U.S. Army Special Forces Guide to Unconventional Warfare (13 page)

a. Description.

1. Spontaneous combustion is the outbreak of fire in combustible material that occurs without application of direct flame or spark. A combustible material such as cotton waste, sawdust, or cotton batting is impregnated with a mixture of a vegetable oil and specific drying oils known as driers. This impregnated combustible material is placed in a container which provides confinement around the sides and bottom. Heat produced by the chemical action of the driers in the oil is transferred to the confined combustible material with resultant outbreak of fire. Prepared igniter materials such as Fire Fudge (0202) or initiator material such as Fuse Cord (0101) can be used with the impregnated combustible material to increase reliability and decrease ignition delay time.
   
2. The chemical reaction that supplies heat in the spontaneous combustion device becomes faster as the surrounding temperature rises. Conversely, as the temperature drops ignition delay time increases. In addition, ignition delay time varies somewhat with type of vegetable oil, type of drier, type of combustible material, confinement, density of the oil impregnated combustible material, and ventilation. Devices planned for use should be tried in advance to establish delay time.
   
3. These devices operate with a natural delay caused by the chemical reaction time of the drying process in the oil. The user places the device and is away from the scene when the fire starts. Spontaneous combustion devices have the added advantage of using items seen daily around shop, plant, or office. Containers for confining the impregnated combustible material can be small waste paper baskets, packing boxes, ice cream containers, paper bags and other items common to a particular operation. Combustible materials such as cotton waste, cotton batting, or sawdust are also common in many manufacturing plants. For these reasons, spontaneous combustion devices are useful and clever sabotage items.
   
4. It is recommended that these devices be covertly used to ignite readily flammable material such as rags, dry paper, dry hay, wooden and cardboard boxes, wooden structures, and other similar targets.
   

b. Material and Equipment.

Proportions of Mixture

c. Preparation.

1. General instructions.
   
   • (a)
     Measure the combustible material by tightly packing it up to the top of the one pint measuring jar. The material should puff out of the measuring jar when firm hand pressure is removed.
     
   • (b)
     Transfer the combustible material from the measuring jar to the container in which it is to be confined.
     
   • (c)
     Pour the vegetable oil into the one pint measuring jar to one-third jar volume.
     
   • (d)
     Using a teaspoon, add the specified quantity of Cobalt Drier to the vegetable oil in the one pint measuring jar. Wipe the spoon dry and add the specified quantity of Lead Drier to the Vegetable Oil—Cobalt Drier mixture.
     
   • (e)
     Thoroughly mix the combination of vegetable oil and driers by stirring with the teaspoon for approximately one minute.
     

     Note
     . Vegetable oil and drier can be mixed and stored in an air-tight container for one week before use. Longer storage is not recommended.
     

   • (f)
     Pour the oil mixture from the one pint measuring jar over the combustible material in the container. Saturate the combustible material by kneading, pulling and balling with the hands. This can be accomplished either inside or outside of the container.
     
     
   • (g)
     Remove saturated combustible material from the container.
     
   • (h)
     Cut a hole with a knife, one to two inches in diameter, in the bottom center of the container.
     
     
   • (i)
     Place the container on a flat surface, hold the 1½-inch diameter stick vertically over the hole in the bottom of the container and pack the saturated combustible material around the stick compressing it so that it fills ⅓ to ½ of the container volume after hand pressure is removed.
     
     
   • (j)
     Remove the stick. This leaves a ventilation hole through the center of the combustible material. The spontaneous combustion device is now ready for use unless the following optional step is taken.
     
   • (k)
     This step is optional.
     Either
     take a piece of Fire Fudge (0202) about the size of a walnut and crush it into pieces about the size of peas. Sprinkle the pieces of crushed Fire Fudge on top of the combustible material. Or cut a piece of Fuse Cord (0101) to a length of about four inches. Since safety fuse burns inside the wrapping, it is sliced in half to expose the black powder. (Lacquer coated fuse (nonsafety type) burns completely and may be used without slicing.) Insert one or more pieces of fuse vertically in the combustible materiel near the center vent hole, leaving about one inch extending out of the top surface of the combustible material.
     
     
2. Preparation of improvised driers.
   If the commercial driers (cobalt and lead) specified under
   Material and Equipment
   above are not available, the following improvised driers can be made using either flashlight batteries or powdered lead oxide (Pb
   ₃
   O
   ₄
   ). These improvised driers are used in the same manner as the commercial driers.
   
   • (a)
     Manganese drier.
     
     1. Break open three flashlight batteries (size D) and collect the pasty material surrounding the central carbon rod.
        
     2. Put this material in a one-pint wide-mouth jar and fill jar with water.
        
     3. Slowly stir contents of jar for approximately two minutes and allow contents to settle. The contents will usually settle in one-half hour.
        
     4. Pour off water standing on top of settled contents.
        
     5. Remove wet contents from jar, spread it on a paper towel and allow to dry.
        
     6. Dry the jar.
        
     7. Pour raw linseed oil into the one-pint measuring jar to one-third jar volume.
        
     8. Combine the measured quantity of raw linseed oil and the dried battery contents from
        5
        above in a pot and boil for one-half hour.
        
     9. Shut off heat, remove pot from the heat source, and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.
        
     10. Separate the liquid from the solid material settled on the bottom by carefully pouring the liquid into a storage bottle. Discard the solid material. The liquid is the drier.
         
     11. The manganese drier is ready for use.
         
     12. If manganese dioxide powder is available, flashlight batteries need not be used. Place one heaping teaspoonful of manganese dioxide powder into the raw linseed oil and boil the mixture in a pot for one-half hour. Then follow
         9, 10,
         and
         11
         above.
         
   • (b)
     Lead oxide drier.
     
     1. Pour raw linseed oil into the one-pint measuring jar to one-third jar volume.
        
     2. Combine the measured quantity of raw linseed oil and two heaping teaspoonfuls of lead oxide in a pot and boil gently for one-half hour. The mixture must be stirred constantly to avoid foaming over.
        
     3. Shut off heat, remove pot from the heat source, and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.
        
     4. Pour the liquid into a storage bottle and cap the bottle.
        
     5. The lead oxide drier is ready for use.