        54                        The Survivalist's Second Strike Handbook


                                    Chapter 5
        
                             INTRODUCTION TO EXPLOSIVES
        
             EXPLOSIVE THEORY
        
             An explosive is any material that, when ignited by heat or shock, under
        goes rapid decomposition or oxidation. This process releases energy that is 
        stored in the material in the form of heat and light, or by breaking down into 
        gaseous compounds that occupy a much larger volume that the original piece of 
        material.  Because this expansion is very rapid, large volumes of air are 
        displaced by the expanding gasses. This expansion occurs at a speed greater 
        than the speed of sound, and so a sonic boom occurs. This explains the mechan
        ics behind an explosion.  Explosives occur in several forms: high-order explo
        sives which detonate, low order explosives, which burn, and primers, which may 
        do both.
        
             High order explosives detonate.  A detonation occurs only in a high order 
        explosive.  Detonations are usually incurred by a shockwave that passes 
        through a block of the high explosive material.  The shockwave breaks apart 
        the molecular bonds between the atoms of the substance, at a rate approximate
        ly equal to the speed of sound traveling through that material.  In a high 
        explosive, the fuel and oxidizer are chemically bonded, and the shockwave 
        breaks apart these bonds, and re-combines the two materials to produce mostly 
        gasses. T.N.T., ammonium nitrate, and R.D.X. are examples of high order explo
        sives.
        
             Low order explosives do not detonate; they burn, or undergo oxidation. 
        when heated, the fuel(s) and oxidizer(s) combine to produce heat, light, and 
        gaseous products.  Some low order materials burn at about the same speed under 
        pressure as they do in the open, such as blackpowder. Others, such as gunpow
        der, which is correctly called nitrocellulose, burn much faster and hotter 
        when they are in a confined space, such as the barrel of a firearm; they 
        usually burn much slower than blackpowder when they are ignited in unpressur
        ized conditions. Black powder, nitrocellulose, and flash powder are good 
        examples of low order explosives.
        
             Primers are peculiarities to the explosive field. Some of them, such as 
        mercury fulminate, will function as a low or high order explosive. They are 
        usually more sensitive to friction, heat, or shock, than the high or low 
        explosives. Most primers perform like a high order explosive, except that they 
        are much more sensitive. Still others merely burn, but when they are confined, 
        they burn at a great rate and with a large expansion of gasses and a shock
        wave. Primers are usually used in a small amount to initiate, or cause to 
        decompose, a high order explosive, as in an artillery shell. But, they are 
        also frequently used to ignite a low order explosive;  the gunpowder in a 
        bullet is ignited by the detonation of its primer.










                           An M & M Enterprises Production 
        INTRODUCTION TO EXPLOSIVES                                      55


        PURCHASING CHEMICALS AND LAB WARE
        
             Almost any city or town of reasonable size has a gun store and a pharma
        cy. These are two of the places that might be visited in order to purchase 
        explosive material. All that one has to do is know something about the non-
        explosive uses of the materials. Black powder, for example, is used in black
        powder firearms. It comes in varying "grades", with each different grade being 
        a slightly different size. The grade of black powder depends on what the 
        caliber of the gun that it is used in; a fine grade of powder could burn too 
        fast in the wrong caliber weapon.  The rule is: the smaller the grade, the 
        faster the burn rate of the powder.
        
             Getting your chemicals and lab ware can present a problem in some cases. 
        In order to order laboratory chemicals, one must be a company, or try to prove 
        that you are a company. Most suppliers don't like to sell to individuals in 
        fear of clandestine drug and explosive manufacture. Those same companies also 
        can be fooled easily with homemade letterhead also. For those of you with 
        laser printers, the sky is the limit. If you don't have a laser printer, you 
        should visit your local print shop. First, simply call the chemical companies 
        and request for a catalog. You must get on the phone and say something on the 
        order of: "Hello...this is C.B.G. Water Treatment Corp., may I speak to sales 
        please? I would like to order your most recent catalog..." When you get cata
        logs from different companies, compare their prices and shipping charges. 
        
             Make sure you don't order a set of chemicals where it is obvious you are 
        making something you don't want them to know you are making. A suspicious 
        order would be Nitric & Sulfuric acid and glycerine. This would be obvious 
        that you are going to produce nitro-glycerine. Spread out your orders and 
        orders between companies. Also be careful of watched chemicals. The drug en
        forcement agency watches certain orders for certain chemicals. They usually 
        say something on the order of under the listing of the chemical entry in the 
        catalog "only sold to established institutions." It just so happens that 
        certain explosive synthesis requires the chemicals as some illicit drug pro
        duction.  
        
