Partial review of the KA-FUCKING-BOOM text files

by DavidThePyro

This file is a list of the names of articles in the Ka-Fucking-Boom section and my reviews of said articles. I am known as DavidThePyro. (At the time this file was typed up) I am a moderator at the Backyard Ballistics forum, part of the "community" on this site. (I have now resigned) So that means I know my stuff. Beside the name of the article is a + - or =. A + means the file is good, a - means the file is crap, and an = means it's in between, or that I don't know.

-10 Great High Explosive Mixtures

One of these is an actual high explosive, #9, however the ammonium nitrate must be >90% pure, and the resulting explosive needs a primary and a booster to detonate.

=A Guide for Explosion and Bombing Scene Investigation

A very long read which may be useful to those who are going to use a bomb and want to know how it will be investigated.

+A Powerful Pipe Bomb

True, however elementary.

+Acetone Peroxide Detonators

The instructions are true, however acetone peroxide is a unstable explosive that should be made with care.

+Amatol

An accuate file.

=Ammonium Nitrate

This file was copied from another site: http://www.roguesci.org/megalomania/ However it is true, and almost completely useless.

-Ammonium Triiodide

This one is named wrong. The chemical they make in the instructions is called Nitrogen Triiodide. The instructions are correct, however I suggest anyone making this should use >1/3 the amount of ingrediants in the instructions, if they enjoy having fingers.

+Ammonpulver

One of the better quality files listed here.

+An Aussie Beer Can Mortar

Will work perfectly fine, and is kinda funny. However, do not get the idea that you can use a storebought metal pipe for this, it may not be strong enough to withstand the pressures of firing.

-An Easy as Pie Incendiary and Flash Powder

HTH chlorinating agent is a very unstable oxidiser that should be avoided.

-Artificial Meteor Showers

This is a good idea you can try, provided you're in charge of the world...

=Astrolite

Another file copied from http://roguesci.org/megalomania/ Megalomania even says "Hydrazine is a very toxic, corrosive, and dangerous chemical that you will never be able to get." Enough said.

+Background and Basic Chemistry of Fireworks

Pretty good information.

+Basic Explosives Theory

Pretty much OK, however the text about RDX and nitroglycerin are not entirely accurate.

+Black Powder

An accurate file. The article is by one of the members of the BB forum here on totse.

-Blowing up a Car

Stupid file. The instructions aren't going to blow up a car, they're more than likely just going to waste chemicals.

=Bombmaking Information and the First Amendment

Very, very long read. Not very useful from what I could tell, however it may be accurate.

=Bombs For Beginners

More about military bombs than homemade bombs, but pretty accurate.

-C-1 Plastic Explosive

Unreliable. There never was a C1 like this in the millitary. The author says this material (which is RDX) is 10% more powerful than C4 (which is also RDX).

+C-1 Revisited

This is explaining how the C1 file is incorrect.

-CIA's METC Explosives

Why the CIA would be inventing explosives is beyond me. I don't think this explosive device would work at all, and even if it does, it would be a bitch to make.

-Calcium Carbide: An Anarchist's Best Friend

Mostly accurate, however it really doesn't have much to do with anarchism, more like vandalism.

=Cheap Diversion Bomb

Well, it will work, however a 2L soda bottle and 2 tablespoons of black powder will work better.

-Cheap, Quick, Easy Bomb & Cannon

Quite dangerous, not something I'd try. A broom handle? I mean come on.

=Checking in with New Bomb Detection Strategies

Long read. Looks alright.

=Chemical Suppliers

Only deals with San Fransisco area, so it's not very useful. The companies listed may have changed their phone numbers or addresses.

=Chlorate and Perchlorate Explosives

In the "Flammable solids" part, he gets the mesh idea wrong. Higher mesh is smaller particles which are more expensive. He also says you can use glass containers, which is a horrible idea, think of the shrapnel. I suggest you stick to the standard 7:3 flash, and avoid the other compositions. High Explosives using chlorates and perchlorates are inferior to ammonium nitrate and most other high explosives.

=Composite Rocket Fuels

This file is correct, yet kind of useless unless you can get ahold of some rocket engine designs.

=Composition C-4

This file is correct. However it does not actually tell you the hard part: how to make RDX (the explosive in C4).

-Construction of a Timed Electronic Detonator

This should work, and it's actually one of the better ideas in "Bad Ideas."

