The bomb squad were called in after police found a 'disturbing' haul of chemicals and guns at a house in Salford.
Police spent days searching the property on Goulden Street, with the bomb squad being called in over fears of what was discovered.
Firearms, chemicals and other items that could be used as shrapnel were seized.
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Ivoylo Dimitrov, 40, a Bulgarian lorry driver who lived in the house with other men, has been jailed after admitting possessing an explosive substance and a prohibited weapon.
But a judge said he had not tried to create an explosive device, and was interested in 'experimentation'.
"Police rightly took this matter seriously," Judge Alan Conrad QC said.
He described the case as 'disturbing, especially in times of heightened anxiety in which we live'.
"Careful analysis showed there was no ulterior criminal intent on your part," he said.
"I am satisfied on what I have heard and read that you were interested in experimentation.
"But you did not seek to assemble an explosive device."
Prosecutors told how police went to the house with a warrant after receiving intelligence.
Dimitrov was found to live in the house with three other men, who he didn't know.
Police found chemicals and other items such as ball bearings, items that could be used as shrapnel, a large volume of pellets and blank cartridges, lengths of pipes and pyrotechnic fuse, prosecutor Suzanne Hargreaves said.
They also searched his Peugeot and found a gun which fired blanks, under the driver's seat.
After being arrested he said he used some of the chemicals, including potassium nitrate and sulphur, as plant fertiliser.
He told officers that he had an interest in history and World War Two.
Other firearms seized were found to be imitations, which did not need a licence.
An expert report said that the chemicals found can have legitimate purposes, but that they can also be used to make explosives.
About 1.3 kilos of 'low explosives' could have been produced, which could create a force which was compared with a 'large and powerful firework'.
Dimitrov's internet search history suggested an interest in chemicals and experimenting with explosives and weapons, the court heard.
Defending, Daniel Travers said: "This was a curiosity that didn't go as far as actually experimenting."
The case came as a 'complete shock' to his parents, an accountant and a mechanic, Mr Travers said.
Dimitrov is now is likely to be deported, the court heard.
He pleaded guilty to having an explosive substance, and possessing a prohibited weapon, and was jailed for 28 months.
