402 lines
23 KiB
Plaintext
402 lines
23 KiB
Plaintext
PrimoPyro1990
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.... Incendiaries ....
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DISCLAIMER: The following file contains information of harmful or illegal
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nature. Neither the BBS or author providing this information
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can be considered responsible for the use of this file.
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The person using this knowledge is solely responsible for
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it's use or misuse. This file is intended to educate only.
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Incendiaries are used to destroy all types of flammable substances. In add-
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ition incendiaries can be used to destroy metal structures or used on living
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targets as in the case of flame throwers.
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Incendiaries can be broken down into a few groups. These are petroleum based,
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metal alloys, thermites, metal-salt mixes, and exotics. The choice of
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incendiary depends on the target to be destroyed.
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The petroleum based incendiaries like napalm, use the oxygen from the air to
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keep combustion going. If the fire is smothered it will be extiguished.
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The petroleum can thickened (like napalm) or it can be a heavy oil (hard to
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ignite). Lighter types of petroleum (ligroin) are not the best to use as they
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evaporate quickly and the fumes tend to flash or explode instead of burning
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for a sustained time. Petroleum liquids burn at about 1000 deg. C. and
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release as much as 6 kcal/gm. They are usually used against wooden structures
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and other easily flammable things like people.
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Metal alloys such as magnesium alloys also use oxygen from the air to support
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combustion. In addition they can also use nitrogen from the air and still
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burn. If they are smothered they can reduce the smothering agent and still
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burn. A large amount of water or foam are best for fighting a magnesium
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fire. A small amount of water can give up its oxygen to the magnesium and
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release hydrogen gas. The result is a pretty good explosion. A magnesium
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alloy called "electron" was used during the second world war. This was made
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of about 90% magnesium, 8% aluminum, and the rest zinc and manganese. This
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alloy was strong and produced 2000 deg. C. and about 6 kcal per gram.
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This was used against wood or metal structures.
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Thermites are mixtures of an active metal and a less reactive metal oxide.
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The active metal reduces the less active metal oxide pulling off the oxygen
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and releasing a lot of heat and molten metal and metal oxide slag.
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Thermites are usually used to attack metal targets and are very effective in
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this role. A two or three pound charge can be placed on the hood of a auto
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and ignited. The thermite will burn through the hood and drip molten metal
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onto the engine. While this won't melt the engine it will warp or crack it
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plus it may sever gas lines which will start a secondary fire. Thermite
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formulas a varied but the standard mix is 25% aluminum powder, 75% iron scale
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(iron oxide). Thermites burn at about 2500 deg. C. Thermite is used almost
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exclusively against metal to weld it or melt it.
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Metal - Salt mixtures use a combustible metal and a salt oxidizer. They
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cannot be smothered or extinguished easily. To fight these fires the best
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tactic is to cover the device with sand or shoot them with a water jet. The
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jet will help break up the incendiary and wet any mixture that has not burnt.
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These mixtures are composed of oxidizers like potassium nitrate, metals like
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aluminum or magnesium, and fuels like sulfur, charcoal, or oils.
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These formulas produce a flame when burning unlike thermite and burn very
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quickly when compared with thermite. These mixes can be used in small caliber
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projectiles to make an incendiary shell. Usually the shock of the shell hit-
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ting the target sets off the incendiary. They burn at about 2000-3000 deg. C.
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Metal - Salt mixtures are usually used against easily flammable objects.
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Exotic incendiaries exist that ignite on exposure to air, release poisonous
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gases, or produce a second incendiary chemical. These incendiaries are used
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for special circumstances and targets.
