Chapter I: Part 1

PYROTECHNY;
OR,
THE ART OF
MAKING FIREWORKS,
AT LITTLE COST,
AND WITH
COMPLETE SAFETY AND CLEANLINESS.
WITH
_ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FOUR ILLUSTRATIONS OF FORMS AND DIAGRAMS FOR
MANUFACTURE AND EXHIBITION_.

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LONDON:

WARD, LOCK, AND TYLER, WARWICK HOUSE PATERNOSTER ROW, E.C.

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CONTENTS.

PAGES PREFATORY REMARKS 1–10 General Requisites 11–14 Rockets, with Heads of Brilliant, Tailed, and Coloured Stars and Golden Rains 15–60 Roman Candles, with Brilliant, Blue, Green, Yellow, and Red Stars 61–74 Gerbes and Jets of Brilliant, Chinese, and Common Fires 74–93 Wheels of Various Devices, Horizontal and Vertical 93–108 Lances, White and Coloured 109–118 Coloured Lights for Illuminating Wheels, or Set-Pieces, or any larger kind of Firework 119–128 Tourbillons, Plain and Brilliant 128–140 Bengal White and Coloured Fires 140–158 Chinese Flyers or Saxons 158–172 Mines of Serpents and Crackers 172–183 Five-Pointed Star 183–188 Exhibition Pieces 188–197

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INDEX.

PAGE
PREFATORY REMARKS 1

GENERAL REQUISITES 11
Scales and Weights 11
Pestle and Mortar 13
Sieves 14

ROCKETS 14
Definition of a Rocket 15
Outline Description 17
Spindle 18
Cases 18
Rolling Cases 20
Rocket Choking 22
Block and Spindle 23
Composition 26
Rocket Ramming 29
„ Priming 32
„ Pot 33
„ Cones 34
„ Stars 35
„ Stick 36
„ Stars 38
Golden Rain 39
Brilliant Stars 40
Tailed Stars 42
Coloured Stars 43
Quick-Match 45
Crimson Stars 46
Rose-Coloured Stars 50
Green Stars 50
Pale Rose-Coloured Stars 52
„ Green Stars 52
Golden-Yellow Stars 53
Blue Stars 53
Purple Stars 54
Golden Rains 56
Funnel and Wire 58
Portfires 59

ROMAN CANDLES 61
White Roman Candle Stars 63
Yellow „ „ „ 63
Greek „ „ „ 64
Composition 66
Roman Candle Cases 67
Charges for Roman Candles 68
Arrangement of Stars 71
Preparation of Touch-Paper 71
Quick-Match 71
Chemicals 73

GERBES AND JETS OF BRILLIANT, CHINESE, AND COMMON FIRES 74
Chinese and Brilliant Stars 75
Rolling Cases 77
Chinese Fire 78
Cases 82
Priming 83
Prince of Wales’ Feathers 84
Bouquet of Chinese Fire 84
Brilliant Fire 86
„ „ Composition 89
Common Sparkling Fires 90
Brilliant Fire—Effective Combination 91
„ Wheel 92

WHEELS OF VARIOUS DEVICES, HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL 93
2-oz. Wheel 95
Composition 96
White Fire 97
Common Single Triangle Wheel 99
Double Triangle Wheel 103
Vertical Wheel 103
Six Case Wheel 104
Horizontal „ 106
Capricious Wheel 107
Cases 108

LANCES, WHITE AND COLOURED 109
Composition for White Lances 110
„ „ Yellow 111
„ „ Green 112
„ „ Red 113
„ „ Rose-Coloured 113
„ „ Violet 114
„ „ Lilac 115
Sieves 115
V. R. Design 116
Arrangement of Colours 118

COLOURED LIGHTS 119
White Lights for Decoration 120
Yellow „ 121
Green „ 121
Red „ 122
Purple „ 123
Distinction between Coloured Lights and Coloured Fires 124
Fixing 125
Arrangement of Pieces 128

TOURBILLONS, PLAIN AND BRILLIANT 128
Cases 130
Composition for plain Tourbillons 132
„ „ Brilliant Tourbillons 132
Ramming 134
Regulation of Flight 136
Cradle 138

BENGAL WHITE AND COLOURED FIRES 140
Cases 142
Common Bengal Lights 143
White Fire 144
Yellow „ 145
Green „ 146
Purple „ 148
Red „ 149
Encasings 152
To Fire 153
Combination 154
For Theatrical purposes 156

