Gubment Bombmaker's Cookbook

Several days ago I made a post in response to the gentleman
in Hartford's difficulty with the law.  His problems stem
from someone's posting to his BBS recipe(s) for bomb making.
I mentioned, offhand, that a federal government publication
exists containing such recipes.  Mike Godwin responded asking
for a citation, that it might be useful to the defense.  OK,
here it is:

   TM 31-210 Dept. of the Army Technical Manual
   Improvised Munitions Handbook
   published 1969

It contains chemical recipes for about a dozen explosive
materials (both primary and secondary explosives) from
easily obtainable ingredients, along with designs for 
fusing devices and explosive booby-traps.

I have never tried any of these (to paraphrase Shel Silverstein,
my eyes still see, my hair's unburned, and my fingers are still
on my hands -- and I'd like to keep it that way), but my knowlege
of chemistry and engineering convinces me that they all work.

The book contains the disclaimer "For official use only" on
nearly every page.  It is, however, widely available at gun
shows, which is where I got mine.

I'll not reproduce any recipes here, but if the defence
attornies for the gentleman in Hartford contact me and can
prove who they are, I will be happy to share any info with
them.
__
|         (V)              |  "Tiger gotta hunt.  Bird gotta fly.
|   (^    (`>              |   Man gotta sit and wonder why, why, why.
|  ((\\__/ )               |   Tiger gotta sleep.  Bird gotta land.
|  (\\<   )   der Nethahn  |   Man gotta tell himself he understand."
|    \<  )                 |  
|     ( /                  |                Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
|      |                   |  
|      ^                   |

This is ridiculous. Have they never heard of The Anarchist's Cookbook?
I've seen it on the shelf of the local large bookstore, though now I'm
not sure whether I want to admit to buying a copy.

Have they not yet discovered rec.pyrotechnics?

Phil

My copy says:

	For further information or additional inserts, contact:
	Commanding Officer
	Frankford Arsenal
	ATTN: SMUF A-U3100, Special Products Division
	      Small Caliber Engineering Directorate
	Philadelphia, PA 19137

A friend got it for me at an Air Force PX, which was apparently open
to the public. It's about 250 pages of newsprint in about 4"x5"
format. 
	I don't have convenient access to a scanner or I'd scan in a
page or two -- there are sketches (improvised handguns, shaped
charges, and such) as well as text.
	Some of the "easily obtainable ingredients" aren't any more,
which shows the age of the book (one or two things use silver coins,
which haven't been circulated since the early sixties.) Overall,
though, the recipes use things that you can find.
							_Mark_

>    TM 31-210 Dept. of the Army Technical Manual
>    Improvised Munitions Handbook
>    published 1969
> 
> It contains chemical recipes for about a dozen explosive
> materials (both primary and secondary explosives) from
> easily obtainable ingredients, along with designs for 
> fusing devices and explosive booby-traps.

I also have a copy of this.

> I have never tried any of these (to paraphrase Shel Silverstein,
> my eyes still see, my hair's unburned, and my fingers are still
> on my hands -- and I'd like to keep it that way), but my knowlege
> of chemistry and engineering convinces me that they all work.

I have.  Pretty effective stuff, although I don't think it mentions
the old "ammonium nitrate + motor oil" standby.  ;)

> The book contains the disclaimer "For official use only" on
> nearly every page.  It is, however, widely available at gun
> shows, which is where I got mine.

I got mine at the Dallas Gun Show several years ago, along with "Survival,
Evasion, and Escape".

> I'll not reproduce any recipes here, but if the defence
> attornies for the gentleman in Hartford contact me and can
> prove who they are, I will be happy to share any info with
> them.

I don't see why not - after all, alt.pyrotechnics has a lot of discussion
of this sort of thing...
-- 
Ed Carp				erc@apple.com			510/659-9560

If you want magic, let go of your armor.  Magic is so much stronger than
steel!        -- Richard Bach, "The Bridge Across Forever"