~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ` ` ` CHiNA Explo-File #2 ` ` ` ` PYROTECHNICS - Part 1 ` ` ` ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Introduction ------------ Once again here in another file in the explosive series from CHiNA. Written by CHiNA member Mr. X, usually the 'Hellos' come at the end of our files.. but we wanted to be different this time so here goes. Hellos to The Oxidizer and all the guys at N.A.R.C., good luck you guys and we hope to be seeing good stuff from ya'll Lord Blix, The Viper, The Knack, Software Surgeon, Barimor and all the rest of the lovely guys at the FiRM. That's it for now! Colored Lights -------------- Colored light compositions are used in the form of a loose powder, or are tamped into paper tubes in torches for political parades, for highway warnings, and for railway and marine signals, in Bengal lights, in airplane flares, and in lances for set pieces, or are prepared in the form of compact pellets as stars for Roman candles, rockets, and aerial bombs, or as stars to be shot from a special pistol for signaling. Colored fire compositions intended for burning in conical heaps or in trains are sometimes sold in paper bags but more commonly in wooden boxes, usually cylindrical, of pasteboard, turned wood, or tinned iron. The mixtures are frequently burned in the boxes in which they are sold. Compositions which contain no chlorate (or perchlorate) are the oldest, and are still used where the most brilliant colors are not necessary. Here are some various compositions for nonchlorate mixtures. -------------------+--------------+---+-----+------+ | White |Red|Pink |Yellow| +--+--+--+--+--+---+--+--+------+ Potassium nitrate..| 5| 3|32| 8|14| ..|12|14| .. | Sulfur.............| 2| 1|15| 2| 4| 5| 5| 4| 3 | Strontium nitrate..|..|..|..|..|..| 18|48|36| .. | Barium nitrate.....|..|..|..|..|..| ..|..|..| 36 | Sodium oxalate.....|..|..|..|..|..| ..|..|..| 6 | Antimony metal.....|..| 1|12|..|..| ..|..|..| .. | Antimony sulfide...| 1| 1|..|..|..| ..|..|..| .. | Realgar............|..|..|..| 1| 5| ..|..|..| .. | Minium.............|..|..|10|..|..| ..|..|..| .. | Lampblack..........|..|..|..|..|..| 1|..|..| .. | Charcoal...........|..|..|..|..|..| ..| 4| 1| .. | Red gum............|..|..|..|..|..| ..|..| 4| 5 | Dextrin............|..|..| 1|..|..| ..|..| 1| .. | -------------------+--+--+--+--+--+---+--+--+------+ The chlorate compositions listed below, which contain no sulfur, burn rapidly with brilliant colors and are recommended for indoor and theatrical uses. --------------------+-----+---+------+-----+ |White|Red|Yellow|Green| +-----+---+------+-----+ Potassium chlorate..| 12 | 1| 6 | 2 | Potassium nitrate...| 4 | ..| 6 | .. | Strontium nitrate...| .. | 4| .. | .. | Barium nitrate......| .. | ..| .. | 1 | Barium carbonate....| 1 | ..| .. | .. | Sodium oxalate......| .. | ..| 5 | .. | Cane sugar..........| 4 | ..| .. | 1 | Stearine............| 1 | ..| .. | .. | Shellac.............| .. | 1| 3 | .. | --------------------+-----+---+------+-----+ The following variations are brilliant, slower burning, and suitable for outdoor use and general illumination. The smokes from the compositions which contain calomel and Paris green are poisonous. In mixing Paris green, be careful not to inhale the dust. --------------------------+--------+-----+--------+ | Red |Green| Blue | +--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+ Potassium chlorate........|10| 4| 8| 4| 4| 6| 8|16| Strontium nitrate.........|40|10|16|..|..|..|..|..| Barium nitrate............|..|..|..| 8| 8| 4|..|14| Paris green...............|..|..|..|..|..|.4|..|12| Shellac...................|..|..| 3|..| 3|..|..| 1| Stearine..................|..|..|..|..|..| 1|..| 2| Red gum...................| 6| 3|..| 2|..|..|..|..| Calomel...................|..|..|..|..|..|..| 6| 2| Sal ammoniac..............|..|..|..| 1|..| 1|..|..| Copper ammonium chloride..|..|..|..|..|..|..| 2|..| Fine sawdust..............| 6|..|..|..|..|..|..|..| Rosin.....................|..| 1|..|..|..|..|..|..