194 lines
11 KiB
Plaintext
194 lines
11 KiB
Plaintext
PrimoPyro1990
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.... Thermite Incendiaries and Formulas ....
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DISCLAIMER : The making and possesion of the following devices and mixtures
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is probably illegal in most communities. The incendiaries are
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capable of burning in excess of 5400 degrees F. and are next
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to impossible to extinguish. If you make them you accept all
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responsibility for their possesion and use. You also accept
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all responsibility for your own stupidity and carelessness.
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This information is intended solely to educate.
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All Formulas are by Weight
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Thermites are a group of pyrotechnics mixtures in which a reactive metal
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reduces oxygen from a metallic oxide. This produces a lot of heat, slag and
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pure metal. The most common themite is ferroaluminum thermite, made from
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aluminum (reactive metal) and iron oxide (metal oxide). When it burns it
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produces aluminum oxide (slag) and pure iron.
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Thermite is usually used to cut or weld metal. As an experiment, a 3lb. brick
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of thermite was placed on an aluminum engine block. After the thermite was
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done burning, only a small portion of block was melted. However, the block
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was very warped out of shape plus there were cracks all through the block.
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Ferro-thermite produces about 930 calories per gram
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The usual proportions of ferro-thermite are 25% aluminum and 75% iron oxide
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The iron oxide usually used is not rust (Fe2O3) but iron scale (Fe3O4).Rust
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will work but you may want to adjust the mixture to about 77% rust.
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The aluminum is usually coarse powder to help slow down the burning rate.
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The chemicals are mixed together thoroughly and compressed into a suitable
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container. A first fire mix is poured on top and ignited.
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NOTE: Thermites are generally very safe to mix and store. They are not shock
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or friction sensitive and ignite at about 2000 degrees F.
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A first fire mix is a mixture that ignites easier than thermite and burns
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hot enough to light the thermite reliably. A very good one is :
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Potassium Nitrate 5 parts
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Fine ground Aluminum 3 parts
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Sulfur 2 parts
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Mix the above thoroughly and combine 2 parts of it with 1 part of finely
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powdered ferro-thermite. The resulting mixture can be light by safety fuse
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and burns intensely.
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One problem with thermites is the difference in weight between the aluminum
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and the oxide. This causes them to separate out rendering the thermite
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useless. One way to fix this is to use a binder to hold the chemicals to
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each other. Sulfur is good for this. Called Diasite, this formula uses
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sulfur to bind all the chemicals together. It's drawback is the thermite
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must be heated to melt the sulfur.
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Iron Oxide 70 %
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Aluminum 23 %
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Sulfur 7 %
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Mix the oxide and aluminum together and put them in an oven at 325 degrees
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F. and let the mix heat for a while. When the mixture is hot sprinkle the
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sulfur over it and mix well. Put this back in the oven for a few minutes
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to melt all the sulfur. Pull it back out and mix it again. While it is
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still hot, load into containers for use. When it cools, drill out the
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diasite to hold about 10 - 15 grams of first fire mix.
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When diasite burns it forms sulfide compounds that release hydrogen sulfide
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when in contact with water. This rotten egg odor can hamper fire fighting
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efforts.
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Thermite can be made not to separate by compressing it under a couple of
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tons pressure. The resulting pellet is strong and burns slower than thermite
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powder.
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CAST THERMITE: This formula can be cast into molds or containers and hardens
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into a solid mass. It does not produce as much iron as regular ferro-thermite
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, but it makes a slag which stays liquid a lot longer. Make a mixtures as
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follows.
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Plaster of Paris 2 parts
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Fine and Coarse Mixed Aluminum 2 parts
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Iron Oxide 3 parts
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Mix together well and and enough water to wet down plaster. Pour it into a
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mold and let it sit for 1/2 hour. Pour off any extra water that seperates
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out on top. Let this dry in the sun for at least a week. Or dry in the sun
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for one day and put in a 250 degree F. oven for a couple of hours.
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Drill it out for a first fire mix when dry.
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THERMITE BOMB: Thermite can be made to explode by taking the cast thermite
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formula and substituting fine powdered aluminum for the coarse/fine mix.
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Take 15 grams of first fire mix and put in the center of a piece of aluminum
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foil. Insert a waterproof fuse into the mix and gather up the foil around
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the fuse. Waterproof the foil/fuse with a thin coat of wax. Obtain a two-
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piece spherical mold with a diameter of about 4-5 inches. Wax or oil the
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inside of the mold to help release the thermite. Now, fill one half of the
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mold with the cast thermite. Put the first fire/fuse package into the center
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of the filled mold. Fill the other half of the mold with the thermite and
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assemble mold. The mold will have to have a hole in it for the fuse to stick
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out. In about an hour, carefully separate the mold. You should have a ball
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of thermite with the first fire mix in the center of it, and the fuse
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sticking out of the ball. Dry the ball in the sun for about a week.
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DO NOT DRY IT IN AN OVEN !
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The fuse ignites the first fire mix which in turn ignites the thermite.
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Since the thermite is ignited from the center out, the heat builds up in the
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thermite and it burns faster than normal. The result is a small explosion.
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The thermite ball burns in a split second and throws molten iron and slag
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around. Use this carefully !
