Lately I have been studying KIFE a bit closer. In my search for a cap sensitive AN based explosive which is cheap and easy to manufacture I have found some in KIFE that Might be interesting.

One is the CAST FGAN- WAX FOAMED CHARGE. Described below.
The only thing I wonder about is what Mr Bubble and Tide or sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate is?? I assume it a substnce that grately raises the sensitivity of some of the mixtures making them more cap sensitive. Some of the procedures are really good if they work.
The one mentioned above would be very nice since you could form the charges very easily into some usable shapes. They could allso be cast into sticks wich could be used without any confinement except the water proofing if that is needed. The critical diameter is quite good as well which makes them more useful.

The second one that I'm interested in it the POWDERED AN_ DIETHYLENE GLYCOL. I wonder if the guar gum needed for the procedure or if it's only there to reduce the hygroscopic nature of the explosive. Procedures below.

CAST AN EXPLOSIVE-FOAMED

DETONATION RATE - 4300-4700 M/sec.
DETONATION PRESSURE - 800,000-1,400,000 P.S.I.
SENSITIVITY - Sensitive to one #6 blasting cap at densities of .95 G/cc orless. This foamed cast explosive is sensitive to a dynamite booster at a density of 1.25 or less. These figures are applicable at a charge diameter of 2 inches (5 cm.) or greater.

USE-BLASTING
- Very useful in blasting due to the ability to lend itself to multi
charge diameter and a variety of charge configurations. Also a good choice for a booster type explosive for the prilled AN-fuel oil type explosives at a low cost. Charge diameter should be 2" or greater. Comparable to 50% ammonia dynamite.

DEMOLITIONS - A useable explosive for some "demo" applications. The
abi li ty to conform to a variety of shapes and its relative ability to resist "dead pressing" or packing to an insensitive and undetonatable density. While the detonation rate is not as high as could be obtained, this explosive is cheap and could be produced in a great bulk. It does not have a shaped charge application in modern terms (e.g.: concrete breaching, steel plate perforations, etc.). but in large quantities it could be used effectively. However, the greater bulk (washtub sized shaped charges) and weight of the demolition charges would not be feasable for an underground group, except in special instances, as they would depend upon hit and run tactics.

MUNITIONS - Could very easily be used in cast iron or similar fragmentation charges. Any application of AN explosives metal fragmentation ordinance needs to be painted inside with asphalt or an epoxy type paint to eliminate the corrosive action of the salt on the container.

CAUTION: Ammonium nitrate should never be in contact with copper or brass, as potentially dangerous salts could be formed which could result in the premature detonation of the charge!!!!
This explosive, of course, is not as good a fragmentation explosive as T.N.T.,due to its lower detonation rate. Although prefragmented explosive devicescould be fabricated easily with something like roofing nails or some other potentially lethal projectiles. This explosive is unsuitable for projectile loading of any sort.
Cast AN explosives have always had a bad reputation for their tendancies to be overly insensitive to even rather large boosters. This seeming inability to achieve a complete or efficient detonation is a curse of cast AN explosives. This composition and its manufacture procedure seems to give a cast charge that is
sensitive to a blasting cap and will propagate detonation in a container of very little strength (e.g.; ti n can, bottles, paper tubes, etc.). This great increase of sensitivity is achieved by lowering the density of the explosive charge. This is
accomplished by the addi t i on of small bubbles of gas in the molten AN-fuel as it cools. The bubbles of gas are formed in a reaction between the AN and a carbonate, bicarbonate, peroxide, metallic oxide or one of two gas generating nitrates. When the manufacturer "gets the hang" of pouring at the proper temperature, the bubbles dispersed throughout the cast explosive will be of surprising uniformity. Since most shaped charges are formed by casting, this will give the home manufacturer a way to make "homemade" shaped charges. Of
course, the detonation velocity is too low for a good effective shaped charge, but the low cost of the explosive allows the use of charges much larger (washtub sized) than would be needed with equivalent CHNO explosives (T.N.T., R.D.X.,comp "B", etc.). A washtub shaped charge of this type would be in the 50 to 80 Ib. size range and would be large enough to do a great deal of destruction. Also this
size munition could be used by filling the shaped charge cavity with nails, bolts, nuts, glass, wire, ball bearings, BB's and anything else that would make good fragments. This would, in effect, create a huge claymore mine with several hundred meter effective range. To manufacture this explosive, proceed as follows:

