Originally Posted By iwouldntknow:
Sounds like someone who knows explosives manufacture will be super valuable in the coming SHTF when supply chains break down and bulldozers aren't available anymore. Are there any good civillian explosives manufacturing courses out there or is the government infringing on that too?

Originally Posted By GeneralDisaray:
What's it with all the old timers just having dynamite laying around all the time?

Originally Posted By GeneralDisaray:
What's it with all the old timers just having dynamite laying around all the time?

Originally Posted By John-in-austin:
Quite common  when I was a kid.   A lot of the farm supply places moved over to binary mixes when that became available, it was safer and a hell of a lot cheaper.  

My uncle dug his entire septic tank and drain field thru solid limestone with binary and a hammer drill, He had no experience whatsoever other than a chat with the farm supply clerk.


You had to buy "sets". IIRC it came in crates of 144, no individual stick sales. Same with blasting caps.  Fuses and det cord had to be complete rolls.

Originally Posted By Houstons_Problem:
A little dynamite goes a long way.

Since it was probably sold by the case, everyone always bought too much dynamite.

Apparently, most old guys only used enough dynamite because the one who used too much dynamite either didn't become old guys or ran out of dynamite.

This is my guess and not actual history.

Originally Posted By Hobs98:


Whe i was a kid, the DNR had an old guy that would come out and blow beaver dams. My grandad called them and out he came. He asked if we wanted to watch. Of course, so off we all went to the site.

Old guy pulls a book.out, said it was the guidelines for how much dynamite to use based on the size of the dam.  

He said he took the guideline number, doubled and added 3 sticks.

Originally Posted By William_lxix:


NG is rerally easy to make, thats why it was manufactured very primitively back in the mid to late 1800's.

There are YouTube videos of NG manufacture showing troughs and sluices with liquid NG running like a stream and they aren't all dying.



Nitroglycerin (NG) exuding from dynamite is only scary if its near the freezing point or gets absorbed into something that can stress the NG.

If its liquid its fine, if its completely frozen its fine, if its slushy - the crystals can be more hazardous and prone to initiation.

If the NG is in another matrix then that can be problematic, but its a contamination issue and 'potentially' a sensitivity issue.

Unfortunately, Public Safety Bomb Squads don't get taught "Desensitization" they are only taught to burn or blow in place or ask the FBI SABT what to do (if they are enlightened/connected they can talk to the Explosive Enforcement Officers or EOD or TSS-E's in their AO).

Certain units in US military EOD learn desensitization of HME & commercial explosives as part of their knowledge base and skillset - but EOD also don't have to deal with Lawyers & politicians like PSBT's do.

NG gets a bad name from Hollywood and old wives tales, not from actual knowledge.  

NG has had YEARS of bad experiences from people mishandling it, but its not nearly as crazy sensitive as MEKP!  

Back in the day, people used to smoke cigarettes while handling NG to counteract the vaso-dilation effects of NG (screaming headaches & fainting!).  THAT is how many accidents happened, from a hot butt, or ash contaminates into NG, not from NG itself.  But the unfamiliar propogate the myth that NG is "Dangerous" - yeah, if you are SMOKING!!

Yes, the proliferation of dynamite used to be more common, as well as the knowledge for safe handling and storage. Unfortunately many users 'forget' to physically rotate their NG loaded dynamite every 6 months, as gravity will cause the NG to exude or leach out filler material/casing and follow gravity down, into whatever it was sitting on, whether thats a wooden crate, shelf, or concrete.  Then the remediation is usually BURN or detonate.  

NG loaded dynamites only have a usable storage life of 18-24 months before the NG is out of the casing and its less effective.

If NG dynamite is stored correctly in a container that will not absorb the NG, then it [the NG] will puddle or form droplets.  The less informed get nervous about this, but, its literally a remote move and PUCA to final disposal.  Densitization techniques can be used to lubricate and disperse the material to avoid heat-stress-friction "activation energies".

The US Navy uses a metric shit ton of PGDN which is chemically very similar and physically very similar to NG and we don't have mishandling accidents with explosions from PGDN.

Originally Posted By CastleBravo91:

I was gonna ask "couldn't you just put a sheet over it and carry it out with a stick? Just don't trip."

Originally Posted By BladedRonin:
Since when does an FD detonate instead of a bomb squad?

Originally Posted By markmars:
Good call! Old dynamite is very unstable.

Originally Posted By PeepEater:

We used to have freedom. My great uncle had a crate of it for removing stumps on the farm. Bought it at the hardware store.

Originally Posted By Creole_Cat:
That box is enough evidence to justify shooting your dog and child.

Originally Posted By PeepEater:

We used to have freedom. My great uncle had a crate of it for removing stumps on the farm. Bought it at the hardware store.

Originally Posted By odiedodi:
I would have soaked it in diesel and carried it out to the street first. Worst case, I wouldn't be around to be homeless.

Originally Posted By Mojo_Jojo:
Total loss indeed.  Bad outcome for the homeowner.  Her home and possessions were destroyed, and insurance is not going to pay for the loss.