205.txt

1000 HOWTOs for various needs [WINDOWS]

  IGNITION DEVICES

     There are many ways to ignite explosive devices.  There is the classic
"light the fuse, throw the bomb, and run" approach, and there are sensitive
mercury switches, and many things in between.  Generally, electrical
detonation systems are safer than fuses, but there are times when fuses are
more appropriate than electrical systems; it is difficult to carry an
electrical detonation system into a stadium, for instance, without being
caught.  A device with a fuse or impact detonating fuze would be easier to
hide.

  FUSE IGNITION

     The oldest form of explosive ignition, fuses are perhaps the favorite
type of simple ignition system.  By simply placing a piece of waterproof fuse
in a device, one can have almost guaranteed ignition.  Modern waterproof fuse
is extremely reliable, burning at a rate of about 2.5 seconds to the inch.  It
is available as model rocketry fuse in most hobby shops, and costs about $3.00
for a nine-foot length.  Cannon Fuse is a popular ignition system for pipe
bombers because of its simplicity.  All that need be done is light it with a
match or lighter. Of course, if the Army had fuses like this, then the
grenade, which uses fuse ignition, would be very impracticle.  If a grenade
ignition system can be acquired, by all means, it is the most effective.  But,
since such things do not just float around, the next best thing is to prepare
a fuse system which does not require the use of a match or lighter, but still
retains its simplicity. One such method is described below:


     MATERIALS
     _________
     strike-on-cover type matches       electrical tape or duct tape
     waterproof fuse

1) To determine the burn rate of a particular type of fuse, simply measure a 6
   inch or longer piece of fuse and ignite it.  With a stopwatch, press the
   start button the at the instant when the fuse lights, and stop the watch
   when the fuse reaches its end.  Divide the time of burn by the length of
   fuse, and you have the burn rate of the fuse, in seconds per inch.  This
   will be shown below:

     Suppose an eight inch piece of fuse is burned, and its complete time of
    combustion is 20 seconds.

     20 seconds / 8 inches = 2.5 seconds per inch.

     If a delay of 10 seconds was desired with this fuse, divide the desired
     time by the number of seconds per inch:

     10 seconds / 2.5 seconds per inch  = 4 inches

NOTE: THE LENGTH OF FUSE HERE MEANS LENGTH OF FUSE TO THE POWDER.  SOME FUSE,
  AT LEAST AN INCH, SHOULD BE INSIDE THE DEVICE.  ALWAYS ADD THIS EXTRA INCH,
  AND PUT THIS EXTRA INCH AN INCH INTO THE DEVICE!!!

2) After deciding how long a delay is desired before the explosive device is
   to go off, add about 1/2 an inch to the premeasured amount of fuse, and cut
   it off.

3) Carefully remove the cardboard matches from the paper match case.  Do not
   pull off individual matches; keep all the matches attached to the cardboard
   base.  Take one of the cardboard match sections, and leave the other one to
   make a second igniter.

4) Wrap the matches around the end of the fuse, with the heads of the matches
   touching the very end of the fuse.  Tape them there securely, making sure
   not to put tape over the match heads.  Make sure they are very secure by
   pulling on them at the base of the assembly.  They should not be able to
   move.

5) Wrap the cover of the matches around the matches attached to the fuse,
   making sure that the striker paper is below the match heads and the striker
   faces the match heads.  Tape the paper so that is fairly tight around the
   matches. Do not tape the cover of the striker to the fuse or to the
   matches. Leave enough of the match book to pull on for ignition.


          _____________________
          \                   /
           \                 /  ------ match book cover
            \               /
             |    M|f|M ---|------- match head
             |    A|u|A    |
             |    T|s|T    |
             |    C|e|C    |
             |tapeH|.|Htape|
             |     |f|     |
             |#####|u|#####|-------- striking paper
             |#####|s|#####|
             \     |e|     /
              \    |.|    /
               \   |f|   /
                \  |u|  /
                |ta|s|pe|
                |ta|e|pe|
                   |.|
                   |f|
                   |u|
                   |s|
                   |e|
                   |.|
                   |_|

     The match book is wrapped around the matches, and is taped to itself.     
The matches are taped to the fuse.  The striker will rub against the     
matcheads when the match book is pulled.

6) When ready to use, simply pull on the match paper.  It should pull the
   striking paper across the match heads with enough friction to light them.
   In turn, the burning matcheads will light the fuse, since it adjacent to
   the burning match heads.


     HOW TO MAKE BLACKMATCH FUSE:
     ----------------------------

  Take a flat piece of plastic or metal (brass or aluminum are easy to work
with and won't rust).  Drill a 1/16th inch hole through it.  This is your die
for sizing the fuse.  You can make fuses as big as you want, but this is the
right size for the pipe bomb I will be getting to later.

   To about 1/2 cup of black powder add water to make a thin paste.  Add 1/2
teaspoon of corn starch. Cut some one foot lengths of cotton thread.  Use
cotton, not silk or thread made from synthetic fibers.  Put these together
until you have a thickness that fills the hole in the die but can be drawn
through very easily.

  Tie your bundle of threads together at one end. Separate the threads and
hold the bundle over the black powder mixture. Lower the threads with a
circular motion so they start curling onto the mixture.  Press them under with
the back of a teaspoon and continue lowering them so they coil into the paste.
Take the end you are holding and thread it through the die.  Pull it through
smoothly in one long motion.