=Delay Detonator

Complicated, but it could work.

+Detailed Description of the Synthesis of Acetone Peroxide

Good file, I suggest boiling your H2O2 to 1/10th it's original volume and using 1/10th the amount of this concentrated H2O2 compaired to what the synth says.

-Detenators

Author misspelled detonators, and the file is damn stupid.

-Detonators

Check another 2 or 3 sets of instructions before making mercury fulminate. Or make a differant primary explosive altogether.

+Dry Ice Bomb

This will work, but make sure to use a strong plastic bottle.

=EMP Bomb

I don't know about this, I'm not a electronics person. It seems like a weirdo wrote it, so be cautious.

=Easy Access to Gunpowder

This is mostly correct, however the only thing that is worth saving is the black stuff, the gray stuff is clay or delay composition (soak in water or something, then trash it).

=Electrical Delays

Another one of those complicated electronics things. I say use a fuse, but if you want to go high tech, try one. Make sure you test it before using in a device.

=Electrical Time Delay Detonators

Nothing special, it will work.

=Electro-Magnetic Pulse(EMP) Bomb

Once again, I don't know about electronics stuff.

=Emulsion-containing Explosive Composition

Might be hard to understand. Emulsions aren't very useful for anything but mining in wet areas, and even then an ANFO charge that's weighted and sealed will do the job.

=Explosive (ANFO Type)

I didn't know anyone could make ANFO this complicated. This file is truth, but mostly irrelavant, because it's a lot easier to make ANFO the standard way with 2.5 to 15% liquid fuel. (3% being most sensitive, 6-7% being most powerful)

=Explosive Paper

I suppose this will work, but you'll also need PETN, which is the hard part.

+Explosives Made by Nitration

Kind of a FAQ about nitrated explosives, this file doesn't tell you how to actually make any of these explosives.

+Explosives and Pyrotechnics

This is the FAQ to the rec.pyrotechnics, so it's all good.

-Fertilizer and HTH Mix

Well, I don't think this would work, since both are oxidisers, but even if it does work, it's kind of pointless and dangerous.

+Field Manual: Explosives and Demolitions

Well it looks OK, but it should if the army wrote it.

=Flames from Non-dairy Creamer

This works, but it's pretty boring after a few times. You put the flame out alot more than you'd expect.

-Flash Powder

Some of these are quite dangerous, stick to 7:3 KClO4:Al (powder) flash, or ask about a differant one in the BB forum.

=Floating Fireballs

This will work, however a cheaper way to make H2 would be with HCl and Al.

=Formulas for Colored Smoke Screens

I have no way of verifying these formulas. I do know that alot of the chemicals are hard to get, so it might not be worth your time to try. Besides, smoke is boring.

=Fuses

Tells you how to make black match. Pretty hard to screw up.

+Glossay of Explosives

This is pretty basic, but it's true information.

+Ground Bloom Flower Bomb

Well, this could work, not like I haven't seen enough class C modifications though. Don't try the penny idea though.

=Gun Cotton

This is a file that was kinda poorly written. A search on "nitrocellulose synthesis" would probably give you better results.

+Hexamethylenetetramine Dinitrate

Pretty good synth.

+History of Japanese Fireworks

Well, if you really needed to know this, here it is..

=Homeland Security Information Bulletin

This might be true, but it's not really useful, and I'm not so sure it belongs in this section.

+Household Chemical Equivalency List

Even though there are a few spelling errors, the information is correct as far as I can tell.

=How to Build a 60 Second Timer

Very elementary timer that anyone should be able to think of on their own, but it's an accurate file.

-How to Make Ammonium Nitrate

This isn't how to make it, it's how to purify it from a fertilizer source. It's alot easier to just dissolve it in water, filter out the insoluble matter, then recrystalize the ammonium nitrate. Detonating ammonium nitrate isn't as easy as this makes it sound, look for something on ANFO or ANNM to get started with that.

=How to Make An Atomic Bomb

I didn't read all of this, since no one's going to be actually making an atomic bomb.

-How to Make Egg Based Gelled Flame Fuel

There's no practical use for this that a simpler gelled fuel couldn't be used for. The simpler gelled fuel would be a saturated solution of polystyrene (styrofoam) in gasoline.

+How to Make Electrical Timers

Well, some of these are easy to think of on your own, but they all should work.

-How to Make Pure Sodium

Completely wrong. This file is a waste.

