot
really be used as an effective means of terror, they do have some value
as distractions or incendiaries. There are several basic types of fireworks
that can be made in the home, whether for fun, profit, or nasty uses. 7.41
FIRECRACKERS A simple firecracker can be made from cardboard tubing and
epoxy. The instructions are below: 1) Cut a small piece of cardboard tubing
from the tube you are using. "Small" means anything less than 4 times the
diameter of the tube. 2) Set the section of tubing down on a piece of wax
paper, and fill it with epoxy and the drying agent to a height of 3/4 the
diameter of the tubing. Allow the epoxy to dry to maximum hardness, as
specified on the package. 3) When it is dry, put a small hole in the middle
of the tube, and insert a desired length of fuse. 4) Fill the tube with
any type of flame-sensitive explosive. Flash powder, pyrodex, black powder,
potassium picrate, lead azide, nitrocellulose, or any of the fast burning
fuel-oxodizer mixtures will do nicely. Fill the tube almost to the top.
5) Pack the explosive tightly in the tube with a wad of tissue paper and
a pencil or other suitable ramrod. Be sure to leave enough space for more
epoxy. 6) Fill the remainder of the tube with the epoxy and hardener, and
allow it to dry. 7) For those who wish to make spectacular firecrackers,
always use flash powder, mixed with a small amount of other material for
colors. By crushing the material on a sparkler, and adding it to the flash
powder, the explosion will be the same color as the sparkler. By adding
small chunks of sparkler material, the device will throw out colored burning
sparks, of the same color as the sparkler. By adding powdered iron, orange
sparks will be produced. White sparks can be produced from magnesium shavings,
or from small, LIGHTLY crumpled balls of aluminum foil. Example: Suppose
I wish to make a firecracker that will explode with a red flash, and throw
out white sparks. First, I would take a road flare, and finely powder the
material inside it. Or, I could take a red sparkler, and finely powder
it. Then, I would mix a small amount of this material with the flash powder.
(NOTE: FLASH POWDER MAY REACT WITH SOME MATERIALS THAT IT IS MIXED WITH,
AND EXPLODE SPONTANEOUSLY!) I would mix it in a ratio of 9 parts flash
powder to 1 part of flare or sparkler material, and add about 15 small
balls of aluminum foil I would store the material in a plastic bag overnight
outside of the house, to make sure that the stuff doesn't react. Then,
in the morning, I would test a small amount of it, and if it was satisfactory,
I would put it in the firecracker. 8) If this type of firecracker is mounted
on a rocket engine, professional to semi-professional displays can be produced.
7.42 SKYROCKETS An impressive home
made skyrocket can easily be made in the home from model rocket engines.
Estes engines are recommended. 1) Buy an Estes Model Rocket Engine of the
desired size, remembering that the power doubles with each letter. (See
sect. 6.1 for details) 2) Either buy a section of body tube for model rockets
that exactly fits the engine, or make a tube from several thicknesses of
paper and glue. 3) Scrape out the clay backing on the back of the engine,
so that the powder is exposed. Glue the tube to the engine, so that the
tube covers at least half the engine. Pour a small charge of flash powder
in the tube, about 1/2 an inch. 4) By adding materials as detailed in the
section on firecrackers, various types of effects can be produced. 5) By
putting Jumping Jacks or bottle rockets without the stick in the tube,
spectacular displays with moving fireballs or M.R.V.'s can be produced.
6) Finally, by mounting many home made firecrackers on the tube with the
fuses in the tube, multiple colored bursts can be made.
7.43 ROMAN CANDLES Roman candles are
impressive to watch. They are relatively difficult to make, compared to
the other types of home-made fireworks, but they are well worth the trouble.
1) Buy a 1/2 inch thick model rocket body tube, and reinforce it with several
layers of paper and/or masking tape. This must be done to prevent the tube
from exploding. Cut the tube into about 10 inch lengths. 2) Put the tube
on a sheet of wax paper, and seal one end with epoxy and the drying agent.
About 1/2 of an inch is sufficient. 3) Put a hole in the tube just above
the bottom layer of epoxy, and insert a desired length of water proof fuse.
Make sure that the fuse fits tightly. 4) Pour about 1 inch of pyrodex or
gunpowder down the open end of the tube. 5) Make a ball by powdering about
two 6 inch sparklers of the desired color. Mix this powder with a small
amount of flash powder and a small amount of pyrodex, to have a final ratio
(by volume) of 60% sparkler material / 20% flash powder / 20% pyrodex.
After mixing the powders well, add water, one drop at a time, and mixing
continuously, until a damp paste is formed. This paste should be moldable
by hand, and should retain its shape when left alone. Make a ball out of
the paste that just fits into the tube. Allow the ball to dry. 6) When
it is dry, drop the ball down the tube. It should slide down fairly easily.
Put a small wad of tissue paper in the tube, and pack it gently against
the ball with a pencil. 7) When ready to use, put the candle in a hole
in the ground, pointed in a safe direction, light the fuse, and run. If
the device works, a colored fireball should shoot out of the tube to a
height of about 30 feet. This height can be increased by adding a slightly
larger powder charge in step 4, or by using a slightly longer tube. 8)
If the ball does not ignite, add slightly more pyrodex in step 5. 9) The
balls made for roman candles also function very well in rockets, producing
an effect of falling colored fireballs.
8.0 LISTS OF SUPPLIERS AND MORE INFORMATION
Most, if not all, of the information in this publication can be obtained
through a public or university library. There are also many publications
that are put out by people who want to make money by telling other people
how to make explosives at home. Adds for such appear frequently in paramilitary
magazines and newspapers. This list is presented to show the large number
of places that information and materials can be purchased from. It also
includes fireworks companies and the like. COMPANY NAME AND ADDRESS WHAT
COMPANY SELLS ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
FULL AUTO CO. INC. EXPLOSIVE RECIPES, P.O. BOX 1881 PAPER TUBING MURFREESBORO,
TN 37133 UNLIMITED CHEMICALS AND FUSE BOX 1378-SN HERMISTON, OREGON 97838
AMERICAN FIREWORKS NEWS FIREWORKS NEWS MAGAZINE WITH SR BOX 30 SOURCES
AND TECHNIQUES DINGMAN'S FERRY, PENNSYLVANIA 18328 BARNETT INTERNATIONAL
INC. BOWS, CROSSBOWS, ARCHERY MATERIALS, 125 RUNNELS STREET AIR RIFLES
P.O. BOX 226 PORT HURON, MICHIGAN 48060 CROSSMAN AIR GUNS AIR GUNS P.O.
BOX 22927 ROCHESTER, NEW YORK 14692 R. ALLEN PROFESSIONAL FIREWORKS CONSTRUCTION
P.O. BOX 146 BOOKS & FORMULAS WILLOW GROVE, PA 19090 MJ DISTRIBUTING
FIREWORKS FORMULAS P.O. BOX 10585 YAKIMA,WA 98909 EXECUTIVE PROTECTION
PRODUCTS INC. TEAR GAS GRENADES, 316 CALIFORNIA AVE. PROTECTION DEVICES
RENO, NEVADA 89509 COMPANY NAME AND ADDRESS WHAT COMPANY SELLS ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
BADGER FIREWORKS CO. INC. CLASS "B" AND "C" FIREWORKS BOX 1451 JANESVILLE,
WISCONSIN 53547 NEW ENGLAND FIREWORKS CO. INC. CLASS "C" FIREWORKS P.O.
