Touch Paper, Self Igniting Mixtures, Percussion Explosives
This is part of a series of files on pyrotechnics and explosives. It's serious
stuff, and can be really dangerous if you don't treat it seriously. For you
kids out there who watch too many cartoons, remember that if a part of your
body gets blown away in the REAL world, it STAYS blown away. If you can't
treat this stuff with respect, don't screw around with it.
Each file will start with a set of safety rules. Don't skip over them. Read
'em and MEMORIZE 'em!! At the beginning, there will be a set of general rules
that always apply. Then there will be some things that you HAVE TO KNOW about
the materials you will be using and making this time. Read it thoroughly
before starting anything.
Pyrotechnic preparations and explosives are, by their very nature, unstable,
and subject to ignition by explosion or heat, shock, or friction. A clear
understanding of their dangerous properties and due care in the handling of
ingredients or finished products is necessary if accidents are to be avoided.
Always observe all possible precautions, particularly the following:
1. Mix only small batches at one time. This means a few grams, or at
most, an ounce or so. Don't go for big mixes -- they only make for
bigger accidents. The power of an explosive cubes itself with
every ounce. (9 Ounces is 729 times as powerful as one ounce.)
2. When weighing chemicals, use a clean piece of paper on the scale
pan for each item. Then discard the used paper into a bucket of
water before weighing the next ingredient.
3. Be a safe worker. Dispose of any chemicals spilled on the
workbench or equipment between weighings. Don't keep open
containers of chemicals on your table, since accidental spillage
or mixing may occur. When finished with a container, close it, and
replace it on the storage shelf. Use only clean equipment.
4. Where chemicals are to be ground, grind them separately, NEVER
TOGETHER. Thoroughly wash and clean equipment before grinding
another ingredient.
5. Mixing of batches should be done outdoors, away from flammable
structures, such as buildings, barns, garages, etc. Mixes should
also be made in NON METALLIC containers to avoid sparks. Glass
also should not be used since it will shatter in case of an
accident. Handy small containers can be made by cutting off the
top of a plastic bottle three or four inches from the bottom. Some
mixes may most conveniently be made by placing the ingredients in
a plastic bottle and rolling around until the mixture is uniform.
In all cases, point the open end of the container away from
yourself. Never hold your body or face over the container. Any
stirring should be done with a wooden paddle or stick to avoid
sparks or static.
Powdered or ground materials may also be mixed by placing them on
a large sheet of paper on a flat surface and then rolling them
across the sheet by lifting the sides and corners one at a time.
6. Never ram or tamp mixes into paper or cardboard tubes. Pour the
material in and gently tap or shake the tube to settle the
contents down.
7. Store ingredients and finished mixes where they will not be a fire
hazard away from heat and flame. Finished preparations may be
stored in plastic bottles which will not shatter in case of an
accident. Since many of the ingredients and mixes are poisonous,
they should be stored out of reach of children or pets, preferably
locked away.
8. Be sure threads of screw top containers and caps are thoroughly
cleaned. This applies also to containers with stoppers of rubber
or cork and to all other types of closures. Traces of mixture
caught between the container and closure may be ignited by the
friction of opening or closing the container. Throughout any
procedure, WORK WITH CLEAN CONDITIONS.
9. ALWAYS WEAR A FACE SHIELD OR AT LEAST SHATTERPROOF SAFETY GLASSES.
Any careful worker does when handling dangerous materials. Be sure
lenses and frames are not flammable.
10. Always wear a dust respirator when handling chemicals in dust
form. These small particles gather in your lungs and stay there.
They may cause serious illnesses later on in life.
11. Always wear gloves when working with chemicals.
12. Always wear a waterproof lab apron.
13. If you must work indoors, have a good ventilation system.
14. Never smoke anywhere near where you are working.
15. Make sure there are NO open flames present, and NO MOTORS (they
produce sparks inside.) No hot water heaters, furnaces, or pilot
lights in stoves!! Sparks have been known to very readily explode
dust floating in the air.
16. ALWAYS work with someone. Two heads are better than one.
17. Have a source of water READILY available. (Fire extinguisher,
hose, etc.)
18. Never, under any circumstances, use any metal to load chemicals or
put chemicals in. Fireworks with metal casings are worse to handle
than a live hand grenade. Never use any metal container or can.
This includes the very dangerous CO2 cartridges. Many people have
been KILLED because of flying fragments from metal casings. Again,
please do not use metal in any circumstance.
