Improvised weaponry from normal guys & gals

[Smlawrence8]

Ok with all of the talk of Molotov cocktails I thought it would be cool to see a list of weapons that "normal" people could make up on the fly just from common knowledge. And what uses you could come up with for them.

Here are some of the ones I could think of

1. Kerosene and tide make a rudimentary form of plastic explosives (if you don't over heat them and blow it up).....great for setting charges and maybe even some kind of grenade for clearing areas.

2. gas cans on the back of vehicles with oil or other fuel in them.... good for creating a path of fire behind you when being chased by zombies. This could even be useful for one man vehicles. You could set up pulleys to dump the fuel and throw a flare behind you....

3. peddle or pulley powered circular blades mounted on the hood and bumpers of vehicles....great for mowing through the crowd to get from place to place... Easily mounted with a few poles or brackets

4. the ever popular trip string with heavy thing....great for clobbering those unwanted visitors or "accidentally" getting rid of that annoying mother in law that for some reason survived...

anyone else got anything fun???

[Oberoth]

1: Baseball bat with nails protruding.

2: Pipe bomb made with plumbing supplies and fireworks.

3: Lawn sprinkler with gasoline instead of water(Wait until their soaked then throw Molotov).

[Smlawrence8]

I like the sprinkler idea

[Smlawrence8]

Possible with some testing

super soakers and gas with an ignitor on the end....although it would require some testing so you dont blow up...which could be bad

[Captain Shiva]

It is possible to construct cannons using PVC pipe, starting fluid for propellant, and empty filled with sand for projectiles.

[Smlawrence8]

LOL that is awesome..watch out for that girl

[Overlord Rikonius]

Possible with some testing

super soakers and gas with an ignitor on the end....although it would require some testing so you dont blow up...which could be bad

Not a good idea. On Unscrewed (a show that used to be on G4), they made a flamethrower out of a super soaker and Joey the Intern tested it in the parking garage. It worked great for a few seconds, then some of the plastic melted and a stream of flaming liquid started dribbling out of it, almost setting Joey's feet on fire.

[Smlawrence8]

Possible with some testing

super soakers and gas with an ignitor on the end....although it would require some testing so you dont blow up...which could be bad

Not a good idea. On Unscrewed (a show that used to be on G4), they made a flamethrower out of a super soaker and Joey the Intern tested it in the parking garage. It worked great for a few seconds, then some of the plastic melted and a stream of flaming liquid started dribbling out of it, almost setting Joey's feet on fire.

LOL thats sounds awesome.....I want to see that show.... I wonder if I metal version would work???

[Overlord Rikonius]

Possible with some testing

super soakers and gas with an ignitor on the end....although it would require some testing so you dont blow up...which could be bad

Not a good idea. On Unscrewed (a show that used to be on G4), they made a flamethrower out of a super soaker and Joey the Intern tested it in the parking garage. It worked great for a few seconds, then some of the plastic melted and a stream of flaming liquid started dribbling out of it, almost setting Joey's feet on fire.

LOL thats sounds awesome.....I want to see that show.... I wonder if I metal version would work???

The show got cancelled several years ago, which is too bad because it was awesome. The host was basically Tom Green and Chuck rolled into one and they were constantly doing insane things with thermite and doing crazy pranks.

[Smlawrence8]

Possible with some testing

super soakers and gas with an ignitor on the end....although it would require some testing so you dont blow up...which could be bad

Not a good idea. On Unscrewed (a show that used to be on G4), they made a flamethrower out of a super soaker and Joey the Intern tested it in the parking garage. It worked great for a few seconds, then some of the plastic melted and a stream of flaming liquid started dribbling out of it, almost setting Joey's feet on fire.

LOL thats sounds awesome.....I want to see that show.... I wonder if I metal version would work???

The show got cancelled several years ago, which is too bad because it was awesome. The host was basically Tom Green and Chuck rolled into one and they were constantly doing insane things with thermite and doing crazy pranks.

maybe I can find it online...it sounds fun

[Cybermancer]

36mm or larger combination wrench for in close fighting.

Six foot metal pry bar.

400lb+ Torque wrench (measured torque, not weight),

Sledge hammers.

Pick.

Shovel (sharpened).

Metal pipes between 3 feet and 6 feet.

Heavy chain between 3 feet and 6 feet.

Varioius objects attached to heavy chain, 3 to 6 feet in length.

Axe.

[wildhood]

House Trap/Bomb: Find abandent House put any flammables in the basement, remove the stairs, than remove the flooring at entry points in the house, lure zombles in so they fall into the basement & than detonate the flammables to destroy your zomble problem.

[Smlawrence8]

House Trap/Bomb: Find abandent House put any flammables in the basement, remove the stairs, than remove the flooring at entry points in the house, lure zombles in so they fall into the basement & than detonate the flammables to destroy your zomble problem.

Isn't this a little dangerous to yourself? I ask because:

1. If you have to lure them in, then you are putting yourself in danger.

2. If the flooring is removed at the entry points, then you may have a larger issue of getting out if they happen to be able to get in somewhere else (like the second floor, perhaps).

3. This method will kill zeds when done right. It will also light the entire building on fire, and with the flooring removed near the entry points you would be trapped in a burning building with a bunch of flammable zeds. Not a good idea, my friend.

If done properly there would actually be minimal risk involved... However it would envolve more or a remote detonation than what was initially described in the post. That way you would have your escape planned and executed before the fire becomes an issue

[Smlawrence8]

In my room I have:

English long sword (sharp)

Katana (Well actually a heron marked blade, but it is basically a katana) (sharp)

Kudos on the heron mark blade but let me ask you how many of these blades are just show blades. Most blades that you pick up and are based on movies or books are just show and will break at the first sign of use. I have a hand made kitana that is just a step above a show blade and would probably still break with the first or second strike. However I have seen a hand made folded Chinese Tao(I think the spelling is wrong). Its sat with a price tag of about 4 grand.

[kevinslkt]

There could be a lot of ways to rekill a zombie, such as;

Quickie-saws for concrete cutting
Hammerdrills
Skill saws
Zoom Booms
Improvised Forklift skewering
Welded on Blades to regular Vehicles

Gotta give me a few days to add to the list

Later

[Captain Shiva]

Take a can of engine starting fluid, wrap a rag soaked in diesel fuel around, light and throw.Quickly.

[batlchip]

Here's my list.
1 metal garbage can for a shield.
2 sledge hammer
3 staple gun
4 oxygen tanks
5 shovel
6 lawn mower blade
7 tow chain
8 anything that says"Danger contents under pressure Keep away from fire."
9 anything that's highly flammable
10 bricks
11 my computer

[Tearstone]

I haven't been on the boards in a while but I've been thinking about zombie-related stuff the last few days.

There's some things that would come in handy.

obvious kitchen fun, such as knives, skillet... rolling pin. In a pinch a baking/cookie sheet could be a make-shift small shield.

I have a sturdy katana, factory made of course, but I've tested it and made sure it wont fall apart on me at the first sign of abuse.
Tactical folder knife
metal chairs
rake (with modification could be a spear, or a fan-shaped cutting weapon)
extension cords
dog leads
sturdy metal poles
hammer
heavy wrench
pressurized stuff

Sadly... no firearms right now. I don't think I'd make it very far.


I dunno as much as I used to about making stuff that goes bang out of homemadeness. I should probably go back to studying that again if I wanna make it through the Zeds.

[JuliusCreed]

Currently in my home:

4 different swords including a Celtic leaf blade in extreme need of care and regrinding but still solid nonetheless, a sturdy wakizashi for close and quick work, an English long sword for my wife, and my baby, a 5'7" long No-Daichi, factory made, full tang 1080 stainless steel blade hand sharpened by yours truly.
Plus the various knives and daggers I have scattered all over the place, about a dozen or so (not counting the folders and kitchen knives)
3 good solid hardwood bokken
a pair of ram's horns
A variety of flammable substances
My lucky Zippo lighter
Matches (you can never have enough matches)
a 1998 Ford F-150. It's still all original, has got over 200,000 miles on it and has proven to be more reliable than all but one of the vehicles I have ever owned in my life, though I'd happily trade it for a good Hummer H1!

[Silveressa]

A few fun ones I could aquire/make easily enough

Gasoline + Styrofoam until gooey = a fairly decent napalm, always good for painting the outside of a metal door and then lighting while one runs out a rear exit to buy a window of retreat.

Mega fire cracker A few simple household ingredients when combined with a roll of toilet paper to soak it up, and allowed to dry, will make the worlds biggest firecracker, enough to set a house off its foundation easily enough. Wrap some cheap chains or chicken/barbed wire around the toilet paper roll after, and you have a rather nasty shrapnel bomb.

The traditional standby of nail gun + long nails. (Modified to fire without being pressed against something) One can nail the Z's to the floor long enough for head shots after, and then re-harvest the nails to use again later. A rivet gun would work too and be just as nasty.

Tar- for either roofing or driveway refurbishing mixed with a little pain thinner to make it more runny then pumped through a insecticide sprayer would be a nice way to coat the undead (even better large scale using a crop duster loaded with the stuff) Then ignite with ones choice of flaming arrow head, molotov, or road flare.

Propane canister bombshell- The little propane canisters one sees used all the time for out door grills. When properly detonated they possess a blast sufficient to turn a average trailer into toothpicks. Lob a few into the zombie mobs pre-rigged with timers and one can clear out a mess of Z's in a hurry.

Laptop batteries- Each one carries the equivalent energy capacity of a hand grenade. If one was to short them out properly... (Yet the TSA allows them to be carried on planes, go figure lol )

Bales of hay soaked in deep fryer oil would burn quite well. Stack them about three high along the road with some cinder blocks or vehicles on the outside for support, then lure the zombies down the center line, roll in a bus at either end to cut off escape and light the BBQ.

