Homemade pepper spray

 by wussap
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do you live in a dangerous part of town? do bullies at school pick on you? have you ever gotten mugged by a crazed clown? if your answer is yes to any of these, you need your very own homemade pepper spray! This pepper spray is very easy to make and is the perfect, over the counter, self defense weapon! side effects may include blindness, blurriness of vision, loss of vision for no more than twenty seconds, irritation of skin, and coughing. If you experience an erection lasting more than 4 hours please contact your doctor immedialty.
 
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Step 1: Safety and what you will need

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first let me say that a pepper spray is a self defense weapon, and you should not abuse it. You do not go around giving people mace in the face, as fun as it is. Use your pepper spray only when it is justified (i.e. your getting robbed, your being beat up, a republican slept with your wife), ok so the last part is a joke.

you will need

1. Peppers, i used chili peppers as they seem to be the hottest of all peppers
2. Black, tabletop pepper, added for coughing effect
3. Water
4. Something to brew the spray in
5. a container for the finished product
6. something to crush the pepper (not pictured)
7. funnel (not pictured and optional if you dont mind making a huge mess)
8. goggles, safety only, optional
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paradoxbox says: May 8, 2013. 11:48 PM
sorry but this instructable is terrible - this is a horrible way to make pepper spray. a much better way would be to grind the spiciest peppers you can find (not table pepper) into a fine powder, by using something like a coffee mill or a ball mill. then put the powder into a small vial and mix it with very pure alcohol like everclear or ethanol. then wait a few days, mixing up the vial every so often. the OC will separate from the solids and float on the top of the liquid. that stuff is extremely powerful stuff, equal to police strength OC spray, depending on the hotness of the chilis you used in the first place.
asath1 says: May 6, 2013. 12:05 AM
i kinda went for the whole 'certain death sort of a theme.
Boiling water,
tabasco- lots of it,
pepper,
salt,
listerine,
kitchen cleaner,
sour spray.

Yeah- I'm not sure what kind of mutations/deaths will be caused by this modified recipe!
cyrusrom says: Jan 20, 2013. 9:52 PM
Is it ok to remove the seeds?
wussap (author) in reply to cyrusromJan 22, 2013. 7:43 PM
Yes, the seeds don't do much at that point anyways.
shoboli says: Jan 14, 2013. 4:21 PM
not really sure if it will but i dont see why not,there is a hot sauce called sudden death you can purchase on ebay.this stuff is so hot if you put 2 drops in your food you will not eat it.but i would bet it would work great here for this
nsteed says: Dec 31, 2012. 8:20 PM
suribachi hot sauce also works
person3333 says: Jan 3, 2012. 9:10 PM
its funny becuase hes a democrat :)
OldShotgunYoungShooter in reply to person3333Dec 12, 2012. 7:01 PM
Yep, and most liberals are tree huggers and anti gun. But good for this guy to be different.
wussap (author) in reply to OldShotgunYoungShooterDec 18, 2012. 12:38 PM
That was almost 6 years ago, but I'm more of a mix of democrat and republican ideals now, i don't really agree with gun control.
OldShotgunYoungShooter in reply to wussapDec 18, 2012. 5:00 PM
Hallelouya. I know i spelled that wrong.
rickharris says: Dec 15, 2012. 5:18 AM

Just curiosity but how have you tested this product?
wussap (author) in reply to rickharrisDec 18, 2012. 12:36 PM
Well I sprayed it away from me on a windy day, some of it came back and hit me in the face and it stung for a short while. I suppose that would be a flaw if the solution is not put in a powerful enough spray bottle.
whiskymonster says: Apr 30, 2011. 9:30 PM
i made similar.
i simply bought tabasco brand habanero sauce, filtered through a coffee paper, and watered down a bit with pure alcohol.

this lovely mix, i then forced into an empty travel deodorant can.
you know the little 50ml ones the mrs keeps in her handbag? perfect!
i popped the cap off, and used a syringe, and the tube inside a gel pen to connect the two together, and put about 30ml of the liquid into the can.

then i just re pressurized the whole thing with butane lighter gas, popped the cap back on ,and hey presto, proper pepper spray!

preliminary testing to train the mrs in it's use showed we have about 8 foot range, and about a 5 second burst, enough to take down multiple attackers if necessary.