The volume of the container, in which the charge is to e cast into, should be measured. This can be done easily by filling it with water, making note of how much water it takes to fi l l it. Since water is a standard for density and one cc
weights equals one gram, this is easy to do:
One gallon = 3584 grams = 3584 cc.
One quart = 896 grams = 896 cc.
One pint = 448 grams = 448 cc.
One fluid ounce = 28 grams = 22 cc.
After the volume of the container has been figured, the amount of explosive would be figured, this is done by multiplying the number of cc. in the container by the density desired as done below:
EXAMPLE:
V = Volume of container = 454 cc.
D = Density of charge desired - .95 G/cc
V x D = Amount of explosive required
454 x .95 = 431.3 G. explosive
It is a good rule of thumb in calindistine explosive manufacture to
manufacture only one device at a time. Of course, it would go without saying, the container should be dried out after the water measuring and would be clean enough to "eat out of". The explosive weight is known and the proportions should be figured from this. The ammonium ni trate (87.9%) is placed in a stainless steel container. The water (5.15%) is then added wi t h di st i l l ed water being used whenever possible. A candy thermometer is placed in the container so that it goes all the way to the bott om of t he stainless steel mel t i ng pan. Place the pan on a heat source which can be cont rol l ed easily. A good heat source is an electric hot plate. The hot plate is turned on and the mixture heated to 130 degrees centigrade (266 degrees F.).
This heating should be done slowly so that potentially explosive "hot spots" will not form due to uneven heating. A slow and even heat will work best. CAUTION: The hot salt is a burn hazard and contact with is should be avoided and safety goggles, gloves and appropriate clothing should be worn. After the temperature of 130 degrees C. has been reached, this temperature is held for 5 minutes to ensure the complete solution of the AN in the hot liquid.
The temperature is then allowed to fall to 110 degrees C. and at this temperature a thick slurry or mush about the consistancy of thi n oat meal will form. To this slurry is added the wax fuel (5.72%) and n-Octadecylamine, "Mr. Bubble" or "Tide" (0.25%). This is stirred rapidly to form an emulsion or intimate mixture of the AN-water solution with the molten wax. The foaming agent will aid in the formation of a good emulsion with good stability and will hold this emulsified state until the explosive is cooled in the mold. The molten explosive is then taken off the heat source and the foaming agent (1 %) added. The foaming agent can be
one of the following substances:
H2O2 - Hydrogen peroxide 30%
Na2O2 - Sodium peroxide
BaO2 - Barium peroxide
NaNO3 - Sodium nitrate
Ba (NO3) 2 - Barium nitrate
NH4HCO3 - Ammonium bicarbonate
Na2CO3 - Sodium carbonate
NaHCO3 - Sodium bicarbonate
Of the foaming agents the sodium nitrate and the sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) are the most attractive from the standpoint of easy acquisition. As the foaming agent is added, the mixture will begin to foam. Immediately after this addition, the pouring should be done. Then the explosive should foam up and cool before it has time for the bubbles within to escape. Varying the pour temperature may help control this. This will not help as much as keeping the
mold cold or surrounded by ice water or cold water. This will cause the explosive melt to solidify more rapidly, thus trapping more gas in the explosive charge. The wax fuel could be replaced with aluminum powder (400 mesh) and a higher power more bristant explosive can be had. Again the ingredients of this
explosive will be listed below:
#1
AMMONIUM NITRATE (Fert, prills) ............................... 87.9%
WATER .................................................. .......... 5.15%
WAX .................................................. ............. 5.72%
EMULSIFIER .................................................. .... 0.25%
FOAMING AGENT ................................................. 1.0%

#2
AMMONIUM NITRATE (Fert, prills) ................................ 83.0%
WATER............................................. .................. 4.86%
ALUMINUM POWDER (400 mesh) ................................. 10.9%
EMULSIFIER (Not essential) ............................................. 0.25%
FOAMING AGENT .................................................. 1.0%
The second formula is the best, performance wise, but is not as stable in even short term storage as is the first. In the second formula the emulsifier is not essential, but will yield a more cap sensitive explosive and will ensure a better mixture of the molten salt and the aluminum fuel. This process will produce cast
charges of a densities 0.68-1.34 and in a 2" diameter charge will be sensitive to a blasting cap at a density of .95 G/cc or less. Similar compositions, that are unfoamed, will not be cap or even booster sensitive, unless strong confinement and very large boosters are used.

