From: billn@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com (bill nelson)
Subject: Re: Looking for a recipe for "safe" explosive !
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Company, Corvallis, Oregon USA
Date: Sat, 21 Nov 1992 00:28:30 GMT

mckillnm@unix2.tcd.ie (Marky Mark) writes:
: 
: Recently I obtained a copy of paladins press catalogue. In it were such titles asitles
: as "homemade c-4" and other such nicities.can anyone tell me are these books as 
: safety concious as they make out or should I turn to other sources for my 
: continuing search for a reasonably safe hi powered explosive.
: 
: If anyone has any recipes or booktitles they can recommened i would be very grat
: grateful. 

Sigh. Why do I seem to keep posting this same information several times a
week? Doesn't anyone read the previous postings - to see if the information
is already available?

A lot of this information is in the FAQ. I am not sure where it archived.
It occasionally is posted on this group.

To keep it simple. No, these procedures are not safe. They are all field
expedient procedures - this means they assume that injuries/deaths are an
acceptable risk of making the explosives.

Unless you are experienced, you do not want to mess with high energy 
materials. A few grams can mangle or remove your hand. A few milligrams
can remove skin.  There is a great difference between these explosives
and the low explosives - such as black powder.

If you are interested in such materials, I suggest you do some serious
study at your local university library. Then, follow ALL the safety
procedures they list for the laboratory production of explosives. 

: The chemicals I have at my disposal are:
: 
: pottasium chlorate
: H2SO4 (>10 mol)
: HCl (>10 mol)
: nitric acid (>10 mol)
: zinc powder 
: ammonium nitrate (presently v.damp)
: Hg
: sulfer , pot. nitrate,carbon.
: sodium azide 
: lead nitrate

You have enough stuff to do yourself in royally. Although some of the
secondary high explosives are relatively stable/non-toxic, the field
manufacture generally is not.

Primary explosives are another matter. They generally are both toxic
and unstable - both during production and afterwards. By definition,
they are very sensitive to any one or more of the following: heat,
friction, pressure, shock, static, flame, light (generally actinic
radiation) and possibly others which I am not recalling at the moment.

Bill

:                         From an experienced and bored with gunpowder maker.
: 
: 				Mark .....

Maybe you should consider other experiences - besides just making a bigger
bang. A gradeschool student can do that - given the materials, the "recipes"
and a lot of luck.

Have you ever looked into making fireworks? Anything from fountains and gerbs
to aerial display shells. There is a lot of challenge in all of them - it is
a lot of fun attempting to solve some of the problems involved - of which
there are many. The only difference is that high explosives are not involved,
with the exception of flash powder - which may, or may not, be a detonating
substance.

If you want to make a lot of people very happy - figure out a good way to
get a true orange in an aerial shell. Last I heard, people have been getting
close, but still have not achieved that goal.

Bill
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics