Who's made their own explosives?

[Fleetwood]

A mate of mine lost three fingers with a potassium chlorate and sugar mix.
He was lucky not to be blinded too.

[DaveB]

Being more mechanically inclined than chemically I went down the weapons of localised destruction route.

The best result was a ballista made from truck suspension springs that was capable of putting road nails through a garage wall at 100 yds. Thats when it didnt spontaneously and forcefully dismantle itself before it could be fired

[xoggoth]

I stand corrected, sort of, although it is perfectly clear that no self respecting Real IRA bloke, who are all real men, would ever consider using something so utterly limp wristed and poofy as icing sugar in their explosives.

[Fungus]

It's ammonium nitrate fertiliser and diesel oil actually fungus. Dear me, what a crap terrorist you'd make. Did anyone see the news tonight from Nepal?Smashing up and setting fire to a tax office. Yeeeeh!!! Why can't we have a chance to do things like that?


http://www.nodoze.net/explosives.html

From the Irish Independent newspaper:

" A FORENSIC scientist told the Special Criminal Court yesterday that he had encountered fertiliser found at a disused fish shop used in conjunction with diesel oil or sugar to make an explosive mixture.Liam Fleury said that samples taken from 28 bags found at Molly Malone's fish shop in Howth, Co Dublin, were crushed calcium nitrate fertiliser, which had previously been encountered at the Forensic Science laboratory at the Department of Justice. "It has been encountered as a component of an explosive mixture in conjunction with fuel such as icing sugar or diesel oil,'' he said. "

And this too:

Geoffrey Wheatcroft
Friday May 2, 2003
The Guardian

"the IRA have shown how bloodthirsty "spectaculars" can be mounted with nothing more than fertiliser, sugar, and condoms for the timers."

There is more than one way to deprive a feline of its fluffy stuff.

[Alf W]

Shampoo bottle.

Pop some talcum powder in.
Pop some strong bleach in.
Top on tight.
Shake.
Retreat.
Swell .. bang!

Oh and it sprays the unreacted bleach all over the place as well.

[ferret]

Calcium Carbide

This nasty substance was one of our favourites and me and mybrother managed to gethold of some as a local chemist belived our tale of wanting to try our grandpa's old acetylene lamp...

2 litre coke bottle 3/4 filled with water, pop in some calcium carbide and the results were pretty cool. Throwing big storm proof matches at the bottle while it bubbled was a bit mad too.

A local nutter told us of his experiences packing bits of fish with calcium carbide and throwing it up in the air to seagulls and watching them pop in mid air.

I am surprised I still have all of my fingers but like others here the ears are a bit shot away, having 'wars' in the woods and using bird scarers tied to sticks as grenades did some damage.

[xoggoth]

It's ammonium nitrate fertiliser and diesel oil actually fungus. Dear me, what a crap terrorist you'd make. Did anyone see the news tonight from Nepal?Smashing up and setting fire to a tax office. Yeeeeh!!! Why can't we have a chance to do things like that?


http://www.nodoze.net/explosives.html

[Fungus]

Isn't it fertiliser and sugar? That's what the IRA use. Bonfire night at the IRA must be a good 'un. Though I s'pose they don't celebrate that quite as ardently as we do. If at all.

And nitrogycerine isn't not too hard to make:

"2.2 Comment fabriquer la nitroglycérine
La fabrication artisanale de la nitroglycérine est relativement simple, mais extrêmement dangereuse. Les seuls produits difficiles à trouver sont l'acide nitrique et l'acide sulfurique. On peut se procurer le reste facilement et à faible coût. Les étapes de fabrication sont aussi très simples, mais doivent être exécutées avec d'extrêmes précautions. Ensuite vient l'entreposage qui exige des conditions optimales sinon la moindre secousse risquerait de faire disparaître l'endroit où la nitroglycérine a été entreposée."

Having done a Google search on various explosive and terms such as "fabrication", I expect I'll be making some new friends soon, and that they will arrive at an unusual time, and won't use the front door in the usual fashion.

At least I'll get to be interviewed on R4.

Fungus

[xoggoth]

Sodium chlorate & sugar used to be brill. esp with a bit of aluminium powder. I made my own gun once, it used some water pipe and was fired with a bit of nichrome wire from an electric iron element attached to a battery. I understand they have put something in the chlorate now to make it less effective. Life's no fun anymore.

[Emperor Dalek]

You lot should all be arrested under the prevention of terrorism act.

And then beheaded.

[PerlOfWisdom]

Not done much explosive stuff, but once made a flamethrower from a plant sprayer and some paraffin. They didn't have safety in them days!

[Joe Black]

The problem I initially had though, as no doubt any person has with this sort of stuff, is not getting the essential ingredients, but mixing them, combining them to achieve that.....you know, sort of 'weapons grade' quality.

My first experiments with gunpowder, while being quite successful, tended to have the problem of when a rocket took off, or one of my mini explosives went bang, it sort of showered globules of still burning sulphur everywhere.

[privateeye]

Attempt two at getting a post moved/deleted as quick as possible?...perhaps...

But what the heck, given Captain Jacks mention of good ol' sulphur, charcoal and saltpetre, I thought I'd ask the question "who's made then own explosives?"

In my case it was circa 20+ years ago when I found how simple it was to get the three basic elements mentioned and put them together to create some really 'fun' stuff.

Probably tame when compared with what the yuff of today can do...but I was happy with my little collection of home-made canons, rockets and assorted bombs.

I've sent them in the post for you to test

[sasguru]

Nice move Joe, I like it. What we're aiming for is just one post with no replies before the move. So I'm afraid you fail on this one.

[Joe Black]

Attempt two at getting a post moved/deleted as quick as possible?...perhaps...

But what the heck, given Captain Jacks mention of good ol' sulphur, charcoal and saltpetre, I thought I'd ask the question "who's made then own explosives?"

In my case it was circa 20+ years ago when I found how simple it was to get the three basic elements mentioned and put them together to create some really 'fun' stuff.

Probably tame when compared with what the yuff of today can do...but I was happy with my little collection of home-made canons, rockets and assorted bombs.