Ammonium Tri-Iodide

This is a good one, very easy to get ahold of the chemicals, and very easy to make. The only problem with it is that if you don't know what you are doing, or don't follow instructions, you could have a real mess on your hands. This stuff is so damn sensitive (if you use pure ingredients) when it dries that it will blow up with the slightest touch. Because of this, it is fun to mess around with. DO NOT store this shit in your house, because it has the annoying characteristic of blowing up for no apparent reason, and this is a high explosive.

I am going to explain the chemical process involved in making this explosive, because I want people to know what they are doing so that they won't end up in the hospital. The iodine required is available at drug stores and pharmacies, although you may need to sign for them. (But what kind of idiot would use thier real name?) You also will need ammonium hydroxide. This is where making this stuff gets a little tricky, because you will probably not want to use pure ammonium hydroxide even if you can get your hands on it. It is the purity of the ammonium hydroxide which will determine the sensitivity and strength of the explosive. You can use household ammonia water, but it has to be very strong, and it MUST BE CLEAR, NOT CLOUDY! Cloudy ammonia water contains soaps and other cleaning agents that will make a poor quality explosive. Clear ammonia water usually contains enough ammonium hydroxide that it will make a good explosive. I use a janitor strength from Ace hardware that does really well. If you use pure, then don't even touch the stuff after it dries. Anyway, now I will give you the formula for the reaction so you know what happens.

4NH OH + 3I -> 2NH NI + 4H O + 3H 4 2 3 3 2 2

So the ammonium hydroxide reacts with the iodine to yield AMMONIA TRI-IODIDE (explosive) plus water and hydrogen gas.

Of course you can't just throw the chemicals together randomly, so I am going to give you the procedure I use to make this stuff.

Take about two tablespoons of iodine crystals, and put it in a large (400-600 ml.) beaker.

Then add about 100 ml of whatever ammonia water you are using. You should use an excess of ammonia, because if you use more than you need it will not affect the explosive, but if you don't use enough, the reaction will be incomplete.

Then you should let it sit for about ten minutes, stirring a lot to make sure all of the iodine is exposed to ammonium hydroxide. It also helps to have very small crystals of iodine, even powder if you can crush it small enough. You don't have to be afraid of this stuff blowing up on you as long as it is wet, so it is safe to stir this.

As the reaction is taking place, you will see tiny bubbles being given off. This is the hydrogen. When these bubbles stop, the reaction is pretty much over.

I suggest letting the mixture sit a few minutes afterwards, just to make sure.

After the reaction is complete, you have to separate the explosive, which precipitates on the bottom of the beaker. This is easily done with filter paper, or you can even use a coffee filter. Just pour the whole mixture through the filter paper and let the liquid drain off.

Now let the explosive dry about an hour, or if you want to keep it around for a while, make sure it is in an air tight container and stays cool.

Don't store it for too long, it will decompose slowly over time. Remember, when it dries it is very sensitive!

Iodine Crystals

Iodine crystals are a particularly interesting substance. Iodine is a chemical that is almost required for a good contact explosive. Because it is so easy to find a recipe that includes Iodine crystals, I will not clutter up this file with them.

To create Iodine crystals, you will need the following:

Tincture of Iodine (or Iodine Tincture) --> Any amount
Candle, bunson burner, blowtorch or other flame. GRILL WILL NOT WORK!
Ice (regular, NOT dry...)
An all-metal lid (like to a jar) (2)
Grill (relatively clean, with no charcoal)
Tongs
Gloves

1) Put the bunson burner in the grill and light it. Then place the grill part of the grill in its normal position.

2) Pour some of the iodine into the first lid and place it on the grill above the flame. THE FLAME SHOULD NOT TOUCH THE LID, but should come within one half to one full inch!!

3) Put the ice in the other lid and hold it above the lid with the soon to be boiling iodine. This should be done with the tongs while wearing the gloves!!!!

4) The alcohol should burn off and the iodine should re-cool on the bottom of the lid with the ice in it. Use a jar, Dixie cup, shotgun cartrige, facial orafice, whatever, to collect the crystals from the bottom of the lid. These are the almost 100% pure iodine crystals. Very effective.