POWDERED AN-DIETHYLENE GLYCOL
DFTONATION RATE - 3400-4600 M/ sec
DETONATION PRESSURE - 650,000-1,040,000 P S I
SENSITIVITY - 95 G/ cc is the ideal density to load this explosive At this density the ability to take a detonation impulse from a #6 cap is excellent at a minimum charge diameter of 4 0 cm (1 6") Higher densities while still detonatable will require a 50 G dynamite or other high explosive booster charge
USE-BLASTING
- A good cheap blasting explosive comparable to 50% ammonia
dynamite Alcohols and glycols are some of the best fuels for AN explosives The only drawback of thi s explosive is its relative sensitivity to moisture which can cause charges to become insensitive to a blasting caps' impulse This can be overcome by proper packaging of the final explosive in such a way that moisture imperviation can be obstructed ( e g P V C pipe, polyethylene tubes, empty coffee cans, etc )
DEMOLITIONS - Limited in this useage by low velocity and proportionately low bnstance (shattering power) as opposed to other demolition explosives
MUNITIONS - Unsui t abl e due to sensi t i ve nature and hygroscopic
properties This composition is an interesting one It has good power and is very inexpensive to manufacture One of the attractive properties of the explosive is its high cap sensitivity One #6 blasting cap will detonate this explosive The disadvantages are the relatively hygroscopic nature of the formula The addition of guar gum or other high mole weight polysaccharide will reduce the tendancy
for t hi s to occur but thi s onl y gives a slow protection from moisture Guar gums are available (eg "Guartec"&"Gengel"TM'S of the Henkel Corp MinneapolisMINN) that will effectively block the migration of moisture into the finishedexplosive formulation These products find an almost exclusive use in the explosive industry and could possibly arouse suspicion in their acquisition The use of di et hyl ene glycol (antifreeze) as the fuel in the explosive is a good choice This is due to the fact that glycol is a form of alcohol and alcohol is one of the best fuels for AN explosives Also the addition of 1% aluminum raises the total heat of the gases formed on detonation which subsequently give the explosive a greater bnstance As wi t h most of the explosive formulas in thi s publ i cat i on the manufacture of thi s explosive is a simple affair The AN is powdered and the diethylene glycol ( ant i f r eeze) is added in the proper proport i ons and throughly mixed To t hi s mi xt ur e the a l u mi nu m powder and guar gum are added and mixed to obt ai n a well blended mixture To t hi s t he proper amount of paraffin wax, t hat has been pr evi ousl y reduced to as small a part i cl e size as possible, is added This part i cl e size reduction can be obtained by rubbing a block of wax against a cheese grater or chopping in a food processor The mixture is then mixed until a uniform composition is obtained This explosive is then loaded int o the charge conf i gur at i on desired (16" or 40mm diameter or greater) at aloading density of 95 G/ c c or less The percentages of the ingredients are given
below
POWDERED AN (Fert, grade) ..................... 90.0%
ETHYLENE GLYCOL (Antifreeze) . ................. 5.0%
ALUMINUM POWDER (400 mesh) . . . ............... 1.0%
GUAR GUM ............................................... 1.0%
PARAFFIN WAX (small part, size) ................. 2.5%
This will give a strange semi-gelatin explosive that is somewhat powdery. It is simply pressed into the container and the explosive is ready to use. Below is another explosive formula that should work well and have a slightly higher performance parameter:
POWDERED AN (Fert. grade) ..................... 90.0%
ETHYLENE GLYCOL ............................. 5.0%
ALUMINUM POWDER (400 mesh) ................ 2.5%
GUAR GUM ......................................... 1.0%
PARAFFIN WAX (small part, size) ................. 1.0%
This should be a little less cap sensitive, but will still most likely detonate from a #6 cap except at low temperatures (0 degrees C. and below).

