safe handling of co2 bombs (or what to not post about)

[zeekborg]

MOD edit: I'll leave it open for now, it might kick back up into some related or unrelated discussion... or it might just die. For example how crappy that black powder will be... Better sources to learn from than the ACB, etc...

Red highlighting is where you are doin it wrong.

We don't use the word "bomb" here, unless its a smoke bomb, atomic or hydrogen bomb, or rarely in the discussion on news articles on terrorist attacks or unexploded ordnance. "Bombs" fuck up life and property. We don't do that here.

The terrorist handbook, anarchist cookbook, jolly rogers, etc were all written by people with very little chemistry background. There is hardly any mention of safety and in general they suck. When you hear news stories of kids blowing their fingers off with home made "bombs" they were probably following this stuff. Avoid them.

Edited this into the beginning of the thread so that noobs reading will get the picture. (As we don't have a "Read this first" thread yet.)

Im new here and was wondering if anyone could give me the heads up on any potential "safety hazards" of making "CO2 bombs". Basically you take an old co2 canister (like on of the small silver containers that hold the CO2 from airguns) and when your done you take a nail and make the hole at the top of the empty co2 cartridge and make it bigger. Then pack it full of blackpowder (im making this myself with this recipe from the terrorist handbook copied below). When your done packing the old cartridge insert fuse, light and run.

I was wondering if anyone could tell me if they have done this, what it does if they have, and anything that could go wrong that i should watch out for. Thanks in advance.

"3.21 BLACK POWDER

First made by the Chinese for use in fireworks, black powder was first used in weapons and explosives in the 12th century. It is very simple to make, but it is not very powerful or safe. Only about 50% of black powder is converted to hot gasses when it is burned; the other half is mostly very fine burned particles. Black powder has one major problem: it can be ignited by static electricity. This is very bad, and it means that the material must be made with wooden or clay tools. Anyway, a misguided individual could manufacture black powder at home with the following procedure:

MATERIALS EQUIPMENT
--------- ---------
potassium clay grinding bowl
nitrate (75 g) and clay grinder

or or

sodium wooden salad bowl
nitrate (75 g) and wooden spoon

sulfur (10 g) plastic bags (3)

charcoal (15 g) 300-500 ml beaker (1)

distilled water coffee pot or heat source


1. Place a small amount of the potassium or sodium nitrate in the grinding bowl and grind it to a very fine powder. Do this to all of the potassium or sodium nitrate, and store the ground powder in one of the plastic bags.

2. Do the same thing to the sulfur and charcoal, storing each chemical in a separate plastic bag.

3. Place all of the finely ground potassium or sodium nitrate in the beaker, and add just enough boiling water to the chemical to get it all wet.

4. Add the contents of the other plastic bags to the wet potassium or sodium nitrate, and mix them well for several minutes. Do this until there is no more visible sulfur or charcoal, or until the mixture is universally black.

5. On a warm sunny day, put the beaker outside in the direct sunlight. Sunlight is really the best way to dry black powder, since it is never too hot, but it is hot enough to evaporate the water.

6. Scrape the black powder out of the beaker, and store it in a safe container. Plastic is really the safest container, followed by paper. Never store black powder in a plastic bag, since plastic bags are prone to generate static electricity."

Finally, don't take this as an insult, we were all noobs once. Stick around, you'll learn a lot.

[InspiredByMe]

Everyone already here knows how to make BP.

As for safe handling of CO2 'bombs' there is none. Start using paper casings because metal shrapnel can be a bitch. See http://members.shaw.ca/gryphon223/consequences.html There is a picture on their of a young man's leg that had shrapnel from the CO2 canister go straight through his leg, if had been closer it would have struck a major artery.

Don't call them 'bombs', bombs are used to hurt people while what we make are energetic material/explosives.

[LastHand]

We need a mod. The word "Bomb" is not allowed. Where is my ban hammer? Oh Wait, I don't have on yet. Cry....

[Vineman]

There is no such thing as a safe CO2 bomb. They produce VERY dangerous shrapnel, as does anything with a metal casing,

[zeekborg]

well if someone of a creative disposition were to put one of these "energy making tools" into a community mailbox what would happen?

[Vineman]

Originally Posted by zeekborg

well if someone of a creative disposition were to put one of these "energy making tools" into a community mailbox what would happen?

How about instead of wasting much needed government money you go off and do something less destructive?

[zeekborg]

one could definately do that but they charge to much tax in Canada anyways...

Plus those warning pictures scared the hell outta me...

[LastHand]

Originally Posted by zeekborg

one could definately do that but they charge to much tax in Canada anyways...

Plus those warning pictures scared the hell outta me...

You are soft and squishy. Shrapnel will go right through you. You are putting lots of gas in a tiny volume. When there is to much pressure, pieces go everywhere, and through you.

[InspiredByMe]

Originally Posted by zeekborg

Plus those warning pictures scared the hell outta me...

That was the whole point. I suggest you go look up paper casings, much much much safer then metal. And if you want to make a cool device with your BP start off with a creamora. Vid on how to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c--z_eMnzAw

[nuclearrabbit]

I nearly caught this with my head. Though it wasn't a COB, it was a rocket.

[SHARP]

Originally Posted by InspiredByMe

Everyone already here knows how to make BP.

As for safe handling of CO2 'bombs' there is none. Start using paper casings because metal shrapnel can be a bitch. See http://members.shaw.ca/gryphon223/consequences.html There is a picture on their of a young man's leg that had shrapnel from the CO2 canister go straight through his leg, if had been closer it would have struck a major artery.

Don't call them 'bombs', bombs are used to hurt people while what we make are energetic material/explosives.

As much as I like the idea behind a site where there's a bunch of pix of what can happen when someone fucks up with explosives, as it might just be something like that, that'll make all the idiots think twice before they injure or kill someone, I find it highly unlikely a pipe bomb did that, to the guy in the bottom pic.
To me it looks more like a HE was used...

[InspiredByMe]

Originally Posted by SHARP

As much as I like the idea behind a site where there's a bunch of pix of what can happen when someone fucks up with explosives, as it might just be something like that, that'll make all the idiots think twice before they injure or kill someone, I find it highly unlikely a pipe bomb did that, to the guy in the bottom pic.
To me it looks more like a HE was used...

Yeah I agree it says pipe bomb, but not the type of explosive. There is no way it was simple compacted BP though, probably something like AP or another OTC HE.

[asilentbob]

Edited for noobs... but honestly... I can't tell if he's a troll or not.

[Unholy Batman]

I love cobs, they are easy to make and very loud. IMO they are pretty safe with electronic ignition methods.