15 replies to this topic

[BigG]

Originally posted by zanes
well  today i built three fountains (using Big g's method) except kno3 was replaced with pottasium permanganate (garden direct order not come yet) :flames:

1st. Burnt very hot, with lots of roaring flames. no sparks

2nd. Used same mixture as first, but with more ironfilings. same result.

3rd. got loo roll. Used all of my mixture, packed it in. lit with blow torch (had run out of fuse:)) Lots of sparks, but no particular direction.

hypothesis: I don't think 1+2 got hot enough to produce sparks. 3 worked because of alot of heat.

can barium chloride be used for anything?

[Edited on 15-6-2003 by zanes]

Zanes ? very kind of you to call something the ?BigG? method ? but unfortunately I am very much a student of the art. Nothing of what I wrote here is my original idea, but studies of masters in the field. As British you can at least pride yourself in the knowledge that one of the great firework builders of modern times is British himself (I refer to Rev. Ron Lancaster of Kimbolton Fireworks)

Back to your problem ? and I opened new topic for this as we really far from the original Topic.

Since your third attempt did produce sparks, we have to assume that the problem was with your process and not with the materials. Metal powders do take lots of energy to ignite. Since in your third attempt you had lots of sparks, there was probably enough heat to ignite the iron. However, you don?t need to have a lot of the material to create lots of heat. By surrounding the iron flake tightly with the BP type composition you can create enough heat to ignite it.

When building fountains, fill the fountain half a spoon at a time, and then consolidate the composition using rammer and a dowel to make sure it is tightly packed. A good swing from you hip should be enough. Continue filling and compacting until you are about an inch from the end.

Now ? you really should not light your fountain with match or blowtorch, but using a fuse. So insert a fuse, pour some more composition and compact the last bit of composition locking the fuse inside it.

Hopefully this should get you the effect you want.

Last works of advise. Fountains generate better sparks with larger flake metal (so anything between 40-200 mesh and even smaller mash for titanium). Iron dust/fillings are around 300# and therefore will not generate generous sparks ? so set expectation for this composition lower.

BigG

P.S. Don?t try this with anything except BP-type compositions! Don?t try this on any composition containing titanium! Those can ignite/explode on impact.




[Edited on 15-6-2003 by BigG]

[BigG]

So Rhodri - here is mine constraction...

To construct a mine you will need two squares of tissue paper, quick match, some granulated BP and cut stars.

First put about 15 grams of granulated BP in the middle of the first tissue. Place a long quick match in the middle, with the tip of the black match extending out from the quick match casing about on inch. Collect the corners of the tissue paper and apply some white glue to them. Glue them to the quick match to create sort of a sack containing the BP. When dried, you should be able to lift the sack using the quick match.

Take the second tissue paper and fill it with 30 grams of small cut stars. Those should be of a fast burning verity.

Take a 1.5 ? 2 inch internal diameter tube and plug it in the end. Lower the first sack into the tube, and cut the quick match so 4 inches of it is above the tube top. Then lower the cut stars sack onto the first sack.

When igniting the quick match, the lower sack will catch fire and the escaping gases will both lift and light your cut stars creating a bright burst of stars shooting us at the same time. I like to attach one fountain to about five of those ? so you get bright stars shooting few yards in the air every couple of second while the fountain burns in the middle.

BigG

[Rhodri]

Thanks BigG for your detailed description - I can see how they work now.

Quite simple and easy to make too!

Why haven't I made any of these before I ask myself? :duh:

I'd like to keep your idea going by posting up various pieces that we've all made.

I just need to think of some now!

[BigG]

Originally posted by Rhodri
Thanks BigG for your detailed description - I can see how they work now.

Quite simple and easy to make too!

Why haven't I made any of these before I ask myself? :duh:

I'd like to keep your idea going by posting up various pieces that we've all made.

I just need to think of some now!

You are welcome I called this thread "set pieces" to focus mainly on... set pieces That means items that don't leave the ground during operation. Fountains, mines, drivers, wheels, rats, pigeons and so on...

I hope people will post their own ideas.

[bernie]

I roll paper cans myself. I use a former that will take a couple turns of kraft paper and still fit in the desired dia. tube. After rolling on a couple turns of kraft I dab a little glue to hold the edge in place and slide the paper off the former just shy of half the dia. Then I slip a chipboard disc in,smear a little glue on it and quickly pleat down the kraft onto the disc. Give it a rap on a hard surface to set the pleats and run some masking tape over it to keep things together.

For a 1.75" dia. mine I find that 3/4 teaspoon of FFg is very adequate to lift most stars to a height so they don't fall down on spectators heads.

After charging the wee little cans I put in a pc of quickmatch with the bared end into the lift and fill with stars and pinch together the open end and tie the paper can with some good string around the match.