+How to Make Your Own Ball Mill

Pretty good file.

=How to Make a Bomb From a Battery

A few people have claimed to get this to work, and the magnesium oxide will in fact decompose H2O2, but I just don't see it releasing enough oxygen to be useful as a pressure bomb.

=Improvised Explosives

The RDX synth looks alright, but I suggest finding a differant, reliable one to verify it. The potassium chlorate from bleach idea works, but it has extremely poor yields, and chlorate based explosives are hard to detonate and are not very powerful. The same goes for the HTH pool chlorine idea. The table salt idea requires a chlorate cell, and there are better instructions for a chlorate cell floating around the net, found easily with a search. The asprin (trinitrophenol) explosive will work, and is a relatively powerful one. The nitrogelatin will work. Antifreeze is a bad source for ethylene glycol, as it's impure and not guaranteed to be that chemical. The nitroglycerin and nitroglycol instructions will work, but I still suggest verifying it with another synth.

-Improvised Incendiaries

Either too simple to be of use or just plain stupid. Avoid these...

=Incendiary Shot Gun Shells

This has a decent chance of working, but it also has a chance of getting stuck and screwing up your gun.

=Injuries Associated with Nuclear Blasts

I'm giving this a "=" because no one cares. If they do, they're making a nuke where they shouldn't be. If they like just knowing random stuff, I guess it's an okay read.

=Iodine Crystals

Damn inefficiant, but it should work. There are easier ways to get iodine out of tincture anyway. I want to warn you that making nitrogen triiodide (NI3) is a bad idea, and if you do make it be aware that it can go off with mild wind currents, dust landing on it, or even just its own weight.

-KMnO3 Incendiary

This idiot doesn't know that potassium permanganate is KMnO4, not KMnO3. Using sulfur and KMnO4 is dangerous. Do not let KMnO4 compositions contact water.

=Liquid Bottle Rocket

This will work up to a point, but it's pretty stupid because it will only sustain combustion while there is O2 left in the bottle, so that means only a fraction of a second. Not worth the effort.

-Low-Grade FlashBangs

Low-Grade is right, this is pretty damn stupid.

-M500's

NEVER mix a chlorate and sulfur, it's asking for a spontaneous ignition!

=M80's

Who knows if those suppliers are still in business or if they still use that contact info. Flash powder is not used as a high explosive either. If you get the supplies, you can make M80s with this guide, but I'd suggest doing a quick google search for a better guide.

-MSAC Explosive

Bullshit. This won't explode at all. The "blasting cap" isn't even a high explosive. A very poor file.

=Making Cherry Bombs

Not a true cherry bomb. If you use black powder in this, you had better use a lot of tape, otherwise it's just going to make a whoosh. Using a good flash will make it work well.

+Making Rockets That Really Fly

Pretty damn good file, what else can I say?

=Match Bombs

Ah the venerable tennis ball bomb. This will probably not explode, it's more likely to make a whooshing sound and a lame excuse for a fireball.

+Mercury Fulminate

Pretty good file. Mercury is toxic, so keep that in mind if you make MF.

-Microwave Bomb

This is a very stupid concept. It will most likely fizz and have blue sparks everywhere for a few seconds before the microwave stops working.

-Mines

2g of mercury fulminate will not detonate any chlorate explosive. Chlorate explosives suck anyway. The glass ampule fuse idea is the only thing useful in this file.

+Mononitrotoluene

Well, it will work. Not too well, but it will work. I suggest searching for another synth anyway.

=Napalm

Yet another text that tells you that adding polystyrene (styrofoam) to gasoline will make it gooey. Not impressive.

-Nitric Acid Manufacture

Well this file could work if you're a very lucky person. It will be really inefficiant, because it uses volume measurements, and those aren't accurate at all. Unless you're a very lucky person, your ceramic or glass distilling rig will break. Even if it doesn't, alot of the nitric acid vapors will escape through the space between the jugs unless it's sealed with teflon tape. This is a waste of time unless you can control the distillation better, and this means a lab type setup. I say it's a waste, because it will produce acid that's no more useful than mixed sulfuric and potassium nitrate.

=Oxy/acetylene Balloons

This will work, but be careful of static electricity, because oxy/acetyline mixes tend to go off easily. And what the hell is a chook?

+Oxygen Balance

This file looks correct, and can be pretty useful for mixing explosives to get a zero oxygen balance, which usually results in a better detonation.