HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: bwm@dcs.ed.ac.uk (Bruce Miller)
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
Subject: non-toxic smoke
Keywords: oil fog
Date: 5 Nov 92 12:07:17 GMT
Organization: Department of Computer Science, University of Edinburgh


 A number of people have posted saying oil smoke is bad for your lungs.
Causing excess fluids to form and also increased chances of infection.
 In Britain oil fog is very widely used in concerts and discos for a safe
effect. I am not a medical student but I have had first hand experience of 
using the stuff.
 As far as I am aware oil fog has no long term effects on your lungs. I have
been regularly exposed to high concentations of oil smoke for well over a year
for long period of time (up to five hours at time). I do not smoke and I recently
had a chest X-ray which proved to be normal. Fog smoke may cause some cangestion
the next day but it is fairly minimal. The effects of sitting in a smokey pub
are far more likely to cause you long term problems (nevermind smoking yourself).

 oil smoke machines are cheap to hire and run . They are also more reliable than
some home made concoctions.
               
               no offence intended,
                                   Bruce...
From: rtaraz@bigwpi.WPI.EDU (Ramin Taraz)
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
Subject: Re: plastic explosive (how to?)
Date: 10 Nov 92 18:20:03 GMT
Organization: Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA 01609-2280
NNTP-Posting-Host: bigwpi.wpi.edu
In-reply-to: billn@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com's message of 9 Nov 92 19:37:46 GMT

>>>>> On 9 Nov 92 19:37:46 GMT, billn@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com (bill nelson) said:

billn> The fuse does not initiate the C4. The fuse ignites a primary
billn> explosive (in the blasting cap) which undergoes the
billn> deflagration to detonation transition. This primary explosive
billn> may initiate the C4 directly or, more likely, initiate a
billn> booster explosive which is also contained in the cap.

What effect does the exploding of the fuse (or cap) have that
initiates the C4?  Isn't exploding the same as burning very quickly?

rtaraz
Organization: Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
Date: Mon,  9 Nov 1992 07:32:59 -0500 
From: Mark Denovich <md3z+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: Ammonium Nitrate
	<1992Nov8.130015.1@sara.cc.utu.fi>

I have been following this thread all along, and now am a bit confused....

It was originally stated that there was no chance to have ANFO blast
without a significant booster.  It now seems that according to Bill and
Arno that it can be detonated with a Blasting cap...  

Confusion #2  It has been stated that AN is very hydoscopic, yet i have
seen mention of a water slurry...  


Will a large (1/4 to 1/2 pound) amount of black powder detonate a few
kilograms of ANFO (94%AN 6%FO)?

If so...  on what conditions...
	
	In a hole?
	In a 4'dia piece of PVC?
	In a steel pipe?
	In bedrock?
	In my dreams??????

If not what can I do to make this work?


I have played with various types of low explosives.... gases, mixtures,
flash...  I still have all orginal parts in the correct places, and I am
looking towards more interesting pursuits...  

BTW Never trust your relatives to follow your instructions.....

I was making silver fulmanate and was waiting for it to precipitate... 
well I put a sign on my table informing anyone who came near it Not to
disturb it.   I came back a few hours later to find no Chemicals!  My
mother had come in and thrown my 17mol Nitric Acid, the silver fulmanate
solution, and a 1/4 lb of silver nitrate down the drain....   Not only
had she thrown about $100 dollars worth of silver nitrate down the
drain, she also turned (when the sun came up the next day) the sink
black and her hands!

At least she didn't get the nitric on her hands....


Mark

_______________________________________________
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Mark "it's only a small blast furnace" Denovich  
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
md3z@andrew.cmu.edu or  r746md3z @vb.cc.cmu.edu   
phone: (412)-268-4067       Standard Disclaimers Apply   
-----------------------------------------------
Reverse engineering = gnireenigne
_______________________________________________
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
From: mwcallah%peruvian.utah.edu@cs.utah.edu (Michael Callahan)
Subject: fireworks?
Date: 13 Nov 92 22:22:31 MST
Organization: University of Utah CS Dept

After reading that last batch of news, about 76 articles in all, and seeing
only 2 posts on fireworks, I was wondering.  Should this newsgroup just be 
relabeled alt.bombs?  Or maybe split?  Or would the newsgroup be too boring
without all of the interesting traffic on explosives?  I am just more
interested in pyrotechnics devices than bombs.  After a couple hundred salutes,
they start to lose there appeal.  How about the recipe for strobe rockets or 
some other such device instead?


