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- IGNITION DEVICES
-
- There are many ways to ignite explosive devices. There is the classic
- "light the fuse, throw the bomb, and run" approach, and there are sensitive
- mercury switches, and many things in between. Generally, electrical
- detonation systems are safer than fuses, but there are times when fuses are
- more appropriate than electrical systems; it is difficult to carry an
- electrical detonation system into a stadium, for instance, without being
- caught. A device with a fuse or impact detonating fuze would be easier to
- hide.
-
- FUSE IGNITION
-
- The oldest form of explosive ignition, fuses are perhaps the favorite
- type of simple ignition system. By simply placing a piece of waterproof fuse
- in a device, one can have almost guaranteed ignition. Modern waterproof fuse
- is extremely reliable, burning at a rate of about 2.5 seconds to the inch. It
- is available as model rocketry fuse in most hobby shops, and costs about $3.00
- for a nine-foot length. Cannon Fuse is a popular ignition system for pipe
- bombers because of its simplicity. All that need be done is light it with a
- match or lighter. Of course, if the Army had fuses like this, then the
- grenade, which uses fuse ignition, would be very impracticle. If a grenade
- ignition system can be acquired, by all means, it is the most effective. But,
- since such things do not just float around, the next best thing is to prepare
- a fuse system which does not require the use of a match or lighter, but still
- retains its simplicity. One such method is described below:
-
-
- MATERIALS
- _________
- strike-on-cover type matches electrical tape or duct tape
- waterproof fuse
-
- 1) To determine the burn rate of a particular type of fuse, simply measure a 6
- inch or longer piece of fuse and ignite it. With a stopwatch, press the
- start button the at the instant when the fuse lights, and stop the watch
- when the fuse reaches its end. Divide the time of burn by the length of
- fuse, and you have the burn rate of the fuse, in seconds per inch. This
- will be shown below:
-
- Suppose an eight inch piece of fuse is burned, and its complete time of
- combustion is 20 seconds.
-
- 20 seconds / 8 inches = 2.5 seconds per inch.
-
- If a delay of 10 seconds was desired with this fuse, divide the desired
- time by the number of seconds per inch:
-
- 10 seconds / 2.5 seconds per inch = 4 inches
-
- NOTE: THE LENGTH OF FUSE HERE MEANS LENGTH OF FUSE TO THE POWDER. SOME FUSE,
- AT LEAST AN INCH, SHOULD BE INSIDE THE DEVICE. ALWAYS ADD THIS EXTRA INCH,
- AND PUT THIS EXTRA INCH AN INCH INTO THE DEVICE!!!
-
- 2) After deciding how long a delay is desired before the explosive device is
- to go off, add about 1/2 an inch to the premeasured amount of fuse, and cut
- it off.
-
- 3) Carefully remove the cardboard matches from the paper match case. Do not
- pull off individual matches; keep all the matches attached to the cardboard
- base. Take one of the cardboard match sections, and leave the other one to
- make a second igniter.
-
- 4) Wrap the matches around the end of the fuse, with the heads of the matches
- touching the very end of the fuse. Tape them there securely, making sure
- not to put tape over the match heads. Make sure they are very secure by
- pulling on them at the base of the assembly. They should not be able to
- move.
-
- 5) Wrap the cover of the matches around the matches attached to the fuse,
- making sure that the striker paper is below the match heads and the striker
- faces the match heads. Tape the paper so that is fairly tight around the
- matches. Do not tape the cover of the striker to the fuse or to the
- matches. Leave enough of the match book to pull on for ignition.
-
-
- _____________________
- \ /
- \ / ------ match book cover
- \ /
- | M|f|M ---|------- match head
- | A|u|A |
- | T|s|T |
- | C|e|C |
- |tapeH|.|Htape|
- | |f| |
- |#####|u|#####|-------- striking paper
- |#####|s|#####|
- \ |e| /
- \ |.| /
- \ |f| /
- \ |u| /
- |ta|s|pe|
- |ta|e|pe|
- |.|
- |f|
- |u|
- |s|
- |e|
- |.|
- |_|
-
- The match book is wrapped around the matches, and is taped to itself.
- The matches are taped to the fuse. The striker will rub against the
- matcheads when the match book is pulled.
-
- 6) When ready to use, simply pull on the match paper. It should pull the
- striking paper across the match heads with enough friction to light them.
- In turn, the burning matcheads will light the fuse, since it adjacent to
- the burning match heads.
