Blasting caps...

[xoo1246]

Remove

<small>[ December 29, 2002, 10:45 AM: Message edited by: xoo1246 ]</small>

[Madog555]

doesn't this go in the HE section?

i ushaly use bullet shells for caseings. my favorites are .44 spec., .357mag, and .44 mag. and .223 these are very convienent containers for me :D

i use AP

i don't press but i would like to make an aparatis to press safely.

i ushaly use visco from pyrotek but i do have some 1/4inch blasters fuse that i have yet to try out, im saveing it for something big.

[DBSP]

I normaly use rifle shells in different sizes. Wich caliber depends on how much explosve is needed. I normaly use 30-06, 8x57, .308, 9,3x62 and sometimes 22mag. I normaly use 2.5g primary either AP or HMTD. I have made a box that i contain the chell during the compressing, I tamp it with a stick from above. I have a face-shield with ear protection when I press I don't need gloves since My hand only are in the risk zone when filling the case and the risk then isn't very big. And I'm planning on building a real press in the near future

I've made MMAN so I'm thinking of starting using that in my caps but I cant get it dry.

I use electrical ignition, bridge wires - nichrome. I've got 50m of thick wire and I use a car battery as a power source.

[ 03 March 2002: Message edited by: DBSP ]

[Madog555]

a long time a go there was a post that described an intrigeing(sp?) detonator design.

it consisted of a .223 shell full of a HE and a .22 shell full of primary placed in the neck of the cartridge with the fuse comming out of a drilled hole in the back of the .22. a .22 fits perfectly in the neck of a .223 shell. i would like to try this design out. im gona press the AP into the .22 case with a dowell. the case will be burried in the sand and i will wear adiquite protection. im then gona fill the .223 with either PETN, TNP, or HDN(i doubt it will work with that though) i think the PETN should work siece it is fairly east for me to set it off with a hammer. i tried this design with some old double base SP once and it didn't work.

do any of you think this will work?

[DBSP]

Yes I think it can work. For larger caps you could use PVC pipe to hold the secondary and have the primary in a nother PVC pipe that fits the secondary pipe. This way you could reduce the risks of having the primay close to the secondary since they can be stored and transported seperately. I'm gona make some TNP as soon as I buy some KNO3 and asprin.

[mongo blongo]

I usually use 1g Lead Azide primary with about 2-3g of Trinitrophelol booster in a small steel tube (capacitor cases do the trick). I always use electric initiation. I plan to obtain/make some Silver Nitrate so I can make some Silver Azide as my new primary. I would also like to make some PETN for a better booster.
I was also considering using RDX as a booster. Does anyone know how much Lead/Silver Azide is needed to initiate RDX?

[Mr Cool]

Not much, silver azide is a pretty powerful primary. 100mg should be plenty.
Don't bother with RDX though - yields are normally SHIT, and you don't really need anything better than TNP, do you? Although if you can get PE, make PETN. It's so easy, good yields, powerful, stable... it's great stuff!

[Madog555]

i tested the detonator i proposed in the last post i made. it worked very well. the PETN was hand pressed and the AP was lightly pressed. it was 2-2.5g of PETN and probaly 0.1-0.2g of AP. blew a nice 3in hole in the piece of plywood it was on and made a crater in the dirt under it. if you wana see pictutres i will take them. it was quite loud. in fact it reminded me of when i set off ANAP for the first time (it was 20-25g).

PETN is great shit, it looks like i got a new standard detonator. i would like to dream up some Lead Picrate or extract Lead Styphanate so i have a storage stable primary for these. it will be an easy, safe and storeable detonator. in storage i can leave the little cap out of the .223 shell so if something goes wrong with the primary it will only make a very little explosion.

[ 04 March 2002: Message edited by: Madog ]

[A-BOMB]

In my dreams I usually use a 22-250 rem shell and I cut it off about 3mm before the bottle neck, then I tap the old primer out and inlarge the hole so I can fit in my visco fuse. Then I tap the 22-250 case into a .45 long colt, .45-70 gov, or a .444 marlin brass. Then I put a few drops glaze/glue stuff I got into it and rotate it as to coat the hole inside. I've used these just by them selfs because they go off pretty good there even good with just BP or smokeless. And in my dreams I use what ever primary that I have on hand.