NOTE: Iodine (tincture of) should be bought in smaller quanities, as this is all that is availible from drug/grocery stores. It is used to cover up open wounds to expedite the healing process.

KMnO3 Incendiary

MATERIALS

1) pottasium permanganate (KMnO3) find at pharmacy

2) flowers of sulpher (S) find at pharmacy

Add KMnO3 to S in ratio 3:2. Shake to mix well. When shook for 1 min pour out and light.

About 50 grams should make a white flame about 0.5m to 1m high. I once poured water on it about 10sec after main flame had died out. It made a huge bang when it came in contact with the water.

Safe Procedures for Fireworks

The following essay is my way of repaying the countless favors done for me by people I have yet to meet. When I started dabbling in fireworks as a child, my only materials were shotgun powder, model rocket fuse and any container I could lay my hands on. Knowledge was only gained by trial and error. Many experiments, and years later I think there may be a few things I could pass on to save someone else needless effort and grief.

Unlike years ago, nowadays there are countless books available on the manufacture of fireworks. I wont bother going into which flash powder formula is better, your standard 2-1-1 mixture works just as good as any other (oxidizer to flammable solid to moderator. For you chemists out there, I know. Moderator? This was meant for the layman/novice to fireworks manufacture. By moderator I infer that flash powder made with Sulfur is better, albeit slightly, from that made without. It helps the aluminum to generate the maximum heat necessary to incinerate the oxidizer quickly and evenly). I use 2 parts Potassium Perchlorate to 1 part German Black Pyrotechnic Aluminum to 1 part Sulfur Flour.

For those that have never used it, German Black is the be all, end all for the pyrotechy. It doesnt float when youre using it and it makes a superior product to metal flake aluminum (it has the appearance of dark grey/black flour). Granted, you dont get the bright flash like you do with metal flake, but the increased shock wave and cratering potential more than makes up for it. Never skimp on your chemicals, if you go cheap, you get cheap.

You can always save money in other areas to make up for the increased cost of primo chemicals. I dont recall the last time I actually paid for tubing to make maroons, but it was at least 10 years ago (for those of you not in the know, thats the official name for a big firecracker. Sure, you can call them M-80s, Quarter-sticks or salutes, but when they were first thought up, they were called maroons). You can find free tubing everywhere, for instance: the white tubing off of pants hangers is great for fingerlong salutes, at 3 inches long you get 5 per hanger, if you know someone who works in a place that uses the big rolls of plastic wrap for wrapping skids of boxes the tubes from the center of the roll are perfect for so-called Quarter-sticks, some adding machine/cash register paper tape comes on rolls perfect for M-80s, etc., etc., etc. Just keep your eyes open and let a couple of people know by giving them freebies and tubing will come to your door.

As far as equipment and other material goes, of all the things I have used for end plugs, nothing was as easy or cheap as a hot glue gun. Yes, it gets hot, but numerous tests and countless years of use and it never set off the flash powder. An easy way to test yours is to plug it in and leave it on for half an hour, by then it should be as hot as its going to get. Place an amount of flash powder in a small bowl (1/2 tsp.) and stick the tip of the glue gun in the middle of it, if it doesnt go poof! you should be ok. On small firecrackers like fingerlongs and M-80 types you can use just hot glue or a little shot of hot glue and a small piece of wooden dowel. If you use just hot glue shoot it around the inside of the rim then a small shot in the middle and then stick it end down on a sheet of plexi-glass or smooth plastic. When the glue cools you can use the plexi for loading the powder, it holds all the tubes end up for filling. When filled (halfway to two-thirds full, you need to leave an air space) a slight sideways pressure or a little twist and they pop loose so you can glue the fuse in the other end. End fused or side fused work equally good, I always use end fuse on the small ones and side fused on the big ones. On bigger salutes (Quarter-sticks), broom or mop stick works good for plugs. Youll need a plug rammer (like a potato masher, only smaller) to seat the wood plug fully, hot glue sets awfully fast. If you decide you want to use end fuses on big salutes, seat one end plug, then drill a hole for the fuse, and then cover the hole with a small piece of masking tape. After youve filled it with flash powder and seated the other end plug, turn it over and take off the tape, then run the fuse down the hole. A little dab of hot glue to hold the fuse and youre done.