-
-
- HOW TO MAKE BLACKMATCH FUSE:
- ----------------------------
-
- Take a flat piece of plastic or metal (brass or aluminum are easy to work
- with and won't rust). Drill a 1/16th inch hole through it. This is your die
- for sizing the fuse. You can make fuses as big as you want, but this is the
- right size for the pipe bomb I will be getting to later.
-
- To about 1/2 cup of black powder add water to make a thin paste. Add 1/2
- teaspoon of corn starch. Cut some one foot lengths of cotton thread. Use
- cotton, not silk or thread made from synthetic fibers. Put these together
- until you have a thickness that fills the hole in the die but can be drawn
- through very easily.
-
- Tie your bundle of threads together at one end. Separate the threads and
- hold the bundle over the black powder mixture. Lower the threads with a
- circular motion so they start curling onto the mixture. Press them under with
- the back of a teaspoon and continue lowering them so they coil into the paste.
- Take the end you are holding and thread it through the die. Pull it through
- smoothly in one long motion.
-
- To dry your fuse, lay it on a piece of aluminum foil and bake it in your 250
- degree oven or tie it to a grill in the oven and let it hang down. The fuse
- must be baked to make it stiff enough for the uses it will be put to later.
- Air drying will not do the job. If you used Sodium Nitrate, it will not even
- dry completely at room temperatures.
-
- Cut the dry fuse with sissors into 2 inch lengths and store in an air tight
- container. Handle this fuse carefuly to avoid breaking it. You can also use
- a firecracker fuse if you have any available. The fuses can usually be pulled
- out without breaking. To give yourself some running time, you will be
- extending these fuses (blackmatch or firecracker fuse) with sulfured wick.
-
- Finally, it is possible to make a relatively slow-burning fuse in the
- home. By dissolving about one teaspoon of black powder in about 1/4 a cup of
- boiling water, and, while it is still hot, soaking in it a long piece of all
- cotton string, a slow-burning fuse can be made. After the soaked string dries,
- it must then be tied to the fuse of an explosive device. Sometimes, the end of
- the slow burning fuse that meets the normal fuse has a charge of black powder
- or gunpowder at the intersection point to insure ignition, since the
- slow-burning fuse does not burn at a very high temperature.
-
- A similar type of slow fuse can be made by taking the above mixture of
- boiling water and black powder and pouring it on a long piece of toilet paper.
- The wet toilet paper is then gently twisted up so that it resembles a
- firecracker fuse, and is allowed to dry.
-
-
- HOW TO MAKE SULFURED WICK
- -------------------------
-
-
- Use heavy cotton string about 1/8th inch in diameter. You can find some at
- a garden supply for tieing up your tomatoes. Be sure it's cotton. You can
- test it by lighting one end. It sould continue to burn after the match is
- removed and when blown out will have a smoldering coal on the end. Put some
- sulfur in a small container like a small pie pan and melt it in the oven at
- 250 degrees.
-
- It will melt into a transparent yellow liquid. If it starts turning
- brown, it is too hot. Coil about a one foot length of string into it. The
- melted sulfur will soak in quickly. When saturated, pull it out and tie it up
- to cool and harden.
-
- It can be cut to desired lengths with sissors. 2 inches is about right.
- These wicks will burn slowly with a blue flame and do not blow out easily in a
- moderate wind. They will not burn through a hole in a metal pipe, but are
- great for extending your other fuse. They will not throw off sparks.
- Blackmatch generates sparks which can ignite it along its length causing
- unpredictable burning times.
-
-
- --IMPACT IGNITION
-
- Impact ignition is an excellent method of ignition for spontaneous
- terrorist activities. The problem with an impact-detonating device is that it
- must be kept in a very safe container so that it will not explode while being
- transported to the place where it is to be used. This can be done by having a
- removable impact initiator.
-
- The best and most reliable impact initiator is one that uses factory made
- initiators or primers. A no. 11 cap for black powder firearms is one such
- primer. They usually come in boxes of 100, and cost about $2.50. To use such a
- cap, however, one needs a nipple that it will fit on. Black powder nipples are
- also available in gun stores. All that a person has to do is ask for a package
- of nipples and the caps that fit them. Nipples have a hole that goes all the
- way through them, and they have a threaded end, and an end to put the cap on.