although this is VERY illegal to carry, it looks like a normal deodorant, and thus unlikely to be detected.
and seeing it's for the mrs, id much prefer to pick her up from the police station for assault, than pick her up from the hospital for reasons probably best left unsaid...

that said, be carefull. if you are caught with one of these in your pocket in the uk, the police will prosecute you to the full extent of the law, which could be intent to harm, and some serious consequences. if you are forced to use one, remember that the way the courts work, you need to be able to prove that you were in fear of your life or it will be you in the docks, and your attacker will likely walk free with a nice little comp package at your expense.

pepper spray is only ever a last ditch weapon, think of it as aggreivated assault in a can.
spray.
drop it.
run like holy hell!

personally i carry a spare wallet, with an old cashcard and about a fiver in it. if ever i am attacked, i give them the wallet, and run like hell!

madenairy in reply to whiskymonsterMay 12, 2012. 11:19 AM
WHISKEYMONSTER

im a lawyer in the uk, if u use this you will probably get charged with ABH / GBH
(though thisll depend on the spesific sercumstanses of how / where / what was the perpose in using it)

also its a section 7 (i think!) firearm, and u can be prosecuted just for possesing it!

and finally, the only way u can use a weapon like this, is if u were not carrying it! (yes, ridiculous i know), the way the system works is if u were carrying something for another (legitimate) purpose and were forced to use it to defend yourself (or your family), then thats cosher, but if u were carrying it for use as a weapon in case u got attacked, then that isnt (agane stupid i know)

just one more thing, if say, u were attacked, and u happened to spot a aerosol can (like the one u describe above) AND HAD NO IDEA AS TO THE CONTENTS and then pleaded, utter shock and ignorence that it contained pepper spray of all things! and there wasnt too many of your finger prints on it and your acting skills arent to shabby then the police could conceivably buy your version of events (hint, hint!)
rickharris in reply to madenairyDec 15, 2012. 5:17 AM
Pardon me but you don't spell very well for a lawyer!
madenairy in reply to rickharrisDec 15, 2012. 7:11 AM
dislexia! - i spell evry thing foneticly - the way it sownds - ive got the riting age of a 6-7 yr old child & i coodnt reed or rite till i was 12 but i overcame it to the extent that i tawt myself how to (after a fashon!)
rickharris in reply to madenairyDec 16, 2012. 7:13 AM
I respect that and your difficulty but a UK Lawyer who can't write!
madenairy in reply to rickharrisDec 16, 2012. 8:17 AM
if i've got work of formal nature to do i use a voice recognition program called dragon naturally speaking, which you may note inserts the correct punctuation, and prints the words i dictate, spelling them correctly (good isn't it!)
Treasure Tabby says: Dec 14, 2012. 8:50 PM
Gosh, I wish I had this when I was bullied growing up. Just imagine but then there's always a chance that it could have been wrestled out of my hands and used against me. Adding insult to injury. :(
egaora says: Dec 5, 2011. 2:21 PM
Great recipe, thanks a million for it, but there's one little error in the spelling; It says " If you experience an erection lasting more than 4 hours please contact your doctor immedialty."
I hope you mean reaction ;P
ilpug in reply to egaoraJan 5, 2012. 7:58 PM
I think that was intentional.
wobbler in reply to ilpugDec 14, 2012. 5:52 PM
I once built a shed that lasted more than 4 hours. Should I have gone to the doctors?
Mythbuster Kid says: Dec 14, 2012. 2:13 PM
This is really cool. I actually made pepper spray using a similar method except it clogged the sprayer.
flipian says: Nov 21, 2012. 11:04 AM
Just saw a TV show (Natl Geographic) that is about prepping. One of the guys there made his own and uses a SuperSoaker for delivery. This is, of course, only to be used in defense of ones home...not for walking around with. I'd be interested in seeing a vaporized delivery method.
bitemback says: May 2, 2011. 1:26 PM
For a better kick of your chosen product.
Instead of water use a 50/50 mixture of DMSO.
It is absorbed into the skin at contact point and
can not be washed off.

The product is inside the skin, and goes directly into the
blood steam. Then carried to every part of the body.

Use distilled water only for better results.

