Investigators say the man suspected of setting fires in ballot drop boxes in Oregon and Washington state is an experienced metalworker and may be planning additional attacks.
The problem is that you’ll typically need something like a magnesium strip to set it off. Shit needs to meet with something burning like the surface of the sun before it kicks into chaos mode.
Detonators are difficult to build and transport. In a high risk activity, like domestic terrorism, the offender has a bias towards getting the thing to work and away from personal safety. This compounds the risk of accidents.
And that’s before you get into the process of milling the combustion material. Which, again, not great for your long term health if you’re just trying to hack it in your garage or kitchen.
The problem is that you’ll typically need something like a magnesium strip to set it off. Shit needs to meet with something burning like the surface of the sun before it kicks into chaos mode.
Or just mix potassium permanganate and glycerine and it will ignite the thermite.
Detonators are difficult to build and transport. In a high risk activity, like domestic terrorism, the offender has a bias towards getting the thing to work and away from personal safety. This compounds the risk of accidents.
And that’s before you get into the process of milling the combustion material. Which, again, not great for your long term health if you’re just trying to hack it in your garage or kitchen.