HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: whedon@netcom.com (Bill Whedon)
Subject: Re: Carbide Cannons, anyone heard one?
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest) 
Date: Sun, 8 Nov 1992 07:18:12 GMT

In article <12380009@hpnmdla.sr.hp.com> donrm@hpnmdla.sr.hp.com (Don Montgomery) writes:
>In rec.pyrotechnics, dheisler@CERIS.Purdue.EDU (Dave Heisler) writes:
>
>>      I have been thinking about getting a carbide cannon, has
>>      anyone heard one and can describe the sound? Is it like
>>     a "boom" or "bang" or "roar" ?
>
>My grandpa had one on the farm...some sort of automatic cannon that
>would go off every 5 minutes or so to scare the birds off fresh seed.
>It was pretty loud, like a shotgun going off.

Since you're up in Santa Rosa, I'm surprised you don't already know about
the carbide cannons they use in just about all the vineyards in CA.  I'm
right behind one in Gilroy, and sleeping during the day here is not really
possible, due to the damn things.  The ones they use in the vineyard here
are about 2 feet long and have a barrel around 3 inches in diameter.  There
are also some which use a propane-air mixture, but they're not as loud.  The
carbide ones do a pretty good imitation of my 12-gauge Remington goose gun.
Bill ("Sleepy") Whedon   whedon@netcom.com


-- 
-- "Illegitimatida non Carborundum es" --




Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
From: mcaldwel@netcom.com (Michael Caldwell)
Subject: Carboard or paper tubes by Tube-Tainer, Inc.
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest)
Date: Fri, 6 Nov 1992 19:17:32 GMT

Someone asked about carboard tubes a while back.  I've been looking for the
same.  I found a place in Whittier California called Tube-Tainer, Inc.  They
custom make any size, shape, thickness, and length of paper tube.  I asked
about some 1/2" i.d., 1/8" wall thickness tubes, they said they could do it
if I wanted 300 30" pieces.  I don't need this many.  Maybe if enough people
requested this kind of tube, they would make alot to keep onhand and be able
to sell small quantities.  Give them a call at 310-945-3711.  If someone
convinces them to make some let me know.

Michael
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
From: meyer@bittersweet.crayola.cs.psu.edu (Andrew G Meyer)
Subject: Re: Explosive/Pyrotechnic Bookshelf
Summary: Refrence to TM 31-210 
Keywords: Improvised Munitions Handbook
Organization: Improvised Munitions Ametures  :-) 
Distribution: rec.pyrotechnics
Date: Fri, 6 Nov 1992 04:58:02 GMT

In article <Bx9v0n.MAv@nic.umass.edu> dunkelza@titan.ucc.umass.edu (KEITH C MCCORMIC) writes:
>In article <Bx9sJv.FDs@usenet.ucs.indiana.edu> wwarf@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (Wayne J. Warf) writes:
>>
>>Thanks for the input.
>>
>> +--------------------------------------------------------------------+
>> | Wayne J. Warf -- WWARF@ucs.indiana.edu -- I speak for myself only  |
>> | Midterm Countdown-Bill and the Congress have to '94 to screw it up |
>> +--------------------------------------------------------------------+
>
>   U.S. Army Training Manual ??-???  Improvised Munitions Handbook.  I can't
>remeber the number of the book.  Has lots of neat field grade thingies, plus
>zip-guns, etc.
>
>Dunkelzahn
>

  As a drill sargent I once met says, "It *just* so happens..." that I have an
old copy of the book right here with me.  Technical Manual 31-210.  My copy
was published in 1969.  It tells you how to make a nice variety of high       
explosives, shaped charges, pipe guns, improvised triggering devices, improvised
napalm, etc.  There are some fairly nice diagrams, and a handy little refrence
to some high explosives in back (each entry ends with "This material was tested.
 It is effective".  All in all, it is a nice little refrence.  I haven't tried
making anything from it, though...

  -- Andy Meyer
  (meyer@crayola.cs.psu.edu)
  (meyer@satie.psu.edu)
"Remember - Don't hold it too long after you've lit the fuse, pulled the pin, 
 or activated the timer"  -- What someone wrote in my yearbook
From: dnwangus@flash.LakeheadU.Ca (Dave Angus)
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
Subject: Re: non-toxic smoke
Date: 10 Nov 1992 02:48:05 GMT
Organization: Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ont., Canada

There was a thread on smoke machines a while back in sci.electronics, or
maybe comp.music  (I forget).  Anyway, someone who seemed to know what
they were talking about said that the fog "juice" was mainly glycerin,
with some added scents or something.  It seems to me that you could make
a mickey-mouse fog machine by suspending a container of glycerin over a
hot electric frying pan and let the glycerin drip slowly onto the pan,
perhaps through a small valve.  I haven't tried this.

