Boom!

[Baddad (Marty)]

Hi Robert, and Mark,

Does anyone remember painting nitrogen tri-iodide (made by mixing potassium iodide and ammonia) into locker key-holes. Quite shock sensitive when it dries and as the key went into the lock .. bang and a puff of purple smoke.

That is one of the explosives I used. It was made from iodine and Amonium hydroxide.

I also at the age of 12yrs made gunpowder. I found the formula in a year 5 history book. I used to frequent the local dumps. I found opals and various gems. Disused containers with some of the contents still in. Sulphuric acid, nitric acid and hydrochloric acid. Lots of fun stuff for a 12 yr old.

Fortunately we had a uni student living with us. Pharmacy student, he taught me some interesting things and also how to handle these dangerous chemicals.

I blew a big chunk out the side of a local bridge pillar. The pillar was bluestone rock cemented together. Loose rocks were seated in old crumbling mortar. They renovated and widened the bridge after that.

Does that make me a terrorist?

I did learn a lot in those days. I have showed my kids the dangers of using petrol on a fire.

This may be a safety lesson for Mark. I place 200ml of petrol on an open wood BBQ. From as far as I can I throw lighted matches at the BBQ.

When one match ignites the petrol, KaVFOOM. The first time my kids saw it they stepped back real quick. They appreciated why one does not throw such volatile substances onto a fire.

Another for Mark. Alcohol, it burns with a flame that is not very visible. Highly volatile. A demo for the kids? Not a toy, methylated spirits. Sometimes a real danger on race tracks and drag strips, alcohol fires have caused bad injuries to people because it was not easily seen.

Cheers Marty

[TrevorW]

Marty they probably chase you for the repair bill now

Urea, diesolene, ceiling insulation

We made our own sort of fun and learned by experimentation

3rd degree burns from flash powder on my hand

never stick a match to a pile of flash powder unless it's a really long match

[marki]

Marty, I used to do a practical with my lower school students where the kids would design and build hot air balloons from crepe paper. These balloons are quite large and need a decent heat source to fill them. The only way to get them to fly at the time was to use metho in an old coke can with holes in the side (about 500 degrees C). The kids soon learnt about the invisable flame from alcohols. I now use a gel fuel which I enrich to get the correct temp and it is a hell of a lot safer then the original method. Not as much fun though .

Mark

[Robert9 (Robert)]

It seems we all have tales to tell. The saddest I have concerns my time (or just after in fact) as a research chemist at the Nobel explosives factory.
A colleague with an assistant was out in a little boat on lake Eppalock laying my recently developed formulation of underwater explosive for testing. The chap on the shore, believing the signal had been given to push the plunger, did so and blew up the boat. My colleague was killed and his assistant (who could have been me) was seriously injured.
It was a good close team and we got on exceedingly well. The chap, who was then in his late 50s, and who pushed the plunger, was absolutely distraught. I doubt that he ever recovered.
My colleague had a young family. He was a great guy, an amateur magician I recall, always trying his new tricks and gimmicks on us. He owned an old beat-up FJ Holden. The chaps at the factory did a complete restoration for the bereaved family - a really nice gesture I thought.
Robert

[marki]

Crikey Robert, thats a sad storey. Just goes to show that there is always a great risk involved with explosives even for those in the know. I often have kids asking me about recipes they find on the net (funnily enough it's always the ones that don't do chem) and I do my best to scare the pants of them. Still I fear some day one of them is going to blow themselves up .

Mark

[Baddad (Marty)]

Hi Robert and Mark,

Still I fear some day one of them is going to blow themselves up .

Mark

Yes we all do have stories.

I thought once I had scared the pants off my kids, after they saw what dangers there are with metho or petrol, That would be the end of it.

Now I have grand kids. I have to instruct the parents to do their "duty".

Cheers Marty

[Robert9 (Robert)]

Hi Mark and Marty,
I think today chemicals are not as freely available as they were in years gone by, but then, I haven't really tried to get any. I managed a small quantity of iso-propanol via a friend who works in a laboratory, but if I asked for something a bit more potent, I might have difficulty. Places like H.B. Selby have disappeared and I really don't know where I'd go. As a kid, I could get quite a bit from the local pharmacist. And yes, I had my fun too. But pharmacies don't make their own medicines any more - mixing to the doctor's prescription.
It was while doing a "chemist's round" as a 10 y.o. that I first became interested in chemistry, though I figured that I would hate to be stuck behind a shop counter for the rest of my life. So I took up industrial chemistry - much wider field too.
As for my kids, 2 boys now in their late 30s, they never really showed any interest whatever. If they ever exploded anything, I certainly didn't know about it! Maybe I was just lucky. Grand kids? I'll just show them the stars!
Robert

[BerrieK]

Hey you guys should look up the book 'Radioactive Boy Scout' by Ken Silverstein. Its a true story about a young bloke (David Hahn) who, using household products and stuff he found at the tip, built a fast breeder nuclear reactor in his back yard shed. Luckily it never reached critical mass, but the background radiation ended up being HUGE.

Not only a great read, but just goes to show that if you want it bad enough you can get it by sheer ingenuity. I highly recommend it.

Kerrie

[Robert9 (Robert)]

Thanks for that Kerrie. I'll try and find the book at our local library. However, I'm not sure that I really want to know. What with the state of the world today with terrorist attacks seemingly everywhere. The mind just boggles at the possible ramifications.
Robert

[Baddad (Marty)]

Originally Posted by Robert9

Hi Mark and Marty,
I think today chemicals are not as freely available as they were in years
Snipped
If they ever exploded anything, I certainly didn't know about it! Maybe I was just lucky. Grand kids? I'll just show them the stars!
Robert

Hi Robert & Kerrie,

Your background sounds much like what I used to do. I changed from chemistry and by my father's advice went into electronics.

