I have a couple gallons of 10% nitromethane fuel (For model airplanes) would this be enough nitromethane content to mix with ammonium nitrate and detonate with an AP cap? I use a 30/06 shell (Empty, duh)filled with AP crimped shut as a cap. I know the only way to see if it will work is try it, but I don't want to waste fuel if it doesn't work. As a container for the amm. nitrate/fuel I was thinking of a large PVC pipe, or does someone have a better idea? Also, what ratios do you suggest of fuel to ammonium nitrate? I've heard anywhere from 1% fuel to 10% fuel. As I am using an AP cap and not a commercial cap, RDX or dynamite I need something that won't be extraordinarily hard to detonate. Of course, I'm not using anfo either, I'm using nitromethane fuel instead of diesel. What do you guys think or know?

3NH4NO3 + 2CH3NO2---> 4N2 + 9H2O + 2CO2

I think this is the equation for the reaction, please anyone correct me if I am wrong.

Mr NH4NO3 = 80
Mr CH3NO2 = 61

that works out as 240g fertiliser to 122g fuel.

thats about 2parts by mass AN to 1 part nitromethane.

problem is yours is only 10% nitromethane.
what comprises the other 90%? would it be octane? (petrol)

I know that ANFO is around 19 : 1 fertilliser : diesel, ie 5%. Your mixture is already partially nitrated. Therefore it will require more fuel than ANFO does.

Stoichometrically using the same (possibly bullshit) formula, petrol requires a 10:1 mix
therefore Id be happy with about 10:1 (10% by mass) as a 10% mix of nitromethane isnt going to have that great an influence and I usually find lean mixtures are more efficient.

Basically 1% is bullshit Id say around 10% by mass would be effective.

I'll have to try ten percent fuel. I want to use a small amount first, but I fear that it won't detonate with my AP cap. I've heard larger diameter pipes with larger amounts of ammonium nitrate detonate more easily. How much do you suggest using to test the power of the mixture?

Sorry Ive just done a quick calculation and the entire homologous series of alkanes (obviously including diesel) should require about 10:1 to react to completion. Therefore since I know for a fact that ANFO is explosive at a much leaner mixture (5%/6%) Id reckon that youd be better off using less than 10% nitromethane fuel, maybe around 7 or 8 percent.

yeah you are right, the more you use the easier detonation becomes. Ive had sucess with around 200g AP AN mix (thank you Real)
so I would guess you want to be using around 400g of your mixture. This is going to be immensley powerful so run at least 50/100 m away, but you dont want to waste your detonator for nothing . You realise that detonated high explosive doesn't require containment, so you could just as easliy put your mixture in a box. Containment may help slightly however. A pipe is certainly going to produce shrapnel.

Maybe I misinterpeted your post, but did you mix the AP right in with the ANFO? Or did you use an AP cap? I've been planning to use a blasting cap.

no just straight ammonium nitrate with acetone peroxide. Ammonium nitrate is often added to different explosives to make them more powerful by allowing the oxidising process to go to completion. It also makes the AP more stable. To be honest Im not sure if a shotgun cartridge full of AP will do the trick. How are you intending detonating the cartridge? If you use the percussion cap it might work, as the shockwave will cause AP detonation. how are you going to strike the cap? I presume some sort of spring loaded device and not a hammer and nail.

*nods at everything doctor crunk said*
damn, thats true.

im not sure how much youre gonna have to use considering the 10% dilution, so ill trust doctor drunk, it makes sense.

with 100% nitromethane, a mixture of it and AN can be detonated with an AP blasting cap. its called Kinepak, and is very powerful and makes a good booster.

Sorry, I should have been more clear. I don't use a shotgun shell, I'm pretty sure that wouldn't work and sounds dangerous. I use a BLASTING CAP made from a empty brass 30/06 shell. (Its what I use for caps-fill em up with AP stick in a fuse and crimp the end shut-they work nice, they are brass which I believe commercial caps are made out of) So, don't think I'm trying to detonate ANFO with a shotgun shell here! Give me some credit! Unfortunately, I don't have 100% nitromethane, I have 10% (The rest is petro chemicals-its model airplane fuel) However, I am not using fertilizer. (I can't find 34-0-0 fertilizer-where do you get yours?) I am using ammonium nitrate derived from instand cold packs, which I believe is almost 100% pure ammonium nitrate. Basically I want to detonate a mixture of 10% nitromethane fuel and high %age ammonium nitrate with either a AP or HMTD blasting cap, but I'm not sure if it will be a waste of my ammonium nitrate and fuel or not....Have you been successful ever in detonating an ANFO or nitromethane/ammn mixture? OR have you just mixed the fertilizer with AP and detonated that? Thanks for your help.

I like the idea, Drunk, of just sitting it in a box or pail, but i thought confinement would help the shockwave buildup from the cap and detonate the nitrate/methane better...I don't know if the shockwave would be strong enough if I didn't have it confined. I just have AP caps (Although I could make them pretty big)I don't have dynamite, PETN, RDX, Detcord or anything like that. If it was just sitting in, say, a one gallon metal pail, the brisance of the cap wouldn't just blow the mixture all over hell before it could detonate? Or maybe I would just get partial detonation?

AH, I understand what you are saying Drunk. What ratio of AP to AN did you use? 3:1? I would like to try that, but it seems like it would take a hell of a lot of AP. Will HMTD work in the place of AP? It seems as it would, just as powerful if not more powerful and as brisant. I would like to try that as well as detonating my nitromethane fuel/amm. nitrate with a cap.

No Ive never tried ANFO or nitromethane, sounds like a bit of a hassle to get it right. Yeah I get my AN from cold packs too, even the industrial fertilliser round here is only 34%. I used around 3:1 AP:AN mixture last time. Im sure it would work with HTMD or any other high explosive.

I get what you're saying about the confinement. You are probably wise to put it in a pipe, you want to maximise the shockwave in every way possible.

Im not sure if your detonator wil have enough power. I'd use the largest one available and possibly place it in a small polythene bag of AP/AN mix which will boost the detonation. Make sure sparks dont hit the mixture before detonation because it will conflagrate.

I think you probably have a chance with a large blasting cap. I would however try and maximise the probability of detonation by using a booster.

Thanks, I think I will try just a straight mix of AP and ammonium nitrate like you did. I searched and found a post by the real on it. How did you get enough AP to do it? Make lots of small batches or a big batch? I have 30% H2O2 coming but right now I only have 3%, unfortunately.

I made about 6 small batches. Wait for the 30% you get a much better yield

Thanks again, drunk. One last question: How much hydrogen peroxide 30% did you use to get enough for this project? A pint? Curious how much to order, its kinda expensive. I am going to get enough for several experiments. Yes, I've used 3% and it gets TERRIBLE yields.

What would be best to make ap blasting caps out of?? Copper tubing?? Rifle cartridges as Fingerless has mentioned?? Any other ideas?

Also, kinda off our subject here, but are ap crackers-Ap in between 2 coins taped together. Does it really work?? If so how do you get that to work, how much ap do you use? How do you tape it together so the ap wont fall out? Will it really go off most of the time when throwing it?? Please reply sounds fun, need new things to do with ap.

those things rule. take two nickels, put a little ap in between. i dont know how much, like as much as you can without the coins being too separated. then you take one strip of scotch tape, and tape it around the sides, AROUND THE SIDES. one strip. get it? then you fold down the strip do its taping the two nickels together. throw it about 40-50 feet in the air over asphalt, and theyre really loud when they hit. damn straight it sounds like fun.

i know you can get 30%nitromethane cuz i use in my RC car it can go to speeds of 70kmp/h
but you have to order it