CHINESE FLYERS OR SAXONS 158
Single Saxon Flyers 158
Cases 159
Composition 161
To Fire 163
Combination 163
Double Saxon 164
Cases „ 164
Saxon Wheel 167
How to Light 169
Fixed Piece 169
Saxon Square 170
Exhibition Piece 171
Double Saxon 172

SERPENT MINES 172
Size 173
Mortars 174
Filling 175
Lighting 175
Composition 177
Spur-Fire 177
To Fire from Mortar 179

CRACKER MINES 180
Mortars 181

FIVE-POINTED STAR 183
Composition 184
To Fill the Case 185
To Fix 186

EXHIBITION PIECES 188
Large Vertical Wheel 188
Double Triangle Wheel 189
Framework 190
Lattice-work Piece 191
To prepare for Firing 192
Double Triangle Piece 193
Suggestions 196

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INDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT.

ROCKETS:— FIGURE PAGE
Rocket 1 17
Diagram for Case 2 19
Rolling Board 3 21
Choking Knot 7 22
Block and Spindle 9 23
Scoop 16 30
Pot-Former 18 33
Rocket Pot 19 33
Cone-Former 20 34
Pot with Conical Top 21 35
Spatula 30 41
Quick-match and Pill Box 31 45
Plan for Cutting Cases 32 57
„ „ „ 33 57

GERBES AND JETS OF BRILLIANT, CHINESE AND COMMON FIRES:—
Chinese Fire Case 41 76
„ „ 42 77
Plan for Rolling 43 77
Block with Iron Ring 47 82
Prince of Wales’ Feather 48 83
„ „ „ 49 84
Bouquet of Chinese Fire 50 84
Chinese Fire Piece 51 85
Brilliant Fire Case 52 88
„ „ „ 53 88
„ „ „ 54 89
Five-Pointed Star 54 91
Brilliant Wheel 55 92

WHEELS OF VARIOUS DEVICES, HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL:—
2-oz. Wheel-Case 56 95
„ „ „ 57 95
Covered Case 58 98
Framework for Single Triangle Wheel 59 99
„ „ „ „ 60 99
„ „ „ „ 61 99
Single Triangle Wheel 62 100
Quick-match 63 101
Wheel-Case 64 101
Doable Triangle Wheel 65 103
Six case Wheel 66 104
„ „ 67 105
Horizontal Wheel 68 106
Capricious „ 69 107

LANCES, WHITE AND COLOURED:—
V. R. Design 73 116

COLOURED LIGHTS:—
Mode of Fastening 74 124
„ „ 75 125

TOURBILLONS:—
Tourbillon Case 80 130
„ „ 81 131

SAXONS:—
Saxon Case 92 159
„ „ 92a 159
Double „ 96 164
„ „ 97 165

FIVE-POINTED STAR:—
Five-Pointed Star Case 112 183
Drift 113 184
Frame for Five-Pointed Star 114 186

EXHIBITION PIECES:—
Spindle for Wheels 116 188
Lattice-Work Piece 120 191

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INDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS IN SEPARATE PLATES, ON TINTED PAPER.

FIGURE PLATE
ROCKETS 1
Round-Ended Drift 4 1
Choking Piece 5 1
„ „ and Drift 6 1
Apparatus for Choking Cases 8 1
Mallet 10 1
Steel Spindle and Nipple 11 1
Rocket-Case on Nipple 12 1
Drift 13 1
„ 14 1
„ 15 1
„ 16 1
Former 17 1
Size of 1-oz. Case 23 1
„ 2 „ 24 1
„ 4 „ 25 1
„ 8 „ 26 1
Finished Rocket tied to Stick 27 1
Rocket-Post with Rocket suspended 28 1
Ring for Rocket 29 1
Funnel for Golden Rain Composition 34 2
The Rain Rammer 35 2
Case 36 2
The Tubular Mould 37 2
The Star Rammer 38 2
Finished Star 39 2
The Settle 40 2
Wooden Block with Metal Nipple and Point for 2-oz. Case 44 2
Nipple and Point for 1-oz. Case 45 2
„ „ for Small Fixed Case 46 2
Spindle for Wheels 70 3
Iron made to keep Wheels well away from Post during
their Revolution 71 3
Post for Wheels 72 3
A A Front View of Large Vertical Wheel, Illuminated
with Revolving Colours; B B Revolving pieces of Wood
to which the Colours are Attached 76 3
Side View of that represented at A A, fig. 76 77 3
Improved position of Wheel-Cases at the Ends A A, fig.
76 78 3
Framework of Vertical Wheel showing the position of
Coloured Lights 79 3
Block to receive the Tourbillon while it is being Bored 82 4
Block with Settle 83 4
Tourbillon 84 4
Revolving Cradle 85 4
Metal Tourbillon Scale 86 4
Brass Cross 87 5
Frame for Firing 88 5
Former for Coloured Fire Cases 90 5
Iron Fork to support Coloured Fires 91 5
Chinese Flyer 93 5
Instrument for filling Tourbillon Holes 94 6
Saxon Wooden Centre 95 6
Double Saxon 98 6
Saxon Square 99 6
„ Wheel 100 7
Three Single Saxon Piece 101 7
Exhibition Piece 102 8
Wooden Centre of a Double Saxon 103 8
Settle Proper for Making Saxons 104 7
Powder Parcel for Mortar 105 9
Serpent, with Quick-match attached 106 9
Bundle of Serpents 107 9
Pasteboard Mortar showing Contents 108 9
Iron Mortar 109 9
Bag and Serpents 110 10
Cracker Mines 111 10
Frame of Large Vertical Wheel 115 10
Framework of Exhibition Piece 117 11
Exhibition Piece, Fired 118 11
„ „ „ 119 11
Lattice-Work Piece 121 11
„ „ Fired 122 11
Mounted Framework 123 11
Exhibition Piece 124 11

