Mines

by PrimoPyro

This file contains information on making a replica of a German WWII mine known as a pepper pot. This mine was not intended to kill the enemy but wound him by blowing off his foot. The Germans made these in great quantity and put them to good use. The mine was made out of glass and plastic with very little metal and was hard to find with a mine detector. If you desire to make these mines you could use PVC for the casing or metal if you don't care about them being detected. The mine will be presented in two parts the mine fuze and the mine body.

Mine Fuze: This fuse is simplicity itself. It uses the reaction between sulfuric acid and a potassium chlorate mixture to cause instantaneous deton- ation. To begin, obtain some soft glass tubing with an I.D. of 1/8". Fuse one end shut with a propane flame. This is done by holding one end of the tube higher than the other end and rotating this end in the flame until it is sealed. Let the glass cool down. Now using an eyedropper fill the tube about 1" with the acid. Heat the glass right above the acid until soft then twist off the excess glass tube. Fuse this end of the ampoule so you are sure it can't leak acid as this will be fatal. Wrap up the ampoule in tissue paper for a day or two to check for acid leaks. Any leaks will eat the paper. Get a soft brass or copper tube about 2" long and 1/2" I.D. Find a soft steel bolt and drill a 3/16" hole through the center of the bolt. This will be the threaded flash tube. If you have to cut the length of the bolt down, put a nut onto the bolt first. Cut the bolt then turn the nut off. This will help keep the threads clean. File the head of the bolt to fit inside the copper tube and solder the bolt into the tube.

Put 5 gms. of Potassium Chlorate and 2 gms. of Sugar in the least amount of hot water to make a paste. This will be enough for two or three fuzes. Coat the inside of the copper tube with this paste and let a little small amount get into the flash tube. Set the fuze aside for a couple of days to dry. Insert the acid ampoule into the fuze and fashion a cover from a piece of brass sheet. This cover is then epoxied onto the fuze to seal it. Seal the open end of the flash tube with masking tape or similar but don't foul up the threads. The fuze is done. You can test it by putting on a pair of heavy boots and stepping onto the copper tube and crushing it. It should flare up and shoot a flame out of the flash tube.

Mine Body: By now you should have decided whether to use a plastic or metal body for the mine. This body should be about 2" in Dia. and 3" high. Seal the bottom of the mine and fashion a cover to seal the top. Drill a hole through the center of the cover and epoxy a nut that matches the flash tube over the hole. If you are using a PVC cover, check that the epoxy holds the nut onto the cover. You may have to use a PVC adhesive.

Make up an explosive consisting of 90% fine ground Potassium Chlorate and 10% Paraffin wax. Grind up the chlorate with a wooden stick on a slab of wood to avoid all sparks and shock. Melt the wax and pour it on the chlorate. Mix it in while it is still hot. Add a little ethyl alcohol to the mix to help the wax spread through the chlorate and mix again. While it is still damp from the alcohol, load the mine body with about 2 oz. of explosive. Do not press the explosive in to firmly as ot may not detonate if packed too dense. Push a 3/8" dowel through the center of the explosive to make room for the detonator.

The detonator is made by taking a 3/8" brass tube and sealing one end with epoxy. 2 gms. of mercury fulminate is then pressed into the tube in 1/4 gm. increments. If you do not know how to make fulminate, look for my file on detonators on the HotLine.

When the mine is to be used, dig a hole in the ground the same height as the mine with the fuze installed. Put the detonator into the mine and screw the fuze into the mine body. Put the mine into the hole and carefully cover it up with dirt. The fuze should just be below the ground about 1/4". When someone steps onto the fuze, the flame flashes into the detonator setting it off which in turn detonates the chlorate filling. If you do not want to use a detonator, use an explosive filling of 75% Pota- ssium Chlorate and 25% Sugar. The flame coming through the flash tube will cause this filling to explode. The explosion will not be as great as the chlorate/wax explosion but it will still cause damage.