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A Short Study of Arson
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An understanding of fires should be acquired if you want to use them to your
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best advantage. A study of the target should be made if possible. Find out
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what materials from the target can be used to start the fire. How long will
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it take the fire fighters to arrive? If the target is a building is there a
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sprinkler system installed? Fire and smoke alarms? Is the building wood
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framed or steel? A steel frame building can be destroyed if the temperature
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of the steel reaches 1000 deg. F. for 10 mins. This destroys the temper of
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the steel. Are the walls hollow? This can spread the fire from the bottom to
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the top of a two story house in about 1 min. A fire can be started in a
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corner of a room. This uses the walls to reflect heat into the room and also
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provides two walls for fuel. Use whatever materials are handy to help feed
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the fire. Make a trip to the library and look for books on fire fighting
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techniques and materials. Study these and learn what the fire fighters will
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use to stop your efforts. You can study chemical hazard lists to find incom-
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patible materials that can make an explosion or fire when combined. If a fire
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is started with good planning it makes little difference if its set with a
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book of matches and a cigarette fuse or an incendiary using high tech bells
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and whistles. An incendiary is more effective than an explosive in destroying
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some targets. Once an explosive goes off the damage is done but a fire builds
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until all the fuel is consumed.
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Here are a few characteristics of common flammable substances:
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Wood: Wood contains about 15-35% moisture. The less moisture the easier to
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ignite. At 110deg. C. wood dries, gases start liberating. 150deg. C. wood
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gives off more of these flammable gases. 230deg. C. wood begins to char. 300
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deg. C. carbonization of the wood. Above 300deg. C wood begins to burn.
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Wood is a good insulator and can keep fire from spreading easily if it blocks
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radiant heat. Green wood ignites with difficulty.
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Paper: Paper along with grain products (hay and cereal grasses) ignite very
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easily if dry. If the paper is bundled up however, you will find it is hard
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to ignite.
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Petroleum products: The flammability of petroleum liquids are determined by
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their flashpoint. The lower the flashpoint the easier the liquid is to
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ignite. Those liquids with higher flashpoints may have to be heated before
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they are flammable.
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The minimum concentration of vapors to be flammable for common substances are
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ethyl alcohol-73, acetone-65, benzene-49, ethyl ether-39, gasoline-33 MG/L.
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At 0 deg. C. ethyl alcohol gives a concentration of 34 mg/l and is not
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flammable at that temperature. In contrast ethyl ether has a concentration of
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780 mg/l at 0 deg. C. and is flammable.
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If you are trying to hide the fact that arson is the cause of the fire, try
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to use what is already on scene at the target. An electrical fire can be made
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by using a razor blade to slice into the insulation of a wire. If the wire is
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the stranded type pull out about 2/3 of the strands and cut them. A fire will
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start in that section of wire. If the wire is the solid type, file a section
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of wire to make it thinner. Arson investigators look for a hot spot in the
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ruins to find where the fire started. This hot spot is usually a section of
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target that is very charred. They especially examine the floor to see if it
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is charred. They look for char trails to see if the fire has been led to
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different sections of the target. A very fast spreading fire will be invest-
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igated as an arson job. They also use sniffers and gas chromotagraphy to look
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for traces of gasoline and other accelerators. An arsonist has to be on his
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toes to fool the investigators.
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Incendiary Devices and Formulas
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Incendiary Capsule: This device uses a pemanganate/glycerin reaction to make
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a short delay fire. Obtain a large gelatin capsule. Fill the larger side with
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potassium permanganate. Flatten a piece of plasticine to about 1/16" thick
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and press it over the permanganate to seal it into the capsule. Peel away
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the excess plasticine so the chemical is sealed in the capsule by a small
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disk of the putty. Fill the other side of the capsule about 1/2 full of
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glycerin. Take a small splinter of wood (toothpick) and place it in the
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glycerin. Now assemble the capsule but be careful not to press the ends of
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the capsule together very much. When you wish to use the capsule, simply
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press the ends of the capsule together. The splinter pierces the plasticine
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which allows the glycerin to contact the permanganate. The reaction starts
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a short time later and will ignite such things as paper or wood shavings.
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These devices cannot take much rough handling and usually have to be made
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near where they must be used.
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Spontaneous Combustion: Most people may have heard that you are not supposed
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to put oily rags in the garbage until they dry out because they may start
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a fire. This is because when oil drys it oxidizes and gives off a good deal
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of heat. This heat can build up in a closed container and ignite the rags.
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If you want to cause spontaneous combustion on purpose it is necessary to
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obtain oil dryers as these cause the oil to oxidize. Check out paint
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shops and see what they have to offer. You may wish to try drying oil which
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is a preparation of oil with premixed dryers.
