On Mon, 17 Mar 2008, M. Adam Davis wrote:

> Assuming that you only have to deal with those two types of items
> (paper documents and electronic devices) then there are a number of
> ways to render them unusable.  I'm assuming that the safe cannot be
> modified - that you'd like to place this destruct in existing safes
> without taking up much space.
> 
> Paper is surprisingly durable - it takes very high heat to ignite it,
> and when stacked the inner pages are often left unburned due to lack
> of oxygen.
> 
> Electronics can be very easily damaged by blunt force, and very high heat.
> 
> The problem with fire is that it requires significant oxygen and a way
> to get rid of exhaust.  In a typical safe, especially those that are
> 'fire rated' for more than a few minutes, you aren't going to have
> enough oxygen or exhaust to burn all the papers unless you have an
> independant source of heat.
> 
> I suppose a thermite material of some sort with built in oxygen
> dropped on a stack of papers might do it, but it would be tricky to
> engineer to get 80% coverage, nevermind 100%.
> 
> Unless the molten material of the thermite grenade consumes all the
> paper, the fire is likely to self-extenguish with many of the
> documents still existing in large pieces.

Use folders made of card saturated in potasium nitrate. Ensure only small 
number of papers (about 20 - 25) placed in each folder.

Thermite in small enclosed space will cause folders to ignite and 
deflagrate using papers inside as fuel together with excesss oxygen 
from nitrate.

Regards
Sergio
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