5) After the cotton is neutral when tested with litmus paper, it is ready to be dried and stored.
3.23 FUEL-OXODIZER MIXTURES
There are nearly an infinite number of fuel-oxodizer mixtures that can be produced by a misguided individual in his own home. Some are very effective and dangerous, while others are safer and less effective. A list of working fuel-oxodizer mixtures will be presented, but the exact measurements of each compound are debatable for maximum effectiveness. A rough estimate will be given of the percentages of each fuel and oxodizer:
oxodizer, % by weight fuel, % by weight speed # notes ============================================================== potassium chlorate 67% sulfur 33% 5 friction/impact
sensitive; unstable ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ potassium chlorate 50% sugar 35% 5 fairly slow
charcoal 15% burning; unstable ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
potassium chlorate 50% sulfur 25% 8 extremely
magnesium or unstable!
aluminum dust 25% ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ potassium chlorate 67% magnesium or 8 unstable
aluminum dust 33% ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ sodium nitrate 65% magnesium dust 30% ? unpredictable
sulfur 5% burn rate ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ potassium permanganate 60% glycerine 40% 4 delay before
ignition depends
upon grain size WARNING: IGNITES SPONTANEOUSLY WITH GLYCERINE!!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ potassium permanganate 67% sulfur 33% 5 unstable ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ potassium permangenate 60% sulfur 20% 5 unstable
magnesium or
aluminum dust 20% ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ potassium permanganate 50% sugar 50% 3 ? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ potassium nitrate 75% charcoal 15% 7 this is
sulfur 10% black powder! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ potassium nitrate 60% powdered iron 1 burns very
or magnesium 40% hot ============================================================== potassium chlorate 75% phosphorus 8 used to make
sesquisulfide 25% strike
anywhere matches ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ammonium perchlorate 70% aluminum dust 30% 6 solid fuel
and small amount of for space
iron oxide shuttle ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ potassium perchlorate 67% magnesium or 10 flash powder (sodium perchlorate) aluminum dust 33% ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ potassium perchlorate 60% sulfur 20% or 8 alternate (sodium perchlorate) magnesium flash powder
aluminum dust 20% ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ barium nitrate 30% aluminum dust 30% 9 alternate potassium perchlorate 30% flash powder ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ barium peroxide 90% magnesium dust 5% 10 alternate
aluminum dust 5% flash powder ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ potassium perchlorate 50% sulfur 25% 8 slightly
magnesium or unstable
aluminum dust 25% ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ potassium chlorate 67% red phosphorus 27% 7 very unstable calcium carbonate 3% sulfur 3% impact sensitive ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ potassium permanganate 50% powdered sugar 25% 7 unstable;
aluminum or ignites if
magnesium dust 25% it gets wet! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ potassium chlorate 75% charcoal dust 15% 6 unstable
sulfur 10% ============================================================== NOTE: Mixtures that use substitutions of sodium perchlorate for potassium perchlorate become moisture-absorbent and less stable.
The higher the speed number, the faster the fuel-oxodizer mixture burns AFTER ignition. Also, as a rule, the finer the powder, the faster the rate of burning.
As one can easily see, there is a wide variety of fueloxodizer mixtures that can be made at home. By altering the amounts of fuel and oxodizer(s), different burn rates can be achieved, but this also can change the sensitivity of the mixture.
3.24 PERCHLORATES
As a rule, any oxidizable material that is treated with perchloric acid will become a low order explosive. Metals, however, such as potassium or sodium, become excellent bases for flash-type powders. Some materials that can be perchlorated are cotton, paper, and sawdust. To produce potassium or sodium perchlorate, simply acquire the hydroxide of that metal, e.g. sodium or potassium hydroxide. It is a good idea to test the material to be perchlorated with a very small amount of acid, since some of the materials tend to react explosively when contacted by the acid. Solutions of sodium or potassium hydroxide are ideal.
3.3 HIGH-ORDER EXPLOSIVES