Just wondering,
  Mike
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
From: billn@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com (bill nelson)
Subject: Re: Beakman's World
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Company, Corvallis, Oregon USA
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1992 05:56:12 GMT

bobk@gibdo.engr.washington.edu (Bob) writes:
: lc2b+@andrew.cmu.edu (Lawrence Curcio) writes:
: | This science show for kids just explained how to make a liquid nitrogen
: | bomb. They had a rather impressive film of one going off too.
: | 
: | Got that down, Kiddies??? (:
: 
:   What a great way to get their attention and interest.  I wish some
:   of my chemistry instructors had been that imaginative.

When I was in high school, a couple of centuries ago, my chemistry
teacher demonstrated such things as mercury fulminate and fuel/air
explosives. He didn't show us how to make the fulminates, but we
were suitable impressed anyway.

Bill
From: rtaraz@bigwpi.WPI.EDU (Ramin Taraz)
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
Subject: plastic explosive (how to?)
Date: 9 Nov 92 18:52:29 GMT
Article-I.D.: bigwpi.RTARAZ.92Nov9124951
Organization: Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA 01609-2280


Hi all, 
I know this is not a gun question but I assumed at least one of you
guys can help me out here.

How do you make plastic explosive (lets say C4) to explode.  I know
fire doesnt do it because you can just put a match to it and it will
start burning.  How does the fuse work?

rtaraz
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
From: andy@laguna.santafe.edu (Andy Mell)
Subject: Re: non-toxic smoke
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 92 18:44:40 GMT
Organization: Santa Fe Institute

In article <512@thunder.LakeheadU.Ca> 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

I was told that fog fluid was 8 parts distilled water to 1 part ethyl glycol
withg added scenting compound. Is this true? If I do this, will I poison
my audience of 2000 people? :-)

Anyway, I'm glad to find a pyro newsgroup, but are there any other newsgroups
devoted to discussion of large scale LX and PA rigs, along with cool DIY FX?

Andy
-- 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Andy Mell, Applied Physics Department,  |   andy@santafe.edu
University of Hull, Hull, HU7 6RX       |   amell@nyx.cs.du.edu
England.                                |   torq@gnu.ai.mit.edu
From: rdicker@cyberden.uucp
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
Subject: Re: Silver Nitride
Date: Wed, 04 Nov 92 21:52:01 PST
Organization: Indescribable Creations

gilchr@ee.ualberta.ca (Andrew Gilchrist) writes:

> 
> Does anyone have anectodal testimony about silver nitride precipitated
> from silver nitrate solutions?
> 
> I've only seen oblique references in NFPA documents.
> 
> Supposedly, this is very bad ass stuff, which isn't technically supposed
> to exist, since it is extremely unstable even in solution.
> Ocassional reports of lab explosions resulting in stirring beakers
> with the precipitate in them.
> 
> 
> Andrew

I have never seen Silver Nitride personally, however explosive salts are 
often unstable and no fun to play with.  Even if you do figure out how to 
make Silver Nitride, why would you want to?  Silver is prabably at least 
$6 an ounce, Reagent grade Silver Nitrate has to be going for at LEAST 
$30 an ounce right now.  Even with a bulk discount you probably couldn't 
get a pount for less then $300.  You see what I'm getting at?

__________________________________________________________________________
   |       /         |\
   | H E   \ Y B E R |/ E N            [ rdicker@cyberden.uucp ]
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 06:13:13 GMT

In article <1992Nov13.003129.5966@monu6.cc.monash.edu.au>, brom@yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au (David Bromage) writes:
|> ERIC  LADA (elada@eos.ncsu.edu) wrote:
|> : 
|> : 	BTW, How do you make plastic explosive?
|> : 
|> 
|> Well, try making it yourself. Here's how to make Semtex (as used by all
|> good terrorist organisations).
|> 
|>                   HNO /H SO
|>     		        3  2  4
|>    C(CH OH)   -------------------> C(CH NO )
|>        2   4			          2  2 4
|> pentaerythritol			   Semtex
|> 
|> Usual saftey precautions apply as if making NG.

