7 replies to this topic

[Henry]

Hi,

I'm a teenager, who has always loved Chemistry (I'm going on to do a degree in Chemical Engineering), and have recently started tinkering with Pyro's. So far I have successfully made smoke bombs and small fountains, and I would like to move on to slightly bigger stuff. My ambition is to use small Pyro's to make a short action film (my inner child, I know), and so I'm looking to make some mortars and possibly something like a flash bang. By flash bang, I don't mean the military style one's which blind you for several minutes, but simply something that goes bang and creates some light & smoke for visual effect (would mortars do this anyway?). The other thing I would like to make is some sort of tiny flash to imitate ricocheting bullets.

Could anyone recommend some recipes etc that are legal in the UK, and preferably aren't too expensive - I do have limited money. I realise that safety is important, and welcome any specific safety tips, but I really don't need anyone telling me that its really dangerous and I should stop.. I am very sensible, careful person, not a Pyromaniac!

Cheers,

Henry

[Karl Mitchell-Shead]

Do a bit of reading on here particularly in the UK Law and legislation section before you get carried away.....

Welcome to the forum

[Creepin_pyro]

.

Edited by Creepin_pyro, 20 September 2011 - 04:44 PM.

[Arthur Brown]

Please spend time carefully reading the forum, all the details that you need are here already, inc the legal(UK) aspects and the practical aspects.

Please buy a hard copy of the Books by Lancaster, Shimizu, and Tom Smith. All of them are fully detailed on the forum. Many of the USA sourced ebooks make the assumption that you are a USA resident, where the law and supplies situation is different.

[exat808]

Hi,

I'm a teenager, who has always loved Chemistry (I'm going on to do a degree in Chemical Engineering), and have recently started tinkering with Pyro's. So far I have successfully made smoke bombs and small fountains, and I would like to move on to slightly bigger stuff. My ambition is to use small Pyro's to make a short action film (my inner child, I know), and so I'm looking to make some mortars and possibly something like a flash bang. By flash bang, I don't mean the military style one's which blind you for several minutes, but simply something that goes bang and creates some light & smoke for visual effect (would mortars do this anyway?). The other thing I would like to make is some sort of tiny flash to imitate ricocheting bullets.

Could anyone recommend some recipes etc that are legal in the UK, and preferably aren't too expensive - I do have limited money. I realise that safety is important, and welcome any specific safety tips, but I really don't need anyone telling me that its really dangerous and I should stop.. I am very sensible, careful person, not a Pyromaniac!

Cheers,

Henry

Henry there will always be an element of danger in any activity. Being sensible and careful are commendable attributes but the ability to display your competence in the area is something that others will take notice of. A good start point would be for you to read through the various forum headings and threads here on UKPS ( as already suggested by Chief, and Arthur). What you aspire to achieve may not be lawfully possible here in UK. Your competence will be judged in part by your ability to comply with the legislation under which we must all operate.

Edited by exat808, 27 July 2011 - 07:07 PM.

[Henry]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the advice. I should probably clarify what I meant by mortar; I sometimes help out with a display we put on with the air cadets near us. It basically consists of a small scale mock battle, the main pyrotechnic aspect apart from the blanks fired being a couple of, what we have always called, mortars. May be I have got the technical language wrong, but basically they make a bang and the more expensive ones have a flash too.

I will have a read around the forums; I have read some of the law section before, but I'll admit some of the more detailed parts were a little confusing.. From what I gather, a good place to start is making some black powder and its legal up to 100g, so I think I will have a go at that first. My long term ambition is to make some fireworks, but that's many years off for now; I want to build up some experience first.

Thanks again,

Henry

[Arthur Brown]

Henry
If you plan to so SFX anywhere near people you do it safely with trade available items ONLY. I really don't care what the cost is, the cost of injuring some RAF cadets and or officers, is much greater than you can conceive.

[Henry]

Hi

I would not, of course, be useing homemade pyrotechnics anywhere near any other people and nor would I use them at a display; this is purely a hobby which is confined to a big field in the countryside! Besides, I don't pay for the FX used in the display anyway, so it would not be in my interest to use my own, and nor would I be allowed.

Henry