mix it outside in the dead of winter or build a fire under the pan--just work in a comfortable environment) . 2. Stir the mix until most of the fertilizer is dissolved into the alcohol. (If there is any calcium coating on the fertilizer, this may take some time.) 3. Pour off the alcohol and save it, discard the sludge left behind. 4. Cool the alcohol by placing its container into an ice bath or, better yet, into a second container of dry ice. This will cause crystals of pure ammonium nitrate to form in the container. 5. Run the alcohol and crystals through a filter. (The alcohol can be recycled to retrieve more ammonium nitrate from another load of fertilizer.) 6. Place the crystals in the sunlight and allow them to dry. 7. If the crystals are not small enough, use extreme caution in grinding them since they can explode . 8. Mix the crystals at a rate of 8 to 9 parts crystals with 1 to 2 parts charcoal. This mixture is highly hygroscopic and should be kept in sealed containers, and the ammunition should be sealed as well. Always clean firearms after shooting this ammunition to prevent corrosion of the barrel and other parts. NITROCELLULOSE (GUNCOTTON) The procedure for making nitrocellulose is extremely dangerous and should not be attempted by anyone other than a skilled chemist working in a well-equipped lab. In fact, when this material was created in the mid-1800s, experimentation was suspended for some time because the results were always the same: factories and labs exploded, and all the workers were killed. You can't make any mistakes with this material, or you'll be maimed or dead. Making smokeless gunpowder is a fairly complicated business. Whether you end up with a propellant or an explosive depends on very subtle nuances in the manufacturing protocol, materials, density, and treatment of the final product and myriad additives designed to stabilize or modify burning characteristics. Such things as extruding techniques, solvents, final solvent content (a function of drying protocols), temperatures, final density, additives, coatings, and make a drastic difference in the final burning characteristics. There have been thousands of smokeless powders made in the past hundred years — and they're all different. . . yet chemically very similar. The differences are as much a result of manufacturing technique as they are of chemical variations. Relatively subtle differences can result in a blank or very fast pistol powder, or a slow rifle powder. And a fast pistol powder will likely blow up a rifle. Do not attempt to make smokeless powder unless you are qualified to do so. To carry out these operations, both sulfuric and nitric acids are needed. Both are highly corrosive, and only their containment in glass prevents dangerous reactions. They are hard to neutralize. Gloves, safety goggles, lab apron, and hooded ventilation systems are essential for this work. In addition to sulfuric and nitric acids, you'll also need a very pure source of cellulose for making nitrocellulose. The best source is probably cotton. Wood pulp is a fine source of cellulose, and it makes good nitrocellulose. The Brits and Europeans tended to favor cotton; Americans preferred wood cellulose. But for the sake of simplicity, use surgical cotton (making sure it really is cotton, because many of the cotton balls used for removing cosmetics are now made from synthetics) . Because of the danger presented by these materials, make only small amounts of this powder at a time and store it well away from the working area. Since you may not be able to find nitric acid, we'll take a look at how to create it with sulfuric acid. If you have both chemicals, then skip the next section. Diluted sulfuric acid is commonly found in vehicle batteries. To concentrate it, boil it until white fumes appear. These fumes are dangerous, so adequate ventilation is essential. When the fumes start, lower the heat as the acid is ready. To make nitric acid, follow these steps: 1. Prepare dry potassium nitrate using the method given above. 2. Place 2 parts of the potassium nitrate crystals into a lab bottle with a stopper with one hole. Place a piece of glass tubing with rubber tubing attached to it in the hole. Don't fill the bottle more than one-fourth full of the crystals. 3. Add 1 part sulfuric acid to the bottle and mix with a glass rod until the crystals form a paste .