[ALENGOSVIG1]

Not really on topic, but does anyone know how much DDNP would be needed do detonate picric acid in a cap?

[DBSP]

Since DDNP is quite powerfull you probably wouldn't need very much a 22LR case would probably be more than enaugh.

[Snipie]

In my electronic fuses (not detonators), I use resistor wire (100 Ohm/meter).
This wire is sold in electronic stores, to make your own (precision) resistors. It’s a much better source than the light bulb method, because its cheaper and easier to handle.

The wires from my electronic fuses look like this:
*********---------,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
************************------

* = isolation from the wire
- = conductor from the wire
,, = resistor wire


the resistor wire itself is made from constantan, witch is a copper - nickel alloy.

[ 05 March 2002: Message edited by: Snipie ]

[DBSP]

About the igniton. I use nichrom wire wich I pulled out of an old hairdryer. Each dryer contain enaugh wire to build more caps than you coul construct in a day. The construction of the ignition is the exactly the same as Snipies. The resistance wire is about 5-6mm long and is powered by a car battery. The wire gets red hot and burn off allmost instantly when the power is put on.
I allso have comercial safety fuse wich I bought 10m off at Pyro-smalandskrutbruk in Braas, xoo you should allso be able to get that fuse. I use fuse for charges wich deen to be waterprofed or when I don't have the time to get the electricals together.

When I last used electrical ignition I couldn't find my nichrom wire so I used steelwoll instead, it worked quite good. My electrical caps have never failed to ignite except for once or twice when I've been in a hurry and haven't been thorrou enaugh and the main wires have gotten together so that the current have passed the circle without running through the nichrome wire.

[Madog555]

acording to "Improvised Primary Explosives" 0.7g of DDNP is equal to a number 8 cap

it also says that 1 gram of AP is a number 8 cap.

[A-BOMB]

Now that I think of it the primarys that I mainly used in my dream were HTMD,AP, or double salts. Then out of those I used AP the most and .4,.5,.6,.7,.8 grams what! In my dreams I used much more than that may 5-8 grams each, I like to make sure things go off. And what do you think of my detonator cases?

[Yi]

Yeah I sometimes use wire wool between two wires for tiny amounts of primary, but for my dets I almost always use fuse because its easier to transport than electrical ignition wires. also you don't have to pick up anything afterwards.

Also at the moment I use aluminium tube with one end sealed using careful hammering (before the explosive is loaded!!) I hammer around the edge of the tube with a steel rod on the inside of the tube to prevent it from being crushed. The hammering more time than its probably worth but once it is finished the end is closed very nicely and the end looks just like drawn aluminium tube (like in commercial detonators).

For a safety shield i use a 1/2" thick heavy cardboard tube. Theres pictures of the test on my website. The tube is sufficient shielding as my dets are never larger than 2g and the tubing is thin aluminium. At the moment I hand press but I'm in the process acquiring materials for a press.

[edit: spelling]

[ 05 March 2002: Message edited by: Yi ]

[Jack Ruby]

Is there such a thing as Cap to big?

For example you are setting off 7lbs ANSOY or something similiar. You use 100g of AP Putty(AP/ With Double Based SP) in Brass(Heavy Walled Tube).

Now that should be more than enough to set off that ANSOY...Right?

But is there such a thing as it being to much besides wasting a little Primary? Will there be any thing else that could go wrong?

I would much rather in Sure Detonation and waste a bit, instead of having a dud.

The above is probabley a huge extageration but makes the clearly point.

[Yikes]

0.5 g HMTD and 1.0 g TNT (or sometimes tetryl), in a .25 x 2.5" brass or steel tube. Sometimes with a fuse, sometimes bridgewire.
I make them no sooner than actually needed, in less then 5 minutes. Small? Maybe, but these caps never failed to detonate any charge I used them on.

