Over the past 7 years or so, I have read scores of files on how to make pipe bombs and other explosives. I have found that you will seriously shorten you life span if you follow their directions. So, I have decided to save my fellow anarchists the embarrasment of making the bombmakers 2nd Mistake (Every bombmaker makes only two mistakes, the first one is deciding to become a bombmaker...).
Pipe Bombs:
The principle is simple, fill a pipe with a substance that when lit burns rapidly. The pipe can't withstand the pressure, so it breaks, and you get an explosion.
When building pipe bombs, it is good to have a clean work area, and make sure there are no flames, or sources of ignition near by. If you are dumb enough to try to build this while smoking, you get what you deserve. It is also good to have a sheet of white paper underneath what you are working on to catch any powder that spills.
So, you have decided that you are crazy enough to build a pipe bomb, the first thing you have to do is get some fast burning material to put in the pipe, or identify what you have lying around. There are three main types of "gun powder" that can be found at most gun stores. They are black powder, Pyrodex, and nitrocellulose. Black powder and Pyrodex come in different grain sizes, the most common being F, FF, FFG and FFF. FFF is the finest and the most suited for explosives, since it burns the fastest. Nitrocellulose is used to load shotguns and some handguns, and is also called smokeless powder. Unlike black powder and Pyrodex, the grain size of smokeless powder is not very important in the making of bombs. Of the three, I prefer Pyrodex. It is a black powder substitute that has the same power as black powder for the same amount of volume, but it weighs less (so you get more per pound), it is safer to handle, and easiest to pour.
After you have the gun powder, you will also need to acquire a pipe and two end caps. The pipe can be anywhere from 3 to 8 inches long and from 3/4 to 2 inches wide, and must have threads on both ends. Most big hardware stores will carry pieces of pipe, pre-cut with threads on both ends. Some even have bigger pipe w/threads, an associate of mine bought a 6 inch diameter pipe about 6 inches long; this is beyond "pipe bomb" and into the realm of keg bombs. If you plan to build a lot of these things, I recommend that you go to one store and buy a lot of end caps, and go to a different store and buy the pipes. (or you can invest in a pipe threader, the Rigid® Co makes a nice set. With a pipe threading outfit, you can mass produce threaded pipe for minimum marginal cost) The simple rule is, the bigger the pipe, the bigger the explosion.
Next on our list is some fuse. I recommend at least 3 feet of good cannon fuse. It is waterproof and burns at a nice slow rate. You can buy cannon fuse at most gun stores (if you plan to make this around the 4th of July, it is a good idea to buy fuse a few weeks in advance, the stores sell out). After you get the fuse (it usually comes in 15 feet or longer pieces), cut off a 6 inch piece and light it (away from any gun powder, etc...). Measure the time it takes to burn, multiply this by two and it is the time for one foot to burn. Most cannon fuse burns at about 45 seconds per foot. You want to have plenty of time to walk, not run from the bomb.
Finally, you will need a drill with a 1/8 inch drill bit, a plastic zip-lock baggy, a screwdriver, a bowl or other temporary storage container, and if you care about fingerprints, some rubber gloves, and some sort of cleaning fluid.
So, you have gathered all the parts and are ready to commit a felony. Take the pipe and screw on one end cap. Now take some gun powder and fill the pipe half way up if you are using smokeless powder, 3/4 if you are using black powder/Pyrodex. Now, dump the powder out of the pipe into the bowl or whatever temporary storage container you have. You have just measured the amount of powder your bomb will take.
Make sure that there is no powder left in the pipe and drill a 1/8 inch hole in the middle of the pipe. Take a screwdriver or anything metal and scrap the inside of the pipe where the drill bit went through. The drill bit most likely left the inside sharp, and you want the inside smooth if you plan to use method 1 to fill the pipe (see below).
If you care about fingerprints, now is the time to put on the rubber gloves, and wash off the pipe and end caps with the cleaning fluid, then with water, and then dry very well (gun powder doesn't like moisture).
Ok, you now have three ways to finish the pipe bomb, the first is to dump the powder into the pipe and screw on the other end cap, if you like death and/or dismemberment, I recommend this approach. If there is any spark from the end cap scraping on the pipe, or if there is any powder in the threads, the powder lights, you're dead (or not feeling very well). The two safer methods are described below.