The book Kerrie refers to, I know about. Haven't read it but it is so true what can be scavenged and built into a weapon or some dangerous device.

Cheers Marty

[TrevorW]

This is link to the story

http://www.dangerouslaboratories.org/radscout.html

[BerrieK]

Ha! The final word in the link that Trevor added (thanks Trevor) was that David Hahn reckons, in relation to his radiaiton exposure, "I don't believe I took more than five years off my life". I wonder if he has kids, whether they will have leukemia or neural tube defects.

Kerrie

ps. oops sorry I seem to have drifted off-topic for this thread.

[marki]

Originally Posted by Robert9

Hi Mark and Marty,
I think today chemicals are not as freely available as they were in years gone by, but then, I haven't really tried to get any. Robert

Hi Robert. I think you will be amazed at what you can buy from gardening centers, petrol stations, bunnings and super markets. Certainly enough to make a large bang. Iodine is a bit tricky to get hold of nowdays due to its use in the manufacture of a certain illicit drug but other stuff is freely available. I recently waltz into a chemical supplier and bought some 98% H2SO4 with no questions asked. I need it to set up an anodising line at home and true I could have got it at school. They also seemed keen to supply me with other chemicals I needed again no questions asked. I doubt they would sell it to kids but it's a little scary considering I might have been a terrorist and there are so many ways to make things go boom.

Mark

[MrB (Simon)]

Originally Posted by BerrieK

ps. oops sorry I seem to have drifted off-topic for this thread.

I don't mind, it's interesting reading

[MrB (Simon)]

Originally Posted by marki

I recently waltz into a chemical supplier and bought some 98% H2SO4 with no questions asked. I need it to set up an anodising line at home...

Heh, I needed some for the same reason, had no idea where to get it so scavenged some from an old car battery. Worked fine.
Now if I could find a decent supply of dyes.

[marki]

Originally Posted by MrB

Heh, I needed some for the same reason, had no idea where to get it so scavenged some from an old car battery. Worked fine.
Now if I could find a decent supply of dyes.

Simon, I got my dyes from Ron at Moonlite Focusers in the US. He does a side trade in anodising equipment and dyes, sealer etc and offers a good range of colours and they get to you within a week of ordering them. Web page is below (scroll to the bottom for shopping).

http://www.focuser.com/atm/anodize/anodize.html

You can import the dyes and sealer no probs but will need to get your nitric acid locally if you want a good pickeling solution or to remove old anodising as that cannot be shipped for obvious reasons. He calls it Deox/desmut but its just dilute HNO3. Sodium carbonate (soda ash/ pH up) is available at bunnings in the pool section and sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) is also available at bunnings in the cleaning section. These make good cleaners when mixed in a 1:1 ratio at about 2 mol/L and give the metal that frosted look depending on the amount of time you imerse them for. You can buy conc sulfuric and nitric acid from (PM me for supplier) but be careful as it is a lot stronger then the 33% version used in batteries. It will spit and carry on something fierce when you dilute it to the required 10 - 15% conc if you rush it. Remember always add acid to water and wear all the necessary protective gear. If you are using the stuff out of batteries it is too strong and will not allow the metal to take on the colour as the pores in the oxide layer will be too small. You can dilute the battery acid I guess but its likely to all sorts in it. Best to start with the pure stuff but it's not cheap at $80 for 2L conc (will easily make up 18L dilute). 10% gives good colour take up (large pores) but is soft whilst 15% will provide a hard anodised surface but poor colour absorption (small pores). 12% is considered a good compromise.

Mark

[GrahamL]

Times sure have changed in recent years.. its getting pretty hard to buy nitram these days .. the last we bought was made in russia.

As for explosives .. up until fairly recently I'm pretty sure you could
for rural use buy gelignite.. some states.. after jumping a few small hoops .. I know I had some paperwork around a while back in regard .

[Robert9 (Robert)]

Oh gee, this thread has progressed, I could say, almost alarmingly, since I last visited. In some way I suppose, its good to know that we still have access to chemicals, but in view of the world's current situation, one must surely shake in ones boots!
Marty, its interesting your change from chemistry to electronics. I did toss up between those two professions back in 50s but opted for the chemistry. I felt that chemistry was the way to go and electronics just made a good hobby - which it did/still does. Still got my amateur radio gear. But there was definitely a change in social development when computers arrived on the scene in the late 70s, and that I feel is when electronics really took off.
Mark, Lovely to see some basic chemistry - complete with the old but vital safety precautions i.e. always add the acid to the water so if it spits you will be sprayed with water plus a little acid rather than the reverse; and of course wearing the safety gear.
Kerrie, if you want a good read about what kids can get up to when left to themselves, try "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding.
Think I've now caught up.
Robert

[marki]

Originally Posted by Robert9

Mark, Lovely to see some basic chemistry - complete with the old but vital safety precautions i.e. always add the acid to the water so if it spits you will be sprayed with water plus a little acid rather than the reverse; and of course wearing the safety gear.
Robert

Robert, one thing I have learnt when working with kids is to never ever take anything for granted so it's more force of habit then anything else .

Mark

[Robert9 (Robert)]

Mark, I couldn't agree more. Having worked as an OH&S officer I know it applies to adults too!
Robert