This is not SEMTEX, it is PETN, pentaerythritol tetranitrate. I don't
think this is the main ingredient of SEMTEX. PETN is NOT a plastic
explosive, it is a crystaline substance which is used primarily in
det chord and as a secondary booster in detonators. However, there 
are certainly plastic explosives available, based on PETN.

I just have a faint memory of a current affairs show on Czkeslovakia (sp?)
after the fall of the soviet backed government, where they traced the
supply of SEMTEX to Libya. They had footage of the factory and mentioned
the main ingredient, Hexogen (RDX). It was the plasticisers and other
ingredients that were kept secret.

What is mentioned above is not a good description of the proceedure
used for making PETN. Commercially the nitration is carried out using
98% HNO3 only. Without proper washing and purification, PETN is 
much more sensitive and unstable.

Mark.

Organization: Doctoral student, Urban and Public Affairs, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 11:38:39 -0500 
From: Lawrence Curcio <lc2b+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: A Modest Proposal
Distribution: usa

Sometimes I think the trouble with this group is that the lunatic fringe
outnumbers the mainstream. 

Hey! Is this guy tall for his age or what?
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
From: tarrall@Colorado.EDU (Captain Neon)
Subject: Re: A Modest Proposal
Organization: University of Colorado, Boulder
Distribution: usa
Date: 12 Nov 92 07:21:41 GMT

>>MBADBH@rohvm1.rohmhaas.com (David B. Horvath, CDP) writes:
>>: I'm not even going to include the original text...  Saying things like that
>>: can get you visits from the nice men and women of the Secret Service.  It
>>: is illegal to joke about b*mbs at an airport and its also illegal to
>>: threaten the Pr*sid*nt in any way...

You know, this reminds me.  I've always kinda wondered what would happen if
you managed to ping the President with a paint pellet gun.  Have to shoot
him in the back to avoid endangering his eyesight, but still... Talk about
causing a commotion.  Difficult to pull off without getting yourself shot,
too; have to do it from some distance away.  I just wonder what the media, 
feds, etc would make of something like that.
						-Neon.-

Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
From: billn@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com (bill nelson)
Subject: Re: Chlorine Bomb
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Company, Corvallis, Oregon USA
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1992 20:00:34 GMT

rxy5310@hertz.njit.edu (rolan yang ee stnt) writes:
: 
: 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?

Since chlorine is involved, and the hypochlorite is being
reduced - I would suspect that a couple of the products
would be chlorine gas and HCl. Both of those are rather
nasty.

Bill

Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
From: egw@utkvx2.utk.edu (Wolpert, Edward Greenwal)
Subject: re: A Modest Proposal
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Organization: University of Tennessee Computing Center
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1992 12:49:00 GMT

Question: Has anyone thought that this guy may have left his account logged
          in?  After reading his comment, and the flames (PROPER flames), I
          realized that only an idiot would do something like this... or
          someome being cruel.  Don't forget that people can fake path's
          and attribute their posts to other people.  Many of us agree that
          it was a stupid post, but due to the chaos of the computer, we
          really can not assume it was him without complete proof.
          (Innocent until...)

	-Edward Wolpert
	

			"So it goes..."
				-K.V.

Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
From: miolnir@stein.u.washington.edu (Scot Thorstad)
Subject: Help-Thermit
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1992 02:26:50 GMT

  I made some thermit using 50% black iron oxide and 50% aluminum powder 
by vol.  The Al was one grade larger than german black.  When I tried to
light it using Mg ribbin it wouldn't go.  What could have caused this?
It was drizzling lightly, could the the thermit have absorbed enough H2O
to kill it?  I was under some trees so there was no direct contact.  I'm 
confused.
scot

Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
From: jderagon@nyx.cs.du.edu (John Deragon)
Subject: Re: Big Bang
X-Disclaimer: Nyx is a public access Unix system run by the University
	of Denver for the Denver community.  The University has neither
	control over nor responsibility for the opinions of users.
Organization: Nyx, Public Access Unix at U. of Denver Math/CS dept.
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 92 12:02:23 GMT

>>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.


	Well, this sounds like a device used mostly by the DEA and police
special forces teams called "Stun Grenades", "Percussion Grenades", or
what they call in NY "Stunners".  

