16 replies to this topic

[marknotts]

For some reason I was always fond of this firework.

Does anybody know the composition of them and if it would be easy to re-create?

[maxman]

Me too! Also like the exact comp for a snow storm!

[phildunford]

Don't know the original comps, but I often replicate this firework (label available at the fireworks museum) with my own comps.

The red and orange are the ones here on my website

Coloured Lights

But I now use a much better high temperature green - I'll look out the formula...

I'd like to know what was in a Snowstorm too - was it too early for titanium??

[maxman]

Do we know the original comp for this classic yet? Was the tube thin walled and dry rolled can anyone tell me? so it burns away with the device. Would I be correct in thinking there is no choke on theses? Just trying to recreate a few oldies.

Maxman

[crystal palace fireworks]

Don't know the original comps, but I often replicate this firework (label available at the fireworks museum) with my own comps.

The red and orange are the ones here on my website

Coloured Lights

But I now use a much better high temperature green - I'll look out the formula...

I'd like to know what was in a Snowstorm too - was it too early for titanium??

Traffic light = Lovely little firework that simply lights-up the back drop in any back garden.

Snowstorm,...I believe a recipe was given to UKPS member `Concept` (Doug) by Ron Lancaster at the last Kimbolton visit,........send him a message and ask for it!

[maxman]

Hi CPF yeah I got the snowstorm comp, just trying to source the flitter Al for it. Not sure what mesh it needs really. The original comps would be good for trafic lights but was interested in the structure of the original tube really

Maxman

[pyromaniac303]

I don't know the original formula for traffic lights, but I know you can use this trick to simplify the number of comps required to be processed and screened etc. -

If you have 2 similar green and red compositions already mixed, for example:

Green / Red
BaNO3 / SrNO3 60%
MgAl 200# 20%
Parlon 20%

You can then mix a portion of the green and red to obtain any colour between green and red on the spectrum. For example a ratio of 5:1 green to red will give you a lemon yellow, 2:1 green to red gives you an amber that will rival calcium based colours. You should experiment, and mix your own colours to suit. Also the brightness of the 3 colours will be very similar, which is a problem of using a variety of formulae from different authors. The one above is very simple to prepare but gives reasonable colours.

Does anyone know the actual tube ID and wall thickness? On the fireworks museum it says 32mm OD x 89mm length was calculated, but not the ID.

[phildunford]

Here is a 'leak' from the next Spark!



Internal diameter, 1 inch.

The tube is grotty and spiral wound, thickness just under 1/4 inch.

[Potassium chlorate]

We had those in Sweden too, but they were conic shaped.

I use chlorate based organic compositions for my Bengals. Metal fuels are too blinding for stationary light in my humble opinion.

Green: barium chlorate 90%, shellac 10% (Weingart's formula, also for exhibition stars)

Red: 66% strontium nitrate, 25% potassium chlorate, 9% shellac

Yellow: 70% potassium chlorate, 15% cryolite, 15% shellac

The red burns relatively slowly due to the low chlorate content.

Edited by Pyroswede, 22 June 2010 - 08:14 PM.

[maxman]

Here is a 'leak' from the next Spark!



Internal diameter, 1 inch.

The tube is grotty and spiral wound, thickness just under 1/4 inch.

Wow Phil, I take it that the real mcCoy then? Now I'm confused, that makes the tube thicker than the usual 1/8" walled tubes I use. I thought it was supposed to be thinner to burn away with the comp?

Maxman

[phildunford]

Wow Phil, I take it that the real mcCoy then? Now I'm confused, that makes the tube thicker than the usual 1/8" walled tubes I use. I thought it was supposed to be thinner to burn away with the comp?

Maxman

Yup - that's the real item. Seems that they were short enough that the light could be seen at the mouth without the tube burning away.

Wish I could remember if that was definitely the case, let loads off when I was a kid, but can't remember if the case stayed intact, I think it did, but it's 40 years since I've seen one!

Anyone else remember?

[helix]

Yup - that's the real item. Seems that they were short enough that the light could be seen at the mouth without the tube burning away.

Wish I could remember if that was definitely the case, let loads off when I was a kid, but can't remember if the case stayed intact, I think it did, but it's 40 years since I've seen one!

Anyone else remember?

I remember the tubes being fairly squat with a reasonably thick wall and as far as I recall they stayed intact as they burned

James

[dr thrust]

the top 1/8" of the case was charred/burnt as you'd expect,they would aslo carry on burning after the comp was gone,and the labels where mostly "salvageable" for the young "amateur collector".
i spent many a n hour walking around back streets ect for various old units with names like "banshee" to take off the labels and paste them in a scrap book,
sigh wish still had it! but i was 12! and nobody could understand what the hell i was doing lol.
sometimes you'd hit pay-dirt by finding a " live dud" which was whisked home as fast as you could run for "scrutiny", come to think of it nothings changed..

[crystal palace fireworks]

Yup - that's the real item. Seems that they were short enough that the light could be seen at the mouth without the tube burning away.

Wish I could remember if that was definitely the case, let loads off when I was a kid, but can't remember if the case stayed intact, I think it did, but it's 40 years since I've seen one!

Anyone else remember?

Me too Phil, Its really annoying when you can`t be absolutely sure.
But trusting my gut instinct/dodgy memory (even before you put up the photo). I too don`t ever definately recall the casing burning away (fairly thick really). In fact I can`t remember any of my biscuit tin of firework ever having weakish or thin tubes!


The comp must have been slow burning given the overall size of the firework and length of burn time. I don`t even remember them being excessively smokey.

Correct me if Im wrong, but were these made by Standard? if so, did they have a red plastic ground spike?

[Firefiend]

I've got some details of the Traffic Lights....

The 1970's/80's style Traffic Lights I have has a 31 mm outside diameter tube. Inside diameter is 26 mm. Tube thickness is 2.5 mm which seems very thin for a fountain. The tube height is 88 mm. I'm pretty sure they came in several sizes.

The mid 1990's style is smaller at 25 mm outside diameter tube. Inside diameter is 19.0 mm. Tube thickness is increased to 3.0 mm. The tube height is 82 mm.