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PYROTECHNY.

BY PRACTICUS.

PREFATORY REMARKS.

The art of Pyrotechny has, like almost every other art in these days of experiment and research, undergone many processes of change and improvement. In fact, that part of the art which relates especially to the preparation of coloured fires may be regarded as entirely new; for not only has the danger which arose from the spontaneously-combustible nature of some of the old compositions for this purpose been obviated and removed, but many new colours have also been introduced (principally by the foreign artists), and the pyrotechnist is thus enabled to produce new combinations and contrasts, which twenty years ago were altogether unknown.

But, notwithstanding all this improvement and progress, it is a remarkable fact that no work has been published in England upon this subject since the year 1830. We have not even kept pace with neighbouring nations in this respect, for an excellent work has appeared through the French press, entitled, “M. Chertier sur les Feux d’Artifice” (the book, however, is now out of print, I believe), and there is also a very capital manual of the art in German, “Martin Websky’s Lustfeuerwerkerei.”

It is true that articles have appeared from time to time in encyclopædias and books of that class, but these for the most part have been copied out of one into another, and of all that I have been able to see the best are so condensed as to be to those uninitiated in the art simply unintelligible and useless, and to the initiated often very confusing. Moreover, the professional pyrotechnists have thrown no small mystery over their work, and have done a great deal to further the idea that the awful Promethean rites to which they have been admitted are not to be thrown open to ordinary mortals, and I cannot help thinking that they have thus thwarted the very interests which it was to their advantage to forward. Let any one only enquire of professional photographers whether the practice of their art by amateurs has injured their business, and has not rather increased the demand upon them; and I see no reason why the same should not be the case with Pyrotechny, though not, of course, to the same extent, because its study is never likely to become so popular.

The fact, then, that no work in English upon this subject has appeared during the last thirty years will, I trust, be regarded as a sufficient apology for the present publication. From its perusal, however, there will be derived nothing new to those who have already acquired a proficiency in the practice of firework-making, and, for aught I know, the professional pyrotechnist may even be puzzled by the absence of technical terms. But, on the other hand, I would have it understood that I am not writing with the purpose of describing for the benefit of little boys the mode of making squibs and crackers, nor am I going to tire my readers’ patience, nor to consume my own time, by drawing up an historical account of the pyrotechnic art in its successive stages; nor is it my intention to enter into abstract and abstruse discussions upon the mathematical proportions proper for the artist’s tools and apparatus; nor to trace, as has been so frequently done, the true and lineal pedigree of gunpowder. My object is simply this:—to furnish, for those who are unacquainted with the subject, such information as shall put them in the way of providing at any time for family parties, or school treats, an exhibition of fireworks, capable of affording an hour’s real amusement to any number of people. I say to any number of people, because it costs no more to exhibit such a display to one hundred than to ten, and because I believe that it is difficult to find the person who would rather not see a good exhibition of fireworks, or who would stigmatise the hour spent in looking at them as “slow.” It is evident that the public demand for exhibitions of this kind is greater and more widely spread than it was, and is still on the increase; and the only wonder is that, under these circumstances, no more practical system of Pyrotechny should have appeared through the press. I am not saying that this work will supply the want that many have experienced, for it will be entirely elementary; but I hope at some future time to bring out a more advanced and extensive work, should I discover that anything worth calling an interest in my subject is abroad. This work, however, will be thoroughly practical, and that with the special object of showing how exhibitions may be provided at a little cost.

