Detonator Shell Bodies

[EventHorizon]

I've been reading a lot of the posts throughout the forum and notice many different materials for bcaps from Al, brass, paper, to tubeing/hose. I'd like to get see some pics of these as I beleive I have a cheap and incredabley professional looking bcap body, but I'm always open to improving the idea. BTW, the bodies are extremely water resistant when configured for fuse and totally waterproof when assembled as electric. HMTD caps assembled some 1y+ are still in perfect condition!

[EventHorizon]

Ummm, no takers on this one ehh? http://theforum.virtualave.net/ubb/smilies/frown.gif

[mongo blongo]

I aint got no pics but my electric bcaps look kick ass too.They don't look home made.
They are made from 9v Duracell batteries, yes the square ones. Inside them are about 6 other batteries. They have a plastic top which can be removed with a thin screw driver. I wash all that carbon shit out and fill them with 1/4 full of a booster usually Picric Acid and about 1.4g of Lead Azide. I stick my rocket ignitor (these work brilliant), thin layer of blue tack, layer of wood filler and then the plastic top is pushed back into the body (with the wires going through the hole in the top) and glued with cryanoacryalate (very good glue).
It should then look quite profesional.

[EventHorizon]

Lets see if this link works.

http://www24.brinkster.com/eventhorizon308/capbody-s.jpg

[This message has been edited by EventHorizon (edited September 01, 2001).]

[Anthony]

Copy and paste this URL into your browser to view the picture:

http://www24.brinkster.com/eventhorizon308/capbody-s.jpg

[Cricket]

Impressive. Very nice looking. The only problem I could see was that it was glass (or plastic) and that isn't very strong. But unless you are using ANFO, it probably won't matter.

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"You will not be taught the knowledge you seek, you must teach yourself." - Megalomania

[EventHorizon]

Anthony,
I meant the IMG tag, sorry. I'm a newbie at more than just energetic materials. http://theforum.virtualave.net/ubb/smilies/smile.gif

Cricket,
They are plastic, .022" walls and provide all the confinement 1g HMTD, 2g MF, or 1g MHN/.3g HMTD need. http://theforum.virtualave.net/ubb/smilies/wink.gif

Of course in the dream world that is. http://theforum.virtualave.net/ubb/smilies/biggrin.gif

[wantsomfet]

this one is glass, 8mm inner diameter, ca 10 cm long.

http://internettrash.com/users/altreal/grfx/ScanImage02.gif


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[EventHorizon]

Thats nice looking too. What is used for the igniter?

Mine are are 8mm OD X 45mm long.

[wantsomfet]

It's a SAFEX SA-0 igniter (for pyro-fx). 1,4 Ohm, min. 0,3 A, better 0,8 A current. Similar to rocktet igniters, but waterproof & more reliable...

------------------
for best catfood visit:
kangaroooo.cjb.net (http://kangaroooo.cjb.net)

[10fingers]

Very nice. Another thing I found works well for an ignitor are those miniature christmas tree bulbs. You need to open the end of the bulb by putting it on a wet grinding wheel and then put som BP inside so it's in contact with the filament.

[Anthony]

I just put 1/4" - 3/8" of nichrome wire across the ends of some twin core cable and tape it into a lenght of Al tube of pressed explosive.

They aren't pretty but they do the job and they cost virtually nothing.

[Mr Cool]

Anthony (or any other UK people), www.ribbands.co.uk (http://www.ribbands.co.uk) sell ignitors, £16 for 20 but they look very good. Just say they're for rocketry. Those orange strike markers look fun too!

[ALENGOSVIG1]

EventHorizon: are those plastic casings by any chanvce the housing for those bannana smell repeirator check ampules?

[BoB-]

I've been wondering lately if Lead Styphanate could serve as a primary explosive in homemade caps, Then the explosive could be quite simply dissolved and removed from primers instead of having to synthesize your own primary.

[EventHorizon]

Alangosvic1,

No, they are handmade from plastic shipping tube. I made a form and tool to close the end off...just heat, insert in form, press with tool. Nice and neat and water/airtight.

The bridge is 28gauge nichrome wire turned around a 1/16" rod. It takes a lot of current but I like it that way.

On 300' of 18gauge wire and a 12V source its almost imperceiveable thats its not instantaneous.


[This message has been edited by EventHorizon (edited September 05, 2001).]

