New to making fireworks? Ask your questions here!

[HandMadeFireworks]

I know from experience from a norwegian pyrotechnics froum that new people got tonnes of questions. So please ask them here in this thread so we can try to avoid hundreds upon hundreds of useless threads with simple questions.

If there is anything you want to know that you can't find in the other threads, post the question here and let the experienced builders answer! It may be a question that saves your life!

Examples:

What do I need to start making my own fireworks?

Potassium Nitrate.............long list..


Can I use PVC pipe for my shells?

If it blows in the pipe and your'e too close you're screwed! Use HDPE, cardboard or Fiberglass


Simple questions, simple answers. No need to have 30 threads about it! Keep that kind of questions here in this thread.


And BTW, any questions about salutes or M-80's is questions I reccomend to not reply to. They are just too damn dangerous to work with, especially if you are new to creating your own shells. I might make 100 salutes to use in shells, but I know the dangers. A newbie might not, and blow his hand off!

[pyrotalk]

Very simple question, so i've got a bunch of bottle rockets and waterproof fireworks. do you guys have any Ideas for making a big rocket or something?

[californiapyro]

put the bottle rockets in a 5 gallon bucket and sprinkle some bp over them. it makes them all go off at once. rlly cool effect! here, check it out

http://www.youtube.com/user/californiapyro?feature=mhum#p/u/12/akOQ2oL6XmU

[HandMadeFireworks]

Hey i got a question too:D
I tryed to make some kno3 s al flash but unpacked it just burns like blackpowder (really slow...)
I crushed the kno3 in a mortar and the al is very fine too! (like dust i would say ...) but it still doesnt work :( used in a firecracker (10g) but it wasnt loud... a normal blackpowder firecracker was louder than that:()
please help me :D


Could you please tell me the type of aluminium you used?
Where you bought it? The mesh/micron size? Granular, Flake, Atomized, German Dark??

The same formula is actually also used for white stars when you use atomized aluminium. That might be your problem. If i remember right, the aluminium you should have for KNO3 flash is bright flake if I'm not mistaken.

Happy to help!

[HandMadeFireworks]

Do you have a link? 1-100 micron size does not really help... I suspect it's a very fine atomized powder...

[Burning_D4ve]

Well no...
hmm is it possible to make flashpowder with atomized powder?
I could also get powder from a ballmill (aluminium foil) would that be better?

[xtonyfstsx]

Just a random jump in... I don't know if you are or not, but you should be "packing" and sort of flash powder. If it was a good batch of FP, all it takes is a little friction to blow your fingers off. Also, I know this is about FP but there is a firecracker thread for your firecracker questions.

[SITHADMIRAL]

Dave its best to use 5-28 micron aluminum, or -325 mesh size. German dark flake is best, but spheroidal will work. You just have to use a uniform size.

[wpman321]

any suggestions on making cremora pots, can I use GOEX that is purchased at a gun store store and lamb milk replacer purchased at a farmers' store. I want to add these to my show for the fourth of july and want to make some before and try them out.

[St1dinoh]

any suggestions on making cremora pots, can I use GOEX that is purchased at a gun store store and lamb milk replacer purchased at a farmers' store. I want to add these to my show for the fourth of july and want to make some before and try them out.

it should work just fine.

it all depends on the size of the gun you are using but you will want to buy that GOEX lower on the F scale. i use F grade GOEX for lifting 3 inch or bigger. anything smaller than that you can probably use FF but stay away from FFF or FFFF because they burn way too fast.

the larger the grain size the longer it takes each grain to deflegrate. this causes more of a push than a slam.

the GOEX scale looks like this:

largest grain - smallest grain

cannon - F - FF - FFF - FFFF - meal

you use cannon or F to lift and you use FFFF or meal for burst charges.

creamoras work by converting the stored chemical energy of the creamer into fire, in this case that stored chemical energy is pre-measured for you in the form of "calories" and "fat content". when shopping for the best creamer you want the highest fat content and caloric content you can find.

frankly i don't like cream fireballs, they make a mess, i'd much rather shoot fine sawdust any day. the kind from a sander dust bag works best :cool:

[wpman321]

thanks St1dinoh for the info when I make some I'll post pics!

[xtonyfstsx]

Thanks "St1dinoh"
Very good information! :)

[Burning_D4ve]

Hey..
i got a really basic question:
What can you put in a ballmill and what not?
I know that its ok to put blackpowder in there but what isn't allowed and whats the reason?

[SITHADMIRAL]

Basic question, but lots of answers, just about anything friction sensitive. If you don't know for sure don't ball mill it. What do you want to mill?