- A cutaway of a nipple is shown below:
-
-
- ________________
- | |
- _ | |
- | | |/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\|
- _______| |^^^^^^^|
- | ___________|
- | |
- no. 11 |_______|
- percussion _______ ------- threads for screwing
- cap :
- here |__________ nipple onto bomb
- |____ |
- | |^^^^^^^^^|
- |_| |/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/|
- | |
- |_________________|
-
-
- When making using this type of initiator, a hole must be drilled into
- whatever container is used to make the bomb out of. The nipple is then screwed
- into the hole so that it fits tightly. Then, the cap can be carried and placed
- on the bomb when it is to be thrown. The cap should be bent a small amount
- before it is placed on the nipple, to make sure that it stays in place. The
- only other problem involved with an impact detonating bomb is that it must
- strike a hard surface on the nipple to set it off. By attaching fins or a
- small parachute on the end of the bomb opposite the primer, the bomb, when
- thrown, should strike the ground on the primer, and explode. Of course, a bomb
- with mercury fulminate in each end will go off on impact regardless of which
- end it strikes on, but mercury fulminate is also likely to go off if the
- person carrying the bomb is bumped hard.
-
-
- ---MAGICUBE IGNITOR
-
- A VERY SENSITIVE and reliable impact iniator can be produced from the
- common MAGICUBE ($2.40 for 12) type flashbulbs. Simply crack the plastic
- cover off, remove the reflector, and you will see 4 bulbs, each of which has
- a small metal rod holding it in place.
-
- CAREFULLY grasp this rod with a pair of needle-nose pliers, and pry gently
- upwards, making sure that NO FORCE IS APPLIED TO THE GLASS BULB.
-
- Each bulb is coated with plastic, which must be removed for them to be
- effective in our application. This coating can be removed by soaking the
- bulbs in a small glass of acetone for 30-45 minutes, at which point the
- plastic can be easily peeled away.
-
- The best method to use these is to dissolve some nitrocellulose based
- smokeless powder in acetone and/or ether, forming a thich glue-like paste.
- Coat the end of the fuse with this paste, then stick the bulb (with the metal
- rod facing out) into the paste. About half the bulb should be completely
- covered, and if a VERY THIN layer of nitrocellulose is coated over the
- remainder then ignition should be very reliable.
-
- To insure that the device lands with the bulb down, a small streamer
- can be attached to the opposite side, so when it is tossed high into the air
- the appropriate end will hit the ground first.
-
-
- ---ELECTRICAL IGNITION
-
- Electrical ignition systems for detonation are usually the safest and
- most reliable form of ignition. Electrical systems are ideal for demolition
- work, if one doesn't have to worry so much about being caught. With two spools
- of 500 ft of wire and a car battery, one can detonate explosives from a
- "safe", comfortable distance, and be sure that there is nobody around that
- could get hurt. With an electrical system, one can control exactly what time a
- device will explode, within fractions of a second. Detonation can be aborted
- in less than a second's warning, if a person suddenly walks by the detonation
- sight, or if a police car chooses to roll by at the time. The two best
- electrical igniters are military squibs and model rocketry igniters. Blasting
- caps for construction also work well. Model rocketry igniters are sold in
- packages of six, and cost about $1.00 per pack. All that need be done to use
- them is connect it to two wires and run a current through them. Military
- squibs are difficult to get, but they are a little bit better, since they
- explode when a current is run through them, whereas rocketry igniters only
- burst into flame. Most squibs will NOT detonate KClO3/petroleum jelly or RDX.
- This requires a blasting cap type detonation in most cases. There are,
- however, military explosive squibs which will do the job.
-
- Igniters can be used to set off black powder, mercury fulminate, or guncotton,
- which in turn, can set of a high order explosive.
-
-
- ---HOW TO MAKE AN ELECTRIC FUZE (By Capt. Hack & GW)
-
- Take a flashlight bulb and place it glass tip down on a file. Grind it
- down on the file until there is a hole in the end. Solder one wire to the case
- of the bulb and another to the center conductor at the end. Fill the bulb
- with black powder or powdered match head. One or two flashlight batteries will
- heat the filament in the bulb causing the powder to ignite.
-
-
- ---ANOTHER ELECTRIC FUZE
-
- Take a medium grade of steel wool and pull a strand out of it. Attach it
- to the ends of two pieces of copper wire by wrapping it around a few turns and
- then pinch on a small piece of solder to bind the strand to the wire. You want
- about 1/2 inch of steel strand between the wires. Number 18 or 20 is a good
- size wire to use.
- Cut a 1/2 by 1 inch piece of cardboard of the type used in match covers.
- Place a small pile of powdered match head in the center and press it flat.
- place the wires so the steel strand is on top of and in contact with the
- powder. Sprinkle on more powder to cover the strand.
- The strand should be surounded with powder and not touching anything else
- except the wires at its ends. Place a piece of blackmatch in contact with the
- powder. Now put a piece of masking tape on top of the lot, and fold it under
- on the two ends. Press it down so it sticks all around the powder.
