220 lines
13 KiB
Plaintext
220 lines
13 KiB
Plaintext
Preparation of Contact Explosives
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The contact explosives we will be describing use only a few chemicals. Some
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do need extra caution to keep from causing trouble.
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Iodine Crystals
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Though most people don't realize it, Iodine is not a brown liquid, but a
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steel-grey solid. The tincture of iodine you buy at the drugstore actually
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contains just a tiny bit of iodine dissolved in a jarful of inexpensive
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alcohol, and resold at a huge mark up. We'll be using iodine in the crystalline
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form. On contact with your skin, it will produce a dark stain that won't wash
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off with soap and water. We'll talk about removing these stains later. If it
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gets hot, it vaporizes into a purple cloud, that smells like the chlorine in a
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swimming pool. This cloud is dangerous to inhale, since it will condense in
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your lungs, and is corrosive. Since we won't need to heat this stuff, it is not
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a problem, but you should make sure that you don't let any iodine crystals
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spill onto a hot surface. If you don't touch it and keep it away from your
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face, you shouldn't have any troubles.
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Ammonium Hydroxide
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This is just good old household ammonia. Be sure to get the clear kind. The
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sudsy stuff won't be too useful. It is made from ammonia gas dissolved in
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water, and every time you open the bottle, it loses some of its strength, so be
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sure to use fresh stuff. We need it to be as strong as possible. Some of the
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formulas given here use lab grade concentrated ammonium hydroxide. It is much
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stronger than the supermarket kind, and is very unkind to skin or especially
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the eyes. It is a good idea to wear eye protection with even the supermarket
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grade. Though we don't usually worry about this when using household ammonia
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for cleaning, we usually dilute it for that. Here we'll be using it straight
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out of the bottle, and it is much more corrosive in that form. Never use this
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material if you don't have real good ventilation, as the ammonia vapors can be
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overpowering.
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Potassium Iodide
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This is a reasonably safe chemical. You get Potassium ions in some of the
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fruit you eat, and Iodide ions (usually as Sodium Iodide) are added to the
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table salt you buy at the store. So, while you don't directly eat this
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chemical, you do eat the components that make it up. Don't be scared of this
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stuff.
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Sodium Thiosulfate
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Otherwise known as photographic hypo. When dissolved in water, this will
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remove the iodine stains left by touching iodine crystals, and exploding
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contact explosive. Not particularly nasty stuff, but make sure to wash it off
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after cleaning yourself with it.
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General Information
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This is a powerful and highly sensitive explosive. A dust sized particle will
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make a sharp crack or popping sound. A piece the size of a pencil lead will
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produce an explosion as loud as any of the largest firecrackers or cherry
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bombs. It cannot be exploded by any means when wet, and therefore can be
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handled and applied with safety. When dry, it will explode with the touch of a
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feather, or a breath of air.
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The strength of the ammonia water you use will have a direct effect on the
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strength of the final product. If you use supermarket ammonia, the explosive
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will work, but not as spectacularly as if you use a 15% or higher (10 to 15
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molar) solution. The stronger it is, the better. You'll also need filter paper,
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and a funnel. A properly folded coffee filter will do nicely if you don't have
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the filter paper. If you're not sure how to fold filter paper, check an
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elementary chemistry textbook.
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Methods of Preparation
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1.) Granular Explosive. This is the easiest kind, and the only kind that will
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work reasonably well with supermarket ammonia. Crush enough iodine crystals to
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make a pile of powder equal to the volume of a pencil eraser. Do not grind into
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a fine powder. Put about 4 ounces or 1/2 measuring cup of strong ammonia water
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into a small container with the iodine, and seal it for about 5 to 10 minutes,
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shaking frequently. While the mixture is reacting, get your filter paper ready.
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While it is best to consult a book that shows how to do this, you take the
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circle of filter paper, fold it in half, fold it again at right angles to the
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first fold, and then open it to form a cone. Open or close it as needed to make
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it conform to the angle of the funnel, and moisten it a little to make it stick
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in place. Place the funnel over a container that will catch the waste liquid.
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Let the mixture settle long enough for the sediment to settle, and pour off as
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much of the clear liquid as possible before filtering the sediment. Pour the
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remaining liquid and sediment into the filter. The sediment (and the filter
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paper covered with it!!!) is your explosive. The small amount you have made
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will go a lot farther than you realize. Particularly if you used good strong
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ammonia. Place the explosive in an airtight leakproof pill bottle. As this
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explosive is unstable by nature, fresh amounts give better results than stale
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ones that have been sitting around for a day or so. Best results are obtained
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with small fresh batches. But as you'll see, there are a few tricks you can do
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with this material that do require it to sit for a day or more.
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The explosive should be stored and applied while wet.
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2.) Paint type explosive. This will use up a lot of iodine crystals. Make up a
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strong tincture of iodine using about 4 ounces or 1/2 measuring cup of rubbing
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alcohol, denatured alcohol, or wood alcohol. Wood alcohol is preferable. Add
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iodine crystals and shake thoroughly until no more will dissolve. Pour the
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liquid into a fruit jar. Add the ammonium hydroxide and stir the mixture until
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the mixture is a chocolate brown and shows a little of the original color of
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the iodine. The amount of ammonia necessary will depend on its strength. An
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equal volume of ammonia is usually sufficient for a 15% or higher solution. The
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solution should be filtered at once, and shouldn't ever wait more than 10 or 15
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minutes, because it starts to dissolve again.
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The explosive again should be stored and applied while wet. This material is
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chemically the same as the granular explosive, but because it was precipitated
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from a solution, it is much more finely divided, and the reaction happens
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almost simultaneously, so you can get it out before it all vanishes back into
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the solution.
