How to Make a Smoke Bomb from Potassium Nitrate and Sugar

Last Updated: June 1, 2022

This article will explain to you how to make a smoke bomb. This is by far the best recipe and even beginners will be cooking up smoke bombs in no time

Steps

1
Measure 60 grams potassium nitrate and 40 grams (1.4 oz) of sugar. If you don't have any weighing scales, don't worry, the ratio is 3 parts of potassium nitrate to 2 parts sugar, so you can just use a tablespoon or use the small spoons found in baby formula milk (e.g. Cow and Gate, Optamil).^{[1]
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2
Get a pan, preferably non-stick, and put in your potassium nitrate and sugar. Put the heat on as low as it will go. This prevents any unwanted accidents from happening.^{[2]
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3
Stir the mixture. Stir continuously, but not vigorously, to prevent the material from burning. After about 10 minutes, you will notice that the powder starts to flow a bit like water. This happens because the sugar is caramelizing.
4
Wait for the sugar to caramelize. After few minutes, brown lumps will start to appear. After another few minutes, the whole mixture will turn brown and will go all soggy,a bit like peanut butter.^{[3]
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5
Take the pan off the stove and pour the mixture onto foil or onto a cardboard tube. It is really important that you take it off when it looks like peanut butter, otherwise it will turn chocolaty, and eventually start to burn.^{[4]
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- To make a tube for your smoke bomb, just get a toilet paper tube and tape the bottom using electrical tape or duct tape.
- Clean your pan. A good thing to do would be to get a lighter and set any remaining bits on fire to make sure that the batch will work.
6
Once the tube is full, insert a fuse. If you don't have a fuse, no problem, the mixture is flammable so you can light it directly.^{[5]
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7
Cover the whole thing in either electrical tape or duct tape, leaving a small hole where the fuse sticks out
8
Drill small holes near the bottom, about 2-4. This step is optional. Doing this will allow any pressure that might build up to escape.
9
Go outside and enjoy!

Community Q&A

Question

Is it okay to breathe the smoke?

Community Answer

Not in large amounts. The smoke is similar to the smoke given off from burning wood, meaning it can irritate the lungs and eyes.
Question

Can I use the pan again for normal stuff?

Community Answer

Yes. Since the mixture is water-based, you can simply dissolve it in hot water and it will come right out.
Question

What can I use instead of potassium nitrate if I don't have any?

Community Answer

Potassium nitrate is easy to find at any gardening or home improvement store. It is used as a stump remover. There are a couple of brands, so look for the ones with more than 90% potassium nitrate (KNO3).

Warnings

While cooking, keep a glass of water nearby. If your mixture starts to burn, immediately grab the glass and throw the water into the pan. This will stop the burning.

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When using the smoke bomb, be responsible. Don't throw it at people and use it on concrete or another similar material.

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