Does anyone know what glycerine turns into when it is decomposed by
heat?  

--
Dave Angus                     +         "Kundalini wants his hand back"
dnwangus@flash.lakeheadu.ca    +
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
From: pkrause@triton.unm.edu (Paul Krause CIRT)
Subject: Re: BIC lighter explosion
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 92 03:53:33 GMT
Organization: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque NM


As for why the lighters and aerosol cans and other such things blow up,
I always assumed that it was because the butane/propane/other propellant
or fuel got too hot.  They do tell you not to store the cans and lighter
s above 120 deg. F.  Even for the pressure that the gases would be under,
it seems possible that whatever temperature butane/propane/other burns
at is above this.  I would find the flash point and guess at the temp
when under pressure, but my Merck doesn't have it, and I can't find
it in my CRC of chem and phys.
   That's my guess, though...
Erik 
(Paul's son)
From: v064myby@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (Christophe J Quaranta)
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
Subject: Re: Sodium
Date: 6 Nov 92 03:57:00 GMT
Organization: University at Buffalo
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41

In article <1992Nov4.171940.28208@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com>, billn@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com (bill nelson) writes...
>v064myby@ubvmsd.cc.buffalo.edu (Christophe J Quaranta) writes:
>: 
>: 	It's not IMPOSSIBLE to melt salt in your basement, just difficult.
>: Put a pile on a brick and heat it with a propane torch.  I'll melt alright,
>: but only at the surface, as NaCl is a poor conductor of heat. 	
>: 	Anyone wishing to produce metallic sodium at home might try 
>: electrolyzing the fused hydroxide.  It melts at a much lower temperature.  
>: You must have a device that will keep the ensuing sodium out of 
>: contact with the atmosphere, otherwise it will oxidize instantly!!
>: 	I don't think this is impossible (Humphry Davy did it in the
>: early 1800's), however it's a long and dangerous road to travel to end
>: up with something that just isn't THAT interesting.	
> 
>I believe he did so by using mercury to form an amalgam of the sodium
>as it was produced. You then have the problem of safely separating the
>sodium and the mercury. You cannot use acids, since the water in them
>will react with the sodium. That pretty much leaves distillation - and
>I will not do that without proper lab equipment - mercury fumes are too
>toxic.
> 
>Note that the above process would also produce some mercury/chlorine 
>compounds, probably chloride.
> 
>Bill
	
	Sorry about such a long followup, but I'm at 1200 baud and it
takes forever to edit everything out.  Anyway, a mercury electrode is
used in the industrial electrolysis of AQUEOUS NaCl.  Chlorine is generated
at the ANODE in such cells, which is usually made of carbon.  The chlorine
generally doesn't some in contact with the mercury, so you don't get 
any mercury chlorides.  
	Another thing - the mercury cell is not used to produce metalic
sodium, but to produce NaOH.  The nice thing about having the mercury 
amalgam of sodium is that it can be reacted with water in a second vessel,
making it very easy to seperate the NaOH from the brine in the main 
cell.  
        It would not be feasible at all to use a mercury cathode in
wither a molten NaOH or NaCl cell, since both of these salts melt
at temperatures near or above the boiling point of mercury.  
	My advice - leave it.  We all know sodium can be produced by
the above methods.  Once I got to "play" with sodium in the lab, my curiosity
was satisfied.  It just ain't that interesting.
							
						'Q.'
From: billn@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com (bill nelson)
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
Subject: Re: Ammonium Nitrate
Date: 5 Nov 92 19:38:02 GMT
Article-I.D.: hpcvaac.1992Nov5.193802.17615
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Company, Corvallis, Oregon USA

cpbeaure@undergrad.math.waterloo.edu (Chris Beauregard) writes:
: In article <1992Nov3.165832.20271@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com> billn@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com (bill nelson) writes:
: >I have a suggestion. Run a control test. Use 40 gm of PETN and the
: >same blasting cap as before. See what kind of water jet you get. You
: >might be surprised.  Even an M-80 will create quite a surprising
: >column of water, if just under the surface.
: 
: The column generated by the ANFO was comparable to one created with 1/2
: stick of water-gel exploseives.  A little more power there than PETN...

Sounds like it - definitely so if it went to the bottom of 4 to 6 feet
of water before exploding. That much water just might provide enough
confinement for it to work well.

