On Sat, 20 Apr 2013 09:24:38 -0400, Tom Gardner Mars@Tacks wrote:

On 4/20/2013 8:55 AM, Gunner Asch wrote:
On Sat, 20 Apr 2013 05:07:49 -0700 (PDT), "
wrote:

On Apr 18, 9:31 pm, "Lloyd E. Sponenburgh"
lloydspinsidemindspring.com wrote:


(I'm in an explosives-related biz, so ways to ignite things are
reasonably familiar to me)

Lloyd

The media has put on hours of broadcasting about the bombing, but I
have seen nothing that gives any details about the bombs. That may be
intentional, no point in inspiring people to build bombs. But I am
curious what was the explosive. The fact that the bombs were pressure
cooker bombs pretty much says the explosive was not commercial ,
except it could have been black powder.

So does anyone know what was used?


Dan

Know? Nothing.

Based on the cloud of whitish/grey smoke and the low velocity of the
explosion as shown by the videos..black powder or something along that
order. It couldnt have been commercial firearms powder..least...its
not likely to have been. the blast would have been a higher order and
the smoke would not have been nearly white. While the possiblity of
it being a commercial firearms powder does..does exist..something fast
like Bullseye pistol powder would pressure up fast enough to act
similarily...my gut feeling says no..based on the display of the
pressure cooker body shown on TV and the lack of a particulate based
fireball, which would likely have shown up brightly if a nitro based
powder had been ignited. If it had been a nitrobased "gun powder"..the
blast would likely have been brilliant as the unburned powder
particles were ignited in mid air after the pressure cooker had broken
open.

I lost a good friend some 10 or more years ago, who was burning old
skunky powder by pouring it into an open flame, a small portion at a
time..bonfire. When he decided to rush it..he tossed a gallon glass
jar into the flames of the bonfire and the fireball that resulted
seared him into a 3rd degree flambe along with his son, who was within
10' of the firepit. And by all reports..lit up the neighborhood like
a flare..despite it being a sunny day and mid afternoon.

He lived for another year or two..but was never right after that and
soon died.





Darwin? In retrospect, why didn't he mix it with water and use it as
fertilizer. I'm not a smart guy but even I know better...EVERYBODY
knows better! Was he not aware of how to handle powder?

Shrug..brain fart. Guy was my mentor and reloading instructor when I
first got started.

I guess he thought it was "fun and safe" to burn off the old powder.
But...a big cloud of Bullseye was outside of his experience.

RIP Joe Moran.

Gunner