Setting Up Shop

[Widigo]

Hello:

I am doing research on Explosive Manufacturing Labs. Now before anybody gets started. I know that a full lab is not a necessity and that plenty of people work fine without them, this is just something I'm thinking about. I wanted your input on what I should consider including in my overall design. What supplies are crucial? What tools should I make sure to have? What glassware is essential? I am considering most explosives from start to finish. I see that I would need everything from precursor chemicals to the end casings. I am thinking huge workspace for the actual assembly of more delicate devices. As well as cabinets, and a liquids table that will support all of my glassware. I will need a heating station, and a cooling station. I'm thinking mini fridge with freezer, and camping range.

My question here is that I have not made most explosives that I want to. I have read about them and paid attention to their supplies and tools lists, but I don't have the knowledge some of you do. I am just looking for some heads up on what tools you have found very useful over the years.

Another concept I have to play around with is location. I can't set this up in a basement. I am a novice. I can't afford mistakes, but if something catastrophic were to happen I'd like to not lose my house on top of my hand. What I would like to do is set this up in a storage complex because I could keep raw ingredients under one name in one corner and do the mixing in another unit in another corner and not have to risk an explosion multiplied by a thousand. I could also have rooms for different purposes. My problem there is electricity. Some come with electric light bulbs in them and I can tap into that, but I would need to know that the power was not monitored by unit, otherwise I'd get a huge bill or would at least raise suspicion.

Anything you guys have to offer than can help me to make these decisions would be very helpful. Also, I appreciate any cheap alternatives you can offer me. Money is tight.

[that guy]

How about a list of the compounds you plan on preparing?

[Widigo]

I'm working on that too. This is a slow process as I work down the list and categorize my notes from different places. My goal is to have a place that can do just about anything though. I don't want to find down the road that my design didn't account for enough counter space for an explosive’s assembly, or that I don't have enough stove eyes to heat all the chemicals properly. Something silly like that.

I know that I will want to assemble things that are about as big as a claymore mine (The Paladin Press way). I know I'll want to be able to do small stuff like my vial bomb, and smoke bombs in large quantities. I'll probably want to keep cost down if that means distilling or another process to make cheap stuff more potent then so be it. I will also need to account for a sound dampening box for a milling machine. I want a small somewhat safe one with a box with a few layers of that camp pad to absorb the sound and keep the place tolerable.

I'd also like to keep proper shelving for any military, chemical, PPress, or personal manuals on techniques and explosives. At this point I am still working on fitting it all someplace. My goal, is a working lab in an 8/10 foot space. Which is a 10/10 foot storage unit with a mock wall built two feet from the door so that the world doesn't see my lab when I open it. I did a small mock up of how I could do it. I'll scan it in later today.

EDIT:

Ok, so I know I am basically talking to myself at this point. Which is understandable as I've said nothing interesting. My cousin lost my floor plan. I'll draw a new one today. So I started considering what I want to make. Which is everything, but I narrowed it down to stay practical.

Black Powder,
Flash Powder,
Smoke Generators,
Acetone Peroxide
I want to try Paladin Press Homemade C4
Fuses
Repeatable Ignition matches

Most of the things I do have some assembly beyond the explosive. If it's an explosive designed as a weapon for a story or something It will require different preparation than my forth of July firework display. They will both need room to be worked on though. Things I need to assemble are:
Metal casing,
Cardboard Casing
Plastic Casings
Claymore Mines
Radius Bombs (think all direction claymore)
Vial Bombs
Smoke Canisters

I have figured that a ten by eight room can have shelves that are a foot deep and tables that are two feet deep. It has room for a fridge, toaster oven, and two eye range. I'm looking into car batteries to power it all. Along with the power I can pull from the light bulb socket.

[willi-wurm]

honestly, with the explosives zour working with, your fine. i see the most dangerous chemicals are definitly the AP and the powder. if i were you, having a large scale lab should not be far from home, as when working on some explosives where catalysts are dangerous, you want to be checking by every half hour to give it a good stir.

i think that if you were to make this lab, youll quickly find you dont need all that stuff. if you were using, things like PETN, TNT, RDX, so nitration based explopsives, you would be needing some more serious gear. also, your lab might look cool, but it wont be very usefull. you will have a high upkeep, but 0 income. for all things, get a fumehood, magnetic stirrer, a water supply, an evacuation device, propane tank. you wont need most other stuff. oh, one thing i recomend, get a PC power supply and mod it for electrlysis

but start small. i started with buying a shed, where i built in a battery powered airconditioner, a little propane tank, various stolen items from my chem class, and the remains of 4 different chemistry kits i got for various christmasses. chemicals were all bought from my friendly pharmacist.

you will find you dont need industrial scale production, you just need enough to make something without having to run off all the time.

[Widigo]

I was just looking into water supply which is why I came to check this. I am thinking a suspended drum of water would be fine. I could refill it regularly from a source. It would need only enough water for what I was making. I hope to move up to doing the fun stuff, but I want to start small. I know of few hobbies that are not money pits. Things cost money, yet they are done simply for fun. Most table space is needed for fuses, and firework type stuff. It can definitely get more advanced. Fume Hood is something I am looking into. A guide I have ells how to make them, but I need to do more research. Right now I'm experimenting with smoke bomb case designs on my desk with chess pieces holding up drying glue. I am used to working ghetto, I just don't like working ghetto. The furniture is cheap. 200$ and I have it all. That's if I bought it straight up. If I were to take scraps from the theater and my house I could have it set up easy. Hell a day of yardsaleing and latex paint would have the place sterile and pimped out. However just a detonator will require two feet of space to assemble, so table space is a bigie.

Update. I can't do this in a 10' by 10' room. It would take two. Which is fine. This is more of a theorized thing than something I'm crazy about doing. Still, here is a quick mark up.