BOX 3504 STAMFORD, CONNECTICUTT 06095 RAINBOW TRAIL CLASS "C" FIREWORKS
BOX 581 EDGEMONT, PENNSYLVANIA 19028 STONINGTON FIREWORKS INC. CLASS "C"
AND "B" FIREWORKS 4010 NEW WILSEY BAY U.25 ROAD RAPID RIVER, MICHIGAN 49878
WINDY CITY FIREWORKS INC. CLASS "C" AND "B" FIREWORKS P.O. BOX 11 (GOOD
PRICES!) ROCHESTER, INDIANA 46975 BOOKS ÄÄÄÄÄ
THE ANARCHIST'S COOKBOOK (highly inaccurate) THE IMPROVISED MUNITIONS MANUAL
(formulas work, but put maker at risk) MILITARY EXPLOSIVES Two manuals
of interest: Duponts "Blaster's Handbook", a $20 manual mainly useful for
rock and seismographic operations. Atlas's "Powder Manual" or "Manual of
Rock Blasting" (I forget the title, it's in the office). This is a $60
book, well worth the cash, dealing with the above two topics, plus demolitions,
and non-quarry blasting.
9.0 CHECKLIST FOR RAIDS ON LABS In
the end, the serious terrorist would probably realize that if he/she wishes
to make a truly useful explosive, he or she will have to steal the chemicals
to make the explosive from a lab. A list of such chemicals in order of
priority would probably resemble the following: LIQUIDS SOLIDS _______
______ ____ Nitric Acid ____ Potassium Perchlorate ____ Sulfuric Acid ____
Potassium Chlorate ____ 95% Ethanol ____ Picric Acid (usually a powder)
____ Toluene ____ Ammonium Nitrate ____ Perchloric Acid ____ Powdered Magnesium
____ Hydrochloric Acid ____ Powdered Aluminum ____ Potassium Permanganate
GASES ____ Sulfur (flowers of) _______ ____ Mercury ____ Potassium Nitrate
____ Hydrogen ____ Potassium Hydroxide ____ Oxygen ____ Phosphorus ____
Chlorine ____ Sodium Azide ____ Carbon Dioxide ____ Lead Acetate ____ Barium
Nitrate
10.0 USEFUL PYROCHEMISTRY In general,
it is possible to make many chemicals from just a few basic ones. A list
of useful chemical reactions is presented. It assumes knowledge of general
chemistry; any individual who does not understand the following reactions
would merely have to read the first five chapters of a high school chemistry
book. 1. potassium perchlorate from perchloric acid and potassium hydroxide
K(OH) + HClO ----> KClO + H O 4 4 2 2. potassium nitrate from nitric acid
and potassium hydroxide " + HNO ----> KNO + " 3 3 3. ammonium perchlorate
from perchloric acid and ammonium hydroxide NH OH + HClO ----> NH ClO +
" 3 4 3 4 4. ammonium nitrate from nitric acid and ammonium hydroxide NH
OH + HNO ----> NH NO + " 3 3 3 3 5. powdered aluminum from acids, aluminum
foil, and magnesium A. aluminum foil + 6HCl ----> 2AlCl + 3H 3 2 B. 2AlCl
(aq) + 3Mg ----> 3MgCl (aq) + 2Al 3 2 The Al will be a very fine silvery
powder at the bottom of the container which must be filtered and dried.
This same method works with nitric and sulfuric acids, but these acids
are too valuable in the production of high explosives to use for such a
purpose, unless they are available in great excess.
11.0 ABOUT THE EDITOR The current editor
is presently attending a small midwestern college. He has never been convicted,
tried or charged with a crime, and will never admit to having commited
any one of the 87 assorted misdemeanors and felonies (not counting multiple
counts, such as the 103 dry ice bombs) which one might accuse him of. V.T.
(The EDITOR)
11.1 ABOUT THE AUTHOR While in high
school, the original author became affiliated with CHAOS, and eventually
became the head of Gunzenbomz Pyro-Technologies. At this time, at age 18,
he produced his first high explosive device, putting a 1 foot deep crater
in an associate's back yard. He had also produced many types of rockets,
explosive ammunition, and other pyrotechnic devices. While he was heading
Gunzenbomz Pyro-Technologies, he was injured when a home made device exploded
in his hand; he did not make the device. The author learned, however, and
then decided to reform, and although he still constructs an occasional
explosive device, he chooses to abstain from their production. END OF PART
1 OF THE COMPLEAT TERRORIST WARNING: The second part of this book consists
of untested and quite possibly DANGEROUS plans, formulas and information.
Under NO circumstances should the reader even consider attempting to carry
out any of the procedures outlined below. THE EDITOR (V.T.)
PART 2 - Tennis ball cannons ------
Information from the Usenet. The Usenet is a worldwide network of 15,000
machines and over 500,000 people- And growing! Addendum by The Editor:
If you aren't in the Chicago area, check a local BBS list. If you see a
BBS which runs under UNIX, odds are it carries usenet. The appropriate
place to look is rec.pyrotechnics. At this time (twelve years ago) most
soft drink cans were rolled tin rather than the molded aluminum. We would
cut the tops and bottoms off of a bunch of them and tape them together
with duct tape, forming a tube of two feet or more. At the end we would
tape a can with the bottom intact, more holes punched (with a can opener)
around the top, and a small hole in the side at the base. We then fastened
this contraption to a tripod so we could aim it reliably. Any object that
came somewhat close to filling the tube was then placed therein. In the
shop, we used the clock as a target and an empty plastic solder spool as
ammunition, with tape over the ends of the center hole and sometimes filled
with washers for weight. When taken to parties or picnics, we would use
whatever was handy. Hot dog rolls or napkins filled with potato chips provided
spectacular entertainment. Once loaded, a small amount of lighter fluid
was poured into the hole in the side of the end can and allowed to vaporize
for a few moments. The "fire control technician" would announce "Fire in
the Hole" and ignite it. BOOM! Whoosh! The clock never worked after that!
---------- Our version of the potato chip cannon, originally designed around
the Pringles potato chip can, was built similarly. Ours used coke cans,
six with the top and bottom removed, and the seventh had Bottle opener
holes all around one end, the top of this can was covered with a grid or
piece of wire screening to keep the tennis ball from falling all the way
to the bottom. This was spiral wrapped with at least two rolls of duct
tape. A wooden shoulder rest and forward hand grip was taped to the tube.
For ignition we used lantern batteries to a model-t coil, actuated by a
push button on the hand grip. A fresh wilson tennis ball was stuffed all
the way back to the grid, and a drop or two of lighter fluid was dropped
in one of two holes in the end. The ignition wire was poked through the
other hole. We would then lie in ambush, waiting for somthing to move.
When fired with the proper air/fuel mixture, a satisfying thoomp! At maximum
range the ball would travel about 100 yards with a 45 degree launch angle.
Closer up the ball would leave a welt on an warring opponent. When launched
at a moving car the thud as it hit the door would generally rattle anyone
inside. Luckily we never completed the one that shot golf balls.
PART 4 More Fun Stuff for Terrorists
Carbide Bomb This is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. Exercise extreme caution....
Obtain some calcium carbide. This is the stuff that is used in carbide
lamps and can be found at nearly any hardware store. Take a few pieces
of this stuff (it looks like gravel) and put it in a glass jar with some
water. Put a lid on tightly. The carbide will react with the water to produce
acetylene carbonate which is similar to the gas used in cutting torches.
Eventually the glass with explode from internal pressure. If you leave
a burning rag nearby, you will get a nice fireball! Auto Exhaust Flame
Thrower For this one, all you need is a car, a sparkplug, ignition wire
and a switch. Install the spark plug into the last four or five inches
of the tailpipeby drilling a hole that the plug can screw into easily.
Attach the wire (this is regular insulated wire) to one side of the switch
and to the spark plug. The other side of the switch is attached to the
positive terminal on the battery. With the car running, simply hit the
switch and watch the flames fly!!! Again be careful that no one is behind
you! I have seen some of these flames go 20 feet!!! PART 5- This is all
various files I gleaned from BBS's. (Added 8-23-90) Balloons are fun to
play with in chem lab, fill them with the gas that you get out of the taps
on the lab desks, then tie up the balloon tight, and drop it out the window
to the burnouts below, you know, the ones that are always smoking, they
love to pop balloons with lit cigarette.... get the picture? Good...