- The wires are sticking out on one side and the blackmatch on the other.
- A single flashlight battery will set this off.
-
- ---ELECTRO-MECHANICAL IGNITION
-
- Electro-mechanical ignition systems are systems that use some type of
- mechanical switch to set off an explosive charge electrically. This type of
- switch is typically used in booby traps or other devices in which the person
- who places the bomb does not wish to be anywhere near the device when it
- explodes. Several types of electro-mechanical detonators will be discussed
-
- ---Mercury Switches
-
- Mercury switches are a switch that uses the fact that mercury metal
- conducts electricity, as do all metals, but mercury metal is a liquid at room
- temperatures. A typical mercury switch is a sealed glass tube with two
- electrodes and a bead of mercury metal. It is sealed because of mercury's
- nasty habit of giving off brain-damaging vapors. The diagram below may help to
- explain a mercury switch.
-
-
- ______________
- A / \ B
- _____wire +______/_________ \
- \ ( Hg )| /
- \ _(_Hg___)|___/
- |
- |
- wire - |
- |
- |
-
- When the drop of mercury ("Hg" is mercury's atomic symbol) touches both
- contacts, current flows through the switch. If this particular switch was in
- its present position, A---B, current would be flowing, since the mercury can
- touch both contacts in the horizontal position.
-
- If, however, it was in the | position, the drop of mercury would only
- touch the + contact on the A side. Current, then couldn't flow, since mercury
- does not reach both contacts when the switch is in the vertical position. This
- type of switch is ideal to place by a door. If it were placed in the path of a
- swinging door in the verticle position, the motion of the door would knock the
- switch down, if it was held to the ground by a piece if tape. This would tilt
- the switch into the verticle position, causing the mercury to touch both
- contacts, allowing current to flow through the mercury, and to the igniter or
- squib in an explosive device.
-
-
- ---Tripwire Switches
-
- A tripwire is an element of the classic booby trap. By placing a nearly
- invisible line of string or fishing line in the probable path of a victim, and
- by putting some type of trap there also, nasty things can be caused to occur.
- If this mode of thought is applied to explosives, how would one use such a
- tripwire to detonate a bomb. The technique is simple. By wrapping the tips
- of a standard clothespin with aluminum foil, and placing something between
- them, and connecting wires to each aluminum foil contact, an electric tripwire
- can be made, If a piece of wood attached to the tripwire was placed between
- the contacts on the clothespin, the clothespin would serve as a switch. When
- the tripwire was pulled, the clothespin would snap together, allowing current
- to flow between the two pieces of aluminum foil, thereby completing a circuit,
- which would have the igniter or squib in it. Current would flow between the
- contacts to the igniter or squib, heat the igniter or squib, causing it it to
- explode. Make sure that the aluminum foil contacts do not touch the spring,
- since the spring also conducts electricity.
-
-
- ---Radio Control Detonators
-
- In the movies, every terrorist or criminal uses a radio controlled
- detonator to set off explosives. With a good radio detonator, one can be
- several miles away from the device, and still control exactly when it
- explodes, in much the same way as an electrical switch. The problem with
- radio detonators is that they are rather costly. However, there could
- possibly be a reason that a terrorist would wish to spend the amounts of money
- involved with a RC (radio control) system and use it as a detonator. If such
- an individual wanted to devise an RC detonator, all he would need to do is
- visit the local hobby store or toy store, and buy a radio controlled toy.
- Taking it back to his/her abode, all that he/she would have to do is detach
- the solenoid/motor that controls the motion of the front wheels of a RC car,
- or detach the solenoid/motor of the elevators/rudder of a RC plane, or the
- rudder of a RC boat, and re-connect the squib or rocket engine igniter to the
- contacts for the solenoid/motor. The device should be tested several times
- with squibs or igniters, and fully charged batteries should be in both he
- controller and the receiver (the part that used to move parts before the
- device became a detonator).
-
- ---DELAYS
-
- A delay is a device which causes time to pass from when a device is set
- up to the time that it explodes. A regular fuse is a delay, but it would cost
- quite a bit to have a 24 hour delay with a fuse. This section deals with the
- different types of delays that can be employed by a terrorist who wishes to be
- sure that his bomb will go off, but wants to be out of the country when it
- does.
