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Praxichys
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Location: Detroit, Michigan, USA
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Silver isn't that expensive to use as a primary. You can get bouillon on eBay, $9 for 5g, which is $1.80 per gram (even cheaper if you buy more). A
typical "heavy" SADS load is around 120mg, and silver makes up roughly a quarter of the weight of SADS, so...
$10 worth of silver (5g) would make 20g SADS, enough to fill 166 of the heavy 120mg caps. Cut that to a more reasonable 60mg cap and you can now make
332 caps for $10. Each heavy cap comes out to 6¢ in silver and each standard cap would cost about 3¢. It's not worth worrying about!
I do agree for safety and reliability reasons that caps have a booster built in. Personally I have had problems with MHN being sticky and
under-nitrated. Besides, pressing is a little too dangerous for me.
My preferred option is 350mg ETN melt-cast into the bottom of the cap with 60mg SADS on top. This is best accomplished by placing the empty cap cases
into a wooden rack, loading the cases with 350mg ETN powder, and then placing the rack into hot water and walking away. The ETN is safely formed into
a perfect high-density block at the bottom of the cap with no danger to the user. 60mg SADS is then placed on top of the solid, cooled ETN, followed
by 1/8" visco fuse. The fuse and SADS is held in place temporarily by a small cotton plug, and the top is permanently capped with 2-part epoxy. The
cotton also keeps the epoxy out of the SADS and keeps it compressed gently against the ETN.
You can find the perfect cap bodies on eBay sold as "perfume sample vials". You can get 100 of them for less than $10, and they are available in
0.7ml, 1ml, and 1.5ml varieties. They are clear glass (which is kind of neat) so they need to be stored in the dark or painted black if you plan to
use SADS. Lately I have been using lead azide instead, for this reason. Another drawback is that the ETN will melt and ruin the cap if it is heated to
about 60°C, which can happen inside a toolbox left in the sun, a vehicle, etc.
I know all of this is sort of off-topic, but relevant if a safe method of initiation is needed for insensitive secondaries. Please make sure you do
this legally. I have a lot of land and I don't store anything in order to comply with my local laws. I happen to know a lot but I would hate for
someone to get into trouble following any of this.
EDIT: Never mind about my failure with MHN. I was thinking about the time I tried to nitrate xylitol. MHN would be nice to use since it is more dense
and has a higher VoD than ETN, but the melt casting process would require a scary trip to 120°C in an oil bath. I guess it could be alloyed with ETN
or something to bring that <100°C but I don't think the minor performance boost is worth the added handling/complexity.
[Edited on 8-9-2016 by Praxichys]
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MineMan
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Registered: 29-3-2015
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Quote: Originally posted by Praxichys  | Silver isn't that expensive to use as a primary. You can get bouillon on eBay, $9 for 5g, which is $1.80 per gram (even cheaper if you buy more). A
typical "heavy" SADS load is around 120mg, and silver makes up roughly a quarter of the weight of SADS, so...
$10 worth of silver (5g) would make 20g SADS, enough to fill 166 of the heavy 120mg caps. Cut that to a more reasonable 60mg cap and you can now make
332 caps for $10. Each heavy cap comes out to 6¢ in silver and each standard cap would cost about 3¢. It's not worth worrying about!
I do agree for safety and reliability reasons that caps have a booster built in. Personally I have had problems with MHN being sticky and
under-nitrated. Besides, pressing is a little too dangerous for me.
My preferred option is 350mg ETN melt-cast into the bottom of the cap with 60mg SADS on top. This is best accomplished by placing the empty cap cases
into a wooden rack, loading the cases with 350mg ETN powder, and then placing the rack into hot water and walking away. The ETN is safely formed into
a perfect high-density block at the bottom of the cap with no danger to the user. 60mg SADS is then placed on top of the solid, cooled ETN, followed
by 1/8" visco fuse. The fuse and SADS is held in place temporarily by a small cotton plug, and the top is permanently capped with 2-part epoxy. The
cotton also keeps the epoxy out of the SADS and keeps it compressed gently against the ETN.
