I know it's a tad more stable than c4 but thats about it...

*Tries pumping intelligence back in his beloved bb*

Keep thinking RDX is more stable than C4...you'll blow your brains out.

Hmm? I was told it was weaker and more stable. Also what does it mean when something explodes, for example 3000 ft/second does that mean if a block of wood was on top of it, it woulf fly that far in a second? help please

No. C-4 is RDX. RDX is the base explosive in C-4, which also contains plasticizers to make it more manageable.

~Zero the Inestimable

Ahh so c4 is just a stable rdx, how would I go about making c4? First, I understand absolutely nothing at all about this so whatever you tell me I'm not going to do anyway, I just would like to know. Second, please don't use words like tetrahydrapenthanol, and if you must, explain it?

does anyone know the platercizing agents in C4?

I don't know exactly how to make C-4, but I think it's silly anyway. The only reason the name C-4 sticks in your head is because you saw it in the movies.

Forget C-4. You can make other things from RDX.

Before you can make C-4 or C-anything, of course, you need to make RDX. This is done by nitrating hexamine. Information is available on the web, but if you can't find anything on it I might write up details on this later.

Once you have your RDX in hand, which is no easy task for a beginner, you need to mix it with something to plasticize it. C-1, for example, is RDX, mineral oil, and lecethin. You could, if you so desired, mix the stuff with Play-Dough or Silly Putty. The only role of the plasticizers is to keep the RDX in one place so you can set it off easily- You could just as well put the RDX in a metal pipe or somesuch and fire it off straight.

~Zero the Inestimable

So C-anything is just Rdx with different plactisizers in it? What does rdx stand for anyway? And how do you set it off? (if you say blasting cap 'splain what that is)

RDX stands for Research Department Explosive or something along those lines. I've long since forgotten, but I can look it up if you really want to know. The name has nothing to do with the chemical composition of the explosive.

You will need a blasting cap to set off RDX, since it's a high order explosive. A blasting cap is just a small container that contains a primary explosive and sometimes a booster explosive.

To set off any high explosive you need a powerful shockwave. The blasting cap contains an explosive (AP, HMTD, whatever) that can be easily set off with a fuse or electric igniter and detonates with sufficient velocity to set off the larger explosive charge.

~Zero the Inestimable

So a 'high order' explosive is set off with a 'blasting cap' which is composed of a smaller explosive that can be set off easily but has enough force to set off the larger one. Good enough, but what sets off the 'low order?' blasting cap?

Low Order "explosives" are just things that decompose rapidly and give off a lot of gas. Probably not a good definition there; but here are some examples: Gasoline, Black Powder, Flash Powder, etc. Low Order explosives can be set off with a simple fuse.

I suppose it's time for more explaining.

Low order explosives burn. They make explosions by building up pressure inside a container and bursting it. Examples are flash powder, black powder, &c.

Primary explosives actually detonate, rather than burn, but are sensitive to heat or flame. Though they aren't safe (or economically feasible) to use in large quantities they can set off high order explosives.

High order explosives are generally very stable, and must be set off with a shockwave powerful enough to break their molecular bonds. Get the right primary explosive and you can set off your high explosive. High explosives can NOT be set off with a fuse, or with fire.

~Zero the Inestimable