             Go to your local library in the reference section. Get the THOMAS REGIS
        TER It is a set of books that list addresses of industrial suppliers. Look 
        under chemicals for addresses. 
        
             I do know of one company called Emerald City Chemical in Washington. They 
        only require that you be at least 18 years of age. No letterhead necessary.
        
             I suggest staying away from Fisher Scientific, Seargent Welch, Sigma & 
        Aldrich Chemical companies because they are either expensive, only sell to 
        schools, or watch for illegal or suspicious chemical orders. For those of you 
        in New York;  stay away from City Chemical Co. I was informed that they close
        ly watch their customers also.
        
             Don't make some letterhead for Jo Blow's Sewing Machine Repair and order 
        complicated chemicals like 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, bis-2-ethyl
        hexy-diadipate, 3,4-diaminofurazain, or pharmecitucal type chemicals or any 
        kind of chemical that looks like a foreign language. It looks VERY suspicious 
        and your address will be forwarded to your local FBI or DEA office pronto. 




                                (c) 1990 
        56                        The Survivalist's Second Strike Handbook


             BLACK POWDER
        
             Black powder is generally available in three grades.  As stated before, 
        the smaller the grade, the faster the powder burns. Burn rate is extremely 
        important in bombs. Since an explosion is a rapid increase of gas volume in a 
        confined environment, to make an explosion, a quick-burning powder is desira
        ble. The three common grades of black powder are listed below, along with the 
        usual bore width (caliber) of what they are used in. Generally, the fastest 
        burning powder, the FFF grade is desirable.  However, the other grades and 
        uses are listed below:
        
           GRADE       BORE WIDTH        EXAMPLE OF GUN
        
             F            .50 or greater     model cannon; some rifles
             FF           .36 - .50          large pistols; small rifles
             FFF          .36 or smaller     pistols; derringers
        
             The FFF grade is the fastest burning, because the smaller grade has more 
        surface area or burning surface exposed to the flame front. The larger grades 
        also have uses which will be discussed later. The price range of black powder, 
        per pound, is about $8.50 - $9.00. The price is not affected by the grade, and 
        so one saves oneself time and work if one buys the finer grade of powder. The 
        major problems with black powder are that it can be ignited accidentally by 
        static electricity, and that it has a tendency to absorb moisture from the 
        air. To safely crush it, a bomber would use a plastic spoon and a wooden salad 
        bowl. Taking a small pile at a time, he or she would apply pressure to the 
        powder through the spoon and rub it in a series of strokes or circles, but not 
        too hard. It is fine enough to use when it is about as fine as flour. The 
        fineness, however, is dependent on what type of device one wishes to make; 
        obviously, it would be impractical to crush enough powder to fill a 1 foot by 
        4 inch radius pipe. Anyone can purchase black powder, since anyone can own 
        black powder firearms in America.
        
             PYRODEX
        
             Pyrodex is a synthetic powder that is used like black powder. It comes in 
        the same grades, but it is more expensive per pound. However, a one pound 
        container of pyrodex contains more material by volume than a pound of black 
        powder. It is much easier to crush to a very fine powder than black powder, 
        and it is considerably safer and more reliable. This is because it will not be 
        set off by static electricity, as black can be, and it is less inclined to 
        absorb moisture. It costs about $10.00 per pound. It can be crushed in the 
        same manner as black powder, or it can be dissolved in boiling water and 
        dried.
        
             ROCKET ENGINE POWDER
        
             One of the most exciting hobbies nowadays is model rocketry.  Estes is 
        the largest producer of model rocket kits and engines.  Rocket engines are 
        composed of a single large grain of propellant. This grain is surrounded by a 
        fairly heavy cardboard tubing. One gets the propellant by slitting the tube 
        lengthwise, and unwrapping it like a paper towel roll. When this is done, the 
        gray fire clay at either end of the propellant grain must be removed. This is 
        usually done gently with a plastic or brass knife. The material is exception
        ally hard, and must be crushed to be used. By gripping the grain on the widest 


                           An M & M Enterprises Production 
        INTRODUCTION TO EXPLOSIVES                                      57


        setting on a set of pliers, and putting the grain and powder in a plastic bag, 
        the powder will not break apart and shatter all over. This should be done to 
        all the large chunks of powder, and then it should be crushed like black 
        powder. Rocket engines come in various sizes, ranging from 1/4A-2T to the 
        incredibly powerful D engines. The larger the engine, the more expensive. D 
        engines come in packages of three, and cost about $5.00 per package. Rocket 
        engines are perhaps the single most useful item sold in stores, since they can 
        be used as is, or can be cannibalized for their explosive powder.
        