Paintball And last but not least, the over used trick of replacing the paint in paint balls with something more flammable (like the gas & Styrofoam mixture I mentioned earlier) Then one can apply flammable material in relative saftey and ignite from a distance as desired.

Door Ambush For something a little less offensive one nails shut the doors inside a home, but after cutting off the bottom quarter of them. Now one has a entrance they can quickly/easily scurry through if needed, but the zombies will have to crawl through one at a time. Armed with a pick axe, sledge hammer, or other blunt instrument, (Toaster swung by the cords works well in a pinch.) two people could clean the attackers out one at a time as they advance through the hole.

[Tearstone]

A few fun ones I could aquire/make easily enough


Door Ambush For something a little less offensive one nails shut the doors inside a home, but after cutting off the bottom quarter of them. Now one has a entrance they can quickly/easily scurry through if needed, but the zombies will have to crawl through one at a time. Armed with a pick axe, sledge hammer, or other blunt instrument, (Toaster swung by the cords works well in a pinch.) two people could clean the attackers out one at a time as they advance through the hole.

Your thinking is great. However, I'd like to point out to people that zombies do not experience pain. Fire takes a long time to burn up a body. During this time the zombies would be moving around, while on fire, which makes them shambling torches. Entertaining yes. A few zombies could theoretically burn an entire city to the ground though. Fire is a nasty thing, living and breathing. It moves at times like it has a mind of its own. Be careful and sparing in its use, especially since the fire department would be MIA.

Other than that though, I like the door ambush. However, that might at best be used with a modification that the bottom quarter of the door that you chopped off was on a hinge on its own, and could be swung into and out of place. This way you wouldn't have to guard the door full-time from that point on, you could use that ambush tactic again and again, and you wouldn't have to barricade the bottom half of the door with your stuff, or other people.

I'mma go see if I can use my g/f's battery of out of her dead laptop for funzies... hope the neighbors dont mind shattered windows.

[azazel1024]

Do believe what you read about laptop batteries. Yes the overall stored electrical energy is about equivelent to a couple of handgrenades (about 4 ounces of TNT)...but you can't liberate it all at once. Shorting the battery will at worse cause it to burst the casing and catch fire.

Not fun to be around, but it won't explode (not even a low order explosion). The battery doesn't have the resistance necessary to liberate all of its energy at once. It has a low enough resistance to overheat, burst the cells and then the battery will begin to burn from the heat and oxygen exposure. Heck even a lead acid battery can't do that, and those suckers can put out some SERIOUS amps when short circuited.
-Matt

[G]

There are a lot of people advocating fire against Zombies. Once they set the Zombies on fire and the Zombies set the city on fire these people are going to be regretting it. Once they set the Zombies on fire and the Zombies set the forests on fire, there will be trouble...and I will have to deal with everyone else setting my cities and forests on fire. Makes me want to live on a boat!

My improvised weapon is going to be a shovel. It keeps me far away from zombies and has multiple uses. Mostly I don't plan to kill the zombies, as they outnumber me, I just need to get away from them.

[azazel1024]

I'd have to agree with you on the sword bit. If you had a forged two handed sword in a European style, such as a claymore great sword (not the basket hilt type), Zweihander, or similar that might work fine. However, pretty much the best is a fireaxe.

You got a nice chopping blade on the front and a pick on the back. A modest swing will easily chop through a zombie skull, and the pick on back it wouldn't even take a modest swing to do that with. Axes, at least war axes, were made for lopping off limbs, ripping through armor, etc. Modern fire and wood axes will do a pretty darned decent job at this as well.

Heavy, smallish objects would do a good job bashing in a zombies head also.

I don't have any decent pry bars for this, only a few small flat blade ones (18 and 24"), no octagonal steel pry bars.

The two things I'd go for first would be my 2.5lb wood axe and my 12lb sledge. I'd go with my medium weight knife also (bout 9" overall length), mostly as a survival tool than a weapon against zeds...but as a last resort it is better than nothing.
-Matt

PS sledges are pretty good, because even though they swing slow, zeds don't dodge, and frankly even if you just aim for the cheast the impact is going to knock them back pretty good.

[azazel1024]

A job I did one summer, the foreman on the job made a 12lb sledge look like not much more than a framing hammer when he was using it. The guy must have come in at 6'8" and 300lbs.

You didn't get on his bad side (which was almost impossible to do).

Otherwise, yeah, a sledge in full swing throws your balance off badly, especially if you miss. It'll also squish just about anything you swing it at.
-Matt

[Aaryq]

24" Crescent Wrench: Useful tool and can ruin someone's day
E-Tool: Dig a hole in the ground or in a Zed
550 Cord: Endless possibilities
Mop Handles/Wooden Dowels from any craft store: Serve as handles, spears, punji sticks, or anything else you can think of