You can find the perfect cap bodies on eBay sold as "perfume sample vials". You can get 100 of them for less than $10, and they are available in
0.7ml, 1ml, and 1.5ml varieties. They are clear glass (which is kind of neat) so they need to be stored in the dark or painted black if you plan to
use SADS. Lately I have been using lead azide instead, for this reason. Another drawback is that the ETN will melt and ruin the cap if it is heated to
about 60°C, which can happen inside a toolbox left in the sun, a vehicle, etc.
I know all of this is sort of off-topic, but relevant if a safe method of initiation is needed for insensitive secondaries. Please make sure you do
this legally. I have a lot of land and I don't store anything in order to comply with my local laws. I happen to know a lot but I would hate for
someone to get into trouble following any of this.
EDIT: Never mind about my failure with MHN. I was thinking about the time I tried to nitrate xylitol. MHN would be nice to use since it is more dense
and has a higher VoD than ETN, but the melt casting process would require a scary trip to 120°C in an oil bath. I guess it could be alloyed with ETN
or something to bring that <100°C but I don't think the minor performance boost is worth the added handling/complexity.
[Edited on 8-9-2016 by
Praxichys, I think that is great advice, and I think your design and procedure is a great way to avoid pressing! ETN is a little touchy but still
safe when managed properly. Your location says Michigan, and I know according to the ATF it is legal to manufacture without a license... Just not to
store. How do you comply with this, as your SADS and ETN would need to be stored to make your caps? And then You would have to use your caps the
minute you made them to avoid storage? I am only asking you this because I too live in the States and I am wondering if I am missing something that I
could apply to myself... Is it legal to store under a certain amount??
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MineMan
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Whoops my reply got placed in the quote...
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Laboratory of Liptakov
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This storage on private property is an interesting question. How long? Only one day? Or one week? Since production can take for example a week. I'll
give an example: Someone needs 1,000 grams of explosives. But can be produced in one step of only 50 grams. This means that it is necessary to store
at least 19 charges for nearly a week. It is this detail given in the law? Thanks.
Development of primarily - secondary substances CHP (2015) Lithex (2022) Brightelite (2023) Nitrocelite and KC primer (2024)
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MineMan
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LL, this is what I am curious about also... I hope Praxichys can answer this!
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Jimbo Jones
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| Quote: Originally posted by Praxichys |
My preferred option is 350mg ETN melt-cast into the bottom of the cap with 60mg SADS on top.
[Edited on 8-9-2016 by Praxichys] |
Interesting. I always thought that the cast ETN have large critical diameter and needs strong kick in order to detonate.
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Praxichys
International Hazard
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Registered: 31-7-2013
Location: Detroit, Michigan, USA
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https://www.atf.gov/explosives/docs/publication-federal-expl...
You can legally manufacture explosives for personal use on your own property, although there is a minimum distance from inhabited structures that you
are allowed to both manufacture and use explosives from. You cannot make them inside a residence if it is occupied by anyone other than yourself, and
all explosive material must be locked up if it is not attended per §555.205. Explosives can only be stored in approved and inspected magazines, and
there is a maximum explosive weight that can be stored in any one magazine based on its dimensions. There are requirements for minimum distance from
regularly occupied dwellings, and requirements for locks. You must be licensed by the ATF to use a magazine for explosive storage.
Because of this, I do not have a magazine, nor do I store any explosive material unless it is "in the process of manufacture". Since you must be
licensed by the ATF to transport explosives on public roads, I need to take a portion of my lab up north with me in order to make the charges on-site
and thus remain legal. Daunting as that seems, the process is incredibly easy after you run it a few times, and it only takes about a morning to get
everything together.
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Laboratory of Liptakov
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Location: Technion Haifa
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Thanks, very interesting read about law in link. Shortly:
In a remote shack, it is necessary to mix ammonium nitrate and something. And then immediately self blow up. A nearby villages, neighbours and
authorities have no worries for a long time.... ...LL
Development of primarily - secondary substances CHP (2015) Lithex (2022) Brightelite (2023) Nitrocelite and KC primer (2024)
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