OPENING COMBO LOCKS [ Touched up by
V.T - The Editor ] First of all, let me tell you about the set-up of a
lock. When the lock is locked, there is a curved piece of metal wedged
inside the little notch on the horseshoe shaped bar (known as the shackle)
that is pushed in to the lock when you lock it. To free this wedge, you
usually have to turn the lock to the desired combination and the pressure
on the wedge is released therefore letting the lock open. I will now tell
you how to make a pick so you can open a lock without having to waste all
that time turning the combination (this also helps when you don't know
the combination to begin with). To bypass this hassle, simply take a thinned
hairpin (file it down) or a opened out piece of a collapsing antenna (the
inside diameter of the curved piece of metal should be the same as the
diameter of the shackle- if the metal is too thick, use fine sandpaper
to thin it down. Once you have your hair pin (make sure it's metal), take
the ridged side and break it off right before it starts to make a U-turn
onto the straight side. The curved part can now be used as a handle. Now,
using a file, file down the other end until it is fairly thin. You should
do this to many hairpins and file them so they are of different thicknesses
so you can jimmy various locks. Look at a lock to see which side the lock
opens from. If you can't tell, you will just have to try both sides. When
ya find out what side it opens from, , take the lock pick and stick the
filed end into the inside of the horseshoe-shaped bar on whichever side
the lock opens from. Now, put pressure on the handle of the lock pick (pushing
down, into the crack) and pull the lock up and down. The lock will then
open because the pick separated the wedge and the notch allowing it to
open. Also, this technique works best on American locks. I have never picked
a Master lock before because of the shape a pressure of the wedge but if
anyone does it, let me know how long it took. Also, the Master lock casing
is very tight so ya can't get the shim in.
PYROTECHNICAL DELIGHTS WRITTEN BY RAGNER
ROCKER Many of you out there probably have fantasies of revenge against
teachers, principals and other people who are justassholes. depending on
your level of hatred of this person i would advise that you do some of
these following experiments: (1) Pouring dishsoap into the gas tank of
your enemy- many of you already know that gasoline + dishsoap(e.g. joy,
palmolive, etc.) form a mixture called napalm. now napalm is a jelly-like
substance used in bombs, flamethrowers, etc. now you can only guess what
this mixture would do to someone's fuel line!!!! (2) Spreading dirty motor
oil/castor oil on someone's exhaust pipe- when the exhaust pipe heats up(and
it will!!)the motor oil or castor oil on the pipe will cause thick, disgusting
smoke to ooze forth from the back of that car. Who knows maybe he/she might
be pulled over and given a ticket!! (3) Light Bulb Bomb- see part one of
the file (4) Simple smoke/stink bomb- you can purchaase sulphur at a drugstore
under the name flowers of sulphur. now when sulphur burns it will give
off a very strong odor and plenty of smoke. now all you need is a fuse
from a firecracker, a tin can, and the sulphur. fill the can with sulphur(pack
very lightly), put aluninum foil over the top of the can, poke a small
hole into the foil, insert the wick, and light it and get out of the room
if you value your lungs. you can find many uses for this( or at least i
hope so.
FUN WITH ALARMS A fact I forgot to
mention in my previous alarm articles is that one can also use polyurethane
foam in a can to silence horns and bells. You can purchase this at any
hardware store as insulation. it is easy to handle and dries faster. Many
people that travel carry a pocket alarm with them. this alarm is a small
device that is hung around the door knob, and when someone touches the
knob his body capacitance sets off the alarm. these nasty nuisences can
be found by walking down the halls of a hotel and touching all the door
knobs very quickly. if you happen to chance upon one, attach a 3' length
of wire or other metal object to the knob. this will cause the sleeping
business pig inside to think someone is breaking in and call room service
for help. all sorts of fun and games will ensue. Some high-security instalations
use keypads just like touch-tone pads (a registered trade mark of bell
systems) to open locks or disarm alarms. most use three or four digits.
to figure out the code, wipe the key-pad free from all fingerprints by
using a rag soaked in rubbing alcohol. after the keypad has been used just
apply finger print dust and all four digits will be marked. now all you
have to do is figure out the order. if you want to have some fun with a
keypad, try pressing the * and # at the same time. many units use this
as a panic button. This will bring the owner and the cops running and ever-one
will have a good time. never try to remove these panels from the wall,
as they have built-in tamper switches. On the subject of holdups, most
places (including supermarkets, liqour stores, etc.) have what is known
as a money clip. these little nasties are placed at the bottom of a money
drawer and when the last few bills are with-drawn a switch closes and sets
the alarm off. that's why when you make your withdrawl it's best to help
yourself so you can check for these little nasties. if you find them, merely
insert ones underneath the pile of twenties, and then pull out the twenties,
leaving the one-dollar bill behind to prevent the circuit from closing.
SOFT DRINK CAN BOMB AN ARTICLE FROM
THE BOOK: THE POOR MAN'S JAMES BOND BY KURT SAXON This is an anti-personnel
bomb meant for milling crowds. the bottom of a soft drink can is half cut
out and bent back. a giant firecracker or other explosive is put in and
surrounded with nuts and bolts or rocks. the fuse is then armed with a
chemical delay in a plastic drinking straw. ! ! After first making sure
there are no ! ! children nearby, the acid or glycerine ! ! <-CHEMICAL
INGITER is put into the straw and the can is set ---- ---- down by a tree
or wall where it will not ! !1! ! be knocked over. the delay should give
! ===== ! you three to five minutes. it will then !* ! ! "! have a shattering
effect on passersby. ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !<- BIG FIRECRACKER ! ! !% ! ! ====
! ! ! ! # ! It is hardly likely that anyone would ! --- ! pick up and drink
from someone else's ! ! ! <- NUTS & BOLTS soft drink can. but if
such a crude ! / ! person should try to drink from your ! ! bomb he would
break a nasty habit --------- fast! Pyro Book ][ by Capt Hack and Grey
Wolf
TIME DELAYED CHEMICAL FUSE 1) Put 1
teaspoon full of of potassium permanganate in a tin can. 2) add a few drops
of glycerine 3) wait 3-4 min. 4) get the hell out.. the stuff will smoke,
then burst into flame.. ** potasium permanganate stains like iodine but
worse [it's purple] ** the reaction will spatter a bit ->it can be messy...
** it doesn't matter if the amounts are uneven [ie. 1 part to 3 parts]
EXPLOSIVES AND INCENDIARIES by THE RESEARCHER INTRODUCTION: The trouble
with text books on chemistry and explosives is the attitude with which
they are written. They don't say, "Now I know you would like to blow holy
hell out of something just for the fun of it so here is how to whip up
something in your kitchen to do it". They tell you how Dupont does it or
how the anchient Chinese did it but not how you can do it with the resourses
and materials available to you. Even army manuals on field expedient explosives
are almost useless because they are just outlines written with the understanding
that an instructor is going to fill in the blanks. It is a fun game to
search out the materials that can be put together to make something go
"boom". You can find what you need in grocery stores, hardware stores,
and farm supplies. An interesting point to remember is that it is much
easier to make a big e explosion than a small one. It is very difficult
for a home experimenter to make a firecracker, but a bomb capable of blowing
the walls out of a building is easy.
HOW TO MAKE ROCKET FUEL This is easy
to make and fun to play with. Mix equal parts by volume Potassium or Sodium
Nitrate and granulated sugar. Pour a big spoonful of this into a pile.
Stick a piece of blackmatch fuse into it; light; and step back. This is
also a very hot incendiary. A little imagination will suggest a lot of
experiments for this.
ANOTHER ROCKET FUEL Mix equal parts
by volume of zinc dust and sulfur. Watch out if you experiment with this.