	These are cannisters about the size of a can of raquetball balls
with a time delay fuse that is activated by a pull pin.  This device
if I remember correctly in 8 seconds will detonate.

	There are currently two types, one that is used for mostly night 
entry operations (into drug houses), that is primarily more of a flash
then a percussion type, and a "stun" type which is more stun than flash.


	They are used to mainly disorient the people in the house for
a few seconds to allow the entry team to get set up.  They work most
effectivly at night, when several are thrown through the bedroom window,
which is the normal tactic.

	I dont know about you, but I would be *very* disoriented if
someone threw one in my bedroom window while I was asleep.

	As far as them being dangerous, they are encased in a thin
plastic and I dont believe they cause any serious damage.  Most of
the danger comes from shattered glass and mirrors and such from the 
percussion.  Although if one landed on the bed, and went off on your 
legs or the like, I dont think it would be very enjoyable.

	But hey, they must be pretty dangerous for them to have an
assault team after them using percussion grenades in the first place,
so I dont feel too sorry for them. :-)
--



-----
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
From: billn@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com (bill nelson)
Subject: Re: Ammonium Nitrate
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Company, Corvallis, Oregon USA
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1992 18:53:08 GMT

md3z+@andrew.cmu.edu (Mark Denovich) writes:
: 
: It was originally stated that there was no chance to have ANFO blast
: without a significant booster.  It now seems that according to Bill and
: Arno that it can be detonated with a Blasting cap...  

I have managed to get partial detonation. Apparently, Arno has used some
additives to modify the sensitivity, more than you get from straight ANFO.

: Confusion #2  It has been stated that AN is very hydoscopic, yet i have
: seen mention of a water slurry...  

Yes, AN is very hygroscopic. Straight ANFO is not supposed to be used in
a wet hole. However, there are a number of slurries, some containing AN
that are used successfully for blasting. Maybe Arno will post a bit more
on what these contain.

: Will a large (1/4 to 1/2 pound) amount of black powder detonate a few
: kilograms of ANFO (94%AN 6%FO)?

Not likely. Black powder does not detonate. As such, it does not produce
the shock wave that is normally needed to initiate secondary explosives.
Now, if the ANFO was confined, and heated hot enough to be producing
some decomposition products, then it might work.

: I have played with various types of low explosives.... gases, mixtures,
: flash...  I still have all orginal parts in the correct places, and I am
: looking towards more interesting pursuits...  

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.

Bill
From: bobk@gibdo.engr.washington.edu (Bob)
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
Subject: Re: Beakman's World
Date: 9 Nov 92 23:06:30 GMT
Article-I.D.: gibdo.1992Nov09.230307.4130
Organization: University of Washington

lc2b+@andrew.cmu.edu (Lawrence Curcio) writes:
| This science show for kids just explained how to make a liquid nitrogen
| bomb. They had a rather impressive film of one going off too.
| 
| Got that down, Kiddies??? (:

  What a great way to get their attention and interest.  I wish some
  of my chemistry instructors had been that imaginative.
From: rich@megatest.UUCP (Rich Feldman)
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
Subject: soldier puts M80 in grenade launcher (was Re: A "Dry Ice Bomb" Mortar)
Date: 6 Nov 92 20:51:32 GMT
Article-I.D.: megatest.25321
Organization: Megatest Corporation, San Jose, Ca

In article <RIG8ECR@math.fu-berlin.de>, beck@irzr17.inf.tu-dresden.de 
(Andre Beck) responding to Nelson responding to Beck...

> >: At the army we did it with real grenade throwers (82mm), an army type
> >: flash firecracker (M80-like) and an [inert] exercise grenade...

> >Did they really use a flash-powder propellant? That is hard to believe,
> >it would not be the most efficient method of lobbing a grenade.

> Okay, I forgot to state that this was done JUST for FUN :)
> The real grenades (I never have seen one ... thanx god :) are driven by
> a 80 gramm baseload of Black Powder ... Of course flash would destroy 
> the grenade before lift off, if used this way. ...

	I wonder how coarsely grained is the BP?

> But you may know, at the army, one can become somewhat silly. And so,
> one another day of exercise exercise exercise one had the idea of simply
> putting a lighted cracker into the throwers pipe and putting the exercise
> grenade on it... surprised by the effect.