Interesting procedure. FYI, "Mr. Bubble" is the name of a bubble-bath product sold in the states, and "Tide" is the name of a laundry detergent, also sold in the US.

I allmost thought it was something like that because of the names. Have you got any idea of whats in them?? It would be nice if I could find something similar here in sweden. What do you think about the procedures generally? I don't care if it takes a #6 or a #10 blasting cap to detonate them as long as you can get them started easily like with APAN and ANNM.

www.tide.com might be your choice to check out.
There's even Tide free powder:
"Tide Free Powder - For those who prefer no scent at all, there's Tide Free Powder - all the cleaning power of regular Tide without any dyes or perfumes."
Geez. That would be something, huh?
Well in case there are any Sherlocks in this forum let's find out what concern owns this "Tide" brand. Could well be we Europeans will find a similar product coming from the same concern just with another name. Maybe it's the Henkel concern? Dunno.

I made some saerches for them and I found the site you mentioned and a nother site selling Mr Bubble but I couldn't find anything about whats in them. I assume that they contain sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate. I'll check the stores to see if I can find anything as soon as I can.

I've made some progress on the "bubble" mystery. I just tried the cast AN thing. I tried the first method but leaving out the bubble and when I had added the wax, I used parafin wax, I found something that may have something to do with the bubble. The wax setteled at the top of the liquid wich is perfectly normal for wax to since it doesn't like water. Thats where I started to think,,why add wax as a fuel to a mix where the wax doesn't even come in contakt with the AN. Answer: The reason to why the wax didn't mix with the AN was that I haadn't added any bubble. That means that the bubble somehow enables the wax to mix with the AN in the presence of water. This makes sence since there is no wax in #2 you don't need the bubble.

Could I be right?

If I am it's only to test anything you think might work and keep oin testing untill you find something to use as a "bubble" substitute.

The foaming thing really workes and with some work it can be a great way to a cap sensitive AN explosive.

the reason for the "Mr bubble" is because soaps (or detergents) reduce the surface tension of water, allowing things to pass thru(into) them with much greater ease.

for example, if you get a glass jar, and pour a 1/4 of petrol in the bottom, and then pour water ontop then water will settle ontop of the petrol or the petrol will settle on top of the water..i forget which way it goes - either way, they will not join together.

if you add some detergent like morning fresh(australian product..do know if its in america.) or even just simple soap flakes, the 2 liquids will combine together much easyier.

you could even use shampoo.

Perhaps you could use an aquarium aeration stone at the bottom of the melted wax/AN mix to introduce the needed bubbles, without the risks of chemical interactions with the detergent.

I don't think that would work since the bubbles are far to big. And you would probably have problmes with the pump. The foaming agent is a much better choice and it gives you smaller bubbles and evenly throughout the whole charge. The addition of Mr bubble only enables the wax to mix with the AN and has nothing to do with the foaming itself.

The way its done comercially is this:
1) Prepare a fuel oil/AN solution (sat.) emulsion. There is a whole procedure for doing this but it is pretty much summed up in the above info.
2) Place the hot solution in a vat which contains a mixing auger. When I used to do this small scale, just used an electric mixing bowl with egg beaters hehe.
3) Melt your wax and mix it with the surfactant. This is to be kept in a liquid state and mixed with the fuel oil/AN emulsion vigourously.
4) One this is mixed, add AN prills. The amount depends on how much you are making. Adding the wax/surfactant to the already balanced emulsion messes up the fuel/oxidizer ratio. Adding prills to rebalance it is essential to a good product.
5) When adding the prill, dont mix it as vigorously as before because the intensity of the shearing motion on the mixture at very high mixing speeds can breakdown the prills slightly which will increase density.

I cant remember the density for the raw mixture I have described above right now. Doing the bubble procedure above will lower it quite a bit though and I imagine adding the Na2CO3 should be done at the very end of this whole deal. What I like to do is use inorganic microspheres (commonly known as glass beads). They are messy as hell though but when you get them in the mixture...you can make AN mixtures so sensitive that you wouldnt want to let a cap go off anywhere near them (assuming you add enough microsphere). Ideally for the most stable product that requires a booster, you want the density (after bubble or beads) to be about 1.2g/cc. The low density product I used to make was about .9g/cc or so. This stuff was NICE. You want to be a little careful around it though.

