I usually don't post(just a lurker) but thought i'd add this insight i came across.Back in my high school day's when i thought the Russian's were comin' i used to read a lot of burn n blow book's.You know,the kind that say take A-mix with B-shake well BOOM.It was fun to try some of those thing's,but i got to thinking"what if i didn't have B,but had something kinda like B.Would it still work?"So i started to wonder what was going on inside the IED,what was happening to A and B to get the boom.Maybe i could find a substitute B cheaper and locally made.Or perhap's i could make a type of B that would work in a pinch.That wonder led me to the local library and introduced me to a Mr.Pauling(author of a great chemistry book).After some learning (gasp!!learning the why not just the how) i began to understand what was happening inside my home-made devices.Which metal powder's would add strength without making it unstable.There realy was a difference between high and low explosives-funny thing,by the time i had the tech skill and knowledge to make a high explosive,i was smart enought not to
But the journey was not traveled overnight,took me years of study.Along the way i came up with my own process to make Kno3( i think that's how you write it,been a long time).
Point is,me coming up with this myself was worth the hour's sitting at work reading chemistry book's.
Being older now and wiser,i leave the blowing thing's up to the guy's who get paid to do so.Still it is kinda nice to know i learned a lot by myself.Hacker? LOL no.
Just a guy who like's to drink some beer on saturday night and enjoy some pizza with it.
Peace Ratguy