Bill
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
From: jrkitchi@eos.ncsu.edu (JOHN ROBERT KITCHIN)
Subject: Re: BIC lighter explosion
Originator: jrkitchi@c00465-224wi.eos.ncsu.edu
Reply-To: jrkitchi@eos.ncsu.edu (JOHN ROBERT KITCHIN)
Organization: North Carolina State University, Project Eos
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1992 14:16:58 GMT



|>I was informed recently that when you hold the flame on the BIC
|>lighters (and others that use a butane liquid a fuel source) for
|>too long that they have the tendency to explode.

|>
|>More importantly, is it true that the cause for this would be
|>that the flame travels down the little plastic tube and ignites
|>the mass of the liquid, making it explode?
|

Yes, we used to do this at boy scout camp.  Tape the fuel button down,
light the gas coming out and hang it upside down by a string or tape it or 
something.  Eventually, the tip gets so hot it melts the plastic and butane 
comes rushing out to be ignited.  It doesn't really explode as much as 
relieve itself quickly.
-sally
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
From: wyvern@iastate.edu (Nuno Bettencourt)
Subject: Re: Big Bang
Organization: Iowa State University, Ames, IA
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1992 11:37:31 GMT

In article <Bx82pE.Dq8@rice.edu> kridnix@faraday.rice.edu (Alan Cheville) writes:
>In article <1992Nov4.092105.1@sc9.intel.com>, rcrandall@sc9.intel.com writes:
>|> Hey Guys,
>|> 
>|> I was watching TV and saw a show about police training and they were
>|> using some device that they called a "flash boom" device.  What is this
>|> thing and is it dangerous or just like a big cracker?  How is is ignited?
>|> The explosion was more than that of some M-100's I've played with.
>
>This may be a military style grenade simulator ( a big grenade size firecracker)
>or an artillery simulator (same, but it whistles like a demon before it explodes).
>The ones I have shot off just seem to be big reports.  They are ignited by a
>timed friction fuse.

	I have seen Military simulators ignited electrically (9 volt
battery or so) about the size of a coke can, only a little bit less in
diameter. Inside is a film-container sized holder for the flash powder,
so it's really quite a bit. This is wrapped in cardboard and then cased
in weak plastic that is designed to shred when the simulator detonates.
	(btw - I also realized how stupid I was unwrapping this thing
after reading this group :)

>-- 
>Alan Cheville   

wyvern@iastate.edu


Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
From: dunkelza@titan.ucc.umass.edu (KEITH C MCCORMIC)
Subject: Re: Big Bang
Organization: University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Date: Fri, 6 Nov 1992 01:57:42 GMT

In article <Bx82pE.Dq8@rice.edu> kridnix@faraday.rice.edu (Alan Cheville) writes:
>In article <1992Nov4.092105.1@sc9.intel.com>, rcrandall@sc9.intel.com writes:
>|> Hey Guys,
>|> 
>|> I was watching TV and saw a show about police training and they were
>|> using some device that they called a "flash boom" device.  What is this
>|> thing and is it dangerous or just like a big cracker?  How is is ignited?
>|> The explosion was more than that of some M-100's I've played with.
>
>This may be a military style grenade simulator ( a big grenade size firecracker)
>or an artillery simulator (same, but it whistles like a demon before it explodes).
>The ones I have shot off just seem to be big reports.  They are ignited by a
>timed friction fuse.
>
>-- 
>Alan Cheville   	 # For this is the school of Babylon
>Electrical Engineering	 # And at its hands we learn
>Rice. U.		 # To walk into the furnaces
>Houston		 	 # And whistle as we burn.
>		 	 # 		-T. Blackburn

    Artillery simulators are HUGE!   I saw one go off once.  It had a flash 
radius of over ten feet!   I know of foundations that have been cracked by
Artillery Simulators.  So if you find one, be CAREFUL!  The are rather 
potent.

Dunkelzahn

Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
From: pwr@physics.ucf.edu (Patrick W. Ryan )
Subject: A Modest Proposal
Originator: pwr@phys
Organization: University of Central Florida - Physics
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 09:10:49 GMT

Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
From: billn@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com (bill nelson)
Subject: Re: Ammonium Nitrate
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Company, Corvallis, Oregon USA
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1992 17:53:59 GMT

lvogt@digi.lonestar.org (Lee Vogt) writes:
: >
: >As a note of interest. The BATF? has recently reclassed flash as a Class
: >A explosive. That means commercial handling just like with dynamite and
: >blasting caps.
: >
: 
: BATF?  ??  I'm not familiar with this acronym - would that be the Bureau
: of Alchohol, Tobacco and Firearms ??  And why the '?' in the original posting ?

Yes, you got the acronym correct. The reason for the ? is that I am not
certain if they are the ones who did the reclassifying. I am pretty sure
they were. The ? was to invite others to expand or correct my statement.