[Burning_D4ve]

is kno3 al s ok? its not that sensitiv is it?
i know that i could ballmil the kno3 and the s first but could i then do another "round" with al addet?

[Ralph]

the only thing that bellongs in a ball mill is black powder or the indavidual chems that make up black powder (eg TigerTail is ok to mill as it only has those same ingredients)

[SITHADMIRAL]

Burning_dave AFN had a video called blast waves and flash powders, where the flash was ball milled, but they did it remotely, and they had no problems, however I would never ballmill flash myself. kno3, s and al is very close to flash and shouldn't be ball milled. In your situation with your knowledge, I would restrict your self to ball milling each chemical separately, then mixing diaper method. Other than black powder. as you gain more experience you can move towards star comps.

[SITHADMIRAL]

There is a book out called, Ball milling theory and practice for the amateur pyrotechnician by Lloyd Sponenburgh around $19. just google title and you should get some stores that carry them. I don't want to mention any suppliers that carry them and violate Daves advertising rules.

[Burning_D4ve]

well thanks all ;)
yeah i wanted to start with bp and Tigertail ;) but i also saw a video where the kno3 flash was ball milled..
but you can be sure i wont do that ;)

[St1dinoh]

simple rule of thumb with ball milling...

use a ball mill to break down a single chemical, or to mix black powder, beyond that it's much safer to screen compositions together.

i'm sure someone will argue that it's just fine to mix flash with chunks flint and glass but everyone i know who makes their own pyro only mills BP or single chemicals to get them to a finer mesh size.

[pyroblast]

simple rule of thumb with ball milling...

use a ball mill to break down a single chemical, or to mix black powder, beyond that it's much safer to screen compositions together.

i'm sure someone will argue that it's just fine to mix flash with chunks flint and glass but everyone i know who makes their own pyro only mills BP or single chemicals to get them to a finer mesh size.
very well said

[chev385]

ok im new at this, i would like to know how many wraps to paste a 2" shell. and whats the best bust charge for this size shell. i dont want to do anything half ass if u know what i mean. my goal is to get the best bang for my money. and i dont want to be messin with any flash powder or friction sensitive materials. as i have seen first hand what semi contained flash powder does to the hand.

[californiapyro]

well, in a 2 inch shell it will certainly be difficult to get a great break without using whistle or flash. That being said, I'm certainly not the authority on this subject, and I'm sure ralph or someone of the like has a way to get great breaks in small shells like that. That's my 2 cents, somebody take over :)

[Chris H]

It's unclear if you're asking about canisters or ball shells, and then if you're using paper or plastic hemis/cans. Each of the combinations has a different ideal number.

For 2" cylinder shells, I use 2 wraps of 30lb paper. I probably am not of a great deal of help with the rest. I'd probably start around 5 wraps on 2" paper shells. It's all dependent on burst of course.

[chev385]

thanx for the imput, im gonna try 2" paper hemis w/flying fish fuse. i wanted to try and get a little boom with it when it breaks

[Blackdevil77]

How much lift charge to you use per weight of the shell itself? Is there a formula for amount of lift per shell mass? How fine or course should the lift charge be? I have seem some that are like little pebbles and other that are more like sand

[PyroJoeNEPA]

How much lift charge to you use per weight of the shell itself? Is there a formula for amount of lift per shell mass? How fine or course should the lift charge be? I have seem some that are like little pebbles and other that are more like sand
Generally the lift charge is 10% of the weight of the pasted shell. eg: a 40 gram 3" hemi would have 4 grams of lift. This is, however, dependent on the type/strength/granulation of the BP you use for your lift. Off the shelf 2FA Goex from the local gun shop will work fine. Smaller granules burn much faster.
a 1.75" festival ball that weighs 23-28 grams usually only has 2-2.25 grams of lift.

[GermanDark]

Hey i have a question: which are the safest material for a container to mixing flash? i hope someone knows it... Now i'm using a glass container and a pencil to mix it. Is this the right way?

[GermanDark]

Hey i have a question: which are the safest material for a container to mixing flash? i hope someone knows it... Now i'm using a glass container and a pencil to mix it. Is this the right way?

[displayfireworks1]

You need to mix fireworks ingredients on a piece of newspaper. Then you grab one corner at a time and pull it upward to slowly mixing the ingredients. This is called the diaper method. It is called a diaper method because it emulates someone folding a diaper on a baby. Never mix in a glass jar. If you must use a container it should be a cardboard container, they make these and they look like a jar with a lid but the entire thing is made of cardboard.