Disclosure. The INV-83 was designed by Invention Incarnate, who also maintains this site. The statements about the device below are the maker’s own. No court or agency has ruled on them in this case.
What the device is
The INV-83 is a reloadable metal canister that emits coloured or white smoke when a smoke composition inside it is ignited. The product sheet describes a vented aluminum body, a spring-and-striker fuze with a pin and spoon, and a choice of two valves [Exhibit 6].
Exhibit 6
What the maker’s notice says
The product sheet carries a block of text headed Warning – Law Enforcement Notice
. It says the
canister is engineered exclusively for smoke-generating compositions
and lists six design features
that, it says, deliberately prevent use as an explosive, destructive, or incendiary device
:
| Feature | Stated effect |
|---|---|
| Intentionally vented body | relieves pressure and emits smoke; cannot build sufficient pressure for fragmentation |
| Threaded sections separate at approximately 30 psi | engineered mechanical weak point to prevent containment of high-pressure events |
| High-temperature rubber isolation valve | physically separates internal combustion zone from external combustible materials |
| Aluminum body melts at 660°C | incapable of containing thermite or any reaction exceeding ~1200°C |
| Ignition system is spark-based, instantaneous, and not gasless | creates immediate, high-risk premature initiation hazard if high explosives are present |
| Open-system architecture | no sealed pressure vessel exists |
The notice continues:
“This device cannot be readily converted into an explosive, destructive, or incendiary device without major redesign and fabrication. Any attempt to load this canister with explosive compositions, high explosives, thermite, incendiary mixtures, or other prohibited materials will result in immediate catastrophic failure of the device, most likely producing incomplete reaction, premature initiation, and/or operator injury rather than a functional explosive/incendiary effect.”
“This product complies with current ATF classification requirements for smoke devices and is NOT regulated as an explosive under 27 CFR § 555.”
“Presence of this canister alone does not constitute evidence of an explosive device or destructive device under federal law. Possession of this smoke device in unaltered condition is lawful under federal law when possessed by civilians. All users must comply with all applicable federal, state, and local statutes regarding pyrotechnics and smoke devices.”
What the kit contains, and what it does not
According to the same sheet, the kit includes one modified fuze, a spring, striker, axle, pin and spoon,
the vented canister, a silicone flutter valve for terephthalic-acid-based smoke mixes, and a steel valve
for higher-temperature mixes. It lists as required and not included
: small pistol primers, visco
fuse, and smoke composition [Exhibit 6].
That list is relevant to one fact in the case. The sales record for Mr. Gordon’s visit to a New Hampshire gun shop on December 18, 2025 shows four boxes of small pistol primers [Exhibit 2].
How this relates to the charges
Two of the ten indicted counts concern chemicals: possession of an incendiary material (count 9) and manufacturing fireworks without a license (count 10). See the charges.
Labels legible in the Attorney General’s photograph of seized items include terephthalic acid, potassium nitrate and smoke dye [Exhibit 3]. Invention Incarnate states that these are components of the chemical kits sold under his brand for the smoke compositions he has published, which are based on terephthalic acid and derived from the U.S. military’s M83 training-smoke formula, and that Mr. Gordon bought those kits.
The Commonwealth’s probable-cause-for-arrest statement lists 43 items it says were found in the residence (statement, pp. 6–7). Among them are terephthalic acid
(items 1 and 19), cellulose acetate (item 27), red and blue smoke dye (items 24 and 25), and
400 Number 100 primers
(item 39). The statement introduces the list as items that
alone or in combination could be used to make a destructive or incendiary device or substance
. It
does not mention smoke compositions or an INV-83 canister, and the list is confined to chemicals, fuse,
igniters and primers.
About Invention Incarnate
Invention Incarnate is a YouTube creator and an expert in smoke compositions and ignition systems. He teaches both subjects as an instructor for the Western Pyrotechnic Association.
His published smoke compositions start from the M83, the U.S. military’s terephthalic-acid training smoke. He reports that over two years of development he increased the smoke output of the M83 formula by 91 percent by replacing its polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) binder with cellulose acetate.
Invention Incarnate does not sell smoke compositions or chemicals. Under white-label agreements, independent pyrotechnic supply companies sell chemical kits under the Invention Incarnate brand, and buyers mix the published formulas themselves.
Invention Incarnate maintains this site and supports Mr. Gordon’s defense. Readers should weigh that interest, which is why every statement here that rests on his account says so.
What is not known
- Whether an INV-83 canister was among the items seized. The seven pages of the arrest statement in hand do not mention one.
-
Which seized item or items the Commonwealth says is the
incendiary material
in count 9. The arrest statement calls thermitean incendiary chemical compound
and lists a four-pound thermite kit (item 26), but the wording of the indictment has not been seen. - Whether any item is an incendiary material or a firework under Massachusetts law is for the court to decide. Nothing on this page addresses the firearm counts.