It goes off in a sudden flash. It is not a powerful explosive, but is violent
stuff even when not confined because of its fast burning rate. --- As I
continue from this point some of the ingredients are going to be harder
to get without going through a chemical supply. I try to avoid this. I
happen to know that B. Prieser Scientific (local to my area) has been instructed
by the police to send them the names of anyone buying chemicals in certain
combinations. For example, if a person were to buy Sulfuric acid, Nitric
acid and Toluene (the makings for TNT) in one order the police would be
notified. I will do the best I can to tell you how to make the things you
need from commonly available materials, but I don't want to leave out something
really good because you might have to scrounge for an ingredient. I am
guessing you would prefer it that way.
HOW TO MAKE AN EXPLOSIVE FROM COMMON
MATCHES Pinch the head near the bottom with a pair of wire cutters to break
it up; then use the edges of the cutters to scrape off the loose material.
It gets easy with practice. You can do this while watching TV and collect
enough for a bomb without dying of boredom. Once you have a good batch
of it, you can load it into a pipe instead of black powder. Be careful
not to get any in the threads, and wipe off any that gets on the end of
the pipe. Never try to use this stuff for rocket fuel. A science teacher
was killed that way. Just for fun while I'm on the subject of matches,
did you know that you can strike a safety match on a window pane? Hold
a paper match between your thumb and first finger. With your second finger,
press the head firmly against a large window. Very quickly, rub the match
down the pane about 2 feet while maintaining the pressure. The friction
will generate enough heat to light the match. Another fun trick is the
match rocket. Tightly wrap the top half of a paper match with foil. Set
it in the top of a pop bottle at a 45 degree angle. Hold a lighted match
under the head until it ignites. If you got it right, the match will zip
up and hit the ceiling. I just remembered the match guns I used to make
when I was a kid. These are made from a bicycle spoke. At one end of the
spoke is a piece that screws off. Take it off and screw it on backwards.
You now have a piece of stiff wire with a small hollow tube on one end.
Pack the material from a couple of wooden safety matches into the tube.
Force the stem of a match into the hole. It sould fit very tightly. Hold
a lighted match under the tube until it gets hot enough to ignite the powder.
It goes off with a bang.
HOW TO MAKE CONCENTRATED SULFURIC ACID
FROM BATTERY ACID Go to an auto supply store and ask for "a small battery
acid". This should only cost a few dollars. What you will get is about
a gallon of dilute sulfuric acid. Put a pint of this into a heat resistant
glass container. The glass pitchers used for making coffee are perfect.
Do not use a metal container. Use an extension cord to set up a hotplate
out doors. Boil the acid until white fumes appear. As soon as you see the
white fumes, turn off the hot plate and let the acid cool. Pour the now
concentrated acid into a glass container. The container must have a glass
stopper or plastic cap -- no metal. It must be air tight. Otherwize, the
acid will quickly absorb moisture from the air and become diluted. Want
to know how to make a time bomb that doesn't tick and has no wires or batteries?
Hold on to your acid and follow me into the next installment.
HOW TO MAKE A CHEMICAL TIME DELAY FUSE:
To get an understanding of how this is going to work, mix up equal parts
by volume Potassium chlorate and granulated sugar. Pour a spoonful of the
mixture in a small pile and make a depression in the top with the end of
a spoon. Using a medicine dropper, place one drop of concentrated sulfuric
acid in the depression and step back. It will snap and crackle a few times
and then burst into vigorous flames. To make the fuse, cut about 2 inches
off a plastic drinking straw. Tamp a small piece of cotton in one end.
On top of this put about an inch of the clorate/sugar mixture. Now lightly
tamp in about a quarter inch of either glass wool or asbestos fibers. Secure
this with the open end up and drop in 3 or 4 drops of sulfuric acid. After
a few minutes the acid will soak through the fibers and ignite the mixture.
The time delay can be controled by the amount of fiber used and by varying
how tightly it is packed. Don't use cotton for this. The acid will react
with cotton and become weakened in the process. By punching a hole in the
side of the straw, a piece of blackmatch or other fuse can be inserted
and used to set off the device of your choice. Potassium chlorate was very
popular with the radical underground. It can be used to make a wide variety
of explosives and incendiaries, some of them extremely dangerous to handle.
The radicals lost several people that way. But, don't worry. I am not going
to try to protect you from yourself. I have decided to tell all. I will
have more to say about Potassium chlorate, but for now, let's look at a
couple of interesting electric fuses. PEROXYACETONE PEROXYACETONE IS EXTREMELY
FLAMMABLE AND HAS BEEN REPORTED TO BE SHOCK SENSITIVE. MATERIALS- 4ML ACETONE
4ML 30% HYDROGEN PEROXIDE 4 DROPS CONC. HYDROCHLORIC ACID 150MM TEST TUBE
Add 4ml acetone and 4ml hydrogen peroxide to the test tube. then add 4
drops concentrated hydrochloric acid. In 10-20 minutes a white solid should
begin to appear. if no change is observed, warm the test tube in a water
bath at 40 celsius. Allow the reaction to continue for two hours. Swirl
the slurry and filter it. Leave out on filter paper to dry for at least
two hours. To ignite, light a candle tied to a meter stick and light it
(while staying at least a meter away) . I would like to give credit to
a book by shakashari entitled "Chemical demonstrations" for a few of the
precise amounts of chemicals in some experiments. ...ZAPHOD BEEBLEBROX/MPG!
THE CHEMIST'S CORNER #2: HOUSEHOLD CHEMICALS, BY ZAPHOD BEEBLEBROX/MPG
This article deals with instructions on how to do some interesting experiments
with common household chemicals. Some may or may not work depending on
the concentration of certain chemicals in different areas and brands. I
would suggest that the person doing these experiments have some knowledge
of chemistry, especially for the more dangerous experiments. I am not responsible
for any injury or damage caused by people using this information. It is
provided for use by people knowledgable in chemistry who are interested
in such experiments and can safely handle such experiments. I. A LIST OF
HOUSEHOLD CHEMICALS AND THEIR COMPOSITION VINEGAR: 3-5% ACETIC ACID BAKING
SODA: SODIUM BICARBONATE DRAIN CLEANERS: SODIUM HYDROXIDE SANI-FLUSH: 75%
SODIUM BISULFATE AMMONIA WATER: AMMONIUM HYDROXIDE CITRUS FRUIT: CITRIC
ACID TABLE SALT: SODIUM CHLORIDE SUGAR: SUCROSE MILK OF MAGNESIA-MAGNESIUM
HYDROXIDE TINCTURE OF IODINE- 4% IODINE RUBBING ALCOHOL- 70 OR 99% (DEPENDS
ON BRAND) ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL (DO NOT DRINK!) GENERATING CHLORINE GAS This
is slightly more dangerous than the other two experiments, so you shouild
know what you're doing before you try this... Ever wonder why ammonia bottles
always say 'do not mix with chlorine bleach', and visa-versa? That's because
if you mix ammonia water with ajax or something like it, it will give off
chlorine gas. To capture it, get a large bottle and put ajax in the bottom.
then pour some ammonia down into the bottle. since the c hlorine is heavier
than air, it will stay down in there unless you use large amounts of either
ajax or ammonia (don't!). CHLORINE + TURPENTINE Take a small cloth or rag
and soak it in turpentine. Quickly drop it into the bottle of chlorine.
It should give off a lot of black smoke and probably start burning...
