Ive never delt with Tannite, but I do have a decent chemistry background, and have delt with a number of differnent explosive compounds; homemade and professional .  So I would like to tell you Tannite guys that there are 3 very stable and easily obtainable metals, that would add a very cool effect to your targets.

What Im refering to is Aluminum, Magnesium, and Titanium.  You can find plenty of websites that will sell the three metals in either particulate (dust), shavings, and/or ingots of different sizes.  Shaving are the best, dust is too fine, and ingots you have to cut up yourself.  

When shaving of any three of these elements is added to an explosive compound, and the compound is dotonated, you get a shower of sparks and moltent metal burning upwards of 5000 degrees, dependant on the metal used.  Trust me, it is very cool to watch, especially at night.  Obviously though, there is an inherent fire hazard with this.

I picked up an Mg ingot off of ebay a while back for about 8 bucks, put the saws-all to it and had some really nice shaving and wafers to play with.  Very fun stuff, but if you go the Magnesium route do some research.  When Mg is ignited it burns EXTREMELY hot, and wont be put out easily.  Throwing water on burning Mg will usually get you an explosion, as the Mg burns hot enough to break the Hydrogen and Oxygen bonds and the resulting gaseous O and H create a nice red-ox scenario, and can explode quite violently.

Have fun but be careful!

A cheap source of magnesium is available at a junk yard: Air cooled Volkswagon engine cases..


My advice on your advice? People that aren't smart enough with Chemistry really shouldn't be playing with adding more chemicals to explosive compounds. If a guy isn't smart enough to read up on what he's doing..... you don't need to be helping him.

Dave

Ya know, Ive heard about the VW bug engine cases before.  I never believed that they would alloy the metal with that much Mg, but since this is like the third time Ive heard this, there must be something to it.

Oh, BTW.  Like I said I havnt physicaly delt with Tannite, but from what I gather, it is an EXTREMELY stable compound.  If you do want to add metals to the Tannite, I would add the shaving to either part A or B, and THEN mix the two.  If I could get the chemical compisition of Tannite, I could tell you more about reactivity, but they have the recipie locked away me thinks.  I really doubt that the chems in Tannite would react to any three of the above listed metals, however I could be wrong.  Start small and work your way up.

I used to love swiping Mg from the chemistry lab and detonating that

Fun stuff.

It's amonium nitynite and aluminum powder. Or so I've heard.

Quoted: It's amonium nitynite and aluminum powder. Or so I've heard.

Ammonium Nitrate is a high order exploive on its own.  Very stable stuff too, but also very powerful; I dont know it the energy transfer from a round would detonate Ammonium Nitrate.  Aluminum powder is simply a fuel, you would need another oxidizer to make the Al powder 'explosive'.  But Aluminum powder with Ammonium Nitrate would act as an accelerant.

Hmmm.. Ill have to rip open a couple of instant cold packs nest time I head to the range.  Thanks!

Quoted: My advice on your advice? People that aren't smart enough with Chemistry really shouldn't be playing with adding more chemicals to explosive compounds. If a guy isn't smart enough to read up on what he's doing..... you don't need to be helping him. Dave

Well arent you just a stick in the mud.

Quoted: Quoted: It's amonium nitynite and aluminum powder. Or so I've heard. Ammonium Nitrate is a high order exploive on its own.  Very stable stuff too, but also very powerful; I dont know it the energy transfer from a round would detonate Ammonium Nitrate.  Aluminum powder is simply a fuel, you would need another oxidizer to make the Al powder 'explosive'.  But Aluminum powder with Ammonium Nitrate would act as an accelerant. Hmmm.. Ill have to rip open a couple of instant cold packs nest time I head to the range.  Thanks!

I question your expertise. Ammonium Nitrate is not a high order explosive. It is not an explosive, period. It is a strong oxidizer.

We've gone through tons of AN at the shoot. AN + some hydrocarbon makes a high order explosive.

Gotta go back to work.  Will post after work.

Long of the short, Ry, you are partially right.  I was mistaken, AN is an oxidizer, but is dangerous on its own too.  For some reason I had forgotten that its really only effective if there is a primary detonation charge.  Maybe Al powder and AN would work.

I am NO expert!!!  Semi-pro hobbiest at best!

Quoted: Gotta go back to work.  Will post after work. Long of the short, Ry, you are partially right.  I was mistaken, AN is an oxidizer, but is dangerous on its own too.  For some reason I had forgotten that its really only effective if there is a primary detonation charge.  Maybe Al powder and AN would work. I am NO expert!!!  Semi-pro hobbiest at best!

Tannerite is pretty much AN + Al. Ground AN + fine powdered Al makes a fine high-order explosive.

real quick.

Got to thinking about it (its been a couple of years) and your right the AN is the oxidizer and you would need a fuel such as Al powder, sulfur, ect.  I dont know why I was thinking AN was stand alone.    

My bad.

Cool though, looks like Ill be making my own Tannite!  Thanks!