[shrek]

Sorry to bring up an old topic, but no current ones seemed relevant.

I have some (400) Atlas Aluminum No. 6 blasting caps. This is great and all, but they are a little over 30 years old. I could not find info on the Internet of what the explosive in them is, and so I don’t know if they could become unstable over time. I was wondering if anyone here had any knowledge of what they might contain, so I could decide whether or not they are safe to... play with.

P.S. – If you are from any law enforcement agency, I made this entire thing up. I don’t have 400 blasting caps.

[kingspaz]

shrek, so long as they have been stored in dry cool conditions then they should be ok. but 30years is older than me so i wouldn't trust them. does the company that made them have an email address?...if one could be found then you could ask if they are safe or not.

[shrek]

They have been stored in an ammo box, under a building, so they have stayed dry, and cool. There was cloth around the boxes of caps, and these have no sign of mildue, supporting my belief they they stayed dry. The company was bought out in 1972 by Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI), so I could try contacting them.

[Einstein]

I have bought about 200 blasting caps from my friend. They are FIREX VA- and UR-caps (high and low energy). VA caps detonate from 0,4amps and UR-caps from 1,3amps. These caps are stolen from a construction site. I also had some dynamite (650 grams, 5*130grams), but I have detonated them succesfully with #4, #6, #8, #14 and #16 caps. I use something about ten meters electricwire and a lead battery (12V 7Ah). It has over 100 amps short circuiting current!!! So it has ENOUGH power to detonate ANY kind of cap. I put a 4mm steel cable on the batterys contacts and...few sparks at first, then the wire got red/yellow/BRIGHT-white and then melted entirely...hehee...

[Anthony]

I doubt ICI will be very helpful, they'll most likely to tell you to play it safe and bin them, seeing as you can always buy more because you are licensed to be messing with this stuff, right? (obviously you're not, but you don't want them to know that...).

I'll stick my neck out and say that the primary is probably mercury fulminate, maybe with a PETN base, but it's really only a guesstimate.

That poor battery <img border="0" title="" alt="[Frown]" src="frown.gif" />

<small>[ June 19, 2002, 07:49 PM: Message edited by: Anthony ]</small>

[Madog555]

i bet its tetrly, i dunno how mutch PETN was used then.

[Helos]

Iam planning to use TNP in a detonator.
As primary-primary I am planning to use HGfulminate or more possible DDNP or na-TNP.
How much of this do I need to set of the TNP.

na-TNP seems interresting because it´s easier to do it and find it´s chemicals. Someone who have practical experience of this.
Is it an good idea to fill a cap with only na-TNP,HGfulminate or DDNP, or do I need bigger detonators then?
how much do I need to get a 8 detonator?

[kingspaz]

Helos, by na-TNP i assume you mean the sodium salt which can be written more clearly as sodium picrate. i am not sure how much DDNP or mercury fulminate would be required. it could be very little (if in primary is in direct contact with the TNP) or it could be a great deal if there was an air gap between the TNP and primary. it depends on the detonator construction. but at a guess i'd say a gram of either would do it with no trouble at all. however i don't think sodium picrate is that flame sensitive or particulalry powerful....go for DDNP since if you have TNP your half way there :)

[Helos]

Yes, I think i will go for DDNP, if I get or make nitrite.
I was also wondering what nitrate will do to the reaction.
Nitrite, as that you manufactured yourself Kingpaz, or old oxidated contains ofcourse nitrate.

If i use TNP, is it vice to have an AL-tube for the det?
How sensitive is Al-picrate if it form at all, it´s possible it do, if for example the det was broken or the storageperiod is long.

Also, will the combination mercuryfulminate/TNP work without any problems or dangers? I mean then loaded in a blasting cap when they are in directcontact withe each other.

[ALENGOSVIG1]

30 Year old blasting caps? Yikes i wouldnt want to go near them. They may be fine, but you never know. I'd just detonate em all at the same time.

There only #6 caps anyways.