GENERATING HYDROGEN GAS To generate
hydrogen, all you need is an acid and a metal that will react with that
acid. Try vinegar (acetic acid) with zinc, aluminum, magnesium, etc. You
can collect hydrogen in something if you note that it is lighter than air....
light a small amount and it burns with a small *pop*. Another way of creating
hydrogen is by the electrolysis of water. this involve sseperating water
(H2O) into hydrogen and oxygen by an electric current. To do this, you
need a 6-12 volt battery (or a DC transformer), two test tubes, a large
bowl, two carbon electrodes (take them out of an unworking 6-12 volt battery),
and table salt. Dissolve the salt in a large bowl full of water. Submerge
the two test tubes in the water and put the electrodes inside them, with
the mouth of the tube aiming down. Connect the battery to some wire going
down to the electrodes. This will work for a while, but chlorine will be
generated along with the oxygen which will corrode your copper wires leading
to the carbon electrodes... (the table salt is broken up into chlorine
and sodium ions, the chlorine comes off as a gas with oxygen while sodium
reacts with the water to form sodium hydroxide....). therefore, if you
can get your hands on some sulfuric acid, use it instead. it will not affect
the reaction other than making the water conduct electricity. WARNING:
DO NOT use a transformer that outputs AC current! Not only is AC inherently
more dangerous than DC, it also produces both Hydrogen and Oxygen at each
electrode.
HYRDOGEN + CHLORINE Take the test tube
of hydrogen and cover the mouth with your thumb. Keep it inverted, and
bring it near the bottle of chlorine (not one that has reacted with turpentine).
Say "goodbye test tube", and drop it into the bottle. The hydrogen and
chlorine should react and possibly explode (depending on purity and amount
of each gas). An interesting thing about this is they will not react if
it is dark and no heat or other energy is around. When a light is turned
on, enough energy is present to cause them to react...
PREPARATION OF OXYGEN Get some hydrogen
peroxide (from a drug store) and manganese dioxide (from a battery- it's
a black powder). Mix the two in a bottle, and they give off oxygen. If
the bottle is stoppered, pressure will build up and shoot it off. Try lighting
a wood splint and sticking it (when only glowing) into the bottle. The
oxygen will make it burst into flame. The oxygen will allow things to burn
better...
IODINE Tincture of iodine contains
mainly alcohol and a little iodine. To seperate them, put the tincture
of iodine in a metal lid to a bottle and heat it over a candle. Have a
stand holding another metal lid directly over the tincture (about 4-6 inches
above it) with ice on top of it. The alcohol should evaporate, and the
iodine should sublime, but should reform iodine crystals on the cold metal
lid directly above. If this works (I haven't tried), you can use the iodine
along with household ammonia to form nitrogen triiodide. ...ZAPHOD BEEBLEBROX/MPG!
I have found that Pool Chlorine tablets with strong household ammonia react
to produce LOTS of chlorine gas and heat... also mixing the tablets with
rubbing alcohol produces heat, a different (and highly flammable) gas,
and possibly some sort of acid (it eats away at just about anything it
touches) David Richards TRIPWIRES by The Mortician Well first of all I
reccommend that you read the file on my board about landmines... If you
can't then here is the concept. You can use an m-80,h-100, blockbuster
or any other type of explosive that will light with a fuse. Now the way
this works is if you have a 9 volt battery, get either a solar igniter
(preferably) or some steel wool you can create a remote ignition system.
What you do it set up a schematic like this. ------------------>+ batery
steel || ->- batery wool || / :==:--- <--fuse \ || / ---- spst switch--\
So when the switch is on the currnet will flow through the steel wool or
igniter and heat up causing the fuse to light. Note: For use with steel
wool try it first and get a really thin piece of wire and pump the current
through it to make sure it will heat up to light the explosive. Now the
thing to do is plant your explosive wherever you want it to be,bury it
and cover the wires. Now take a fishing line (about 20 lb. test) and tie
one end to a secure object. Have your switch secured to something and make
a loop on the other end on the line. Put the loop around the switch such
that when pulled it will pull the switch and set off the explosive. To
ignite the explosive... The thing to do is to experiment with this and
find your best method... Let me know on any good kills, or new techniques...
On my board... (201)376-4462 BOOBY TRAP TRIP WIRES...... BY Vlad Tepes
(of Chgo C64 fame) Here is a method for constructing boobytraps which I
personally invented, and which I have found to work better than any other
type of release booby trap. There are many possible variations on this
design, but the basic premise remains the same. What you'll need: 3-4 nails
each 2 inches long and soft enough to bend easily (galvanized iron works
well) 6 feet of wire or fishing line 5-15 feet of strong string or rope
1 really sick mind. Hammer two of the nails into the trunk of a tree (about
one inch apart) so they form a horizontal line. They should be angled slightly
upward, about 30 degrees. Bend each nail Downward about one inch out from
the trunk. Take your nefarious device (say a small rock suspended in a
tree) and rig a rope or string so the line comes DOWN towards the two nails.
Tie a loop in the string so the loop *just* reaches between the two nails,
and pass a third nail between the two nails with the loop around this nail
between the two others (see diagrams) bent nails / || ^ slight upward tension
# /\ || #/ @ || @ ( @ are the two nails, head on) # ------!----()------
# trip wire \ / Trunk third nail Now tie one end of the fishing line to
the head of the third nail, and the other end around another tree or to
a nail (in another tree, a root or a stump etc). When somebody pulls on
the trip wire, the nail will be pulled out and your sick creation will
be released to do it's damage (try tying it to a firing pin). There are
several possible variations. More than one trip wire can be attached to
the same nail, or this device can be used to arm a second trip wire. Large
wire staples or hook and eye loops can be used to replace the two bent
nails. A more interesting variation uses a straight piece of metal rod
with a hole at each end, or with a short wire loop welded to each end.
One end is attached to the tripwire, the other is attached to a spring.
|| */\/\/\/\/\-===()=======--------------------------------------* SPRING
BOLT Trip wire With this design the loop will be released if the tripwire
is pulled or if it is broken. The spring should be under moderate tension
and well oiled. Improvised Explosives Gelatine Explosive from Anti-Freeze
Written by: The Lich CAUTION: THIS FORMULA ASSUMES THAT THE MAKER HAS NO
QUALMS ABOUT KILLING HIS/HER SELF IN THE PROCESS. This explosive is almost
the same as the nitro-gelatin plastique explosive exept that it is supple
and pliable to -10 to -20 deg. C Antifreeze is easier to obtain than glycerine
and is usually cheaper. It needs to be freed of water before the manufacture
and this can be done by treating it with calcium chloride until a specific
gravity of 1.12 @ o deg. C. or 1.11 @ 20 deg. C. is obtained. This can
be done by adding calcium chloride to the antifreeze and checking with
a hydrometer and continue to add calcium chloride until the proper reading
is obtained. The antifreeze is then filtered to remove the calcium chloride
from the liquid. This explosive is superior to nitro-gelatin in that it
is easier to collidon the IMR smokeless powder into the explosive and that
the 50/50 ether ethyl alcohol can be done away with. It is superior in
that the formation of the collidon is done very rapidly by the nitroethelene
glycol. It's detonation properties are practically the same as the nitro-gelatine.
Like the nitro-gelatine it is highly flammable and if caught on fire the
chances are good that the flame will progress to detonation. In this explosive
as in nitro-gelatine the addition of 1% sodium carbonate is a good idea
to reduce the chance of recidual acid being present in the final explosive.
The following is a slightly different formula than nitro-gelatine: Nitro-glycol
75% Guncotton (IMR) 6% Potassium Nitrate 14% Flour 5% In this process the
50/50 step is omitted. Mix the potassium nitrate with the nitro-glycol.
Remember that this nitro-glycol is just as sensitive to shock as is nitroglycerin.
The next step is to mix in the baking flour and sodium carbonate. Mix these
by kneading with gloved hands until the mixture is uniform. This kneading
should be done gently and slowly. The mixture should be uniform when the
IMR smokeless powder is added. Again this is kneaded to uniformity. Use
this explosive as soon as possible. If it must be stored, store in a cool,
dry place (0-10 deg. C.). This explosive should detonate at 7600-7800 m/sec..