Bill
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
From: fernee@newton.physics.uq.oz.au (Mark Fernee)
Subject: Re: plastic explosive (how to?)
Organization: Physics Dept. The University of Queensland
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1992 00:38:55 GMT

In article <1992Nov10.080431.22624@ncsu.edu>, elada@eos.ncsu.edu (ERIC  LADA) writes:
|> 
|> 	BTW, How do you make plastic explosive?
|> 
|> How would I go about buying some if I didn't want to make it and how much would
|> it cost?  How much would it take to blow up 30X40' classroom 8-)
|> 
|> 	Thanks

To make plastic explosive you first need a sensitive high power high explosive.
Then you need some plasticisers. When you mix them together you get a plastic
explosive. Common HE ingredients are RDX and PETN. RDX is the base explosive
in military C4 plastic explosive. 

A simple and easily made plastic, is made from 80:20 PETN:Glycerin. This has
a detonation velocity of about 7600 m/s and is very cap sensitive.

BTW, does anyone know the base explosive for that notorious plastic explosive,
SEMTEX? I believe it is RDX, but then why is it less detectable than other
plastics?

Don't use explosives for violence! We have enough of this shit in the world
as it stands, the last thing we need now is more backyard terrorists and loopy
homocidal maniacs. 

Mark.

Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
From: kjurena@lonestar.utsa.edu (Keith R. Jurena)
Subject: Re: non-toxic smoke
Keywords: oil fog
Organization: University of Texas at San Antonio
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1992 23:09:43 GMT


Vegetable oil smoke is less toxic since it can be metabolised and cytosed
in the lungs.  Petrol smoke is a different story.
From: cdl0@ns1.cc.lehigh.edu (CONRAD DANIEL LLOYD-KNIGHT)
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
Subject: explosive question
Date: 11 Nov 92 16:48:30 GMT
Organization: Lehigh University

Hi out there!
I wasn't sure where to post this question, so I'm trying here!

1) What kind of surface blast (assuming a direct hit with eg. a missile) would
be required to destroy an underground bunker? I mean an actual military
bunker, not a shelter. I need to know the minimum to put it out of commision,
not necessarily kill everyone inside.

2) Same question, but for a large building complex (about 4 or 5 city blocks
of large buildings).

3) Exactly what energy (in Joules) corresponds to a ton of TNT (since
explosive forces always seem to be given in terms of pounds, tons and megatons
of TNT). While I'm at it - how many pounds are there in a ton of TNT (quite a
lot I should imagine, but are we talking metric tons and pounds or silly
imperial units?)?

Don't worry, I'm not planning to actually blow someone up! I just need to find
out for a friend who's writing a book.

Thanks for any information,
    -Conrad.

-- 

bye...
________________________________________________________________________________
*               Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.               *
*                     Love is the Law, Love under Will.                        *
*______________________________________________________________________________*
                           ___                                     - A.C.
From: todd@csrnxt1.ae.utexas.edu (Todd W. Thompson)
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
Subject: Propane blowtorch
Date: 7 Nov 92 07:23:36 GMT

Recently I bought a propane blowtorch at Target and have been having a great
time melting aluminum cans and so on and so forth. (Yes, I'm easily amused. :))
Anyways, can anyone give me some idea of the temperature of the flame? Just
kind of curious, mind you..

Thanks

--
I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge
That myth is more potent than history.
I believe that dreams are more powerful than facts-
That hope always triumphs over experience-
From: spcecdt@deeptht.armory.com (John DuBois)
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
Subject: Re: exploding sodium
Date: 10 Nov 92 04:58:35 GMT
Organization: The Armory

In article <sal8.127.720806805@po.cwru.edu> sal8@po.cwru.edu (Steve Luzynski) writes:
+In article <AexNHv200WDJMdg0x5@andrew.cmu.edu> "Eric M. Rehder" <er29+@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:
+>Date: Mon,  2 Nov 1992 15:52:11 -0500 
+>From: "Eric M. Rehder" <er29+@andrew.cmu.edu>
+>Subject: Re: exploding sodium
+>Does anyone know a good way to create sodium?
+>
+>I saw a video once where some salt was heated up to the point of turning
+>the salt into a liquid.  Into this liquid two electrodes were placed. 
+>The Na+ would accumulate at the Negative and the Cl- would accumulate at
+>the positive.
+>The video made it a point that the heating must be done very slowly. 
+>This is so any water that has been absorbed by the salt can evaporate
+>before any Na+ is produced.  
+>
+>I once tried this method, but I was unable to reach the melting point. 
+>What is the melting point of sodium?
+>
+Heheh - good luck. The melting point of NaCl is around 1400K. If you can hit 
+that in your basement you have something a lot more fun to play with than a 
+little sodium metal..

