Low explosive are good for making a loud bang, or to scare the living daylight out of some poor person or even for making booby traps. In this chapter I will explain the making of many different types of low explosives.

1.01 ....... BLACKPOWDER

You will need Potassium or Sodium nitrate, Sulfur, and hardwood charcoal. The common name for Potassium Nitrate is Saltpeter. Sodium Nitrate is sold at farm supplies under the name of Nitrate of Soda. It is also called Chile saltpeter. Sodium Nitrate make a slightly more powerful black powder but has a disadvantage because it will absorb moisture from the air. So, if you use it then be sure to store it in a dry, air tight container. You also can get Sulfur at farm supplies as a wetable powder used for spraying. It is cheap and works well. Some drug stores sell Sulfur under the name of Flowers of Sulfur. If you use Nitrate of Soda, it will be in the form of little round beads. Bake it in an over at 200 degrees for 10-15 minutes to drive out the moisture. Then dump a cup or two into a blender and switch it on. It will do a beautiful job of reducing it to powder. Buy a bag of charcoal briquettes at a grocery store. Put a few briquettes in a rag and pound with a hammer.

Dip the results into the blender, grind, and strain through a tea strainer. Mix by volume:

6 parts Potassium or sodium Nitrate.
2 parts powdered Charcoal
1 part Sulfur

This mixture will burn if ignited and will explode if ignited while tightly confined. It can be greatly improved , however, by processing it as follows:

1. Moisten with water until it will stick together when pinched between thumb and finger.
   

2. Press it into a disposable Aluminum pie pan.
   

3. Bake it in a preheated oven at 200 degrees for about 30 minutes.
   

4. Get it totally dry. Grind into a fine a powder as possible with a mortar and pestle.
   

If you use a blender at this point, there is a danger of explosion. It is not very sensitive to friction or impact, but is very sensitive to sparks.


If you followed these directions, you should have a fine slate-grey powder.


1.02 ....... OTHER TYPES OF BLACKPOWDER


Below are eleven black/gun powder formulas. They are more powerful than the ordinary Potassium Nitrate powder. The only disadvantage (or advantage) is that it is very sensitive to sparks and some leave a corrosive residue. A word of caution, when you decide to make these compounds be careful for some of them might decide to go up just because they want to.


[All chemicals are measured by volume]


Potassium Perchlorate	69.2%
Sulfur	15.4%
Charcoal	15.4%




Potassium Nitrate	70.4%
Sulfur	19.4%
Sodium Sulfate	10.2%




Potassium Nitrate	64.0%
Sulfur	12.0%
Sawdust	17.0%
Charcoal	7.0%




Potassium Nitrate	50.0%
Ammonium Perchlorate	25.0%
Sulfur	12.5%
Charcoal	12.5%




Barium Nitrate	75.0%
Charcoal	12.5%
Sulfur	12.5%




Sodium Peroxide	67.0%
Sodium Thiosulphate	33.0%




Potassium Chlorate	75.0%
Sulfur	12.5%
Charcoal	12.5%




Potassium Nitrate	79.0%
Straw Charcoal	12.0%
Sulfur	12.0%




Potassium Nitrate	70.6%
Sulfur	23.5%
Antimony sulfate	5.9%




Potassium Nitrate	37.5%
Starch	37.5%
Sulfur	18.75%
Antimony Powder	6.25%




Guanidine Nitrate	49.0%
Potassium Nitrate	40.0%
Charcoal	11.0%




The above chemical ratios are percentages. When making the stuff, be sure to grind up all the ingredients as fine as you possibly can. The finer you have the chemicals the better it will explode.





1.021 ....... HOW TO BUILD BLACK POWDER


Black powder can be prepared in a simple, safe manner. It may be used as blasting or gun powder.


Material required

Quantity

• Potassium Nitrate granulated 3 cups
• Wood Charcoal powdered 2 cups
• Sulfur powdered 1/2 cup
• Alcohol (Everclear, rubbing alcohol) 5 pints
• Water 3 cups
• Heat Source
• 2 buckets each 2 gallon capacity, at least one of which is heat resistant (metal, ceramic, etc.) Flat
• Window screening at least 1 ft. Square
• Large wooden stick
• Cloth at least 2 ft. square



Note: The above amounts will yield 2 pounds of black powder.


However, only the ratios of the amounts of the ingredients are important. Thus, for twice as much black powder, double all quantities used.