Now, there are three things which have been generally alleged and admitted as sufficient reasons against the practice of Pyrotechny; these are, danger, dirt, and expense. Upon each of these three subjects I will state what experience has taught me to be the truth.

First, as to danger. The explosion of firework factories from time to time has given a high colour to the risk which the public considers inseparable from any such manufacture. Some time ago I had the curiosity to inquire as far as I could into the cause of these large explosions, and in no one instance could I discover that the accident arose from anything but carelessness on the part of workmen or some wilful and unwarrantable defiance of danger; and I am quite convinced that danger depends far more upon the operator himself than upon the materials used in his work. A barrel of gunpowder is not the thing one would choose for a seat while smoking a cigar or toasting a muffin; but be it remembered that there is no more danger to be apprehended from this barrel of gunpowder, when properly handled, than from a barrel of beer. And then, gunpowder is a material which the amateur will need only in very small quantities, being used far less than is generally supposed, and being only employed to give projective force or to make reports. Meal-powder, which is gunpowder in the state of dust and not in grains, is extensively used, but is in itself perfectly safe. Of course one can set fire to the one as easily as to the other, but why need it be dangerous on this account? There is nothing easier than to make the practice of Pyrotechny dangerous, but, at the same time, it is not only possible, but very easy, to manufacture fireworks without danger.

Now, as to the dirtiness of the work. It is generally believed that the making of fireworks renders cleanliness in the operator impossible, and is destructive of clothes on that account. Now, I maintain that cleanliness and dirt, as well as safety and danger, are mainly dependent upon the person, and not upon his work. He can fairly be called dirty only if he is never clean, or if he makes himself unnecessarily dirty. And so with the pyrotechnist. While handling such things as charcoal he does not expect his hands to be white, but he need not handle charcoal as if with the purpose of making his hands black. Every one must have observed how some people, in whatever they are engaged, in whatever they undertake, will do their work cleanly and neatly, while others can do nothing without “making a mess.” I myself have made the principal part of several exhibitions of fireworks, have mixed all the compositions, have done everything, in fact, except the actual ramming of the compositions into the cases, in my own sitting-room, which, I flatter myself, is as clean and tidy a room as one need wish to live in; and were it not for the presence of the boxes in which I keep my tools, &c., &c., no one, ten minutes after my work is over, would know what I had been about. This, however, I have only done for want of accommodation, for I would much prefer working in some outhouse or room given up to the purpose where my apparatus would be less out of place as furniture, and where, instead of having to get out all my things afresh every time, I could resume my work exactly at the point where I had left it, for by this means a great saving of time would be effected. I would also strongly recommend to the beginner the use of an apron, and some holland sleeves to fasten tightly round the wrist and extend above the elbow, for many of the compositions employed are of a subtle and dusty nature, and will penetrate the clothes until the operator becomes accustomed to use them in such a way as shall not make them troublesome in this respect. I know, however, on the best possible authority—viz., that of experience—that fireworks can be made without detriment to clothes and without violation of cleanliness.

Expense now, in the third place, remains to be considered. It is, perhaps, not generally borne in mind that the reason why fireworks are expensive to purchase is that they take time to manufacture. The brown paper of which the cases are made, and the compositions with which they are filled, are of little value as compared with the time of the workmen employed. Now one supposes that if firework-making is adopted as an amusement, there is sufficient spare time for its practice. But the amateur must not suppose that he can become proficient without some small outlay at the first; his tools and apparatus will cost him something, but when once procured they will enable him to make twenty exhibitions as well as one. And he will do well to bear in mind that if he will purchase such things of the persons whom I am about to recommend he will incur no unnecessary expense. He should also know what to order; and he will find that if he confine himself, as far as possible, to the manufacture of one useful size of each kind of firework, he will greatly diminish the number of tools necessary for making and filling his cases. Much expense will also be avoided by his purchasing the necessary chemicals, not in the smallest quantities procurable, this being the most uneconomical mode of purchase. I have avoided the employment of any of those costly preparations which have of late become known to the pyrotechnist, and are employed principally in the compositions for producing coloured fires; not, however, from any wish to ignore their excellence, but because I have been able to produce without them effects with which I have always been satisfied.

I shall now append a list of those fireworks the manufacture of which it is my intention to describe, and which in combination will be found to produce all the effects that the amateur need desire:—

Rockets, with heads of brilliant, tailed, and coloured stars, and golden rains.

Roman candles, with brilliant, blue, green, yellow, and red stars.

Gerbes and jets of brilliant, Chinese, and common fires.