These two explosives are very powerful and should be sensitive to a #6
blasting cap or equivelent. These explosives are dangerous and should not
be made unless the manufacturer has had experience with this type compound.
The foolish and ignorant may as well forget these explosives as they won't
live to get to use them. Don't get me wrong, these explosives have been
manufactured for years with an amazing record of safety. Millions of tons
of nitroglycerine have been made and used to manufacture dynamite and explosives
of this nature with very few mis haps. Nitroglycerin and nitroglycol will
kill and their main victims are the stupid and foolhardy. Before manufacturing
these explosives take a drop of nitroglycerin and soak into a small piece
of filter paper and place it on an anvil. Hit this drop with a hammer and
don't put any more on the anvil. See what I mean! This explosive compound
is not to be taken lightly. If there are any doubts DON'T. Improvised Explosives
Plastique Explosive from Aspirin by: The Lich This explosive is a phenol
dirivative. It is HIGHLY toxic and explosive compounds made from picric
acid are poisonous if inhaled, ingested, or handled and absor- bed through
the skin. The toxicity of this explosive restrict's its use due to the
fact that over exposure in most cases causes liver and kidney failure and
sometimes death if immediate treatment is not obtained. This explosive
is a cousin to T.N.T. but is more powerful than it's cousin. It is the
first explosive used militarily and was adopted in 1888 as an artillery
shell filler. Originally this explosive was derived from coal tar but thanks
to modern chemistry you can make this explosive easily in approximately
three hours from acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin purified). This procedure
involves dissolving the acetylsalicylic acid in warm sulfuric acid and
adding sodium or potassium nitrate which nitrates the purified aspirin
and the whole mixture drowned in water and filtered to obtain the final
product. This explosive is called trinitrophenol. Care should be taken
to ensure that this explosive is stored in glass containers. Picric acid
will form dangerous salts when allowed to contact all metals exept tin
and aluminum. These salts are primary explosive and are super sensitive.
They also will cause the detonation of the picric acid. To make picric
acid obtain some aspirin. The cheaper brands work best but buffered brands
should be avoided. Powder these tablets to a fine consistancy. To extract
the acetylsalicylic acid from this powder place this powder in methyl alcohol
and stir vigorously. Not all of the powder will dissolve. Filter this powder
out of the alcohol. Again wash this powder that was filtered out of the
alcohol with more alcohol but with a lesser amount than the first extraction.
Again filter the remaining powder out of the alcohol. Combine the now clear
alcohol and allow it to evaporate in a pyrex dish. When the alcohol has
evaporated there will be a surprising amount of crystals in the bottom
of the pyrex dish. Take forty grams of these purified acetylsalicylic acid
crystals and dissolve them in 150 ml. of sulfuric acid (98%, specify gravity
1.8) and heat to diss- olve all the crystals. This heating can be done
in a common electric frying pan with the thermostat set on 150 deg. F.
and filled with a good cooking oil. When all the crystals have dissolved
in the sulfuric acid take the beaker, that you've done all this dissolving
in (600 ml.), out of the oil bath. This next step will need to be done
with a very good ventilation system (it is a good idea to do any chemistry
work such as the whole procedure and any procedure on this disk with good
ventilation or outside). Slowly start adding 58 g. of sodium nitrate or
77 g. of potassium nitrate to the acid mixture in the beaker very slowly
in small portions with vigorous stirring. A red gas (nitrogen trioxide)
will be formed and this should be avoided. The mixture is likely to foam
up and the addition should be stopped until the foaming goes down to prevent
the overflow of the acid mixture in the beaker. When the sodium or potassium
nitrate has been added the mixture is allowed to cool somewhat (30- 40
deg. C.). The solution should then be dumped slowly into twice it's volume
of crushed ice and water. The brilliant yellow crystals will form in the
water. These should be filtered out and placed in 200 ml. of boiling distilled
water. This water is allowed to cool and then the crystals are then filtered
out of the water. These crystals are a very, very pure trinitrophenol.
These crystals are then placed in a pyrex dish and places in an oil bath
and heated to 80 deg. C. and held there for 2 hours. This temperature is
best maintained and checked with a thermometer. The crystals are then powdered
in small quantities to a face powder consistency. These powdered crystals
are then mixed with 10% by weight wax and 5% vaseline which are heated
to melting temperature and poured into the crystals. The mixing is best
done by kneading together with gloved hands. This explosive should have
a useful plsticity range of 0-40 deg. C.. The detonation velocity should
be around 7000 m/sec.. It is toxic to handle but simply made from common
ingredients and is suitable for most demolition work requiring a moderately
high detonation velocity. It is very suitable for shaped charges and some
steel cutting charges. It is not as good an explosive as C-4 or other R.D.X.
based explosives but it is much easier to make. Again this explosive is
very toxic and should be treated with great care. AVOID HANDLING BARE-HANDED,
BREATHING DUST AND FUMES, AVOID ANY CHANCE OF INGESTION. AFTER UTENSILS
ARE USED FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF THIS EXPLOSIVE RETIRE THEM FROM THE KITCHEN
AS THE CHANCE OF POISONING IS NOT WORTH THE RISK. THIS EXPLOSIVE, IF MANUFACTURED
AS ABOVE, AHOULD BE SAFE IN STORAGE BUT WITH ANY HOMEMADE EXPLOSIVE STORAGE
OS NOT RECOMENDED AND EXPLOSIVES SHOULD BE MADE UP AS NEEDED. Improvised
Explosives Plastique Explosive from Bleach by: The Lich This explosive
is a potassium chlorate explosive. This explosive and explosives of similar
composition were used in World War II as the main explosive filler in gernades,
land mines, and mortar used by French, German, and other forces involoved
in that conflict. These explosives are relatively safe to manufacture.
One should strive to make sure these explosives are free of sulfur, sulfides,
and picric acid. The presence of these compounds result in mixtures that
are or can become highly sensitive and possibly decompose ex- plosively
while in storage. The manufacture of this explosive from bleach is given
as just an expediant method. This method of manufacturing potassium chlorate
is not economical due to the amount of energy used to boil the solution
and cause the 'dissociation' reaction to take place. This procedure does
work and yields a relatively pure and a sulfur/sulfide free product. These
explosives are very cap sensitive and require only a #3 cap for instigating
detonation. To manufacture potassium chlorate from bleach (5.25% sodium
hypochlorite solution) obtain a heat source (hot plate etc.) a battery
hydrometer, a large pyrex or enameled steel container (to weigh chemicals),
and some potassium chloride (sold as salt substitute). Take one gallon
of bleach, place it in the container and begin heating it. While this solution
heats, weigh out 63 g. potassium chloride and add this to the bleach being
heated. Bring this solution to a boil and boiled until when checked by
a hydrometer the reading is 1.3 (if a battery hydrometer is used it should
read full charge). When the reading is 1.3 take the solution and let it
cool in the refrigerator until it's between room temperature and 0 deg.
C.. Filter out the crystals that have formed and save them. Boil the solution
again until it reads 1.3 on the hydrometer and again cool the solution.
Filter out the crystals that have formed and save them. Boil this solution
again and cool as before. Filter and save the crystals. Take these crystals
that have been saved and mix them with distilled water in the following
proportions: 56 g. per 100 ml. distilled water. Heat this solution until
it boils and allow it to cool. Filter the solution and save the crystals
that form upon cooling. The process if purifi- cation is called fractional
crystalization. These crystals should be relatively pure potassium chlorate.
Powder these to the consistency of face powder (400 mesh) and heat gently
to drive off all moisture. Melt five parts vasoline and five parts wax.
