This article was taken from the March 2011 issue of Wired
magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before
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One the commonest explosives, gelignite was invented by Alfred Nobel in 1875, and
is widely used in mining and demolition. So what if you unexpectedly run into it?
Gelignite is fairly stable: it is mixed with kieselguhr -- a
clay-like substance -- and has a gritty texture. It can be dropped,
knocked or thrown, and even burnt in small chunks for disposal.
When asborbed through the skin of the fingers, gelignite can cause
headaches, so wear latex gloves. Be careful when storing it too:
gelignite becomes less stable over time, and can "weep" with
Nitroglycerine, the main component, explodes at a velocity of
7,700m/s but only when a small charge is detonated. Some charges,
usually aluminium or copper tubes, can be set off by radio
Now use it to blast rock, concrete or metal, which requires
high-velocity detonations. Cordtex -- an explosive packed in a
washing-line-like cord -- is often used to trigger "daisychain"
charges of explosive.