Very effective and long lasting.
flipian in reply to bitembackNov 21, 2012. 11:03 AM
This is just evil and a fantastically effective idea. Might have to mix some up. You said 50/50 mixture of DMSO, but what's the other 50 (capsaicin?)?
gary_7vn says: Jun 8, 2012. 2:11 PM
For everyone who is talking about which pepper is hottest, that doesn't matter. You are extracting and CONCENTRATING the active principal by evaporating the alcohol. No need to use a stove btw, a bit dangerous, you can just let sit out in the open in a shallow pan for a couple of days. Or you can double boiler it, if you are in a hurry.

I just keep mine the alcohol solution, baby oil, or olive oil increases viscosity, and makes it make more persistent, but the object of the exercise is to spray in the eyes, and in that case viscosity hardly matters. High viscosity liquids require more pressure to spray a given a given distance as well.
ilpug says: Jan 5, 2012. 8:02 PM
I buy novelty "Hotter than Hell" habenero hot sauce and I use that, mixed in with a tiny amount of glycerine and vodka. Works just like the real thing.
llamah says: Jan 1, 2012. 8:30 AM
i havnt even tried this yet and i know its better that my friends.
badwooki says: Aug 27, 2011. 1:07 PM
just as easy to carry a small can of WASP KILLER SPRAY ... longer range and is pressurized for longer range ...
JoVaN... says: Feb 18, 2011. 8:09 AM
I am not sure but according to Wikipedia capsaicin melts at about 62-65 °C-that could be used when extracting it but since its hydrophobic you shouldnt put peppers in water.The best option probably is to grind them (dry peppers should be better since there is no water and other chemicals-or maybe even better:grind-mix with warm water-filter in order to get rid of chemicals that are soluble in water(capsaicin is not one of them) ) and heat them in a pan (not microwave-it heats water molecules only, so thats why your way actually works(water heats and melts capsaicin)) up to capsaicins melting point.I haven't tested it but liquid should appear .Then you should filter it and leave ti to cool down-if you get something like colorless, odorless, and crystalline-to-waxy solid substance then it is capsaicin.Then you can dissolve it in alcohol and maybe even filter and dry it again in order to get 100% capsaicin.
Hope I am right.
And its lethal in large quantities only.Its dangerous for people with heart problems and of course if you swallow it.So you need to be a big fool to even think of exposing anyone with enough capsaicin to turn his skin blue,or to try to eat it.And no chilly pepper is able to kill you (unless you can concentrate enough to eat more after 10 of them).(Wikipedia said this too)
Hope this helps.
vermont88993 says: Jan 2, 2011. 6:02 PM
what about lime/ lemon juice w/ the pepper juices and black pepper.... lemon/lime juice hurts alot soooooo add pepper and it will hurt more!....
beehard44 says: Oct 24, 2010. 7:32 AM
a few recommendations:
*Use fresh red chili peppers and squeeze the hell (pun intended) outta them.
*Use alcohol. It disperses into a finer mist and evaporates quickly, leaving pepper
*if you will use the juice from fresh red chili peppers, you can skip the nuke
drake.stone says: Sep 26, 2010. 2:50 PM
would it knot be better to grind the dried chilly s and the pepper corns mixed in the pepper grinder. that way they would mix better with what ever liquid you used
rockblock says: Apr 18, 2010. 3:59 AM
in the water, use a bit of anything fatty (for example oil). Because capsaicin (that's what makes pepers hot) is soluble in oils, not in water.
DrWeird117 says: Aug 31, 2008. 9:18 PM
I used Habańero cause it's worlds hottest.
dioblo2345 in reply to DrWeird117Oct 20, 2009. 12:22 PM
you mean habenaro?also its not the hottest the hottest is the GHOST CHILE.no kidding i you eat a whole ghost chile most like the acid will get to your stomach and you will have to go to the doctors or you just might die
DrWeird117 in reply to dioblo2345Jan 2, 2010. 12:13 PM
WTF? How did habanero get changed? I typed it right!

I heard Bhut Jolokia was the hottest. Want those. I'll order some seeds so they'll be ready to pop in this Spring.
geodez in reply to DrWeird117Apr 9, 2010. 8:15 PM
ghost chili is an americanized name for Bhut Jolokia.
DrWeird117 in reply to geodezApr 9, 2010. 11:39 PM
Ah, thank you.
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