Dissolve this in white gasoline (camp stove gasoline) and pour this liquid
on 90 parts potassium chlorate (the crystals from the above operation)
in a plastic bowl. Knead this liquid into the potassium chlorate until
immediately mixed. Allow all the gasoline to evaporate. Place this explosive
in a cool, dry place. Avoid friction, sulfur, sulfide, and phosphorous
compounds. This explosive is best molded to the desired shape and density
(1.3g./cc.) and dipped in wax to water proof. These block type charges
guarantee the highest detonation velocity. This explosive is really not
suited to use in shaped charge applications due to its relatively low detonation
velocity. It is comparable to 40% ammonia dynamite and can be considered
the same for the sake of charge computation. If the potassium chlorate
is bought and not made it is put into the manufacture pro- cess in the
powdering stages preceding the addition of the wax/vaseline mix- ture.
This explosive is bristant and powerful. The addition of 2-3% aluminum
powder increases its blast effect. Detonation velocity is 3300 m/sec..
Plastique Explosives From Swimming Pool Chlorinating Compound By the Lich
This explosive is a chlorate explosive from bleach. This method of production
of potassium or sodium chlorate is easier and yields a more pure product
than does the plastique explosive from bleach process. In this reaction
the H.T.H. (calcium hypochlorite CaC10) is mixed with water and heated
with either sodium chloride (table salt, rock salt) or potassium chloride
(salt substitute). The latter of these salts is the salt of choice due
to the easy crystalization of the potassium chlorate. This mixture will
need to be boiled to ensure complete reaction of the ingredients. Obtain
some H.T.H. swimming pool chlorination compound or equivilant (usually
65% calcium hypochlorite). As with the bleach process mentioned earlier
the reaction described below is also a dissociation reaction. In a large
pyrex glass or enamled steel container place 1200g. H.T.H. and 220g. potassium
chloride or 159g. sodium chloride. Add enough boiling water to dissolve
the powder and boil this solution. A chalky substance (calcium chloride)
will be formed. When the formation of this chalky substance is no longer
formed the solution is filtered while boiling hot. If potassium chloride
was used potassium chlorate will be formed. This potassium chlorate will
drop out or crystalize as the clear liquid left after filtering cools.
These crystals are filtered out when the solution reaches room temperature.
If the sodium chloride salt was used this clear filtrate (clear liquid
after filter- ation) will need to have all water evaporated. This will
leave crystals which should be saved. These crystals should be heated in
a slightly warm oven in a pyrex dish to drive off all traces of water (40-75
deg. C.). These crystals are ground to a very fine powder (400 mesh). If
the sodium chloride salt is used in the initial step the crystalization
is much more time consuming. The potassium chloride is the salt to use
as the resulting product will crystalize out of the solution as it cools.
The powdered and completely dry chlorate crystals are kneaded together
with vaseline in a plastic bowl. ALL CHLORATE BASED EXPLOSIVES ARE SENSITIVE
TO FRICTION AND SHOCK AND THESE SHOULD BE AVOIDED. If sodium chloride is
used in this explosive it will have a tendancy to cake and has a slightly
lower detonation velocity. This explosive is composed of the following:
potassium/sodium chlorate 90% vaseline 10% Simply pour the powder into
a plastic baggy and knead in the vaseline carefully. this explosive (especially
if the Sodium Chlorate variation is used) should not be exposed to water
or moisture. The detonation velocity can be raised to a slight extent by
the addition of 2-3% aluminum substituted for 2-3% of the vaseline. This
addition of this aluminum will give the explosive a bright flash if set
off at night which will ruin night vision for a short while. The detonation
velocity of this explosive is approximately 3200 m/sec. for the potassium
salt and 2900 m/sec. for the sodium salt based explosive. Addendum 4/12/91:
It was claimed above that this explosive degrades over time. I would assume
that this occurs due to the small amount of water present in the vaseline,
and that a different type of fuel would be better than the vaseline. ASSORTED
NASTIES: Sweet-Oil In this one you open there hood and pour some honey
in their oil spout. if you have time you might remover the oil plug first
and drain some of the oil out. I have tried this one but wasn't around
to see the effects but I am sure that I did some damage. Slow Air Ok, sneak
up the victims car and poke a small hole somewhere in 2 of his/her tires.
They only have 1 spare. Now if the hole is small but there then there tire
will go flat some where on the road. You could slice the tire so this is
blows out on the road wih a razor blade. Cut a long and fairly deep (don't
cut a hole all the way through) and peel a little bit of the rubber back
and cut that off. Now very soon there tires will go flat or a possible
blow out at a high speed if your lucky. Vanishing Paint Spread a little
gas or paint thiner on the victims car and this will make his paint run
and fade. Vodka will eat the paint off and so will a little 190. Eggs work
great on paint if they sit there long enough. Loose Wheel Loosen the lugs
on you victums tires so that they will soon fall off. This can really fuck
some one up if they are cruising when the tire falls off. Dual Neutral
This name sucks but pull the 10 bolt or what ever they have there off.
(On the real wheels, in the middle of the axle) Now throw some screws,
blots, nuts and assorted things in there and replace the cover. At this
point you could chip some of the teeth off the gears. Un-Midaser Crawl
under there car with a rachet and losen all the nuts on their exhaust so
that it hangs low and will fall off soon. This method also works on transmissions
but is a little harder to get all bolts off, but the harder you work the
more you fuck them over. LAUGHING GAS Learn how to make laughing gas from
ammonium nitrate. Laughing gas was one of the earliest anaesthetics. After
a little while of inhaling the gas the patient became so happy [ain't life
great?] he couldn't keep from laughing. Finally he would drift off to a
pleasant sleep. Some do-it-yourselfers have died while taking laughing
gas. This is because they has generated it through plastic bags while their
heads were inside. They were simply suffocating but were too bombed out
to realize it. The trick is to have a plastic clothes bag in which you
generate a lot of the gas. Then you stop generating the gas and hold a
small opening of the bag under your nose, getting plenty of oxygen in the
meantime. Then, Whee! To make it you start with ammonium nitrate bought
from a chemical supply house or which you have purified with 100% rubbing
or wood alcohol. First, dissolve a quantity of ammonium nitrate in some
water. Then you evaporate the water over the stove, while stirring, until
you have a heavy brine. When nearly all the moisture is out it should solidify
instantly when a drop is put on an ice cold metal plate. When ready, dump
it all out on a very cold surface. After a while, break it up and store
it in a bottle. A spoonful is put into a flask with a one-hole stopper,
with a tube leading into a big plastic bag. The flask is heated with an
alcohol lamp. When the temperature in the flask reaches 480 F the gas will
generate. If white fumes appear the heat should be lowered as the stuff
explodes at 600 F. When the bag is filled, stop the action and get ready
to turn on. CAUTION: N2O supplants oxygen in your blood, but you don't
realize it. It's easy to die from N2O because you're suffocating and your
breathing reflex doesn't know it. Do not put your head in a plastic bag
(duhh...) because you will cheerfully choke to death. PIPE OR "ZIP" GUNS
Commonly known as "zip" guns, guns made from pipe have been used for years
by juvenile punks. Today's Militants make them just for the hell of it
or to shoot once in an assassination or riot and throw away if there is
any danger of apprehension. They can be used many times but with some,
a length of dowel is needed to force out the spent shell. There are many
variations but the illustration shows the basic design. First, a wooden
stock is made and a groove is cut for the barrel to rest in. The barrel
is then taped securely to the stock with a good, strong tape. The trigger
is made from galvanized tin. A slot is punched in the trigger flap to hold
a roofing nail, which is wired or soldered onto the flap. The trigger is
bent and nailed to the stock on both sides. The pipe is a short length
of one-quarter inch steel gas or water pipe with a bore that fits in a
cartridge, yet keeps the cartridge rim from passing through the pipe. The
cartridge is put in the pipe and the cap, with a hole bored through it,
is screwed on. Then the trigger is slowly released to let the nail pass
through the hole and rest on the primer. To fire, the trigger is pulled
back with the left hand and held back with the thumb of the right hand.