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Dampen cotton, rags, wood pulp or the like with the oil and dryers. The
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combustible should not be dripping with the oil but it should be moist
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throughout. Make a 1" hole in the bottom of a styrofoam coffee cup and a 1"
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hole in the lid of the cup. Pack the cup with the oily combustible but leave
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a hole going through to the bottom hole. Do not pack the combustible too
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tightly in the cup. Put the lid on and lay the cup down on its side Or put
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the cup on something so that free air can reach the hole in the bottom of
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the cup. In as little as 1/2 hr. to as much as 4 hrs. later the cup will
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burst into flames if the oil is reactive enough. The time delay will depend
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on such things as ambient temperature or air movements.
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Phosphorous Delay: White phosphorous is a substance that ignites on exposure
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to air. You can dissolve it in carbon disulfide which gives you a liquid
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that can be poured on to paper or the like. As the disulfide evaporates, it
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leaves behind particles of phosphorous which will ignite the disulfide fumes
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and the paper. Since the disulfide evaporates fast you can add benzene or
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naptha to it to keep the evaporation down. One drawback to using this mix is
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the disulfide smells like sulfur which can give away its presence. Both the
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phosphorous and the carbon disulfide are extremely dangerous to handle. They
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should only be used after you are familiar with them. As a note, carbon
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disulfide fumes can be ignited by the heat of a 60 watt lightbulb. Handle
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with care.
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About a century ago, white phophorous (WP) was added to a glue called Chloral
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Du Pottage. This was a glue made from chloral hydrate. The resulting mixture
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was used to soak a piece of paper that was then placed into a glazed envelope
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and sealed. After the glue dries, if the envelope was opened it burst into
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a violent flame. These fire bombs remained active for about 24 hrs. after
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which the phosphorous was slowly oxidized and the bomb became inactive.
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The chloral glue formula may be found in an old library book called Richard's
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Book of Formulas (or something similar). Perhaps you can bring this device
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up to date by using an acrylic glue
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Fireflys: These are simple devices used to blow up a car. One consists of a
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large gelatin capsule that is half filled with calcium carbide while the
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other half contains a piece of sodium metal.(store these in a dry place,
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and not for very long ) 2 or 3 of these can be dropped into a automobile
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gasoline tank. Condensation causes water to form in the bottom of the
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tank. This water dissolves the gelatin which exposes the chemicals to the
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water. The carbide reacts with the water to form acetylene while the sodium
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starts a fire. The resulting explosion ruptures the gas tank and ignites the
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gasoline. Another form of firefly is made of a small cork float. This is
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weighted to keep one end up when floating. On this exposed end a small spiral
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of platinum wire is fixed. A small amount of cotton is placed inside the
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spiral. To use these, soak the cotton with gasoline just before dropping one
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in a gas tank. As the gas tank empties, air replaces the gas used. The air
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and gasoline fumes reach a level that causes the platinum to behave as a
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catalyst which ignites the air/gasoline mix. In trial, the platinum firefly
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has 50/50 success rate. Removing the cotton may increase the probability of
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an explosion at the risk of some danger when dropping the device into the
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tank.
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Note: Some gas tanks have a screen in the gasoline tank so you cannot drop
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anything into the tank until it is pierced. Also when using the sodium metal/
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carbide firefly you may want to pour about 8 oz. of water into the tank after
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putting in the capsules. Instead of platinum wire, you may want to try using
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the element from a catalytic hand warmer. These are the hand warmers fueled
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with a lighter fluid type fuel. Also keep in mind that this device usually
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works as the car is being driven which will probably result in death. If you
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don't wish to kill someone, just use an icepick and poke a hole in the gas
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tank to empty it.
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Sodium Peroxide: This is a chemical that releases oxygen and heat on contact
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with water. A small amount of this chemical can be sprinkled on rags or paper
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which will ignite after a time if the humidity is high enough. Mixtures of
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this chemical and powdered metal should be avoided as spontaneous ignition
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may occur during mixing.