<small>[ July 02, 2002, 06:55 PM: Message edited by: ALENGOSVIG1 ]</small>

[V@N]

Why don't you try 1 or 2 of them? if these are ok then the others should be ok too. But if you don't want to risk it do as alekos said, detonate them all together. Better to lose some detonators than risk your life right? <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

[V@N]

I meen alengosvig .... sorry... I was thinging something alse and I wrote it here :D

[kingspaz]

V@N, use the edit post function intsead of double posting. its the icon above the text on the far right. and don't post a one line reply saying you never saw it.

[V@N]

OK. Sorry I didn't knew that. Thanx for telling me <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

[Arkangel]

"There may be trouble aheeaaaaaad" <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" /> V@N please try to stop being an idiot?

Anyway Shrek,

The No6 dets I used in the military were not powerful enough to set off any kind of HE. They were used with a slightly tapering cylindrical primer of guncotton and that did the trick.

And regarding old gear, MOST of the explosives I was issued for destruction of blinds and simple dems was over 30 years old The armourers were quite keen to get through their old stock, and we were the people to do it - expendable y'see. Mind you, why they didn't just put it all in a BIG pile :D and blow it is beyond me :rolleyes:

I'd personally be confortable using dets that old, but each to his own. Having regularly been given TNT made in 1941 I figure if I was going to go, it would have been back then.

[Mr Cool]

IMHO, they're much more likely not to work than to be super-sensitive or anything. There aren't many explosives that become more sensitive as they get older, nitrate esters mayber as they decompose and release nitrogen oxides, but nothing else I don't think except the odd perculiarity.
As someone said, the base charge will most likely be tetryl or RDX, but it could be PETN. Fancy cutting one open and having a look? <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

But the bridegwires may have corroded, creating a break in the circuit, or if it got damp the pyro igniter may have failed, something like that.

Hmmm... #6 sets of guncotton eh? Interesting, I didn't think it was quite that sensitive to initiation. Well, you learn something every day!

[Energy84]

The only explosives that I have ever personally heard of that got sensitive because of age was dynamite. But this was only due to the fact that there was a whole box full sitting in an old barn. It had been there so long that the NG actually seeped out of it and the floor was getting dampened because of it.
On second thought, I guess it didn't actually change state or anything like that, but if just got more dangerous to handle.

[shrek]

Well I just tried screwing with a few of them individually (sp?) and they seem stable enough. I dropped a 1 lb. weight from about 1 foot, and nothing happened. I then tried lighting some, and they worked. They are kinda small, but i'll just put them in a .303 shell with a booster packed around it. Hey, they were free, I can't complain. :)

EDIT:

shrek <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

<small>[ July 31, 2002, 12:57 AM: Message edited by: shrek ]</small>

[KinePak]

My caps are aluminum tubes, with 2grams PETN, then 5grams AP, and then topped off with black powder to give the AP a better charge, and this set up will set off 1kilo of ANNM, but the cap must be placed into the charge with only the fuse sticking out

[DBSP]

You wouldn't need that much to set ANNM of, you'd get away with 2g AP alone at the surface of the charge.

[xtreme]

From my experience 2 gram AP is way to short to detonate ANNM
It takes much more to be shure all ANNM will detonate.
And yes, from my experience too the best place for the AP is on the surface.

[xoo1246]

Remove

<small>[ December 11, 2002, 01:21 PM: Message edited by: xoo1246 ]</small>

[Helos]

HMTD is a much better initiator than AP.
They are both organic peroxides, but they powers are not the same!

DBSP: Do you mean that the best place to place a charge is on the surface? When I fired ANNM I put the detonator in the middle of the charge, I thought this resulted in a better detonation and a more probably detonator.
With "at the surface" do you mean attached to for example a plastict hinwalled bottle filled with ANNM?

<small>[ November 05, 2002, 02:09 PM: Message edited by: Helos ]</small>

[NERV]

I think what DBSP meant was that you could set off ANNM if you placed the 2 grams of AP on its surface.