The gun is then aimed and the thumb releases the trigger and the thing
actually fires. Pipes of different lengths and diameters are found in any
hardware store. All caliber bullets, from the .22 to the .45 are used in
such guns. Some zip guns are made from two or three pipes nested within
each other. For instance, a .22 shell will fit snugly into a length of
a car's copper gas line. Unfortunatey, the copper is too weak to withstand
the pressure of the firing. So the length of gas line is spread with glue
and pushed into a wider length of pipe. This is spread with glue and pushed
into a length of steel pipe with threads and a cap. Using this method,
you can accomodate any cartridge, even a rifle shell. The first size of
pipe for a rifle shell accomodates the bullet. The second accomodates its
wider powder chamber. A 12-gauge shotgun can be made from a 3/4 inch steel
pipe. If you want to comply with the gun laws, the barrel should be at
least eighteen inches long. Its firing mechanism is the same as that for
the pistol. It naturally has a longer stock and its handle is lengthened
into a rifle butt. Also, a small nail is driven half way into each side
of the stock about four inches in the front of the trigger. The rubber
band is put over one nail and brought around the trigger and snagged over
the other nail. In case you actually make a zip gun, you should test it
before firing it by hand. This is done by first tying the gun to a tree
or post, pointed to where it will do no damage. Then a string is tied to
the trigger and you go off several yards. The string is then pulled back
and let go. If the barrel does not blow up, the gun is (probably) safe
to fire by hand. Repeat firings may weaken the barrel, so NO zip gun can
be considered "safe" to use. Astrolite and Sodium Chlorate Explosives By:
Future Spy & The Fighting Falcon Note: Information on the Astrolite
Explosives were taken from the book 'Two Component High Explosive Mixtures'
By Desert Pub'l Some of the chemicals used are somewhat toxic, but who
gives a fuck! Go ahead! I won't even bother mentioning 'This information
is for enlightening purposes only'! I would love it if everyone made a
gallon of astrolite and blew their fucking school to kingdom scum! Astrolite
The astrolite family of liquid explosives were products of rocket propellant
research in the '60's. Astrolite A-1-5 is supposed to be the world's most
powerful non-nuclear explosive -at about 1.8 to 2 times more powerful than
TNT. Being more powerful it is also safer to handle than TNT (not that
it isn't safe in the first place) and Nitroglycerin. Astrolite G "Astrolite
G is a clear liquid explosive especially designed to produce very high
detonation velocity, 8,600MPS (meters/sec.), compared with 7,700MPS for
nitroglycerin and 6,900MPS for TNT...In addition, a very unusual characteristic
is that it the liquid explosive has the ability to be absorbed easily into
the ground while remaining detonatable...In field tests, Astrolite G has
remained detonatable for 4 days in the ground, even when the soil was soaked
due to rainy weather" know what that means?....Astrolite Dynamite! To make
(mix in fairly large container & outside) Two parts by weight of ammonium
nitrate mixed with one part by weight 'anhydrous' hydrazine, produces Astrolite
G...Simple enough eh? I'm sure that the 2:1 ratio is not perfect,and that
if you screw around with it long enough, that you'll find a better formula.
Also, dunno why the book says 'anhydrous' hydrazine, hydrazine is already
anhydrous... Hydrazine is the chemical you'll probably have the hardest
time getting hold of. Uses for Hydrazine are: Rocket fuel, agricultural
chemicals (maleic hydra-zide), drugs (antibacterial and antihypertension),
polymerization catalyst, plating metals on glass and plastics, solder fluxes,
photographic developers, diving equipment. Hydrazine is also the chemical
you should be careful with. Astrolite A/A-1-5 Mix 20% (weight) aluminum
powder to the ammonium nitrate, and then mix with hydrazine. The aluminum
powder should be 100 mesh or finer. Astrolite A has a detonation velocity
of 7,800MPS. Misc. info You should be careful not to get any of the astrolite
on you,if it happens though, you should flush the area with water. Astrolite
A&G both should be able to be detonated by a #8 blasting cap. Sodium
Chlorate Formulas Sodium Chlorate is similar to potassium chlorate,and
in most cases can be a substitute. Sodium chlorate is also more soluble
in water. You can find sodium chlorate at Channel or any hardware/home
improvement store. It is used in blowtorches and you can get about 3lbs
for about $6.00. Sodium Chlorate Gunpowder 65% sodium chlorate, 22% charcoal,
13% sulfur, sprinkle some graphite on top. Rocket Fuel 6 parts sodium chlorate
mixed *THOROUGHLY* with 5 parts rubber cement. Rocket Fuel 2 (better performance)
50% sodium chlorate, 35% rubber cement ('One-Coat' brand), 10% epoxy resin
hardener, 5% sulfur You may want to add more sodium chlorate depending
on the purity you are using. Incendiary Mixture 55% aluminum powder (atomized),
45% sodium chlorate, 5% sulfur Impact Mixture 50% red phosphorus, 50% sodium
chlorate Unlike potassium chlorate,sodium chlorate won't explode spontaneously
when mix- ed with phosphorus. It has to be hit to be detonated. Filler
explosive 85% sodium chlorate, 10% vaseline, 5% aluminum powder Nitromethane
formulas I thought that I might add this in since it's similar to Astrolite.
Nitromethane (CH3NO2) specific gravity:1.139 flash point:95f auto-ignite:785f
Derivation: reaction of methane or propane with nitric acid under pressure.
Uses: Rocket fuel; solvent for cellulosic compounds, polymers, waxes, fats,
etc. To be detonated with a #8 cap, add: 1) 95% nitromethane + 5% ethylenediamine
2) 94% nitromethane + 6% aniline Power output: 22-24% more powerful than
TNT. Detonation velocity of 6,200MPS. Nitromethane 'solid' explosives 2
parts nitromethane, 5 parts ammonium nitrate (solid powder) soak for 3-5
min. when done,store in an air-tight container. This is supposed to be
30% more powerful than dynamite containing 60% nitro-glycerin, and has
30% more brilliance. The Firey Explosive Pen Written by Blue Max of Anarchist-R-Us
Materials Needed Here's a GREAT little trick to play on 1] One Ball Point
`Click` pen your best fiend (no thats not a typo) at 2] Gun Powder skool,
or maybe as a practial joke on a 3] 8 or 10 match heads friend! 4] 1 Match
stick 5] a sheet of sand paper (1 1/2" X 2") 1] Unscrew pen and remove
all parts but leave the button in the top. 2] Stick the match stick in
the part of the pen clicker where the other little parts and the ink fill
was. 3] Roll sand paper up and put around the match stick that is in the
clicker. 4] Put the remaining Match Heads inside the pen, make sure that
they are on the inside on the sand paper. 5] Put a small piece of paper
or something in the other end of the pen where the ball point comes out.
6] Fill the end with the piece of paper in it with gun powder. The paper
is to keep the powder from spilling. The Finished pen should look like
this: Small Paper Clog Gun Powder Matches & Sandpaper \ | | \ | | \
_________________|____________________|________ <_______________________________|_______________|===
call the RIPCO bulletin board, 'a hell of a bbs' at (312) 528-5020 MERCURY
BATTERY BOMB! By Phucked Agent! Materials: 1 Mercury Battery (1.5 or 1.4
V Hearing Aid), 1 working lamp with on/off switch It is VERY SIMPLE!!!
Hurray! Kids under 18 shouldn't considered try this one or else they would
have mercuric acid on their faces! 1. Turn the lamp switch on to see if
lite-bulb light up. 2. If work, leave the switch on and unplug the cord
3. Unscrew the bulb (Dont touch the hot-spot!) 4. Place 1 Mercury Battery
in the socket and make sure that it is touching the Hot-spot contact. 5.
Move any object or furniture - Why? There may be sparx given off! 6. Now
your favorite part, stand back and plug in cord in the socket. 7. And you
will have fun!! Like Real Party!!!