     Many years ago, I succeeded in melting a crucible of NaCl with
nothing more than a propane-fueled Mekker burner.  It did take quite an
application of heat - I went through several cans of fuel in the course of
my experiments (my gas source being 14.1 oz. propane torch tanks).  I was
trying to produce metallic sodium.  I didn't have any hope of actually
recovering it with my initial setup, but was hoping to see the phenomenon
of tiny beads of sodium coming to the surface and burning away that I had
read about.  I put platinum wires in it and put current through them.  I
remember the crucible and wires glowing bright orange, the Mekker burner
roaring away, the white NaCl crystals melting into a liquid clear as
water... but, I don't recall whether the experiment succeeded!  Hmph.
     I also tried adding KCl and LiCl to the NaCl to significantly lower
the melting point, and it did help keep it melted, though I still had to
get it up to NaCl melting point to initially mix them.
     The experiments ended when my ceramic crucible cracked and liquid
NaCl went spilling over the burner and workbench.  Lucky I didn't have
my hands down there... :-)

	John
-- 
John DuBois	spcecdt@deeptht.armory.com	KC6QKZ
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
From: kjurena@lonestar.utsa.edu (Keith R. Jurena)
Subject: Re: Ammonium Nitrate
Organization: University of Texas at San Antonio
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1992 22:57:26 GMT

AN is made from rxn NH4OH with HNO3.  Both are made from the Haber rxn.
Prill is made from dropping a conc. soln. through a vaccum tower, vaporizing
the water and making the AN very absorbant through millions of pores.
This is the definition of prill.
Anyway, ANFO is a picky HE.  It is only suitable for large explosions
From: rxy5310@hertz.njit.edu (rolan yang ee stnt)
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
Subject: Chlorine Bomb
Summary: Chlorine + Brake fluid
Keywords: Bigflame
Date: 12 Nov 92 16:21:53 GMT
Organization: New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, N.J.


Mix SOCK-IT or other compatible brand of chlorine pool
shock with Auto Brake fluid (or other petroleum product).

In about 1 minute, a violent explosion/flame appears.  

Does anyone know how toxic the smoke is?
I'm not sure what goes on in the reaction so I don't know
what the best ratio of the two chemicals are.
  Throwing a match onto the mixture speeds the combustion.

                                                 rxy5310@hertz.njit.edu
                                         (Rolan Yang  Wasteland Engineer)
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
From: billn@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com (bill nelson)
Subject: Re: non-toxic smoke
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Company, Corvallis, Oregon USA
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1992 05:52:14 GMT

dnwangus@flash.LakeheadU.Ca (Dave Angus) writes:
: There was a thread on smoke machines a while back in sci.electronics, or
: maybe comp.music  (I forget).  Anyway, someone who seemed to know what
: they were talking about said that the fog "juice" was mainly glycerin,
: with some added scents or something.  It seems to me that you could make
: a mickey-mouse fog machine by suspending a container of glycerin over a
: hot electric frying pan and let the glycerin drip slowly onto the pan,
: perhaps through a small valve.  I haven't tried this.
: 
: Does anyone know what glycerine turns into when it is decomposed by
: heat?  
: 

The whole idea of the fog machines is to NOT decompose the liquid - it is
supposed to be vaporized only. This require fairly precise temperature
control - better than you can get with an electric frying pan.

Bill
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
From: colin.buckley@rose.com (colin buckley)
Subject: BIC lighter explosion
Organization: Rose Media Inc, Toronto, Ontario.
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1992 10:47:08 GMT
X-Gated-By: Usenet <==> RoseMail Gateway (v1.70)


Date Entered: 11-12-92 05:42
CI>Well, I've been doing that 'BIC' lighter thing since I was 12. I
  >never once got more than a rocket effect. There was no explosion,
  >just a lighter burning itself until there was a small enough hole
  >for the gases to escape... then a quick swooshing sound and the
  >lighter would propell itself uncontrolably around on the ground.
  >But like I said, there was NEVER once an explosion or even a 'pop'
  >sound. I did this about 40 times between the ages of 12 and 16...

I used to do that aswell, only we would throw the lighter as-is against
a curb.  Only worked about 50% of the time after multiple throws.
.----------------------------------------------------.
| Colin Buckley                                      |
| Toronto, Ontario, Canada                           |
| InterNet: colin.buckley@rose.com                   |
|                                                    |
| So Eager to Play, So Relunctant to Admit it...     |
`----------------------------------------------------'
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