  To dry your fuse, lay it on a piece of aluminum foil and bake it in your 250
degree oven or tie it to a grill in the oven and let it hang down.  The fuse
must be baked to make it stiff enough for the uses it will be put to later.
Air drying will not do the job.  If you used Sodium Nitrate, it will not even
dry completely at room temperatures.

Cut the dry fuse with sissors into 2 inch lengths and store in an air tight
container.  Handle this fuse carefuly to avoid breaking it.  You can also use
a firecracker fuse if you have any available.  The fuses can usually be pulled
out without breaking.  To give yourself some running time, you will be
extending these fuses (blackmatch or firecracker fuse) with sulfured wick.

    Finally, it is possible to make a relatively slow-burning fuse in the
home. By dissolving about one teaspoon of black powder in about 1/4 a cup of
boiling water, and, while it is still hot, soaking in it a long piece of all
cotton string, a slow-burning fuse can be made. After the soaked string dries,
it must then be tied to the fuse of an explosive device. Sometimes, the end of
the slow burning fuse that meets the normal fuse has a charge of black powder
or gunpowder at the intersection point to insure ignition, since the
slow-burning fuse does not burn at a very high temperature.

 A similar type of slow fuse can be made by taking the above mixture of
boiling water and black powder and pouring it on a long piece of toilet paper.
The wet toilet paper is then gently twisted up so that it resembles a
firecracker fuse, and is allowed to dry.


                       HOW TO MAKE SULFURED WICK
                       -------------------------


   Use heavy cotton string about 1/8th inch in diameter.  You can find some at
a garden supply for tieing up your tomatoes.  Be sure it's cotton.  You can
test it by lighting one end.  It sould continue to burn after the match is
removed and when blown out will have a smoldering coal on the end.  Put some
sulfur in a small container like a small pie pan and melt it in the oven at
250 degrees.

    It will melt into a transparent yellow liquid.  If it starts turning
brown, it is too hot.  Coil about a one foot length of string into it.  The
melted sulfur will soak in quickly.  When saturated, pull it out and tie it up
to cool and harden.

  It can be cut to desired lengths with sissors.  2 inches is about right.
These wicks will burn slowly with a blue flame and do not blow out easily in a
moderate wind. They will not burn through a hole in a metal pipe, but are
great for extending your other fuse.  They will not throw off sparks.
Blackmatch generates sparks which can ignite it along its length causing
unpredictable burning times.


--IMPACT IGNITION

     Impact ignition is an excellent method of ignition for spontaneous
terrorist activities.  The problem with an impact-detonating device is that it
must be kept in a very safe container so that it will not explode while being
transported to the place where it is to be used.  This can be done by having a
removable impact initiator.

     The best and most reliable impact initiator is one that uses factory made
initiators or primers. A no. 11 cap for black powder firearms is one such
primer. They usually come in boxes of 100, and cost about $2.50. To use such a
cap, however, one needs a nipple that it will fit on. Black powder nipples are
also available in gun stores. All that a person has to do is ask for a package
of nipples and the caps that fit them.  Nipples have a hole that goes all the
way through them, and they have a threaded end, and an end to put the cap on.
A cutaway of a nipple is shown below:


                          ________________
                         |                |
                _        |                |
               | |       |/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\|
        _______| |^^^^^^^|
       |      ___________|
       |     |
no. 11       |_______|
percussion    _______                       ------- threads for screwing
    cap              :
    here     |__________                              nipple onto bomb
       |____            |
            | |^^^^^^^^^|
            |_|         |/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/|
                        |                 |
                        |_________________|


     When making using this type of initiator, a hole must be drilled into
whatever container is used to make the bomb out of. The nipple is then screwed
into the hole so that it fits tightly. Then, the cap can be carried and placed
on the bomb when it is to be thrown. The cap should be bent a small amount
before it is placed on the nipple, to make sure that it stays in place.  The
only other problem involved with an impact detonating bomb is that it must
strike a hard surface on the nipple to set it off. By attaching fins or a
small parachute on the end of the bomb opposite the primer, the bomb, when
thrown, should strike the ground on the primer, and explode. Of course, a bomb
with mercury fulminate in each end will go off on impact regardless of which
end it strikes on, but mercury fulminate is also likely to go off if the
person carrying the bomb is bumped hard.


---MAGICUBE IGNITOR

      A VERY SENSITIVE and reliable impact iniator can be  produced from the
common MAGICUBE ($2.40 for 12) type flashbulbs. Simply crack the plastic
cover off, remove the reflector, and you will see 4 bulbs, each of which has
a small metal rod holding it in place.

     CAREFULLY grasp this rod with a pair of needle-nose pliers, and pry gently
upwards, making sure that NO FORCE IS APPLIED TO THE GLASS BULB.

     Each bulb is coated with plastic, which must be removed for them to be
effective in our application. This coating can be removed by soaking the
bulbs in a small glass of acetone for 30-45 minutes, at which point the
plastic can be easily peeled away.

     The best method to use these is to dissolve some nitrocellulose based
smokeless powder in acetone and/or ether, forming a thich glue-like paste.
Coat the end of the fuse with this paste, then stick the bulb (with the metal
rod facing out) into the paste. About half the bulb should be completely
covered, and if a VERY THIN layer of nitrocellulose is coated over the
remainder then ignition should be very reliable.

     To insure that the device lands with the bulb down, a small streamer
can be attached to the opposite side, so when it is tossed high into the air
the appropriate end will hit the ground first.


---ELECTRICAL IGNITION

     Electrical ignition systems for detonation are usually the safest and