	What fun!  But you say a real grenade would not withstand launching 
by flash powder; did you guys consider that a real grenade thrower might not 
like it either?  If the practice grenade flew 400 meters, I wonder if you 
came close to an even more surprising effect?  Of course it was smart not
to use an 80 gram cracker! :-)  
	Without claiming any knowledge or experience, I suspect heavy 
portable weapons are not designed with enormous margins of safety (unless 
it is a side effect of designing to withstand dropping or being run over).
-- 

Rich Feldman	Megatest Corp., San Jose, CA 95131   (408)441-3027
UUCP: {decwrl,sun}!megatest!rich	residence    (415)967-6966
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
From: jnash@alfred.carleton.ca (John Nash)
Subject: Re: A Modest Proposal
Organization: Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 15:16:26 GMT

In article <1992Nov11.012610.17386@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com> billn@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com (bill nelson) writes:
>MBADBH@rohvm1.rohmhaas.com (David B. Horvath, CDP) writes:
>: I'm not even going to include the original text...  Saying things like that
>: can get you visits from the nice men and women of the Secret Service.  It
>: is illegal to joke about b*mbs at an airport and its also illegal to
>: threaten the Pr*sid*nt in any way...
>
>It is illegal threaten anyone with harm. It is just that the politicos get
>more excited when it is someone high up in government.
>
>Bill

It's also a very ***STUPID*** thing to do.  Recently, a prof at a
university in Quebec, went off the deep end and shot and killed some
faculty and staff at his university.  For a little while before he did
this, he flooded a few USENET groups with all sorts of accusations against
his faculty and nobody bothered about it.  Then he did his deed, and many
folk are starting to take "nutcase" posts to USENET seriously! 

This isn't even alt.tasteless funny!

John
From: lc2b+@andrew.cmu.edu (Lawrence Curcio)
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
Subject: Beakman's World
Date: 8 Nov 92 16:51:03 GMT
Organization: Doctoral student, Urban and Public Affairs, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA

This science show for kids just explained how to make a liquid nitrogen
bomb. They had a rather impressive film of one going off too.

Got that down, Kiddies??? (:
From: hleaves@gems.vcu.edu
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
Subject: Re: Propane blowtorch
Date: 10 Nov 92 10:01:27 -0400
Organization: Medical College of Virginia

In article <todd.721121016@csrnxt1.ae.utexas.edu>, todd@csrnxt1.ae.utexas.edu (Todd W. Thompson) writes:
> 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
> 

Fun, isn't it? I think propane/air blow torches reach about 2500 degrees F.

-- 
*******************************************************************************
** Hugh L. Eaves                      ** Internet: hleaves@ruby.vcu.edu      **
** Medical College of Virginia        ** Bitnet: hleaves@vcuruby             **
** Department of Human Genetics       ** Voice: (804) 371-8754               **
***************** All non-incendiary communication welcome! *******************
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
From: billn@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com (bill nelson)
Subject: Re: non-toxic smoke
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Company, Corvallis, Oregon USA
Date: Fri, 6 Nov 1992 01:12:11 GMT

X1FT@VM1.CC.UAKRON.EDU writes:
: In article <Bx8sC6.1Ku@dcs.ed.ac.uk>
: bwm@dcs.ed.ac.uk (Bruce Miller) writes:
:  
: > oil smoke machines are cheap to hire and run . They are also more reliable than
: >some home made concoctions.
: >
: Ok.  Is this stuff available in the states?  What is it called?  I have a
: propane fogger for bugs, with cleaning, I guess I could use it with my
: lasers at nite (instead of waiting for a fog).  Thanks!

Check with your closest theatrical supplies store. They will have the oil
as well as the fog machines.

I don't know how well a bug fogger would work - the temperature might not
be correct.

Bill
Organization: Sophomore, Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1992 19:57:25 -0500 
From: Mark Beirne Lively <ml5a+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: non-toxic smoke
	<1992Nov10.055214.18479@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com>

Excerpts from netnews.rec.pyrotechnics: 10-Nov-92 Re: non-toxic smoke
bill nelson@hpcvaac.cv.h (849)

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


It should evolve a little watter and turn into a black grease.  But i
think it would evaporate before it decomposes.

-I remember the the glory days when we sat with the king.
Dining on meh yams and washing it down with red rum.
ML5A@andrew.cmu.edu Bear aka the Lord High Rulebender