Well since I am here might as well describe my caps. My caps are usually made out of a piece of straw about two inches in length. First I ram a little bit of clay into the straw to plug the bottom opening. Then I load about 2-3 grams of pressed AP into the straw. I then pour about .5 grams of NaClO3/sugar igniter mix on top of the AP. When I use fuse I just stick one end of it into the cap and seal it off with clay. When I use electric (I only use electric for underwater blasts) I just place a piece of steel wool into the igniter mix then seal the end off with clay. If I need a booster I just slide the cap into one of the small plastic test tubes I have and pour about 4 grams of TNP around it, then I seal the tube up with clay. I have never had a failed detonation with one of these.

[nobody]

I use straws with a diameter of 6mm for my caps. 3cm HMTD, slightly pressed, are 0,5g. With this caps I'm able to detonate ANNM, 30-40g pressed into a film canister (height 5cm, diameter 3cm). The cap is placed at the side of the canister.

[Helos]

You mean that you just tape the cap to the side of the filmcanister and that this detonates the ANNM!? Which proportions AN/NM do you use?
Sounds intresting...
Is it anyone who can give a scientific answer where the best place is for the detonator. Is it on the side (of the filmcanister) or is it in the middle (of the filmcanister) ?? Or is it no great difference?

[Anthony]

The best place for a cap is in contact with the explosive at the centre of the charge.

[carbonated]

I would imagine that the detonator in the middle would work better since it is touching more of the explosive and all the blast will go into the explosive, rather than into the air. Even underground where the dirt may tamp the cap, some energy will still be lost in the dirt.

[nobody]

I've tried to put the cap into the secondary -&gt; the ANNM didn't detonate, only the filmcanister bursted. I think, it's because 0,5g HMTD produces about 500ml of gas. Maybe this works better with azides or acetylides until they don't produce that amount of gas as HMTD does. I've never had a failure, when I taped the cap to the side of the canister. I used the 100g/30ml mixture as well as the 100g AN, 20ml NM and 16g cheap aluminumpowder mixture. Last is my favourite :)

edit: It works even if thrown in the air.

<small>[ November 07, 2002, 07:22 PM: Message edited by: nobody ]</small>

[Zach]

thrown in the air!?!? <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" /> what on earth are you doing throwing a high explosive above your head?

[nobody]

Thrown in a secure direction, of course.
What I wanted to say is that you don't need any extra confinement.

[Helos]

I will try to test and verify this sometime folowing exactly your insctructions.
We will se, but you may have right <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

How was your AN treated? This is important because the sensitivity of ANNM can depend on if the AN was owendried or just grinded.

[nobody]

My ammonia nitrate was made out of fertilizer. The AN-solution was heated at approx. 120°C to drive off the water. The resulting block of AN was smashed, then grinded in a coffee grinder (not too fine, just like grinded coffee <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" /> ). Then the AN was dried at approx. 85°C for 4 hours and stored in an airtight container.

[kingspaz]

try and keep this on topic...

[Cricket]

Say I had 3 zip-lock bags of say, PETN, all the same, and I had to put the largest dents possable in three 20mm steel plates. I put one detonator on the bottom, touching the plate and the explosive. I put one detonator on the middle. I put one detonator on the top. The sack with the detonator on the bottom would explode and the explosive above (before detonating) would act as tamping, blocking the escape of the gasses underneath it for a very very split second. The sack with the detonator on the middle would be more likely to detonate the charge, and the detonator would explode resulting in approximate uniform detonaton, except the bottom where the gasses would push down on the plate. But on the top of the sack, the gas os going the wrong way, away from the plate. The sack with the detonator on the top, the detonator would explode and as the detonaton propogates downward, the energy of the explosion would be somewhat directed to the plate. But since the detonator was at the top, the gas would much rather go away from the plate but some of the energy will certainly be transferred to the remaining explosive and plate. All this is IMHO. Now for the real reason of this post; can/couldn't you use a stun gun instead of a suspicious bulky battery for an electronic detonator? Seems less suspicious, more reliable, and easier to use (lighter to carry in the field)? May have been discussed before, but I don't think so (been gone for a while).