For mixing my powder I use a rock tumbler, theyre made to run for weeks at a time and they do a very good job of mixing. Mine has room for two rubber tumbling containers and each one has the capacity of approximately a quart container. The rest of my fireworks apparatus consists of wood, plastic, brass or paper, most was made by me.

Never use steel or iron instruments of any kind, if you do you probably wont live to regret it. A good scale is probably the most important piece of equipment you will ever buy, dont skimp here either. I have a four-beam Ohaus, but a standard triple-beam is more than enough. If you get the type with a large plate on top you can set your tumbler containers on it then set the proper weight and just add your components until you balance. Absolute accuracy isnt that important, a few grams off here or there wont really make a difference if youre mixing say, 6 or 8 ounces, but if you get into any of the technical stuff like making blasting caps and the like, accuracy is everything.

Among the other things you are going to need are sifting screens (NOT window screen), 400 and 600 mesh for starters, some plastic measuring spoons, two mortar and pestles (one for oxidizers, one for everything else), NEVER use a piece of equipment for both oxidizers and flammable solids, even a single granule of oxidizer in a mortar with some flammable solid will wreck your day. Paper funnels can be made out of scrap paper and then thrown away, airtight plastic bottles to store your chemicals in (I recommend Nalgene), a large footlocker type of box that light cant penetrate for storage, and quite a few chemicals and do-dads like cannon fuse. This is where the hard part comes in, most of the chemicals you want are getting harder and harder to find. When you can, go to the place thats selling them and pick them up, mail order starts a paper trail. Dont walk in and ask for oxidizer, aluminum and sulfur, youll get THE LOOK, those people are not idiots. There are a few places to get aluminum (paint store, etc.), and sulfur isnt that hard, nobody will look at you twice for just that, but the oxidizer can be a pain sometimes. You can only get German Black through a chemical supply house. The last time I found it they would only sell you 8 ounces at a time, and then you had to wait 6 months before you could order more. You may just wind up having to use metal flake, 400 to 600 mesh.

Other things youll need are: equivalency charts that show the old name of the chemical and what they call it today. A good chemistry dictionary if you havent had at least a high school chemistry class. Safety glasses, a filter mask, maybe some gloves, and a quiet, out of the way place to work.

Safety is paramount, dont be in a hurry, dont smoke while working, dont work anywhere there may be an open flame (stoves, water heaters, furnaces and a few other things have pilot lights), and NEVER forget that friction is your enemy. Damn near any two things rubbed together with flash powder between them can wreck your day.

Dont ever think that since you made a few good batches of flash powder that youre ready to run with the big dogs and maybe make a batch of Composition M (civilian plastic explosive), or grab a bag of ice and mix up a little nitro, youre not ready by a long shot. Dont rush things, have a little fun with the fireworks first, then in a few years, if youre still here and you can count to ten without taking off your shoes, maybe you can step up to picric acid and lead oxide or something like it. The only book I recommend for the beginner is: The Chemistry of Powder and Explosives by Tenney L. Davis. It covers the manufacture of anything you will ever want to make and a few other things besides. Although it is more of a textbook than the pamphlet-type fireworks books Ive seen, it is understandable to anyone with at least high school chemistry 101, just dont look for it at your local library.

In closing, please remember that safety is THE most important thing you have to think about. When you are playing with the kinds of chemicals we are talking about here your first mistake most often is your last. When it comes to fuse, better a foot too long than an inch too short (I cant take credit for that one, I read it somewhere and found it to be too true). And dont try to make the biggest firecracker ever, youll only waste powder. Be safe, have fun, and pass on what you learn so others wont make the same mistakes

An Easy as Pie Incendiary and Flash Powder

by 8-)

Safe Procedures for Fireworks