Images and video by the author unless otherwise noted.
There are few words in the English language that add as much excitement to a sentence as “grenade”. While smoke grenades and fragmentation grenades get the most use, flashbang grenades add some spice to any camouflaged social engagement.
Thermite grenades however, hold a special place in the hearts of all who have had occasion to set one off.
While this product has been out for a while, many haven’t got the news. So, allow me to introduce you to the AZAO TH3AZ Thermite Grenade.
Arizona-based AZAO Inc is a bit of an outlier in the firearms/explosives world, in that the fun side of the business is a side gig. The primary work? Farming. That’s not to say that AZAO is a fly-by-night gig, it’s been in business selling guns for over 20 years.
For those of you wondering… yes, Thermite grenades are legal, generally speaking. Your own local or state government may disagree, but for most locations in the US these are a green light. As per AZAO’s site:
*** Exempted from explosive laws as they are “powder actuated industrial devices” (see section 8 of ATF’s Orange Explosives Book, “Exemptions”). These are NOT destructive devices, as they do not burst and are not used as weapons or anti-personnel. Has all the legalities of a blow torch, per Uncle Sam (U.S. vs Homa, 1977). Made from printed plastic components over a metal vessel and metal fuse-train. ***
Tech Specs:
- Burns at 4200 degrees F
- 20-30 second burn time
- ~10 second fuse
- Enhanced fuse for higher burn temp, reliable ignition
- 3d printed components
- 2-part mixture
Assembly:
Much like Tannerite, AZAO’s thermite grenades come with the relevant chemical mixture separated. Coming in a couple restaurant style ketchup squeeze bottles, the iron oxide and oxidizer are mixed on the day of use, on site.
Simply dump the small bottle of oxidizer into the larger bottle of iron oxide, and mix extremely well. Funnel the mixture into the grenade body.
Now, an important step. Don’t just screw the fuse head on, you’re going to need to seal the threads. The reason is, once the mixture starts burning, the pressure builds really quickly until the grenade body is breached. If you don’t seal the threads, the fuse head will pop off and the thermite grenade turns into a thermite fountain or rocket.
I used JB Weld (the “quick setting” variety) on the threads, screwed the fuse head on, and let it sit until the JB Weld was hard to the touch.
Before we get to the hard part (deciding what you want to melt) let me temper expectations a touch.
Thermite grenades that are purely thermite (like this one) are not quite the same as military thermite grenades. Those involve layers of another substance called thermate instead of thermite. The difference? Thermate burns even hotter and faster than thermite, and the grenade body itself is built to deal out more damage to surrounding items.
Thermate is also a bit more dangerous than Thermite. AZAO will be offering Thermate in the future with a traditional metal grenade body and metal fuse head. Hazmat shipping is mandatory for such items.
That being said, today’s thermite grenade is a 4000 degree Fahrenheit hot potato that will not stop burning once it’s started, even underwater. During the reaction process it even creates its own iron slag. Just know there’s a bit of a difference.
Burn Time:
Remember when I mentioned how important sealing the threads of the fuse body is? Well, my first attempt at setting off an AZAO Thermite Grenade started with me skipping that clearly stated part of the instructions. So, a thermite rocket ensued.
My second and third attempts however, were much better. I decided on a spare kitchen microwave as my burn plate, and accompanied by Luke Cuenco (@Ballisticaviation) here at Hobbit Ranch.
From the time the fuse popped off there was about a 10 second delay as the internal combustion got started. After that, the reaction was fast and intense. You could feel the heat from quite a distance, and it was pretty wild to see the surrounding area go from “calm” to “massive, billowing, intense heat waves” in a second. You can even see the thermite mix turning into molten iron and slagging out the side of the grenade body.
In a cool screen capture, you can see the moment the iron slag erupts from the left side of the grenade body.
The interior of the microwave was heavily scorched through the body and ceramic insulation, but the exterior of the case wasn’t breached. It looks like the grenade standing vertically definitely spent a lot of the thermite’s heat in the wrong direction.
On the third attempt, the primer was actually a dud. Despite multiple solid hits, there was one very quiet “pop”. So, I used a length of cannon fuse and wrapped one end around the enhanced end of the AZAO Thermite fuse. This added a few seconds to the fuse burn time, but saved me from having to reschedule another range day as I waited for AZAO’s warranty replacement of the fuse head.
This time, we decided to toss the thermite grenade into the microwave. Again within a second we had massive heat waves visibly billowing through the microwave door. The interior was absolutely wrecked, and the microwave was still burning 20 minutes later.
The moral of the story? Remember that heat rises. If you want a Thermite Grenade like this one from AZAO to do maximum damage, put it in or under your object d’burnage instead of going for the trickle down theory of thermonomics.
After rewatching the videos, it seems on camera that the AZAO TH3AZ burning off is a little… underwhelming. That clashes a bit with my feelings on the experience, but it is what it is. I do regret not spending a little more time mixing the powders, especially noticing how much iron powder was left over in the surrounding area.
The End, Almost:
The Thermite Grenade by AZAO as shown runs $49.95. Listed uses include destroying sensitive equipment (computers, file cabinets), or starting a fire with sopping wet wood. Really, your imagination is the limit! Just stay safe and avoid doing anything that makes the news ok?
If your burn needs are a little smaller, AZAO offers a Lil TH3AZ at $27.99.
If your needs are bigger… contact AZAO. A larger (much larger) version has been discussed, in case you need to slag through a whole vehicle.
Enjoy!
–Jens “Rex Nanorum” Hammer
@Rexnanorum
Read the full article here