| Lampblack.................| 1| 1|..|..|..|..|..|..| Milk sugar................|..|..|..|..|..|..|.3|..| --------------------------+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+ Railway Fusees (Truck Signal Lights) ------------------------------------ Motor trucks are required by law to be equipped with red signal lights for use as a warning in case an accident causes them to be stopped on the road at night without the use of their electric lights. Similar lights are used for signaling on the railways. The obvious requirement is that the signal should burn conspicuously and for a long time. A recommended mixture is to use: Parts ----- Strontium nitrate (100 mesh).......... 132 Potassium perchlorate (200 mesh)...... 15 Prepared maple sawdust (20 mesh)...... 20 Wood flour (200 mesh)................. 1 Sulfur (200 mesh)..................... 25 The prepared maple sawdust is made by cooking 10 pounds of sawdust to one ounce of miner's wax in a steam-jacketed kettle. The mixture is tamped dry into a paper tube, 7/8 inch in external diameter, 1/32 inch wall, and burns at the rate of about 1 inch per minute. The fusee is supplied at its base with a pointed piece of wood or iron for setting it up in the ground, and it burns best when set at an angle of about 45 degrees. In order to insure certain ignition, the top of the charge is covered with a primer or starting fire, loaded while moistened alcohol which is made from 16 parts potassium chlorate, 8 parts barium chlorate, 4 parts red gum (gum yacca), and 1 part powdered charcoal. This is covered with a piece of paper on which is painted a scratch mixture (see below) similar to that which composes the head of a safety match. The top of the fusee is supplied with a cylindrical paper cap, the end of which is coated with a material similar to that with which the striking surface on the sides of a box of safety matches is coated. To light the fusee, the cap is removed and inverted, and its end or bottom is scratched against the mixture on top of the fusee. Here are some different compositions for railway fusees. If using the fifth, moisten the mixtures with kerosene before tamping into the tubes. Potassium chlorate....... .. .. .. .. 12 Potassium perchlorate.... .. .. .. 5 .. Strontium nitrate........ 48 36 16 36 72 Saltpeter................ 12 14 4 .. .. Sulfur................... 5 4 5 5 10 Fine charcoal............ 4 1 1 .. .. Red gum.................. 10 4 .. .. 4 Dextrin.................. .. 1 .. .. .. Sawdust.................. .. .. .. 2 .. Sawdust and grease....... .. .. .. .. 4 Calcium carbonate........ .. .. .. .. 1 Typical scratch mixtures are paired as follows: A. 6 parts potassium chlorate 2 parts antimony sulfide 1 part glue B. 8 parts powdered pyrolusite (MnO2) 10 parts red phosphorous 3 parts glue or A. 86 parts potassium chlorate 52 parts antimony sulfide 35 parts dextrin B. 9 parts red phosphorus 5 parts fine sand 4 parts dextrin (used with gum arabic as a binder) Marine Signals -------------- Other interesting signal lights are as follows: Marine Flare Torch Pilot's Blue Light Barium nitrate.......... 16 .. Potassium nitrate....... 8 .. Potassium chlorate...... .. 46 Strontium carbonate..... 1 .. Copper oxychloride...... .. 32 Sulfur.................. 2 28 Red gum................. 2 .. Shellac................. .. 48 Calomel................. .. 3 Parade Torches -------------- Parade torches are made in various colors; they are of better quality than railway fusees, burn with a deeper color and a brighter light, and are generally made with more expensive compositions. Below are a few typical examples. Parade torches are equipped with wooden handles at the lower ends, and are sealed at their upper ends with a piece of cloth or paper, pasted on, through which a hole has been punched into the composition to a depth of about 1 inch - and through this a piece of black match (see Explo-file 1) has been inserted and fixed in place by a blob of paste of meal powder with gum-arabic water. --------------------------+--------+-----+------+-----+----+ | Red |Green|Purple|Amber|Blue| +--+--+--+--+--+------+-----+----+ Strontium nitrate.........