Oh and one more thing. When using microspheres, you should add them when you are preparing the initial emulsion...not at the end like bubbles.

Also (sheesh I know i know...), isn't NaNO2 the chemical commonly used to produce bubbles? I can see the others working but for some reason nitrite rings a loud bell..
Al

I will try #2 as soon as my Al powder is fine enaugh. I started a mill about an hour ago so in about 24 hours i shuld be able to try it. Number 2 looks easier to me.

Hmmm... what I want to add: it will be better to use NaNO2 and urea for making bubbles, because very small bbls will be formed. The best density is about 1.1-1.5 g/cm3.

I've forot to say it but I have tried #2 as well. I tried detonating it but I only got a partial detonation. I think the probem is that to much water still remains from the process making the explosive very insensitive. If one would try to dry the finnished product it would probably work very well.

I've tried the activated ammonium nitrate anfo (I used soy oil), and the AN+HEXAMINE adduct. I was able to detonate 100 grams of each with 1 G of ap.

<small>[ May 13, 2002, 07:32 PM: Message edited by: ALENGOSVIG1 ]</small>

Alen I have allso tried the activated AN ANFO. It didn't work as I had hoped mostly because I have lots of contaminants in my AN. What kind of AN did you use?

AN/NC(SBSP)/microspheres (80:20 AN:NC, plus c.2% of glass microspheres, kneeded with acetone and dried, pressed into the container while still slightly damp with acetone, then left to dry fully) makes an easily detonatable mixture, it could be used as a booster for normal ANFO, but it's solid and contains no volatile components like ANNM does, so it doesn't need to be stored in sealed containers and it can be handled easily.
NaClO3/NC mixtures are also VERY easy to detonate, but are less powerful.

<small>[ May 18, 2002, 03:15 PM: Message edited by: Mr Cool ]</small>

DBSP: I used AN from cold packs. Did you atleast get a partial detonation?

I was able to detonate a small charge of DNN/AN/Charcoal today. The book specifies using MNN, but I had more DNN so I used that instead. Check out my Dintronapthalene thread for more details.

I don't think it even achived parttial detonation even though I had a 30g ANNM booster. I think it was still to much water in it. I have one cold pach left I'll try it with that one it shuld work better with that one than with the FGAN.

Now I've finally got the pics up. my fucking :mad: computer :mad: decided to go balls up today so I've been working on rebooting and installing everything again, but now I'm in buisness <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" /> .

The water at the site is quite deep so the blast looks smaller than it is. <a href="http://w1.478.telia.com/~u47804009/E&W/detonation_of_570g_ANRapsoil_by_DBSP.jpg" target="_blank">Here</a> is the first pic, nice! :)

The <a href="http://w1.478.telia.com/~u47804009/E&W/bubbles_and_smoke_after_detonation.jpg" target="_blank">second</a> one is just after detonation.

The <a href="http://w1.478.telia.com/~u47804009/E&W/bubbles_and_smoke_after_detonation2.jpg" target="_blank">last</a>

And <a href="http://w1.478.telia.com/~u47804009/E&W/CaNRapsoil_ANRapsoil_6g_APdets_70and120g_ANNM_boos ters_by_DBSP.jpg" target="_blank">here</a> is the explosive kit I put together for my weekend.
1 ANNM booster 70g
1 ANNM booster 120g
2 6g AP caps
1400g CaNRapsoil
570g ANRapsoil
1 metal case for the CaN

I haven't got much time now so I'll post the rest tomorrow, that includes: pics of CaN detonation, audio for both of them and some more info.

Ok got the rest of the pic up. The CaN only achived partial detonation even though I had a 120g ANNM booster and confined it in a metal pipe.

The ANRapsoil did fully detonate, I must say I'm quite happy with the results of it. I put a lot of work in trying to get a low density structure. My last attemt succeded, I diddolved about 1,5kg of AN in hot water and boiled it untill the liquid started to become really thick. Then I put it in a waterbath to cool it and when it became a porridge of AN crystals I added some NaHCO3 it started to foam a little bit and I left it to solidify a bit. Then I put it in the oven for about 9h and when it was ready it was very light. I was very supprised to see how fast the oil was sucked up by the AN.