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Sausages: These where airdropped during the vietnam war. All they consist of
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is a liquid incendiary sealed into a heavy plastic bag. During the war a
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string of these were dropped from airplanes to ignite the target. The incen-
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diary used was Napalm B which is a plastic gel made by mixing polystyrene
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foam with gasoline. Sometimes sodium nitrate and sulfur was added to help
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the burning. A reasonable facsimile can be made up for the purpose of carry-
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ing a small incendiary device. The weight of the filling should be about 4oz.
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A standard blasting fuse can ignite these.
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Timed Gas Explosion: Obtain a butane lighter refill. These are the aluminum
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cylinders used to refill butane lighters. Use a paint remover on it to take
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off all of labeling. After the paint is removed, clean up the cylinder with
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some fine grit sandpaper. Now get a large glass jar. Bring these plus a
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bottle of sodium hydroxide (lye,drano) to your target. If the target has a
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gas water heater (or any appliance with a pilot light) this will be used to
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ignite the explosion. Otherwise you will need a candle (try a trick candle,
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one of the ones you can't blow out). Put the jar down next to the heater, and
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put the stripped cylinder in it. Fill up the jar with lye and leave quickly.
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The lye will eat the aluminum cylinder and release the gas in an explosion.
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the pilot light on the heater will ignite the butane and cause an explosion.
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This will take about 10 mins. depending on the strength of the lye. If you
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use a candle, set it away from the jar so when the gas first releases the
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flame does not blow out.
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Accelerant: As I said before, arson investigators will look for traces of an
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accelerant especially if the fire is fast spreading. The usual accelerant,
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gasoline, leaves traces that are easy to find. However, if you take sodium
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chlorate and dissolve about 150 gms. in 150 ml. of warm water you will make
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an accelerant that is hard to find. Soak the substance to be ignited with
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this liquid. When it dries the material will be highly flammable. Be careful
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as the material will be highly spark and friction sensitive. The chlorate,
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while not flammable in itself will give off oxygen when heated and make any
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organic material very flammable. When the material is burnt, the chlorate
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reduces to salt (NaCl, table salt). This is usually dissolved in the fire
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fighters water and is very rarely found, Even if it is found, They invest-
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igators will probably not make its connection to the fire. The chlorate
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treated material will also ignite if contact is made with sulfuric acid. This
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can be used to produce an acid-delay. Fill a rubber ballon with about an
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ounce of sulfuric acid and tie off the ballon. Place this ballon on the
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treated substance. When the acid eats through the ballon the material will
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ignite. Make sure the ballon has no holes in it.
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Napalm: Napalm is simply thickened gasoline. It burns longer than gasoline
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and is not as explosive as gas. A simple napalm is made by adding two con-
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centrated solutions together. One is a solution of soap (not detergent), the
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other solution is aluminum sulfate (alum). A precipitate results when the
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solutions are mixed. This precipitate is filtered out and dried. This powder
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is usually added to gasoline in about 5 - 15% strength. Another type of
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napalm is made by melting parafin wax and pouring it into gasoline. When the
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gas cools it will thicken up. A form of solid gasoline is made with polyvinyl
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alcohol and formaldehyde as the thickener.
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A thin napalm is used for flamethrowers. Another mix for flamethrowers is
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25% kerosene, 50% heavy oil, and 25% gasoline. The fuel for flamethrowers
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should not burn up in the travel to the target but rather on the target.
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Goop: Goop is an attempt to get the best of napalm and metal incendiaries in
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one mixture. It is made in two parts.
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Part 1
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Magnesium Powder 40%
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Asphalt 20%
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Heavy Oil 20%
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Gasoline 20%
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Part 2
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Aluminum Powder 20%
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Iron oxide 40%
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Potassium Nitrate 30%
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Sulfur 10%
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This is mixed by taking 50% by volume of part 2 and mixing it well with part
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1. This is easily ignited and produces a large flame plus a lot of heat. It
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cannot be extinguished by normal means and is effective on both wood and
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metal.
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In Afganistan, the Russians were reported to air drop an incendiary "goop"
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that was stable until disturbed (stepped on). Then the incendiary burst into
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flames. This is very likely a WP mixture along with oxidizers and a tar-like
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substance that also kept the WP and the oxidizers from reacting with each
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other. How it was kept stable in storage is unknown.