             RIFLE/SHOTGUN POWDER
        
             Rifle powder and shotgun powder are really the same from a practical 
        standpoint. They are both nitrocellulose based propellants. They will be 
        referred to as gunpowder in all future references. Gunpowder is made by the 
        action of concentrated nitric and sulfuric acid upon cotton. This material is 
        then dissolved by solvents and then reformed in the desired grain size.  When 
        dealing with gunpowder, the grain size is not nearly as important as that of 
        black powder. Both large and small grained gunpowder burn fairly slowly com
        pared to black powder when unconfined, but when it is confined, gunpowder 
        burns both hotter and with more gaseous expansion, producing more pressure. 
        Therefore, the grinding process that is often necessary for other propellants 
        is not necessary for gunpowder. Gunpowder costs about $9.00 per pound. Any 
        idiot can buy it, since there are no restrictions on rifles or shotguns in the 
        U.S.
        
             FLASH POWDER
        
             Flash powder is a mixture of powdered zirconium metal and various oxidiz
        ers. It is extremely sensitive to heat or sparks, and should be treated with 
        more care than black powder, with which it should NEVER be mixed. It is sold 
        in small containers which must be mixed and shaken before use. It is very 
        finely powdered, and is available in three speeds: fast, medium, and slow. The 
        fast flash powder is the best for using in explosives or detonators.
        
             It burns very rapidly, regardless of confinement or packing, with a hot 
        white "flash", hence its name. It is fairly expensive, costing about $11.00. 
        It is sold in magic shops and theater supply stores.
        
             AMMONIUM NITRATE
        
             Ammonium nitrate is a high explosive material that is often used as a 
        commercial "safety explosive"  It is very stable, and is difficult to ignite 
        with a match. It will only light if the glowing, red-hot part of a match is 
        touching it. It is also difficult to detonate; (the phenomenon of detonation 
        will be explained later) it requires a large shockwave to cause it to go high 
        explosive. Commercially, it is sometimes mixed with a small amount of nitro
        glycerine to increase its sensitivity. Ammonium nitrate is used in the "Cold-
        Paks" or "Instant Cold", available in most drug stores. The "Cold Paks" con
        sist of a bag of water, surrounded by a second plastic bag containing the 
        ammonium nitrate. To get the ammonium nitrate, simply cut off the top of the 
        outside bag, remove the plastic bag of water, and save the ammonium nitrate in 
        a well sealed, airtight container, since it is rather hydroscopic, i.e. it 
        tends to absorb water from the air. It is also the main ingredient in many 
        fertilizers.



                                (c) 1990 
        58                        The Survivalist's Second Strike Handbook


        ACQUIRING CHEMICALS
        
             The previous section dealt with getting chemicals legally. This section 
        deals with "procuring" them. The best place to steal chemicals is a college. 
        Many state schools have all of their chemicals out on the shelves in the labs, 
        and more in their chemical stockrooms. See Appendix C for a checklist of items 
        to look for while "shopping".
        
             Evening is the best time to enter lab buildings, as there are the least 
        number of people in the buildings, and most of the labs will still be un
        locked. One simply takes a bookbag, wears a dress shirt and jeans, and tries 
        to resemble a college freshman. If anyone asks what such a person is doing, 
        the thief can simply say that he is looking for the  polymer chemistry lab, or 
        some other chemistry-related department other than the one they are in. One 
        can usually find out where the various labs and  departments in a building are 
        by calling the university. 
        
             There are, of course other techniques for getting into labs after hours, 
        such as placing a piece of cardboard in the latch of an unused door, such as a 
        back exit. Then, all one needs to do is come back at a later hour. Also, 
        before this is done, one should check for security systems. If one just walks 
        into a lab, even if there is someone there, and walks out the back exit, and 
        slip the cardboard in the latch before the door closes, the person in the lab 
        will never know what happened. It is also a good idea to observe the building 
        that one plans to rob at the time that one plans to rob it several days before 
        the actual theft is done. This is advisable since the would-be thief should 
        know when and if the campus security makes patrols through buildings. 
        
             Of course, if none of these methods are successful, there is always the 
        information provided in the section on picking locks, but as a rule, college 
        campus security is pretty poor, and nobody suspects another person in the 
        building of doing anything wrong, even if they are there at an odd hour.

























                           An M & M Enterprises Production 
