Chapter IV: Part 4

What is there that makes the most noise, and is most dangerous? Gunpowder, of course. Therefore, we have given descriptions of the best methods of employing this material, feeling quite sure that of accidents with gunpowder nine out of every ten are caused by ignorance. We knew a boy who lost the use of a thumb, and took all the skin off the palm of his right hand, by ignorant management of powder. He had read of blasting rocks, and nothing would satisfy him but blasting a bank. So he bored a deep hole in it with a stick, filled the hole with gunpowder, and then poked a lighted lucifer into the powder. The consequence was that his face was so scorched as not to be recognized, all his eyebrows and eyelashes, and most of his hair were burned off, while his right hand was injured, as has been already mentioned. Now that boy had been studiously kept out of the way of powder by female relatives, and was naturally profoundly ignorant of its effects. Had he been taught to handle it, he would not now be forced to keep his right hand closed, or to write by holding the pen between the fingers of his clenched hand.

Gunpowder.

It will not be very advisable for the firework boy to make his own powder, but still it will not be amiss that he should know how it is prepared. Pulverize separately 5 drams of nitrate of potass, 1 dram of sulphur, and 1 dram of newly-burnt charcoal; mix them together in a mortar, with a little water, so as to make the compound into a dough, which roll out into round pieces of the thickness of a pin upon a slab. This must be done by moving a board backwards and forwards until the dough is of a proper size. When three or four of these pieces are ready put them together, and cut them off into small grains. Place these grains on a sheet of paper, in a warm place, where they will soon dry, but away from a fire. During granulation the dough must be prevented from sticking by using a little of the dry compound powder. This mode of granulation, though tedious, is the only one to be used for so small a quantity for the sake of experiment. In making powder in a large way it is granulated by passing the composition through sieves.

How to Make Touch-Paper.

Dissolve in a little spirits of wine or vinegar a little saltpeter, then take some purple or blue paper, and wet it with the above liquor, and it will be fit for use. When pasting paper on any of the following works take care that the paste does not touch that part which is to burn. The method of using this paper is to cut it into slips long enough to go once round the mouth of a serpent, cracker, etc.

Cases for Squibs, Flower-Pots, Rockets, Roman Candles, Etc.

Procure a hard wooden cylinder, or, if possible, one made of metal, whose diameter corresponds with that of the interior of the proposed case. Roll round it several folds of cartridge paper, and paste the edges well, so that it may be held securely. Tie it round until dry.

To Choke the Cases.

When the cases are thus made they will require to be tied at the lower end. This is called choking them, and as much force is required it is necessary. Fix a wire into a small solid cylinder. Take another short piece, an inch or two long, with a hole up it to admit the other end of the wire, fit it on, and pass it up the case. Then having fastened a piece of whip-cord to a post, wind it round the part left hollow by the wire, which should be about half an inch from the end; pull it tight with the right hand, and work the case round with the left. Cut out a piece of touch paper two inches long, and an inch and a half broad, wind it round the choke, and tie it on with a piece of fine string--twist it to a point. The cases are best choked while damp.

Composition for Squibs, Etc.

Gunpowder, half a pound; charcoal, 1 ounce; brimstone, 1 ounce, or in like proportion; grind them in a muller or pound them in a mortar. Or you may take 1 part steel filings, 1 charcoal, 1 sulphur, and 4 powder, which is a very good mixture, and can be rubbed together in a mortar.

How to Fill the Cases.

Your cases must be very dry when ready, and should be put into an iron or wooden mold; first put in a thimble full of your powder, and ram it down very hard with your ruler, then put in a little more till the case is full, ramming it down hard every time. If you have no mold, hold the case in your left hand with the twisted touch-paper downwards, and fill it after the same manner. When you have filled within an inch of the top, fill up this with loose powder not rammed, for a bang, and fold in the ends; after filling a dozen or two melt some pitch in a small ladle, and smear the end of the case with it by means of a small brush.

To Make Crackers.

Cut some stout cartridge-paper into pieces three inches and a half broad and one foot long, fold down one edge of these pieces lengthwise about three-quarters of an inch broad, then fold the double edge down a quarter of an inch, and turn the single edge back half over the double fold. Open it, and lay all along the channel which is formed by the folding of the paper some meal powder, then fold it over and over till the paper is doubled up, rubbing it down at every turn; this being done bend it backwards and forwards two inches and a half, or thereabouts, at a time, as often as the paper will allow. Hold all these folds flat and close, and with a small pinching cord give one turn round the middle of the cracker and pinch it close; bind it with pack thread as tight as you can, then in the place where it was pinched prime one end and cap it with touch-paper.

When these crackers are fired they will give a loud report at every turn of the paper: if you want a great number of these, you have only to cut the paper longer, or join it on to a greater length; but if they are made very long you must have a piece of wood with a groove in it deep enough to let in half the cracker, which will hold it straight while you are pinching it.

Roman Candles and Stars.

