4.4 EXPLOSIVE CONTAINERS
This section will cover everything from making a simple firecracker to
a complicated scheme for detonating an insensitive high explosive, both of which
are methods that could be utilized by perpetrators of terror.
4.41
PAPER CONTAINERS
Paper was the first container ever used for explosives, since it was
first used by the
Chinese to make fireworks. Paper containers are usually very
simple to make, and are certainly the cheapest. There are many possible uses
for paper in containing explosives, and the two most obvious are in firecrackers
and rocket engines. Simply by rolling up a long sheet of paper, and gluing it
together, one can make a simple rocket engine. Perhaps a more interesting and
dangerous use is in the firecracker. The
firecracker shown here is one of
Mexican design. It is called a "polumna", meaning "dove". The process of their
manufacture is not unlike that of making a paper
football. If one takes a sheet
of paper about 16 inches in length by 1.5 inches wide, and fold one corner so
that it looks like this:
________________________________________________________
| |\
| | \
| | \
|______________________________________________________|___\
and then fold it again so that it looks like this:
_______________________________________________________
| /|
| / |
| / |
|__________________________________________________/___|
A pocket is formed. This pocket can be filled with black powder, pyrodex,
flash powder,
gunpowder,rocket engine powder, or any of the quick-burning fuel-
oxodizer mixtures that occur in the form of a fine powder. A fuse is then
inserted, and one continues the triangular folds, being careful not to spill
out any of the explosive. When the polumna is finished, it should be taped
together very tightly, since this will increase the strength of the container,
and produce a louder and more powerful explosion when it is lit. The finished
polumna should look like a 1/4 inch - 1/3 inch thick triangle, like the one
shown below:
^
/ \ ----- securely tape all corners
/ \
/ \
/ \
/ \
/ \____________________________
/_____________\__/__/__/__/__/__/__/__/__/ ---------- fuse
4.42 METAL CONTAINERS
The classic
pipe bomb is the best known example of a metal-contained
explosive. Idiot anarchists take white tipped matches and cut off the match
heads. They pound one end of a pipe closed with a hammer, pour in the white-
tipped matches, and then pound the other end closed. This process often
kills
the fool, since when he pounds the pipe closed, he could very easily cause
enough friction between the match heads to cause them to ignite and explode the
unfinished
bomb. By using pipe caps, the process is somewhat safer, and the
less stupid
anarchist would never use white tipped matches in a bomb. He would
buy two pipe caps and threaded pipe (fig. 1). First, he would drill a hole in
one pipe cap, and put a fuse in it so that it will not come out, and so powder
will not escape during handling. The fuse would be at least 3/4 an inch long
inside the bomb. He would then screw the cap with the fuse in it on tightly,
possibly putting a drop of super glue on it to hold it tight. He would then
pour his
explosive powder in the bomb. To pack it tightly, he would take a
large wad of tissue paper and, after filling the pipe to the very top, pack the
powder down, by using the paper as a ramrod tip, and pushing it with a pencil
or other wide ended object, until it would not move any further. Finally, he
would screw the other pipe cap on, and glue it. The tissue paper would help
prevent some of the powder from being caught in the threads of the pipe or pipe
cap from being crushed and subject to friction, which might ignite the powder,
causing an explosion during manufacture. An assembled bomb is shown in fig. 2.
_________ _______________ __________
| | ^^^^^^ ^^^^^^ | |
| |vvvvv| |_________________________| |vvvvvv| |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | ___________________________ | |
| | | | | |
| |^^^^^| vvvvvv_______________vvvvvv |^^^^^^| |
|_______| |________|
fig 1. Threaded pipe and endcaps.
________ ________
| _____|________________________________|_____ |
| |__________________________________________| |
| |: : : : |- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -| |
| | tissue | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |_|
| | : : : |- - - low order explosive - - ----------------------
| | paper | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |-| fuse
| |: : : : |- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -| |
| |________|_________________________________| |
| |__________________________________________| |
|______| |______|
endcap pipe endcap
w/ hole
fig. 2 Assembled pipe bomb.
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 high-order
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...
Nonetheless, glass containers such as perfume bottles can be used by
a
demented individual, since such a device would not be detected by metal
detectors in an airport or other public place. All that need be done is fill
the container, and drill a hole in the plastic cap that the fuse fits tightly
in, and screw the cap-fuse assembly on.
________________________ fuse
|
|
|
_____|_____
| ___|___ |
| > | < | drill hole in cap, and insert fuse;
| > | < | be sure fuse will not come out of cap
| > | < |
| | |
| |
| |
| | screw cap on bottle
| |
| |
V V
_________
< >
< >
< >
/ \
/ \
/ \
| | fill bottle with low-order explosive
| |
| |
| |
| |
|___________|
Large explosive devices made from glass containers are not practicle,
since glass is not an exceptionally strong container. Much of the explosive
that is used to fill the container is wasted if the container is much larger
than a 16 oz. soda bottle. Also, glass containers are usually unsuitable for
high explosive devices, since a glass container would probably not withstand
the explosion of the
initiator; it would shatter before the high explosive was
able to detonate.
4.44
PLASTIC CONTAINERS
Plastic containers are perhaps the
best containers for explosives, since
they can be any size or shape, and are not fragile like glass. Plastic piping
can be bought at
hardware or plumbing stores, and a device much like the ones
used for metal containers can be made. The high-order version works well with
plastic piping. If the entire device is made out of plastic, it is not
detectable by
metal detectors. Plastic containers can usually be shaped by
heating the container, and bending it at the appropriate place. They can be
glued closed with epoxy or other cement for plastics.
Epoxy alone can be used
as an endcap, if a wad of tissue paper is placed in the piping. Epoxy with a
drying agent works best in this type of device.
|| ||
|| ||
||\_____________/||
|| ||
|| epoxy ||
||_______________||
|| ||
|| tissue ||
|| paper ||
||_______________||
||***************||
||***************||
||***************||
||***************||
||** explosive **||
||***************||
||***********----------------------- fuse
||***************||
||---------------||
|| ||
|| tissue ||
|| paper ||
||_______________||
|| ||
|| epoxy ||
|| _____________ ||
||/ \||
|| ||
|| ||
One end must be made first, and be allowed to dry completely before the
device can be filled with powder and fused. Then, with another piece of tissue
paper, pack the powder tightly, and cover it with plenty of epoxy. PVC pipe
works well for this type of device, but it cannot be used if the pipe had an
inside diameter greater than 3/4 of an inch. Other plastic puttys can be used
int this type of device, but epoxy with a drying agent works best.