<small>[ November 09, 2002, 05:03 PM: Message edited by: Cricket ]</small>

[Anthony]

I don't see the different blasting cap positions making a discernable difference to penetration of the plate - providing that they are all capable of fully detonating the main charge.

Personally, I'd rather be stopped with a lattern battery than a stungun. AP and HMTD are sensitive to the spark from a stungun, but I know that BP isn't. So depends on your cap design.

[Celtick]

Since I made another batch of HMTD last weekend, I also made some dets. I used some plastic tubing with a diameter of 9mm. I glued the end cap onto the tube with an electrical glue gun. After the cap is filled, I closed it with another plastic cap with the ignitor wires sticking out, I also sealed this cap with glue, so its totally waterproof.

<a href="http://www.angelfire.com/goth/celtick/Det.jpg" target="_blank">http://www.angelfire.com/goth/celtick/Det.jpg</a>
(copy and paste link)

<small>[ December 25, 2002, 06:38 AM: Message edited by: Celtick ]</small>

[Eliteforum]

The pictures not showing up.

[Keyser Soze]

I find that the bodies of whistling bottle rockets make perfect detonators. You can keep the powder that you empty out of them for other purposes and the ends are easily sealed with some balls of tissue paper and then glue if you like. I have had success using both electrical and fuse ignition with these.

[Microtek]

There is a lot of difference in performance depending on the location of the detonator. If the bags were filled with a low order explosive, the reasoning would be correct; tamping and gas flow would affect the performance as you say.
But with HEs, and especially with high performance HEs like PETN or RDX, the picture is entirely different. The power of the shockwave depends on how much explosive it has passed through before impinging on the target. This is because the phenomenon of detonation is somewhat analogous to the mechanism of stimulated emission in lasers; as the shockwave passes a grain of HE it causes the detonation of this grain and the resulting shockwave propagates along with the original one, effectively adding its power.
This effect has two important consequences:

1) The dimensions of the charge ( or the placement of the cap ) has a pronounced effect on the performance as the distance the shockwave has to build up superponation ( the 'accumulation' of waves ) is vitally important.

2) The direction of propagation of the shockwave relative to the surface on which it impinges is also of monstrous importance.
As illustration, imagine a block of TNT that is one inch wide, one inch deep and three inches long.
This charge is placed against a thick steel plate so one of the long sides is touching the plate. If the charge is initiated from the side opposite the one touching the plate, we will get a moderate dent in the plate; the wave is impinging directly on the plate, but with only one inch of 'acceleration'. If the charge is initiated from the end we will get almost no denting of the plate as the wave is travelling parallel to the plate, still, there will be a dent and it will be more pronounced towards the end of the charge opposite the detonator.
If we place the charge on its end so it is touching the plate with one of the two small sides and initiate from the opposite small side we will get the deepest dent possible as the wave travels far enough through the explosive to get as powerful as possible and also impinges directly on the plate without any deflection.

Sorry for the long lecture, but it is crucial to understand these mechanics, especially when hard targets and high explosives are considered.

[spydamonkee]

very well said microtek thats pretty much exactly how i pictured it.
i recently aquired 50+ red POHA crackers so i will be testing these with APAN too see if they make good BC's APAN aitn that hard to set off so im hoping these work.

my normal BC's consist of 4cm of 5ml drinking straw with one end blu-tacked then AP is pushed inside with a metal hex key untill almost full then eletrical wire with steel wool bridge wire is inserted and blu-tacked into place.

result = colorfull waterproof blasting caps that are see thru allowing u to see the AP inside :D

good for any APAN charge which is what i use for my boosters for ANFO, CANFO & ANNM.

