DIY Homemade Exploding Targets
A homemade exploding target is a perfect way to spend an afternoon outdoors with your friends and family. All you need are ingredients and a few common household items. The idea for this project was inspired by a post on Reddit about a backyard hobbyist who made his own explosive targets out of simple chemistry ingredients. Soon, there were many comments from people who wanted to try it themselves. With just a little bit of knowledge on how to make your own ammonium nitrate, you will be able to create some amazing exploding targets in no time!
What Is Ammonium Nitrate?
Ammonium nitrate is a chemical compound that is found in some fertilizers. When mixed with other chemicals, it can explode. It is one of the most common elements in fertilizers and has been used widely since the 1940s. While nitrogen can be available in many forms, ammonium nitrate is one of the easiest to absorb and produce.
Why Would You Need To Make Your Own?
Homemade exploding targets are a great way to spend time outdoors, and they are also an excellent project for teaching the basics of chemistry. There are many factors that make these homemade exploding targets even more accessible, including the fact that you don't need a lot of money or equipment. You can use household items like baking soda and vinegar to create your own bulk chemical mixture, which is what these homemade explosive targets will be made out of.
Ingredients for Homemade Exploding Targets
The ingredients you will need for this project are:
– Sodium Salts of Fatty Acids (this is a type of soap mixed with sodium nitrates)
Potassium nitrate
One of the most common ways to create ammonium nitrate is by mixing equal parts of potassium nitrate and powdered sugar. When these two ingredients come into contact with each other, they will create an explosion! This is where the fun starts because there are many ways to get this mixture in a target. You can put the mixture between two layers of cardboard and cut it out into squares or rectangles. You could even use plastic wrap and roll it out until it’s flat like a sheet. You can then cut it into squares or rectangles as well!
Water
The main thing you will need is water. There are many ways to make ammonium nitrate, but one of the easiest is to take a few cups of table salt and mix it with an equal amount of sugar. Once mixed, add four cups of water and stir. The sugar will help the salt dissolve and prevent any clumps from forming. You should continue stirring until all the salt has dissolved in the water.
Ammonium nitrates
The main ingredient in this project is ammonium nitrate, and you can find it fairly easily on the internet. Household ammonia is another requirement for this recipe. You can purchase household ammonia from your local supermarket or hardware store. The final ingredients you will need for this project are water and sugar. The sugar serves as a binder for the ammonium nitrate, making it less prone to exploding prematurely.
Charcoal or Activated Charcoal
To create a chemical reaction, you will need something to react with. In this case, it’s charcoal. All you need to do is place the charcoal in the bottom of your container and pour your ammonium nitrate on top. Now all that’s left is to seal off the lid with some tape so the two substances don’t mix together prematurely.
Once you have made your exploding target, all that’s left to do is find a safe place to set them up and shoot them! Be sure to wear safety goggles while shooting in order to protect your eyes from debris and make sure everything goes smoothly. To make this project more exciting, try using different ingredients for different colors or effects!
Equipment And Tools
-Large pot
-Medium bowl
-Small bowl
-Spoon
-Stove
-Aluminum foil
How To Put It All Together
The process of making your own exploding targets is actually quite simple. All you need are the following ingredients:
-140 grams of ammonium nitrate
-200 grams of aluminum powder
-16 ounces of polystyrene beads (such as Styrofoam)
-2 ounces of potassium nitrate
To make the ammonium nitrate, mix together 100 grams of ammonium nitrate with 100 grams of sulfur and an equal amount of diesel fuel or kerosene. As for the aluminum powder, you will want to mix with water to form a thick paste that is about the same consistency as clay.
The polystyrene beads can be bought from a craft store and will be used to create a mold for your exploding targets. And finally, the potassium nitrate can be found at most hardware stores and is added to the mixture once all other ingredients have been combined.
Once you have created your explosives, mix them together and get creative! You can shape the mixture into any shape or size before it dries out over time – this includes but is not limited to circles, balls, and cubes. Don't forget to share your creations on social media using #diyexplodingtargets!
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