Touch Paper, Self Igniting Mixtures, Percussion Explosives

This is part of a series of files on pyrotechnics and explosives. It's serious 
stuff, and can be really dangerous if you don't treat it seriously. For you 
kids out there who watch too many cartoons, remember that if a part of your 
body gets blown away in the REAL world, it STAYS blown away. If you can't 
treat this stuff with respect, don't screw around with it.                 
                                                                              
Each file will start with a set of safety rules. Don't skip over them. Read 
'em and MEMORIZE 'em!!  At the beginning, there will be a set of general rules 
that always apply. Then there will be some things that you HAVE TO KNOW about 
the materials you will be using and making this time. Read it thoroughly 
before starting anything.                                                      
                                                                               
Pyrotechnic preparations and explosives are, by their very nature, unstable, 
and subject to ignition by explosion or heat, shock, or friction. A clear 
understanding of their dangerous properties and due care in the handling of 
ingredients or finished products is necessary if accidents are to be avoided. 
Always observe all possible precautions, particularly the following:           
                                                                               
         1. Mix only small batches at one time. This means a few grams, or at 
            most, an ounce or so. Don't go for big mixes -- they only make for 
            bigger accidents. The power of an explosive cubes itself with 
            every ounce. (9 Ounces is 729 times as powerful as one ounce.)
                                                                              
         2. When weighing chemicals, use a clean piece of paper on the scale 
            pan for each item. Then discard the used paper into a bucket of 
            water before weighing the next ingredient.                         
                                                                               
         3. Be a safe worker. Dispose of any chemicals spilled on the 
            workbench or equipment between weighings. Don't keep open 
            containers of chemicals on your table, since accidental spillage 
            or mixing may occur. When finished with a container, close it, and 
            replace it on the storage shelf. Use only clean equipment.        
                                                                               
         4. Where chemicals are to be ground, grind them separately, NEVER 
            TOGETHER. Thoroughly wash and clean equipment before grinding 
            another ingredient.                                                
                                                                               
         5. Mixing of batches should be done outdoors, away from flammable 
            structures, such as buildings, barns, garages, etc. Mixes should 
            also be made in NON METALLIC containers to avoid sparks. Glass 
            also should not be used since it will shatter in case of an 
            accident. Handy small containers can be made by cutting off the 
            top of a plastic bottle three or four inches from the bottom. Some 
            mixes may most conveniently be made by placing the ingredients in 
            a plastic bottle and rolling around until the mixture is uniform. 
            In all cases, point the open end of the container away from 
            yourself. Never hold your body or face over the container. Any 
            stirring should be done with a wooden paddle or stick to avoid 
            sparks or static.                                                 
                                                                               
            Powdered or ground materials may also be mixed by placing them on 
            a large sheet of paper on a flat surface and then rolling them 
            across the sheet by lifting the sides and corners one at a time.  
                                                                               
         6. Never ram or tamp mixes into paper or cardboard tubes. Pour the 
            material in and gently tap or shake the tube to settle the 
            contents down.                                                    
                                                                               
         7. Store ingredients and finished mixes where they will not be a fire 
            hazard away from heat and flame. Finished preparations may be 
            stored in plastic bottles which will not shatter in case of an 
            accident. Since many of the ingredients and mixes are poisonous, 
            they should be stored out of reach of children or pets, preferably 
            locked away.                                                       
                                                                               
         8. Be sure threads of screw top containers and caps are thoroughly 
            cleaned. This applies also to containers with stoppers of rubber 
            or cork and to all other types of closures. Traces of mixture 
            caught between the container and closure may be ignited by the 
            friction of opening or closing the container. Throughout any 
            procedure, WORK WITH CLEAN CONDITIONS.                             
                                                                               
         9. ALWAYS WEAR A FACE SHIELD OR AT LEAST SHATTERPROOF SAFETY GLASSES. 
            Any careful worker does when handling dangerous materials. Be sure 
            lenses and frames are not flammable.                               
                                                                               
        10. Always wear a dust respirator when handling chemicals in dust 
            form. These small particles gather in your lungs and stay there. 
            They may cause serious illnesses later on in life.                
                                                                               
        11. Always wear gloves when working with chemicals.                    
                                                                               
        12. Always wear a waterproof lab apron.                                
                                                                               
        13. If you must work indoors, have a good ventilation system.          
                                                                               
        14. Never smoke anywhere near where you are working.                   
                                                                               
        15. Make sure there are NO open flames present, and NO MOTORS (they 
            produce sparks inside.) No hot water heaters, furnaces, or pilot 
            lights in stoves!! Sparks have been known to very readily explode 
            dust floating in the air.                                          
                                                                               
        16. ALWAYS work with someone. Two heads are better than one. 
                                                                               
        17. Have a source of water READILY available. (Fire extinguisher, 
            hose, etc.)                                                       
                                                                               
        18. Never, under any circumstances, use any metal to load chemicals or 
            put chemicals in. Fireworks with metal casings are worse to handle 
            than a live hand grenade. Never use any metal container or can. 
            This includes the very dangerous CO2 cartridges. Many people have 
            been KILLED because of flying fragments from metal casings. Again, 
            please do not use metal in any circumstance.                       
                                                                               
