Molotov Cocktail 101: How They're Made & How to Defend Against Them
www.ballisticmag.com
The Molotov cocktail is a common weapon of terrorists, both foreign and domestic, so it's a good idea to know what you're going up against.

And we’re using our enemy’s handbook for further humiliation 😎

So to recap:

  • gasoline is the base

  • paint thinner to help the cocktail spread, the typical mixture is 50/50

  • styrofoam to help thicken it and conserve thermal heat (logically you wouldn’t use it with paint thinner, thick molotov for pinpointed damage and thin molotov for crowd control)

  • weak bottles; the mixture has to explode everywhere, not stay in the bottle. Beer and wine bottles are surprisingly tough. You can weaken it by etching streaks in it, or find a beer brand that makes weak bottles.

  • a chemical igniter is safer than lighting a rag on fire, but can be more difficult to make. A simple igniter is soaking a rag in sugar and potassium chlorate, then put sulfuric acid in the mixture. What I believe needs to happen is for the rag to touch the mixture, which should happen after you throw the molotov or while you are throwing it, but not before.

  • aim at the ground, not at vertical stuff.

Their use is mostly for show, it makes a nice ball of flame that will keep the pigs at bay. But they are not actually that powerful. However, they are very cheap and easy to make for protestors.

    • @CriticalResist8OPA
      4•2 years ago

      Ah, I believe this is what the original article (still can’t get over that pic of “antifa” lol) meant with a paper label then. Just tape it over the side of the bottle and when the bottle breaks it should touch the mixture and ignite.

      Potassium chlorate and sulfuric acid are easy enough to find, but might arouse suspicion in large quantities. (though you probably don’t need much at all, just enough to get the ignition going)

      Storm matches are probably still cheaper and easier to get, but for cost savings you can’t beat an old sock soaked in gasoline