|16| 5| 9|..|..| 7 | 36 | .. | Barium nitrate............|..|..|..|40|30| .. | .. | .. | Potassium chlorate........| 8| 1|..|11|..| .. | .. | .. | Potassium perchlorate.....|..|..| 2|..| 6| 9 | 10 | 5 | Sodium oxalate............|..|..|..|..|..| .. | 8 | .. | Cupric oxide..............|..|..|..|..|..| 6 | .. | .. | Paris green...............|..|..|..|..|..| .. | .. | 2 | Sal ammoniac..............|..|..|..| 1|..| .. | .. | .. | Calomel...................|..|..|..|..|..| 3 | .. | 1 | Sulfur....................|..|..| 2|..| 3| 5 | 3 | .. | K.D. Gum..................|..|..|..| 6| 2| .. | .. | .. | Shellac...................| 3|..|..|..|..| .. | 5 | .. | Red gum...................|..| 1| 1|..|..| .. | .. | .. | Dextrin...................|..|..|..|..|..| .. | .. | 1 | --------------------------+--+--+--+--+--+------+-----+----+ Aluminum and Magnesium Flares ----------------------------- When barium and strontium nitrates are used in colored lights, these substances serve the twofold purpose of coloring the flame and of supplying oxygen for its maintenance. The material which combine with oxygen to yield the flame, in the compositions described earlier, have been of sulfur and carbonaceous matter. If, now, part or all of these materials is substituted by magnesium or aluminum powder or flakes, the resulting composition is one which burns with an intensely bright light. A mixture of 7 parts potassium chlorate, 5 parts mixed aluminum powder and flakes, and 2 parts of powdered sulfur burns with a brilliant light having a lilac cast. A balanced mixture of barium and strontium nitrates, that is, of green and red, gives a light which is practically white. Such lights are used in parade torches and signals, but are so bright as to be trying to the eyes. They find important use in aviation for signaling and for illuminating landing fields and military objectives. Magnesium is attacked fairly rapidly by moisture, and pyrotechnic mixtures containing this metal do not keep well unless the particles of magnesium are first coated with a protective layer of linseed oil or similar material. Aluminum does not have the same defect and is more widely used. An excellent magnesium light, suitable for illumination, consists of a mixture of 36 to 40 percent barium nitrate, 6 to 8 percent strontium nitrate, 50 to 54 percent flake magnesium coated with linseed oil, and 1 to 4 percent of a mixture of linseed and castor oils. The airplane wing-tip flares which were used for signaling during the first World War are good examples of aluminum compositions. They were loaded in cylindrical paper cases 4 1/4 inches in length and 1 5/8 inches in internal diameter. The white light composition consisted of 77 parts of barium nitrate, 13 parts of flake aluminum, and 5 parts sulfur intimately mixed and secured by a binder of shellac, and burned in the cases mentioned, for 1 minute with an illumination of 22,000 candlepower. The red light was made from 24 parts of strontium nitrate, 6 parts flake aluminum, and 6 parts of sulfur with a shellac binding and burned for one minute with an illumination of 12,000 to 15,000 candlepower. The compositions were loaded into the cases by means of a pneumatic press, and filled them to within 5/16 of the top. The charge was then covered with a 1/8 inch layer of starting fire or first fire composition, made from 6 parts of saltpeter, 4 parts sulfur, and 1 part charcoal, dampened with a solution of shellac in alcohol, and this, when the device was used, was fired by an electric squib. Epilogue -------- I hope you have enjoyed this file more than I did typing it up. Be on the lookout for the sequel "Pyrotechnics - Part 2", coming soon to a node in your area. Further discussions will include Lances, Picrate Compositions, Picrate Whistles, Non-Picrate Whistles, and Rockets. Call these fine boards.. Tinseltown Rebellion (713) 451-9548 The Final Frontier (602) 996-7381 MUDD Club (713) 723-394X (heh..heh)