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THERMITE WELL: To cut metal with thermite, take a refractory crucible and
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drill a 1/4 in. hole in the bottom. Epoxy a thin (20 ga.) sheet of mild steel
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over the hole. Allow the epoxy to dry. Fill the crucible with ferro-thermite
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and insert a first fire igniter in the thermite. Fashion a standoff to the
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crucible. This should hold the crucible about 1 1/2 in. up. Place the well
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over your target and ignite the first fire. The well works this way.
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The thermite burns, making slag and iron. Since the iron is heavier it goes
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to the bottom of the well. The molten iron burns through the metal sheet.
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This produces a small delay which gives the iron and slag more time to
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separate fully. The molten iron drips out through the hole in the bottom of
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the crucible. The standoff allows the thermite to continue flowing out of the
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crucible. The force of the dripping iron bores a hole in the target.
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A 2 lb. thermite well can penetrate up to 3/4 in. of steel. Experiment with
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different configurations to get maximum penetration. For a crucible, try a
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flower pot coated with a magnesium oxide layer. Sometimes the pot cracks
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however. Take the cast thermite formula and add 50% ferro-thermite to it.
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This produces a fair amount of iron plus a very liquid slag.
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THERMITE FUEL-AIR EXPLOSION: This is a very dangerous device. Ask yourself
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if you really truly want to make it before you do any work on it.
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It is next to impossible to give any dimensions of containers or weights
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of charges because of the availability of parts changes from one person to
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the next. However here is a general description of this device affectionately
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known as a HELLHOUND.
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Make a thermite charge in a 1/8 in. wall pipe. This charge must be
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electrically ignited. At the opposite end of the pipe away from the ignitor
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side put a small explosive charge of flash powder weighing about 1 oz.
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Drill a small hole in a pipe end cap and run the wires from the ignitor
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through the hole. Seal the wires and hole up with fuel proof epoxy or cement.
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Try ferrule cement available at sporting goods stores. Dope the threads of
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the end caps with a good pipe dope and screw them onto the pipe.
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This gives you a thermite charge in an iron pipe arranged so that when the
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thermite is electrically ignited, it will burn from one end to the other
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finally setting of the flash powder charge.
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Place this device in a larger pipe or very stout metal container which is
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sealed at one end. Use a couple of metal "spiders" to keep the device away
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from the walls or ends of the larger container. Run the wires out through
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the wall of the container and seal the wires with the fuel proof epoxy.
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Fill the container with a volatile liquid fuel. Acetone or gasoline works
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great. Now seal up the container with an appropriate end cap and it is done.
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The device works like this: Attach a timer-power supply to the wires. When
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the thermite is ignited it superheats the liquid fuel. Since the container
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is strong enough to hold the pressure the fuel does not boil. When the
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thermite burns down to the explosive, it explodes rupturing the container
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and releasing the superheated fuel. The fuel expands, cooling off and
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making a fine mist and vapor that mixes with the surrounding air. The hot
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thermite slag is also thrown into the air which ignites the fuel-air mix.
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The result is obvious. Try about 1 1/2 lbs of thermite to a gallon of fuel.
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For the pressure vessel, try an old pressure cooker. Because the fuel may
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dissolve the epoxy don't keep this device around for very long.
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But ask yourself, do you really want to make this?
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EXOTIC THERMITES: Thermites can also be made from teflon-magnesium or metal
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flourides-magnesium or aluminum. If there is an excess of flouride compound
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in the mixture, flourine gas can be released. Flourine is extremely
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corrosive and reactive. The gas can cause organic material to burst into
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flames by mere contact. For teflon-magnesium use 67% teflon and 33% magnesium
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A strong first fire igniter should be used to ignite this mixture. Both the
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teflon and the magnesium should be in powdered form. Do not inhale any
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smoke from the burning mixture.
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If you use metal-florides instead of teflon, use flourides of low energy
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metals. Lead flouride is a good example. Try using 90% lead flouride and
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10% aluminum.
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Warning: Flouride compounds can be very poisonous. They are approximately
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equal to cyanide compounds.
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Another exotic mix is tricalcium orthophosphate and aluminum. When this
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burns,it forms calcium phosphide which when contacts water releases hydrogen
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phosphide which can ignite spontaneously in air.
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Tricalcium orthophosphate has the formula Ca3(PO4)2 and is known as white-
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lockite. Use about 75% orthophosphate and 25% aluminum. This ratio may have
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to be altered for better burning as I have not experimented with it much and
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don't know if more aluminum may reduce the calcium better. It does work but
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it is a hard to ignite mixture. A first fire mix containing a few percent
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of magnesium works well.
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Fighting thermite fires: Two ways to fight thermite fires are either
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smothering the thermite with sand. This doesn't put out the thermite but it
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does help contain it and block some of the heat.
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The other way is to flood the thermite with a great amount of water. This
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helps to break the thermite apart and stop the reaction. If you use a small
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amount of water, an explosion may result as the thermite may reduce the water
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and release hydrogen gas.
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Thermite can start fires from the heat radiating from the reaction. Nearby
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flammable substances can catch fire even though no sparks or flame touch
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them.
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*** Kilroy was here ***
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