[oryp69]

as a cap casing, i think that a spent bullet shell would make a nice blasting cap...you could put juts about anything in it and they are brass, which is what a lot of caps are made out of

i haven't tried using one yet, but i may sumtime in the future

[DBSP]

I've been using rifle shells of and on for some time now. They are good but the drawbacks are the risk of shrapnell and the most shells are necked which means that pressing is a bit hard, there are straight shells like 458 WM, but those are rare and expensive if you where to buy them. You can off course cut the neck off but that wastes space. As soon as I get conc HNO3 I'll start using RDX as a base in my caps with either HMTD or DDNP as primary.

I use both nichrome and fuse to ignite the primary, which one depends on the task.

[xoo1246]

I get plastic electrical cable shielding pipes inexpensively in different diameters, they are ideal for HTMD.

[Microtek]

DBSP: Have you actually made DDNP? If so, I would very much like to hear how you did it and what kind of nitrite you used.

[DBSP]

No I haven't made any DDNP yet, I'm lacking the NaNO2 (and S but that's not a problem) I'll try to order NaNO2 from a chem supplier soon, Is it regulated in any way?

[kingspaz]

Microtek, i think i will be attempting DDNP this weekend at some point. if i have any success i'll email you.

[Ropik]

ANYONE: For the sake of the holy safety, do NOT put HMTD into brass casing. This primary react violently with many metals, including brass. Maybe you can use some kind of plastic liner, such as straw or something, but i think it is much more better use plastic BC bodies for HMTD. Excellent ones can be bought at pharmacy, I don't know for what they are used, but it doesn't matter. They are tough, 8mm OD, 5 cm long and with airtight cap.

[Boomer]

What about high-grade stainless (food grade)? I once used stainless steel tubing as cap body with HMTD (mistaken for AP). They were stored 1/2 year and still worked. They did NOT auto-detonate, but on the other hand I did not bang them around to test for increased sensitivity. They were finally disposed :D by strapping them to a booster charge, as I did not like handling them any longer.

[Ropik]

When steel is really stainless(which food grade supposed to be), it should not be problem. Worst is copper, I read somewhere. And one friend of mine manufacture brass BC with HMTD (I warned him... no dice) and put it on the shelf... Two days later, he attempted to handle it, but the BC detonated after very slight movement. Without a pair of welder's gloves, I think my friend can count only to nine or eight on his hands now :( .

HMTD react badly(this list is not from my head, I read it somewhere): lead, tin, iron, brass, bronze, zinc, steel, aluminum, antimony and probably any alloy of this metals(I probably forgot some metals). Aluminum is best of these(I think), but every metal which is in contact with HMTD should be protected.

Stainless steel should be fine, when there are not any scratches, which allow HMTD contact the "humble steel"(when the stainless is only coating on plain steel thing, often on food grade thingies).
In a pinch, suitable BC bodies can be improvised by rolling strong paper soaked with glue on 1/4" dowel and let dry(remove the dowel before drying, please, otherwise the dowel and paper stick to one solid section). One end is sealed with suitable plug(sawdust/wood glue slurry works well), BC is loaded(you can not press primary too much to this, because you most probably tear the paper pipe), electrical igniter or fuse is gently put inside and the other end is sealed. You can also make some extra strong caps when you soak the paper tube with methylnitrate... NO, is was only joke :), do NOT try it.
This design(without soaking, probably) was used in Russia in 90'.

[Boomer]

It was a solid stainless pipe of 5mm inner dia / 0.5mm walls, 40mm long. They are used for drink coolers, and coke etc. is quite corrosive, that is why they may also be so resistant to HMTD. :)

Another thing I noticed is that the black (oxidised) steel wires in bulbs must be quite resistant too, as well as the tungsten filament. I once assembled EB caps from light bulbs, and they still work after 4 month now. I have seen other compositions eat up both the wires and the filament in that time.

Paper cap bodies have the disadvantage that you can hardly press the base charge, giving much less power. I press the first half of the base charge (MHN/PETN etc) quite hard (d>=1.5) using a vice, the second half with a press to d=1.2, then add a little mix of secondary/primary (e.g. MHN + AP 1:1) pressed by hand to approx. d=1. On top of this comes the hand pressed primary plus bridge wire or fuse.

And welders gloves do NOT save your fingers if a cap goes off! The 1 million+ PSI detonation pressure cleanly cut through bones, severing the fingers. Remember they even cut steel! I very much doubt that a little leather would help your fingers much. I must know, typing with only 7 right now! :( Better build yourself a remote press, it takes two hours.