[zylion]

Look what I found in a dutch magazine last week.
It's a little more time consuming making it, but I think it gives a better and more reliable blasting cap then working with a common "bridgewire" blastingcap.
What we need is a piece of PCB-board(both sides copperplated), a piece of nichrome wire(150 Ohm/meter)and a solder(30 watts).
First we cut the PCB into little pieces, about 5 mm width and 12 mm lenght. Size in this case doesn't really mather, :D we take one of these pieces and strip the copperlayer half way this piece off(just one side) so we have one side complete, the other just half. Now we solder the Nichrome wire on the top to both sides,securing it with a clamp to get it straight. Next we solder some wire on the PCB piece to connect to our battery. With some warm water and a little bit alcohol we remove the resin and other pollutants on the piece and let it dry. Then "dipping"it in a mixture of Black powder 50%/50% smokeless powder or of course any other sensitive mixture to create a nice droplet on the bridgewire makes a very nice beginning. By using some nailpolish making the brigdewire less sensitve to friction or moisture this part is complete. Here is a idea about using a casing to hold de prim and sec in. Using the tiny glass ampuls, as can be found in parfumstores, often given away as a sample are in my opinion useable. There almost isn't any trace left when they explode, the glass will be pulverized. Another + is that the use of picric acid can now be a little more save, with out spraying copper casings with PU-spray

[vulture]

IIRC, copper isn't compatible with HMTD, so watch out.

[Al Koholic]

For my caps I use christmas lights. The little white (or other colors) ones. A string of a hundered bulbs is like a buck. I snip off the light by cutting the wire to leave about 1.5 inch leads up to the bulb. Then I use a pair of pliers to snap off just the last little bit of the bulb, leaving the main glass casing intact.

Next, fill the remaining part of the bulb up with crushed up match head powder...works wonderfully considering the spark from the wire fillament is VERY small. I then place the bulb into either a section of straw, metal tubing, or ziti....ziti (I think that is the stuff, the tubular pasta) works wonders. It is chemically compatible with every primary I can think of, is very hard/tough, and its edible!

The tube is filled with picric acid and a small amount of DDNP (or AP). To cap the end of the tube I usually just ram some blutac, clay, or tissue into it. Wrap it up with tape to keep everything tight and good to go electric blasting cap.

For ignition I use a disposable camera.

[longwaytofall]

sorry to bring this topic back from the dead, but i was under the impression that ap is not cool with metals, such as gun shells. seems to me that allot of people are using this, so im not gunna worry about it, but just wanted to know if i should worry if i made the usual ap rifle round and stored it for a long period of time. thanks!

[Guerilla]

This should be obvious to everyone, but seemingly not.. Storing AP for a long perioids of time in any kind of container is stupid, due to sublimation->recrystallation of bigger and extremely sensitive crystals. I know of a person who lost fingers when a two weeks old aluminium ap-cap accidentaly detonated in his hand while he was inserting it in a main charge; for all I know it was only a gentle brush against concrete surface that set it off. AP is not worth of injuring yourself.

[K9]

Yes storing it like that is quite dangerous and of course not worth the risk. But for use in near future, AP seems to be less reactive to metal than does HMTD. I personally use plastic to contain my AP or HMTD detonators.

[Nevermore]

Ap is for sure little reactive toward matherials, i don't know about HMTD but i must say that AP looks like attacking plastic, i used a plastic spoon to work with AP and leaving it for a while inside the spoon granulated the surface of the plastic, i think some plastic are being dissolved than AP so check carefully where you store it.

[Cyclonite]

Your spoon was reacting with acetone, acetone doesn¡¦t play well with plastic. Glass is really the way to go. I have used plastic bottles to store acetone in and it makes them deform after awhile.

[Nevermore]

well i abandoned making AP after i realized how much it is unpredictable..

[Cyclonite]

I believe its quite predictable. Its so easy and cheap it makes for decent available caps to use. As long as you take the proper precautions there isnt any big problem. Any explosive can be said to be unpredictable but in actuality its easy to find out its properties and what the pros and cons are. I think the bad reputation AP has is.... well deserved but in the end its no more capable of injuring you for pissing it off than any other explosive. Its just a tempremental primary

[Nevermore]

The real problem with AP is that requires a minimum amount to detonate and also gives out the best only when pressed..i don't like working with 0.7-2 grams of ap, i prefer to work with less quantity of DS, that are much more insensitive and can be pressed quite good..

@microtek
is long time i am looking for some info like that, do you have an ebook about that topic? would you upload on the ftp?