<a href="http://w1.478.telia.com/~u47804009/E&W/Sounds/570g_ANrapsoil_by_DBSP.wav" target="_blank">AUDIO of ANrapsoil</a>

<a href="http://w1.478.telia.com/~u47804009/E&W/CaNRapsoil_detonation_by_DBSP.jpg" target="_blank">DETONATION of CaN</a>

<a href="http://w1.478.telia.com/~u47804009/E&W/CaNRapsoil_smoke_by_DBSP.jpg" target="_blank">SMOKE</a>

<a href="http://w1.478.telia.com/~u47804009/E&W/bubbles_relesed_from_bottom_sediment_by_DBSP.jpg" target="_blank">bubbles relesed from bottom sediment</a>

Doesn't that kill all the fish a 'la Crocodile Dundee? :D

<small>[ July 18, 2002, 01:08 AM: Message edited by: Zambosan ]</small>

I did kill some fish actually, about 15 small fishes where floating arround at the surface of the river after detonation. I place the charges in plasic bags before throwing them into the water, and I secure the wires with tape and a string. The water is quite deep at the site so you don't have to throw the charges so far which is good becase they are quite heavy, I have to attach a stone to them so that they'll sink.

Nice pictures DBSP, how high was the water propelled?
Did your cables get stuck in the bush? Looks like it on one picture.

Try a charge about 2 feet underwater. You will get a jet of water atleast 30 feet high from around 30g of HE.

I used to detonate filmcanisters of dynamite (30g @ 1.1g/cc) underabout 2 feet of water in my small pond. Untill it cracked the concrete :D

Often i'd get a jet of water around 50 feet high, sometimes less.

The water didn't rise much higher than in the pic but it's just as satifying hearing the deep thummpp and watching the water at the surface turn all white, and then see small fishes floating by :) . The charge was placed quite deep, I can't detonate anything above the surface there because i's quite near where I live. I have a nother place to try a surface detonation. Might try it soon

As I said in forum pic and vid post 10m further back and 5m to the left there is a deep hole which is at least 4m deep. That is a good place for a larger charge, 2-3kg.

30g of weak dynamite under 2 feet of water just makes a big thud, and then a splash :)

It doesnt sound like an explosion or anything.

I have proably said this before, but I detonated around 400 grams of ANNMAL floating on the surface of a small water hole. The water was propelled 15-20 meters into the air. Also, stones that had been on the bottom of the hole had been throw up on land. Haven't been doing H.E. for a while now, been playing with flash and working alot.
(in my dreams, that is)

You posted the same damn thing in two seperate topics!

:mad:

And no live chat. Been discussed a million times already and is explained in the FAQ if you had BOTHERED TO READ IT!

<small>[ June 10, 2002, 11:01 AM: Message edited by: nbk2000 ]</small>

No backchat!

<small>[ June 10, 2002, 02:32 PM: Message edited by: Anthony ]</small>

Does the Foamed AN wax charge have problems with temperature changes, due to the AN temperature fase change resulting in cracks the final product? Also how sensitive is it to athmosferic moisture? I would also like to know if anyone has got some idea about its brisance compared to AP, TNT or others. And how about its effect on different types of materials. Is it powerfull enough to splinter wood or shatter concrete?
I know that's a lot of questions, but i believe that these could be very helpfull to give an idea of this explosives properties and performance.
Otherwise I'm sorry to bother.

I've tried the activated ammonium nitrate anfo (I used soy oil), and the AN+HEXAMINE adduct. I was able to detonate 100 grams of each with 1 G of ap.ALENGOSVIG1, this sounds nice. So you don't have to dry this foamed charges? That's intriguing to me. I tried powdered and activated ANFO at around 0.75g/cm3 and failed with a 2g AP cap. It was 50g inside a 1.25" cardboard tube. I was accusing it of not being dry enough... Could have been too small. What was the shape and confinement of your 100g charges?

Anybody tried the Formit described in KIFE? It looks promising - dirt cheap, VoD and det. pressure is more than acceptable for AN explosive. How big booster it needs? Few grams of RDX? Stick of dynamite? Any info welcomed.