[Ropik]

HMMM... So it was not welders gloves, because they have thin metal sheeting on fingers and on the palm(maybe friend's addition)... I use a remote press(you are right about it, Boomer. I suggest the construction from TM 31-210), and I also cut BC bodies(when I make them from some plastic tubing etc.) to lenght about 3 inches for keeping my fingers off the charge inside.

[al93535]

I use a half section of a bic pen. Works perfect, and you get 20 casings for $1. Plus sides are it is plastic, relatively strong is exactly 1/4" inside diameter. Here is a picture:
http://geocities.com/al93543/det.jpg
I used to like electrical ignition, its all I used, but now I love visco fuse ignition.

[matjaz]

You can also make some extra strong caps when you soak the paper tube with methylnitrate... NO, is was only joke , do NOT try it.
Seriously, I tried that with water glass (sodium silicate solution). It makes the tubes a lot stronger and also more waterprof (rainproof, but not for immersion, though).

[rangegal]

When I first made AP I filled a .17 shell with it and crimped in a fuse just for the hell of it. The small neck almost perfectly fits my fuses, and only need to be crimped a little. I never used it for anything though.

I've only made 3, but I use some tiny pieces of brass pipe I have left over from an odds and ends package at the hardware store. I actually had to glue 2 smaller pieces together to get a nice sized cap though. I packed the end with water putty, packed it with AP and glued a primed (with acetone evaporated AP on the filament) "grain of wheat" light bulb (that I broke the glass off of- be careful not to fuck up the filament) in the end. I plan to make some picric acid from aspirin soon and use that as a booster for a more powerful cap.

A "grain of wheat" bulb similar to the ones I use. (I used all of mine)
http://www.budgetrobotics.com/shop/images/299.jpg

And the finished electric det. cap. Sorry that its so blurry.
http://img329.imageshack.us/img329/1026/dscf3212mediumsmallyn8.jpg

I'm gonna try that 9 volt battery idea. I just opened one up (jesus christ are they a pain in the ass to open with a pocket knife). HOLY CRAP! I just tried to pry off the end of one of the little cylinders inside it so first I pulled out what looks like a push pin (the anode I guess). When I got it all the way out it went "POP!" and shot across the room... not dangerous or anything but it scared the crap out of me. Ill post a picture when I finish them. Thanks for the idea.

[rangegal]

Anybody know what happened to the picture of my detonator?...

[nbk2000]

What happened to it is that the URL you used doesn't work. :rolleyes:

[mike16]

Hello all :) ,

I roll up aluminium Coke cans for my cap bodies:

http://http://s155.photobucket.com/albums/s300/kpppppk/?action=view&current=Picture046.jpg (http://s155.photobucket.com/albums/s300/kpppppk/?action=view&current=Picture046.jpg)

And:

http://http://s155.photobucket.com/albums/s300/kpppppk/?action=view&current=Picture048.jpg (http://s155.photobucket.com/albums/s300/kpppppk/?action=view&current=Picture048.jpg)

In the second picture, you see one end of the cap sealed with anti-static selotape with the AP pressed inside, the other end is left open for the nichrome ignitor.

They are 9mm wide with about 3 grams of vice pressed AP inside.

Cya!

[fiknet]

Just thought I'd share my dealings with making caps, one of the main problems that I underestimated is that they are so small and fiddly so they often present problems with spillages, holding and pressing as I never have direct contact with the cap full of primary.

What I do is make a set of cardboard tongs, this takes about 30 seconds and involves two strips of thick cardboard laid on top of each other and taped together firmly at the base, this allows them to be pulled apart at the other end and an empty cap to placed in and held firmly while pressing, without your hands being anywhere near them, plus they don't propose the shrapnel risk of metal or thick plastic tongs.

[tay1392]

Hello All, I personally have had great success with my .17 round Caps. they are small, but work great!

Here's a couple pictures for you all.

This is when the AP was pressed in the .17 shell.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f340/tay1392/IMG_0024.jpg

I then put these into an old brass Pen tube.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f340/tay1392/IMG_0026.jpg

Here's after the detonation.. or what I could find of it!
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f340/tay1392/IMG_0029.jpg

[rangegal]

I used .17 shells once too, but I had fuse thick enough that I could just slip it down the neck of the shell.

You should use some kind of more powerful base charge though, such as ETN, NG, or Picric acid (what seems to be the favorite boosters around here). When I detonate a 22. shell full of nitroglycerin (.5 grams) it breaks the shell into sand sized peices, which realy shows the difference between AP and NG.