all your bass are belong to strider

section 3: chemicals and explosives; safety

aka HOW NOT TO GET KILLED (ways of avoiding an “own goal”)

An “own goal” is the death of a person on your side from one of

your own devices. It is obvious that these should be avoided at all

costs. While no safety device is 100% reliable, it is usually better to

err on the side of caution.

                           BASIC SAFETY RULES

1) DON’T SMOKE!  (don’t laugh- an errant cigarette wiped out the Weathermen)

2) GRIND ALL INGREDIENTS SEPERATELY. It’s suprising how friction sensitive

    some supposedly “safe” explosives really are.

3) ALLOW for a 20% margin of error- Just because the AVERAGE burning rate of a

    fuse is 30 secs/foot, don’t depend on the 5 inches sticking out of your

    pipe bomb to take exactly 2.5 minutes.

4) OVERESTIMATE THE RANGE OF YOUR SHRAPNEL. The cap from a pipe bomb can

    often travel a block or more at high velocities before coming to rest- If

    you have to stay nearby, remember that if you can see it, it can kill you.

5) When mixing sensitive compounds (such as flash powder) avoid all sources of

   static electricity. Mix the ingredients by the method below:

                       HOW TO MIX INGREDIENTS 

     The best way to mix two dry chemicals to form an explosive is to do as

the small-scale fireworks manufacturer’s do:

Ingredients:

1 large sheet of smooth paper (for example a page from a newspaper that does

    not use staples)

The dry chemicals needed for the desired compound.

1) Measure out the appropriate amounts of the two chemicals, and pour them in

    two small heaps near opposite corners of the sheet.

2) Pick up the sheet by the two corners near the powders, allowing the powders

    to  roll towards the middle of the sheet.

3) By raising one corner and then the other, roll the powders back and forth

    in the middle of the open sheet, taking care not to let the mixture spill

    from either of the loose ends.

4) Pour the powder off from the middle of the sheet, and use immediately. If

    it must be stored use airtight containers (35mm film canisters work

    nicely) and store away from people, houses, and valuable items.