-
-
- ---FUSE DELAYS
-
- It is extremely simple to delay explosive devices that employ fuses for
- ignition. Perhaps the simplest way to do so is with a cigarette. An average
- cigarette burns for between 8-11 minutes. The higher the "tar" and nicotine
- rating, the slower the cigarette burns. Low "tar" and nicotine cigarettes burn
- quicker than the higher "tar" and nicotine cigarettes, but they are also less
- likely to go out if left unattended, i.e. not smoked. Depending on the wind or
- draft in a given place, a high "tar" cigarette is better for delaying the
- ignition of a fuse, but there must be enough wind or draft to give the
- cigarette enough oxygen to burn. People who use cigarettes for the purpose of
- delaying fuses will often test the cigarettes that they plan to use in advance
- to make sure they stay lit and to see how long it will burn. Once a cigarettes
- burn rate is determined, it is a simple matter of carefully putting a hole all
- the way through a cigarette with a toothpick at the point desired, and pushing
- the fuse for a device in the hole formed.
-
-
-
- |=|
- |=| ---------- filter
- |=|
- | |
- | |
- |o| ---------- hole for fuse
- cigarette ------------ | |
- | |
- | |
- | |
- | |
- | |
- | |
- | |
- | |
- |_| ---------- light this end
-
-
- ---TIMER DELAYS
-
- Timer delays, or "time bombs" are usually employed by an individual who
- wishes to threaten a place with a bomb and demand money to reveal its location
- and means to disarm it. Such a device could be placed in any populated place if
- it were concealed properly. There are several ways to build a timer delay. By
- simply using a screw as one contact at the time that detonation is desired, and
- using the hour hand of a clock as the other contact, a simple timer can be made.
- The minute hand of a clock should be removed, unless a delay of less than an
- hour is desired.
-
- The main disadvantage with this type of timer is that it can only be set
- for a maximum time of 12 hours. If an electronic timer is used, such as that
- in an electronic clock, then delays of up to 24 hours are possible. By
- removing the speaker from an electronic clock, and attaching the wires of a
- squib or igniter to them, a timer with a delay of up to 24 hours can be made.
- All that one has to do is set the alarm time of the clock to the desired time,
- connect the leads, and go away. This could also be done with an electronic
- watch, if a larger battery were used, and the current to the speaker of the
- watch was stepped up via a transformer. This would be good, since such a
- timer could be extremely small.
-
- The timer in a VCR (Video Cassette Recorder) would be ideal. VCR's can
- usually be set for times of up to a week. The leads from the timer to the
- recording equipment would be the ones that an igniter or squib would be
- connected to. Also, one can buy timers from electronics stores that would be
- work well. Finally, one could employ a digital watch, and use a relay, or
- electro-magnetic switch to fire the igniter, and the current of the watch
- would not have to be stepped up.
-
-
- ---CHEMICAL DELAYS
-
- Chemical delays are uncommon, but they can be extremely effective in some
- cases. These were often used in the bombs the Germans dropped on England. The
- delay would ensure that a bomb would detonate hours or even days after the
- initial bombing raid, thereby increasing the terrifying effect on the British
- citizenry.
-
- If a glass container is filled with concentrated sulfuric acid, and capped
- with several thicknesses of aluminum foil, or a cap that it will eat through,
- then it can be used as a delay. Sulfuric acid will react with aluminum foil
- to produce aluminum sulfate and hydrogen gas, and so the container must be
- open to the air on one end so that the pressure of the hydrogen gas that is
- forming does not break the container.
-
-
- _ _
- | | | |
- | | | |
- | | | |
- | |_____________| |
- | | | |
- | | sulfuric | |
- | | | |
- | | acid | |
- | | | |---------- aluminum foil
- | |_____________| | (several thicknesses)
- |_________________|
-
-
- The aluminum foil is placed over the bottom of the container and secured
- there with tape. When the acid eats through the aluminum foil, it can be used
- to ignite an explosive device in several ways.
-
- 1) Sulfuric acid is a good conductor of electricity. If the acid that eats
- through the foil is collected in a glass container placed underneath the
- foil, and two wires are placed in the glass container, a current will be
- able to flow through the acid when both of the wires are immersed in the
- acid.
-
- 2) Sulfuric acid reacts very violently with potassium chlorate. If the acid
- drips down into a container containing potassium chlorate, the potassium
- chlorate will burst into flame. This flame can be used to ignite a fuse,
- or the potassium chlorate can be the igniter for a thermite bomb, if some
- potassium chlorate is mixed in a 50/50 ratio with the thermite, and this
- mixture is used as an igniter for the rest of the thermite.
-
- 3) Sulfuric acid reacts with potassium permangenate in a similar way.
-
-
-
- -= Exodus =-
-
- --
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