Method 1: Now the you have the pipe, with one end cap on, insert the fuse into the hole in the middle of the pipe, make sure that at least two inches are inside, and tape it there. Now, take the powder you measured out and dump it into the zip-lock baggy. Take a needle and put one very small hole in the baggy and roll the top of the baggy down to the bottom. The goal here is to have any excess baggy on one side, and to have a place on the baggy where the is no overlap, so that the fuse can easily burn through it. Now slide the baggy, with the thinnest part of the baggy towards to fuse, into the pipe. All that is left is to screw on the last end cap.
Method 2: If you don't have a zip-lock baggy, of if you can't find one big enough, screw on the other end cap and fill the pipe through the fuse hole with a small funnel. This method takes a long time, but is the safest. Remember, once any powder is in the pipe, do not attempt to unscrew an end cap or enlarge the fuse hole! If you plan to use this approach, you may wish to make the fuse hole bigger (before adding any powder). Also remember not to fill it with any more gun powder than you measured out. If there is too much gun powder in the pipe, it won't work as well, if at all. Just remember not to poke a nail or anything metal in the fuse hole to try to settle the powder, metal on metal can make sparks. After you have all the powder in, insert the fuse. Be sure to get a least an inch in the pipe.
Once the bomb is made do not attempt to take it apart! This could shorten your life. Pipe bombs are very dangerous things to make, and they are also very dangerous to use. Be sure that you are very far away when it goes off. They are not toys like fire crackers or M-80s. When a pipe bomb explodes, pieces of metal fly off at a very high speed. If one of these pieces hits you, it could very easily kill you. Also remember that constructing a pipe bomb is a felony and can put you in jail for a very long time, so please make as many as possible.
Pipe Bomb Size/Effect Chart
.75" x 4-6" louder than any m-80, destroys Master® type locks
1.0" x 4-6" very loud, may produce concussive type sound, bends/breaks mild steel up to 1/4"
2.0" x 6-8" most people will not confuse this size with "just fireworks" when this size goes off, you will FEEL as well as hear it. will destroy chain link fences, doors, cars, SWAT teams etc.
--For a really spectacular explosion, Hollywood style, try taping the "device" (as the DOJ/BATF/FBI types call them) to a 1 gallon GLASS jug full of gasoline or other flammable liquid- this makes for a SERIOUS attention getter. These are best left in front of the local police station, Federal building, NAACp office or city hall before detonation, they love that kind of thing. And you will LOVE the publicity you generate for your cause.
CO2 Cartridge Bombs:
Please read how to make pipe bombs (above) first, so you know the different types of gun powder I am talking about.
CO2 cartridge bombs are much safer and easier to build than pipe bombs, though they are not nearly as powerful. CO2 cartridge bombs can be made with either the CO2 cartridges that BB guns use, or you can make them out of the smaller nitrous oxide cartridges used for whipped cream dispensers.
After you have some of these cartridges, empty them (fire your BB gun a lot, or think of something else, just remember, they are under pressure). Next, you will need to widen the hole at the top a little. An awl on the back of a Swiss army knife works great. You need the hole wide enough to fit a fuse (about 1/8 inch).
Next, fill it with powder (the hard part, this may take a while), fill it all the way for black powder/Pyrodex, half way for smokeless. The best way to tell when it is half full is to roll it on its side, if powder comes out it is more than half way, keep rolling it will empty itself to half way. After the gun powder is in, insert a fuse in the top and tape it in place (or you can gently crimp the mouth of the cartirdge in a vice). Be sure to get enough fuse into the cartridge, so that is touching the powder.
Though CO2 cartridge bombs are much safer that pipe bombs, they are still very dangerous, if one goes off in you hand, you will have one less hand.
Turning Whistling Petes into bombs:
These are the safest of any explosives described in this document and are easy to make. They are also the weakest explosives, about the loudness of a firecracker, with more power. The way this works is that the flash powder in the Whistling Pete is packed so tightly that it burns slowly, just add a little air, and bang!
You will need a Whistling Pete, a flat head screwdriver, some tape, and a couple of sheets of paper.
Over a piece of paper, unwrap the paper at the top of the Whistling Pete and pull out the fuse, and dump all the gray powder out. Untie the knot in the fuse and set it aside. Now, set that piece of paper with the gray powder on it to the side, and get a clean sheet, scrap all of the white powder out of the Whistling Pete onto it. Stop scraping when you see the powder change color, this is the clay at the bottom (about 2 1/2 inches down). Now, pour the white powder back in until it gets to the top. Don't pack it in, you want it to have lots of air in the powder. Only about half the white powder will fit. Now, place the fuse in the top, bend the top over about 1/4 inch and tape it.
Because the fuse is so short, the only real way to use these is to light and throw.
