I made nitrocellulose in high school chem in 2005; the teacher gave me the instruction sheet and told me to go at it. The teacher also made thermite and welded a cast iron pan to an iron plate. So, I don't know when or where you went to school, but we did the same things you did (thermite and nitroglycerin) only 5 years ago, and this in a little farm town of about 2,000 souls.