19. Always be thoroughly familiar with the chemicals you are using.
Some information will be included in each file, but look for
whatever extra information you can. Materials that were once
thought to be safe can later be found out to be dangerous stuff.
20. Wash your hands and face thoroughly after using chemicals. Don't
forget to wash your EARS AND YOUR NOSE.
21. If any device you've built fails to work, leave it alone. After a
half hour or so, you may try to bury it, but never try to unload
or reuse any dud.
22. If dust particles start to form in the air, stop what you are
doing and leave until it settles.
23. Read the entire file before trying to do anything.
24. NEVER strike any mixture containing Chlorates, Nitrates,
Perchlorates, Permanganates, Bichromates, or powdered metals don't
drop them, or even handle them roughly.
These rules may all look like a lot of silly nonsense, but let's look at one
example. When the move "The Wizard of OZ" was made, the actress who played the
good witch was severely burned when one of the exploding special effects got
out of hand. The actress who played the bad witch got really messed up by the
green coloring used on her face, and the original actor who played the Tin Man
got his lungs destroyed by the aluminum dust used to color his face. The actor
we know of as the tin man was actually a replacement. The point is, these
chemicals were being used under the direction of people a lot more knowlegable
of chemicals than you are, and terrible accidents still happened. Don't take
this stuff lightly.
We will be using many more chemicals this time, and some can be quite
dangerous. Please read the following information carefully.
Sodium Azide - NaN
3
This white powder is very poisonous. It is also a bit unstable, so treat it
gently.
Lead Nitrate - Pb(NO )
3 2
This contains poisonous lead and is very water soluble so your body will
absorb it quickly, given the chance. The government has banned leaded paints
and is phasing out leaded gasoline because the stuff slowly accumulates in
your body and can screw up all sorts of important innards. If you are careless
with Lead Nitrate you can do a few lifetimes' worth of damage in one
afternoon.
Ammonium Nitrate - NH NO
4 3
Commonly used as fertilizer, this stuff is somewhat dangerous in large
quantities, particularly if it gets very hot. (Entire shiploads of this
material have been known to go up all at once.) When heated gently, it
decomposes into water and nitrous oxide (laughing gas). Farmers sometimes use
it to blow up tree stumps by mixing it with fuel oil and setting the gunk off
with a detonator. We'll have a very different use for it here.
Potassium Nitrate - KNO
3
Also known as saltpeter, this is commercially used as a diuretic for animals.
It also works as an oxidizing agent in various pyrotechnic mixtures. That is,
when heated it provides the oxygen needed to make the rest of the mixture
burn.
Potassium Potassium
Nitrate Nitrite Oxygen
2KNO ---> 2KNO + O
3 2 2
Potassium Chlorate - KClO
3
A much more spectacular oxidizing agent than Potassium Nitrate. It not only
yields more oxygen than Potassium Nitrate, it does so more easily. Pyrotechnic
mixtures containing this chemical will require much less of it, and yet burn
more fiercely. Even percussion can readily set the mixtures off. This can be
useful, but it sometimes makes the mixtures more sensitive than you'd like.
Mixtures containing this chemical must be handled carefully. Potassium
Chlorate is also poisonous.
Potassium Potassium
Chlorate Chloride Oxygen
2KClO ---> 2KCl + 3O
3 2
Aluminum Dust
Very finely divided aluminum. When put in a glass jar, it almost looks like a
solid piece of grey metal. In this form it is flammable. Also, it can
seriously damage your lungs if you inhale it. Be careful not to stir up any
clouds of dust, and it goes without saying that you shouldn't use it near an
open flame.
Zinc Dust
Very finely divided zinc. Not quite as flammable as Aluminum Dust, but still
worth handling carefully. Can also damage your lungs if inhaled.
Lampblack
This is very finely divided carbon, usually obtained as a soot from other
manufacturing processes. It is much more effective in pyrotechnic mixtures
than powdered charcoal. Tiny spots of this are almost unnoticeable, but they
stick to your hands and smear incredibly far. If you're not very tidy you
should expect to find black smears all over your face and hands after using
this.
Sulfur
A yellow powder used as a reducing agent in many pyrotechnic mixtures. Buy
this in the finely powdered form. You can also get it in hard lumps, but these
will just waste extra time as you have to grind them yourself.
Potassium Permanganate
An oxidizing agent that's somewhat less vigorous than others mentioned here.
Not usually used in pyrotechnic mixtures because it's more expensive and less
effective than some of the alternatives. There are a few cases when it's just
the