Procedure:


1. Place alcohol in one of the buckets.
2. Place Potassium Nitrate, Charcoal, and Sulfur in the heat resistant bucket. Add 1 cup water and mix thoroughly with wooden stick until all ingredients are dissolved.
3. Add remaining water (2 cups) to mixture. Place bucket on heat source and stir until small bubbles begin to form.
   
   Caution: Do not boil mixture. Be sure all mixture stays wet. If any is dry, as on sides of pan, it may ignite.
4. Remove bucket from heat and pour mixture into alcohol while stirring vigorously.
5. Let alcohol stand about 5 minutes. Strain mixture through cloth to obtain black powder. Discard liquid. Wrap cloth around black powder and squeeze to remove all excess liquid.
6. Place screening over dry bucket. Place workable amount of damp powder on screen and granulate by rubbing solid through screen.
   

   Note: if granulated particles appear to stick together and change shape, recombine entire batch of powder and repeat steps 5 & 6.
   

7. Spread granulated powder on flat dry surface so that layer about 1/2 inch is formed. Allow to dry. Use radiator , or direct sunlight. This should be dried as soon as possible, preferably in one hour. The longer the drying period, the less effective the black powder.
   
   Caution: remove from heat as soon as granules are dry. Black powder is now ready for use.
   

   1.03 ....... ZINC EXPLOSIVE
   

   To make a big flash of flames almost instantly try mixing:
   

   • 1 part Zinc dust
   • 1 part Sulfur
   
   

   Make sure that you mix them very well. The best way to do so, is to put the mixture in a jar with a lid and shake it up for 15-60 seconds, until it is all a grayish color. This is not a powerful explosive but it is violent even when not confined. WARNING,this burns very very quickly, and produces smoke. Also it burns at a fairly high temperature(*about 600 deg. fah.). It will surprise you when it ignites. There will be a delay, and then all of a sudden, it will flash up, and is capable of burning the hell out of you. So, be careful.
   

   1.04 ....... WATER FIRE STARTER
   

   So, do you think water puts out fires? In this one, it starts it. Mixture: Ammonium Nitrate + Ammonium Chloride + Iodine + Zinc dust. When a drop or two of water is added, the Ammonium Nitrate forms Nitric Acid which reacts with the Zinc to produce Hydrogen and heat. The heat vaporizes the Iodine (giving off purple smoke) and the Ammonium Chloride (becomes purple when mixed with Iodine vapor). It will ignite the Hydrogen and begin burning.
   
   

   Ammonium Nitrate	8 grams
   Ammonium Chloride	1 gram
   Zinc dust	8 grams
   Iodine Crystals	1 gram

   
   

   1.05 ....... EXPLOSIVE MIXTURES
   

   Following is a list of chemicals, most of which can be easily obtained. You will also find the chemical symbol of another chemical which explodes on contact with said chemical. This is useful in making the ever so useful pipe bomb.
   

   Just for the people that don't know:
   

   • Sulfuric Acid = H2SO4
   • Nitric Acid = HNO3
   
   

   Chemical	Explodes With
   Acetic Acid	H2SO4, HNO3
   Acetic Anhydride	H2SO4, HNO3
   Acrolein	H2SO4, HNO3
   Allyl Alcohol	H2SO4, HNO3
   Allyl Chloride	H2SO4, HNO3
   Aniline	H2SO4, HNO3
   Aniline Acetate	H2SO4, HNO3
   Aniline Hydrochloride	H2SO4, HNO3
   Benzoyl Peroxide	H2SO4, HNO3
   Cyanic Acid	H2SO4, HNO3
   Chlorosulfonic Acid	H2SO4, HNO3
   Dimethyl Keytone	H2SO4, HNO3
   Epichlorohydrin	H2SO4, HNO3
   Ethylene Diamine	H2SO4, HNO3
   Ethylene Imine	H2SO4, HNO3
   Hydrogen Peroxide	H2SO4, HNO3
   Isoprene	H2SO4, HNO3
   Mesityl Oxide	H2SO4, HNO3

   
   

   Acetone Cyanohydrin	H2SO4
   Carbon Disulfide	H2SO4
   Cresol	H2SO4
   Cumene	H2SO4
   Diisobutylene	H2SO4
   Ethylene Cyanohydrin	H2SO4
   Ethylene Glycol	H2SO4
   Hydrofluoric Acid	H2SO4

   Cyanide of Sodium	HNO3
   Cyclohexanol	HNO3
   Cyclohexanone	HNO3
   Ethyl Alcohol	HNO3
   Hydrazine	HNO3
   Hydriodic Acid	HNO3
   Isopropyl Ether	HNO3
   Manganese	HNO3

   
   

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