These are best made with the following ingredients: 1 ounce of powder, 1 ounce of sulphur, and 2 ounces of niter. Some persons, however, prefer 1 part sulphur, 1 charcoal, 1 iron filings, 4 of powder, and 8 of niter. The composition being made, in filling the cases fill the contrary way to a squib--stop up the choke by driving down a piece of paper. Put in 1 quill of gunpowder loose and 1 star made in the following manner: 1 ounce of camphor, 1 of sulphur, 2 of meal powder, 1 ounce of the colored fires, moisten them with oil of turpentine, and work them into little round balls. Having placed a star within the case, put in above it 3 quills of the composition, ram down, then powder, star, and composition alternately, till the case is full. Paste touch-paper round the top and twist to a point.

Rockets.

There are several recipes for making rockets, the best of which is 3 ounces of charcoal, 6 of sulphur, 8 of niter, 32 of meal powder. Another very good one is, 3 ounces of iron filings, 4 of powdered charcoal, 8 of sulphur, 16 of niter, and 64 of meal powder. If a smaller quantity is wanted divide each proportion by 2, if a still smaller divide by 4.

Rains.

Sometimes gold or silver rains are added to rockets, which give them a very beautiful appearance. A gold rain is made of 2 parts sawdust, 4 sulphur, 4 meal powder, 6 glass dust, 16 niter, in all 32 parts. A silver rain may be made of 2 parts salt prunella, 8 sulphuret of antimony, 8 sulphur, 8 meal powder, and 14 niter, in all 32 parts.

Catherine Wheels.

These are very pretty fireworks, and are made to turn on a pivot. There are many recipes for the composition of which they are formed; 1 part camphor, 1 sulphur, 1 niter, 2 meal powder. Another is, 3 parts iron filings, 4 sulphur, 12 niter, 16 meal powder. This composition is to be rammed into small cases, and bound round a small wheel having a hole for a pivot in the center.

Various Colored Fires.

The following recipes will give the young firework maker a great variety of the most beautiful fires. They should never be fired in a room, however, and always away from a dwelling.

Crimson Fire.

The principal ingredient in this is nitrate of strontium, of which 40 parts are taken, with 13 of sulphur, 15 of chlorate of potass, 4 of sulphuret of antimony, and 2 of lamp-black. These, as all the ingredients for the other fires, should be rubbed in a ladle, and they may be used in a ladle or iron dish set on the ground.

Blue Fire.

The ingredients of blue fire are 20 parts; 12 of niter, 4 of sulphur, 2 of sulphuret of antimony, and 2 of lamp-black.

Green Fire.

The ingredients for green fire are in 54 parts; 42 of nitrate of barytes, 8 of sulphur, 3 of chlorate of potass, and 1 of lamp-black.

Purple Fire.

The best recipe for purple fire is of 60 parts; 25 of niter, 25 of nitrate of strontium, 7 of sulphur, 2 of realgor, and 1 of lamp-black.

White Fire.

The best and purest white fire is made of 24 parts of niter, 7 of sulphur, 2 of red arsenic, and one of lamp-black.

Spur Fire.

9 parts of niter, 4 of sulphur, and 3 of lamp-black, well rubbed together.

Blue Lights.

These are made of 4 parts of sulphur, 2 of niter, and 1 of powder, and are rammed into squib-cases the contrary way.

Port or Wildfires.

Saltpeter 4 parts, meal powder 6 parts, and sulphur 3 parts. The composition to be moistened with linseed-oil.

Slow Fire for Wheels.

Saltpeter 4 parts, sulphur 2 parts, and meal powder 2 parts.

Dead Fire for Wheels.

Saltpeter 5 parts, sulphur 1 part, lapis calaminaris 1 part, and antimony 1 part.

Cautions.

Such are the principles and methods by which fireworks may be made; but we would advise our young friends to be very cautious, and never to attempt making any fireworks by candlelight; always to select some outhouse for their operations; to see that no iron or steel implements are about the place in which their fireworks are being manufactured, or they may go off before they wish it; to use wooden or brass implements in the bruising, grinding, and sifting of their mixtures; and never to bring the fireworks, or any of their ingredients, into the dwelling-house, or they may suddenly receive a

“Heavy blow and great discouragement.”

To Make an Illuminated Spiral Wheel.

Procure a circular horizontal wheel two feet in diameter with a hole quite through the nave, then take four thin pieces of deal three feet long each, and three-quarters of an inch broad each. One end of each of these pieces is to be nailed to the felloe of the wheel at an equal distance from one another, and the other end nailed to a block with a hole in its bottom, which must be perpendicular with that in the block of the wheel, but not so large. The wheel being thus made, a hoop planed down very thin must be nailed to the felloe of the wheel, and wound round the four sticks in a spiral line from the wheel to the block at the top; on the top of this block a case of Chinese fire must be fixed, and on the wheel any number of cases, which must incline downwards and burn two at a time. The axis of the wheel must be a little longer than the cone, and made very smooth at the top, on which the upper block is to turn and the whole weight of the wheel to rest.

[THE END.]

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Transcriber’s Notes:

The one footnote has been moved to the end of its section.

Punctuation has been made consistent.

Mathematical notation has been standardized to current conventions. For example, the notation 1-2 for fractions has been changed to 1/2.

Variations in spelling and hyphenation were retained as they appear in the original publication, except that obvious typographical errors have been corrected.

p. 14: There is no illustration in the original book (This illustration represents)

The following change was made:

p. 7: 2 changed to 3 (No. 3, it)