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3.) Paint type #2. Dissolve 1 gram of potassium iodide in about 90cc of
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18%-22% ammonium hydroxide. Add 4 grams of pulverized iodine. A deep black
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sediment should start forming. Let stand, and stir frequently for five minutes.
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Then, filter as usual. While the potassium iodide is not an integral part of
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the chemical reaction, the dissolved potassium iodide will allow the iodine
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crystals in turn to dissolve, and its common ion effect will cause less iodine
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crystals to be wasted. Since the iodine is by far the most expensive
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ingredient, you'll save money in the long run by using it.
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Care in Handling And Storage
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Because this material is so unstable it deteriorates quickly. Don't make any
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more than you need to use in the next 24 hours. If you can't use it all
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immediately, the container you keep it in should be recapped tightly after use
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and the mouth wiped clean. The explosive can cause dark stain damage to things
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as rugs, clothing, chair seats, wallpaper, and light or clear plastics. A
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strong solution of sodium thiosulfate is effective for removing stains from
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hands and clothing before they set. Never leave the container of explosive in
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direct sunlight for more than a few minutes, as it will weaken the strength. Do
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NOT attempt to make a large explosion as it is dangerous and can cause
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deafness. All equipment used should be thoroughly washed and the used filter
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paper flushed down the toilet. Under no circumstances attempt to handle the
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dried material which is extremely explosive and hazardous. If you can avoid
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storing the material in a container at all, there will be no chance that a
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loose stopper will let the material dry out and become a potential bomb. Tiny
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bits of this can be great fun, but it has to be handled with care.
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Application
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Although largely a scientific curiosity, this explosive finds itself well
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suited for practical jokes. It may easily be painted on the bottom side of
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light switches, sprinkled on floors, painted in keyholes, pencil sharpeners,
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doorknobs and in hundreds of other unsuspected places. It is also ideal for
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catching locker thieves and desk prowlers. It will leave a dark stain on his
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hands when it explodes, and only you will know how to remove it.
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Reaction Equations
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Ammonium
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Ammonium Ammonium Nitrogen
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Iodine Hydroxide Iodide Tri Iodide Water
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3I + 5NH OH ---> 3NH I + NH NI + 5H O
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2 4 4 3 3 2
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The theoretical yield of explosive from pure iodine is 54.1% by weight. The
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remainder of the iodine may be recovered for reuse from the ammonium iodide
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waste product by evaporating the waste liquid and treating with chlorine if a
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chemistry lab is available. The contact explosive is Ammonium Nitrogen
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Tri-Iodide, which explodes into iodine, nitrogen, and ammonia.
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Ammonium
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Nitrigen
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Tri-Iodide Iodine Nitrogen Ammonia
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2NH NI ---> 3I + N + 2NH
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3 3 2 2 3
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Some Clever Uses For This Material
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1.) Contact Explosive Torpedos. Get some gelatin capsules, the kind pills are
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made of. Fill the small half with uncooked dry tapioca until it is half full.
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Then place a wet blob of contact explosive about 4 times the size of a straight
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pin head on top of it. Either the granular or paint type explosive will work.
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The capsule is then filled the rest of the way up with tapioca until, when the
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capsule is put together, the grains of tapioca are packed tightly, and none are
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loose. If this is not done properly, the torpedos could go off prematurely, and
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the joke would be on you. The torpedos are then moistened at the joints to seal
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them and stored until the next day. They are not sensitive enough until the
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next day and too sensitive the day after, so plan your activities accordingly.
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These torpedos are the most fiendish devices made. You can lay one on top of a
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door, where it will roll off when the door is opened, and it will explode on
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contact with the floor. If you toss one some distance away it will appear as if
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someone else was responsible for the explosion. These torpedos are ideal as
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booby traps or for pulling practical jokes with. They may be carried in a small
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box filled with cotton until needed. Just treat the box gently, and all will be
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well.
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2.Contact Explosive Booby Traps. Prepare a small amount of contact explosive.
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Cut strips of newspaper 1 1/2 inches wide and 1 foot long. Cut a piece of
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string 1 foot long. Put a small amount of wet contact explosive on the strip of
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paper 1 inch from the end. Double the string. Now pull one end of the string
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back until there is a double loop in the string about 1 inch long. Do not tie.
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Lay this double loop across the wet contact explosive and tightly roll the
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paper and glue the end. Put away for a few days until thoroughly dry. When dry,
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pull the ends of the string and the booby trap will explode. The strings, when
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pulled, rub against the dry contact explosive, and make it explode.
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Getting The Materials
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There are quite a few chemical supply houses that you can mail order the
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materials you need. You'll have to sign a form stating that you're over 21 and
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won't use the chemicals for the types of things we're learning here. Note that
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the people who run these supply houses know what Iodine Crystals and Ammonium
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Hydroxide can do when mixed together, and if you order both from the same
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place, or in the same order, it may arouse some suspicion.
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Check the classified ads in the back of magazines like Popular Science for the
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current supply houses. Order as many catalogs as you can find. Not all sell
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every chemical that you may want for this series. Also, you can break the
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orders up so as not to look suspicious. Lastly, some houses are used to selling
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to individuals, and will provide chemicals in 1 or 4 ounce lots, while others
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prefer to sell to large institutions, and sell their wares in 1 or 5 pound
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jugs. Split up your orders according to the quantities of each item you think
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you will be needing. An ounce of Iodine Crystals will cost three or four
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dollars an ounce, and an ounce bottle of iodine is pretty tiny, but it goes a
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long way. If you had to buy that by the pound, you might just want to forget
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the whole thing. |