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Thermite: One of the best known incendiaries is thermite. The thermite reac-
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tion was used originally to produce super pure metals but was adapted to
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war uses. The most common formula for thermite is 25% coarse aluminum, 75%
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iron oxide. It is difficult to ignite but once burning it is almost imposs-
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ible to put out. For more information on thermite see my file Thermite.txt
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on the HOTLINE BBS.
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Thermite Incendiaries: These mixtures use additional chemicals that help
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thermite ignite easier, produce a flame, or increase the heat liberated
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by the thermite reaction. The thermite makes up 50% - 80% of the mixture.
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FORMULA 1
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Barium Nitrate 25%
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Iron Oxide 50%
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Aluminum 25%
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FORMULA 2
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Barium Nitrate 45%
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Iron Oxide 25%
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Aluminum 15%
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Magnesium 15%
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Metal - Salt: These mixtures are almost used exclusively to load a projectile
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to make it explode into a ball of flame and sparks upon impact. These are
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used against gas tanks and the like. They must be insensitive enough so the
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setback forces of firing the projectile does not ignite the incendiary. Yet
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they must be sensitive enough to ignite when they hit the target. Some
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typical mixtures are:
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FORMULA 1
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Potassium Perchlorate 50%
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Magnesium 25%
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Aluminum 25%
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FORMULA 2
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Potassium Nitrate 50%
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Potassium Perchlorate 15%
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Aluminum 25%
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Charcoal 10%
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The above two formulas are more suitable for incendiary projectiles. They
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explode more than burn and the flash from the explosion ignites the target.
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Metal-Salt mixtures that burn slower and are more suitable for an incendiary
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charge usually include oil or a wax plus sulfur to slow down the burning.
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The following formulas are examples.
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FORMULA 1
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Potassium Nitrate 60%
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Light Oil 20%
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Aluminum Powder 10%
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Sulfur 5%
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Charcoal 5%
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FORMULA 2
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Potassium Nitrate 55%
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Paraffin Wax 20%
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Iron Oxide 10%
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Aluminum Powder 10%
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Sulfur 5%
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Exotic Incendiaries: Some exotic incendiaries are pyrophoric metals, phoph-
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orous/sulfur mixtures, alkyl-alkali metal derivatives, and boron compounds.
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Since the use of these incendiaries require more knowledge than can be gained
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by simply reading a few pages on incendiaries, only a quick review will be
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given.
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Pyrophoric metals are metal powders that are barren of any oxide coating and
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are of such small dimensions that they catch fire on exposure to air. An
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example is made by heating lead tartate (made by adding tartaric acid to lead
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acetate) in a test tube. While you can still smell the tarlike fumes coming
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off, cork the tube. Throw the tube and break it or just open up the test tube
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and the lead will burst into sparks. Pyrophoric metals are made in an inert
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atmosphere to stop oxidation of the metal.
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Phosphorous/Sulfur mixtures form an alloy that is liquid at normal temper-
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atures. The usual percentages are 75% white phosphorous and 25% sulfur. This
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compound ignites spontaneously in the air and gives some nasty burns plus
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releases large amounts of noxious sulfur dioxide fumes when burning.
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Dimethyl sodium is a liquid that is also spontaneously ignites in the air.
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Alkyl metal derivatives are poisonous to handle
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Boron is a high energy metal. Compounds of boron release very great amounts
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of heat when burning. Unfortunately, these compounds are also very poisonous
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and this has limited research in their use.
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Before making incendiaries, find out the properties of the chemicals you are
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using. Be especially careful of white phosphorous. WP has the ability to
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literally burn its way through your body. To get it out of say your arm,
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turn your arm upside down so the WP burns back through the hole it made going
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in. The burns are very slow to heal and WP is poisonous and destroys the
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liver and bones.
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Safety equipment should be used when making these devices and mixtures.
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Invest in a good face shield, leather gloves and aprons will protect against
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flash burns. A leather skull cap will help protect your hair. These and
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other equipment may save you from injury or death. Remember, it is your
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responsibility if you try using any of this information.
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*** Kilroy was here ***
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