THE BIG BOOK OF MISCHIEF 1.3 10-06-91 [REPLACES TBBOM12.ZIP/ TBBOM12.TXT]
Copyright 10/06/91 by CHAOS Indus. All Rights Reserved with 3 exceptions:
UNLIMITED
Distribution in cybernetic media of an UNMODIFIED copy of
this document is allowed, with the
following exceptions:
1. If a FEE is charged for access to this file or for
downloading in general , the authors must receive 25% of such
fee or $19.95, whichever is
greater.
2. This document may NOT be distributed via COMPUSERVE.
3. Users are allowed to
make no more than two (2) complete and
unmodified hardcopy versions of this file for personal
use.
If you did NOT receive this file in the form of a 98K ZIP file, it is
likely
that you do not have a complete copy. To obtain one, send E-mail to the
addresses mentioned
below. Fine bound softcover versions of this document will
be made available in late winter
1991. To get one of this limited signed and
numbered edition, send $19.95 + 5.50 S&H
to:
BOX 438, 71 E. 32nd St. Chicago, IL 60616
Make all checks and money
orders payable to: LASERSCRIBE, INC.
Preface
10/5/91-
Editing of the file is assumed by Vlad Tepes. Plans are currently
being made to convert the
character graphics to bitmaps, as well as plans for
eventual hardcopy distribution. Updates
will be distributed on the RIPCO BBS
at (312) 528-5020 and over the USENET via the
rec.pyrotechnics newsgroup.
By version 1.5 I hope to have .GIF files to replace the
current character
graphics, and to have removed all duplicate entries.
Note from
the Editor:
To make suggestions, corrections, or to
submit new information, send
mail to:
to DAVID RICHARDS on the RIPCO BBS, or:
cshawk_pro38@iitvax.iit.edu
cshawk_pro38@iitvax.bitnet
Please refer to any items by section number or EXACT section
heading.
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.
REVISION HISTORY
1987-1989 Compilation of
original file
Early 1990 Original file lost in crash
August 8, 1990 File reborn as The
Compleat Terrorist Today, August 8th,
1990, at 1 AM, I found a copy of The Terrorist’s
Handbook on
a BBS, and recombined it with some other G-files.
March 31, 1991 In
February, I had a major loss of data, but regained TCT
from a local BBS. I did some cosmetic
work and killed some
redundancies, and renamed the file to TBBOM. Total file size
is now
about 172 printed pages. (You may wish to print this
file out and bind it)
April 12,
1991 File revised by Vlad Tepes on Ripco II. Some deletions and
many valuable additions. I
(The Editor) felt that the file
should have version numbers, so, in light of the additions
by
Vlad Tepes, the first volume number is 1.1.
July 29, 1991 Revisions and addenda by
Vlad Tepes. A revision is a change
in the information (The original text is immediately
followed
by the new information) and an addendum refers to new
information.
October 6, 1991 Vlad Tepes assumes the job of co-author/editor. A few
neccessary deletions are
made, as well as minor cosmetic
changes and additions.
begin "THE BIG
BOOK OF MISCHIEF"
PART 1 - The Terrorist’s Handbook - Self explanatory.
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
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
2.05 …….. 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
4.243 ……. 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
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.
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,
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)
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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
(2) NEVER grind or sift the mixed composition.
(3) Mix
the composition on a large paper sheet, by rolling the composition
back and forth.
(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
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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,
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.
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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:
into the bottom
of the deep end, it’s safe, and it’s really impressive if the
water is warm enough
"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
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.
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
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
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
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|#####|
\ |.| /
\ |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
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
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:
________________
| |
_ | |
| | |/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\|
_______| |^^^^^^^|
| ___________|
| |
no. 11 |_______|
percussion _______
——- threads for screwing
cap :
here |__________ nippl