Fun With Pipe Bombs The pipe bomb is the classical homemade explosive implement. They're fun for the whole family. It's basically a way to take a common low explosive (gunpowder) and pressurize it in such a fashion that it will explode more violently than it normally would. Shrapnel from the bomb itself is usually the main source of damage. Be VERY careful if you implement these ideas; the author disclaims all responsibility for your mistakes. Or even if you get it right. Get a section of metal water pipe, about 1/2 inch around and 6 inches long. Get two metal caps that are sized to fit that pipe. These are easily acquired in most hardware stores. For a larger pipe bomb, try old compressed gas cylinders, or propane cylinders. The idea is to get a nice secure rigid container. Drill a hole, about 1/16 inch in diameter, in the center of the pipe. Eventually, this is where the fuse will go. For now, put some tape over that hole so that your chemicals don't leak out. If you're using a real pipe, screw one of the caps onto the pipe. Make sure it's nice and tight, since the idea is to create a small, pressurized compartment where the explovises can burn and fume and generally get all cramped and ticked-off before they explode. If you use a clamp or wrench, wrap a cloth around the end so as to make the distinctive trace marks from that particular kind of wrench harder to detect. Thread a fuse into the drilled hole. Fuses of various powers and burn lengths are available from better gun shops. In a pinch, shoelaces will work adequately. If you want to get very fancy, the electrical detonators used in model rocketry are excellent. Old-style flash bulbs work well also. Put some powder into the pipe. Dry, fine black powder is available from better gun shops and will work nicely, but may draw some suspicion. Suspicion is bad. If you are so lucky as to have access to a shooting range, vacuum up some of the powder residue that you will find on the floors in front of the shooting stalls; this will produce hundreds of chemical traces, making it a lot harder to trace the bomb to a specific type of powder and therefore back to you. Fill the pipe fairly close to full, but not quite; leave about a half-inch from one end of the pipe. Don't try to pack it in; leaving the powder loose will give it some room to pressurize, for a more powerful explosion. If you want to increase the likelihood that significant property damage or loss of life will occur, put some other things into the pipe, scattered within (kind of like the way raisins are evenly distributed in a box of raisin bran). Nails work nicely, as do shards of broken glass. Be very careful if you use nails, as they may spark and set off the powder. Apply some wax, grease, vaseline, or something similar to the threads on the uncapped end of the pipe. This will make it a bit harder to tighten that end - try a good wrench - but will reduce the likelihood that any particles of powder that may be caught in the threads will spark and cause a premature boom. You may also want to use a fine brush to wipe away any powder residue from those threads first. Wrap a cloth around the cap before screwing it on, as above. Discard of everything used and unused in the process, including the drill bit, any extra powder, any extra fuse material, etc. Also be very certain to clean up your work area of powder, drill shavings, and so forth. If you aren't completely certain of what you're doing and why, you probably ought not to be doing it. These things are very dangerous, kids.