This is one possible design that a mad bomber would use. If, however, he did not have access to threaded pipe with endcaps, he could always use a piece of copper or aluminum pipe, since it is easily bent into a suitable position. A major problem with copper piping, however, is bending and folding it without tearing it; if too much force is used when folding and bending copper pipe, it will split along the fold. The safest method for making a pipe bomb out of copper or aluminum pipe is similar to the method with pipe and endcaps. First, one flattens one end of a copper or aluminum pipe carefully, making sure not to tear or rip the piping. Then, the flat end of the pipe should be folded over at least once, if this does not rip the pipe. A fuse hole should be drilled in the pipe near the now closed end, and the fuse should be inserted. Next, the bomb-builder would fill the bomb with a low order explosive, and pack it with a large wad of tissue paper. He would then flatten and fold the other end of the pipe with a pair of pliers. If he was not too dumb, he would do this slowly, since the process of folding and bending metal gives off heat, which could set off the explosive. A diagram is presented below:
_________ _______________________________________________/ | | | | o | |______________________________________________ |
\________|
fig. 1 pipe with one end flattened and fuse hole drilled (top view)
______ ____________________________________________/ | | | | | | o | | |___________________________________________ | |
\__|__|
fig. 2 pipe with one end flattened and folded up (top view)
____________ fuse hole
|
v
_________________________________________________
| \ |____ |
| \____| |
| ______|
| /
|_____________________________/__________________
fig. 3 pipe with flattened and folded end (side view)
______ fuse
/
| ________ ______________________________|___ _______ | ____| / |- - - - - - - - - - -| - - \ |___ | | |_____/tissue| - - - - - - - - - - - -|- - \_____| | |________ paper |- - - low order explosive - _______|
\ | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - /
\_________________________________/
fig. 4 completed bomb, showing tissue paper packing and explosive (side view)
A CO2 cartridge from a B.B gun is another excellent container for a low-order explosive. It has one minor disadvantage: it is time consuming to fill. But this can be rectified by widening the opening of the cartridge with a pointed tool. Then, all that would have to be done is to fill the CO2 cartridge with any low-order explosive, or any of the fast burning fuel-oxodizer mixtures, and insert a fuse. These devices are commonly called "crater makers".
A CO2 cartridge also works well as a container for a thermit incendiary device, but it must be modified. The opening in the end must be widened, so that the ignition mixture, such as powdered magnesium, does not explode. The fuse will ignite the powdered magnesium, which, in turn, would ignite the thermit.
The previously mentioned designs for explosive devices are fine for low-order explosives, but are unsuitable for high-order explosives, since the latter requires a shockwave to be detonated. A design employing a smaller low-order explosive device inside a larger device containing a highorder explosive would probably be used. It would look something like:
_____________ fuse
|
|
| _________ | _________ | ____|__________________________|___________|____ | | | * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *|* * * * * * * | | | | * * * * * * high explosive | * * * * * * * | | | | * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *|* * * * * * * | | | | * ______ _______________|_ ______ * | | | | * * | __| / - - - - - - | \ |__ | * | | | | * | |____/ low explosive - \____| | * | | | | * * |_______ - - - - - - - - - _______| * | | | | * * * * * \ - - - - - - - - / * * * * * | | | | * * * * * * \_________________/ * * * * * | | | | * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * | | | | * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * | | | | * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * | | | |______________________________________________| | |_______| |_______|
If the large high explosive container is small, such as a CO2 cartridge, then a segment of a hollow radio antenna can be made into a low-order pipe bomb, which can be fitted with a fuse, and inserted into the CO2 cartridge.
4.43 GLASS CONTAINERS
Glass containers can be suitable for low-order explosives, but there are problems with them. First, a glass container can be broken relatively easily compared to metal or plastic containers. Secondly, in the not-too-unlikely event of an "accident", the person making the device would probably be seriously injured, even if the device was small. A bomb made out of a sample perfume bottle-sized container exploded in the hands of one boy, and he still has pieces of glass in his hand. He is also missing the final segment of his ring finger, which was cut off by a sharp piece of flying glass...