To finish off I tape in a piece of visco fuse in the quickmatch and they are ready to go.

They are impressive for a fairly small device. 5 fired at the same time in a fanned rack looks real good.

No matter how you make them they are fast and easy to construct. The reason that I construct paper cans is that it doesn't look 'out of order' to onlookers.

[zanes]

Originally posted by BigG

Zanes – very kind of you to call something the “BigG” method – but unfortunately I am very much a student of the art. Nothing of what I wrote here is my original idea, but studies of masters in the field. As British you can at least pride yourself in the knowledge that one of the great firework builders of modern times is British himself (I refer to Rev. Ron Lancaster of Kimbolton Fireworks)

Back to your problem – and I opened new topic for this as we really far from the original Topic. 

Since your third attempt did produce sparks, we have to assume that the problem was with your process and not with the materials. Metal powders do take lots of energy to ignite. Since in your third attempt you had lots of sparks, there was probably enough heat to ignite the iron. However, you don’t need to have a lot of the material to create lots of heat. By surrounding the iron flake tightly with the BP type composition you can create enough heat to ignite it.

When building fountains, fill the fountain half a spoon at a time, and then consolidate the composition using rammer and a dowel to make sure it is tightly packed. A good swing from you hip should be enough. Continue filling and compacting until you are about an inch from the end.

Now – you really should not light your fountain with match or blowtorch, but using a fuse. So insert a fuse, pour some more composition and compact the last bit of composition locking the fuse inside it.

Hopefully this should get you the effect you want.

Last works of advise. Fountains generate better sparks with larger flake metal (so anything between 40-200 mesh and even smaller mash for titanium). Iron dust/fillings are around 300# and therefore will not generate generous sparks – so set expectation for this composition lower.

BigG

P.S. Don’t try this with anything except BP-type compositions! Don’t try this on any composition containing titanium! Those can ignite/explode on impact.




[Edited on 15-6-2003 by BigG]

can you answer;
can barium chloride be used for anything? please. i have a tub of it someone gave me:cool:

[Steve]

I'm fairly sure it is used for something, if worse comesto the worst, you can always make somehting usefull from it. I'll check lancaster as i'm sure it's used for green sometimes.

Steve

[BigG]

Originally posted by zanes

can you answer;
can barium chloride be used for anything? please. i have a tub of it someone gave me:cool:

Barium Chloride is one of those rare chemicals that includs both the atomic color producer (barium) and the chloride donor (other will include copper oxychloride for blue colors). As such can be used together with an oxidizer to produce good green color. I had a chat with a pal who used to cover tree logs with it and throw them into the fire, and according to him, it produces a very pleasant green fire. Never seen it myself, but should be interesting.

As always, Barium salts are very poisonous. Do not touch with bare hands. Do not bring near food, do not inhale. Can kill.

BigG

[Edited on 18-6-2003 by BigG]

[zanes]

Originally posted by BigG

Originally posted by zanes

can you answer;
can barium chloride be used for anything? please. i have a tub of it someone gave me:cool:

Barium Chloride is one of those rare chemicals that includs both the atomic color producer (barium) and the chloride donor (other will include copper oxychloride for blue colors). As such can be used together with an oxidizer to produce good green color. I had a chat with a pal who used to cover tree logs with it and throw them into the fire, and according to him, it produces a very pleasant green fire. Never seen it myself, but should be interesting.

As always, Barium salts are very poisonous. Do not touch with bare hands. Do not bring near food, do not inhale. Can kill.

BigG

[Edited on 18-6-2003 by BigG]

boo yeah!!:bounce::flames:

[Steve]

I've noothing to back this up with and its more of a question than an answer but isn't BaCl hygroscopic?
I now have The pyro formulary from skylighter, i'll have a quick trawl through it to see if i can find you any mixes. Can't be bothered now, think i'll go to bed. Got to be up at 6am.

Steve

[zanes]

my order has arrived !!!!!?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1:bounce::bounce::mad::flames:

[bernie]

Or is Zanes excited. Bet I know who has charcoal and other goodies stuck under his fingernails and an unusual crust around his nostrils.

[zanes]

Originally posted by bernie briden
Or is Zanes excited. Bet I know who has charcoal and other goodies stuck under his fingernails and an unusual crust around his nostrils.

are you telling me its not normal?
Oh god no!!!

well gotta go outside and make me some fountains, dextrin and fuse!!:flames:

[bernie]

None of us would have it any other way. A few years back I sold a very accurate rifle in order to finance my first quanity of pyro supplies. Firearms are cool but there is more fun to be had with pyrotechnics in my opinion.

[zanes]

Originally posted by zanes


are you telling me its not normal?
Oh god no!!!

well gotta go outside and make me some fountains, dextrin and fuse!!:flames:

Ok, so i'm just cooking, right this minute me dextrin!