        19. Always be thoroughly familiar with the chemicals you are using. 
            Some information will be included in each file, but look for 
            whatever extra information you can. Materials that were once 
            thought to be safe can later be found out to be dangerous stuff.   
                                                                               
        20. Wash your hands and face thoroughly after using chemicals. Don't 
            forget to wash your EARS AND YOUR NOSE.                            
                                                                               
        21. If any device you've built fails to work, leave it alone. After a 
            half hour or so, you may try to bury it, but never try to unload 
            or reuse any dud.                                                 
                                                                               
        22. If dust particles start to form in the air, stop what you are 
            doing and leave until it settles.                                  
                                                                               
        23. Read the entire file before trying to do anything.                 
                                                                               
        24. NEVER strike any mixture containing Chlorates, Nitrates, 
            Perchlorates, Permanganates, Bichromates, or powdered metals don't 
            drop them, or even handle them roughly.                            
                                                                               
These rules may all look like a lot of silly nonsense, but let's look at one 
example. When the move "The Wizard of OZ" was made, the actress who played the 
good witch was severely burned when one of the exploding special effects got 
out of hand. The actress who played the bad witch got really messed up by the 
green coloring used on her face, and the original actor who played the Tin Man 
got his lungs destroyed by the aluminum dust used to color his face. The actor 
we know of as the tin man was actually a replacement. The point is, these 
chemicals were being used under the direction of people a lot more knowlegable 
of chemicals than you are, and terrible accidents still happened. Don't take 
this stuff lightly.                                                            
                                                                              
We will be using many more chemicals this time, and some can be quite 
dangerous. Please read the following information carefully.


Sodium Azide - NaN                                                      
                  3                                                     
This white powder is very poisonous. It is also a bit unstable, so treat it 
gently.                                                                        
                                                                               
Lead Nitrate - Pb(NO )                                                  
                    3 2                                                      
This contains poisonous lead and is very water soluble so your body will 
absorb it quickly, given the chance. The government has banned leaded paints 
and is phasing out leaded gasoline because the stuff slowly accumulates in 
your body and can screw up all sorts of important innards. If you are careless 
with Lead Nitrate you can do a few lifetimes' worth of damage in one 
afternoon.         
                                                                               
Ammonium Nitrate - NH NO                                                       
                     4  3                                                      
Commonly used as fertilizer, this stuff is somewhat dangerous in large 
quantities, particularly if it gets very hot. (Entire shiploads of this 
material have been known to go up all at once.) When heated gently, it 
decomposes into water and nitrous oxide (laughing gas). Farmers sometimes use 
it to blow up tree stumps by mixing it with fuel oil and setting the gunk off 
with a detonator. We'll have a very different use for it here.                 
                                                                               
Potassium Nitrate - KNO
                       3                                                       
Also known as saltpeter, this is commercially used as a diuretic for animals. 
It also works as an oxidizing agent in various pyrotechnic mixtures. That is, 
when heated it provides the oxygen needed to make the rest of the mixture 
burn.

Potassium   Potassium
 Nitrate     Nitrite   Oxygen

 2KNO   --->  2KNO    +  O
     3            2       2



Potassium Chlorate - KClO
                         3                                                     
A much more spectacular oxidizing agent than Potassium Nitrate. It not only 
yields more oxygen than Potassium Nitrate, it does so more easily. Pyrotechnic 
mixtures containing this chemical will require much less of it, and yet burn 
more fiercely. Even percussion can readily set the mixtures off. This can be 
useful, but it sometimes makes the mixtures more sensitive than you'd like. 
Mixtures containing this chemical must be handled carefully. Potassium 
Chlorate is also poisonous.

Potassium     Potassium
 Chlorate      Chloride   Oxygen

  2KClO   --->   2KCl   +   3O
       3                      2
                                                                               

Aluminum Dust

Very finely divided aluminum. When put in a glass jar, it almost looks like a 
solid piece of grey metal. In this form it is flammable. Also, it can 
seriously damage your lungs if you inhale it. Be careful not to stir up any 
clouds of dust, and it goes without saying that you shouldn't use it near an 
open flame.
                                                                               
Zinc Dust                                                                      
                                                                               
Very finely divided zinc. Not quite as flammable as Aluminum Dust, but still 
worth handling carefully. Can also damage your lungs if inhaled.

Lampblack                                                                      
                                                                               
This is very finely divided carbon, usually obtained as a soot from other 
manufacturing processes. It is much more effective in pyrotechnic mixtures 
than powdered charcoal. Tiny spots of this are almost unnoticeable, but they 
stick to your hands and smear incredibly far. If you're not very tidy you 
should expect to find black smears all over your face and hands after using 
this.                                                                          
                                                                               
Sulfur                                                                         
                                                                               
A yellow powder used as a reducing agent in many pyrotechnic mixtures. Buy 
this in the finely powdered form. You can also get it in hard lumps, but these 
will just waste extra time as you have to grind them yourself.                 
                                                                               
Potassium Permanganate                                                         
                                                                               
An oxidizing agent that's somewhat less vigorous than others mentioned here. 
Not usually used in pyrotechnic mixtures because it's more expensive and less 
effective than some of the alternatives. There are a few cases when it's just 
the 