Wheels of various devices, horizontal and vertical, plain and illuminated.

Bengal white and coloured slow fires for illumination.

Lances, white and coloured, for making up devices, such as names, crests, mottoes, wreaths, &c., &c.

Tourbillons, plain and brilliant.

Chinese flyers of different kinds.

Mines of serpents and crackers.

Brilliant suns, single and double, fixed and revolving.

Portfires for lighting exhibition pieces, &c.

The pieces which I have enumerated above will furnish all the necessary elements of an excellent display. And I have no hesitation in saying that by careful attention to my directions all these pieces may be successfully made. I shall recommend nothing but what has been found to succeed constantly in my hands, and may, I am sure, be made to answer in the hands of others. I entirely disclaim, however, any attempt to describe the modes of manufacture adopted by the professional pyrotechnists. I know nothing of the secrets of their trade, nor have I any desire to acquaint myself with them; I only know that my own system of working never plays me false, however different it may be from theirs.

There are, however, a few things which I strongly recommend the amateur not to attempt to make, for the reason that their manufacture entails a considerable amount of tedious and uninteresting work, and they may be bought ready made of the professional pyrotechnists at a cost to which no one need object. They are such things as quick-match, mine serpents, and crackers, and pin wheels, if indeed these are necessary.

I will now proceed to give an idea of the relative numbers in which the several pieces may be employed to form a good exhibition. This will, of course, be but a mere sketch or outline, intended to show how things, very simple in themselves, may be rendered very effective in combination:—

10 rockets: 3 of these with heads of brilliant stars, 3 with tailed stars, 2 with coloured stars, and 2 with golden rains.

10 Roman candles: 6 of these to throw brilliant stars, and 4 coloured stars.

12 wheel-cases: 3 to make a single triangle wheel, 4 to turn an illuminated vertical wheel, and 5 to turn a horizontal mine wheel.

3 tourbillons: 2 plain and 1 brilliant.

A Prince of Wales feather, consisting of 3 brilliant jets.

A bouquet of Chinese gerbes.

2 white Bengal fires, 2 green, and 2 red fires.

2 cracker and 2 serpent mines.

And for a finale, some small device executed in lances, which shall change into a 5 or 8 pointed brilliant star or sun, accompanied with Roman candles, and a mine, either of serpents or crackers.

This is the kind of exhibition which my papers are intended to enable the amateur to make. The above list will be found to contain no lack of variety, which, in my opinion, is the great point to be kept in view.

In order that the reader of these papers may find no difficulty or hindrance in the way of his putting my directions into practice, I shall state farther on, where all the materials, chemicals, tools, &c., &c., which he will require, can be purchased ready for use, of a kind and quality that I recommend, and at a reasonable price.

But before concluding this part, I would impress upon the amateur the advantages to be derived from adopting a fixed plan of operations in preparing for his exhibition. If he would do his work well, he must learn to do it with the greatest economy of time, and labour, and material. He should first decide of what pieces his exhibition is to consist; next he should get all his cases made, and remember that these are not to be used until they are thoroughly dry, and that the more gradually and naturally they are allowed to dry the better they will be for his purpose. He should commence the filling of one kind of piece, and finish all of that species up to a certain point, before he begins upon any other kind. He should calculate the quantity of composition necessary for them, and not mix it until the cases are ready to receive it, and he has time to fill them. A very little practice will enable him to judge correctly the quantity necessary; but let him not hurry over this part of his work, for a very slight inaccuracy in reckoning the quantities of the several ingredients may spoil a large batch of composition. The old proverb, “The more haste the less speed,” is at least as true in the practice of firework-making as in any other work. By mixing up no more composition than he really requires, he will both avoid waste and have no odds and ends of combustible mixture to take care of. He may perhaps think this piece of advice very unnecessary, but he will soon arrive at the conclusion that it is well worth his attention. Let him also bear in mind that he will require to get out as many tools for the making of one rocket as of ten, and that when he has them to his hand he cannot do better than finish the ten.

It is not, of course, to be expected that the amateur will at first fall naturally into the most easy and convenient methods of working, but every additional hour’s practice will furnish some new experience, and he will soon discover that those operations, which at one time he considered the most troublesome and difficult, can be successfully performed in some very simple manner. He must never go to work under the idea that there is but one way of carrying out his plans; the exercise of a little thought on his part will generally unfold to him ways and means of accomplishing his object satisfactorily and with ease. It is always best for each operator to establish his own mode of working, and not always to attempt to carry out details of manipulation which he sees described, under the impression that what is thus recommended is _the_ way.

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PYROTECHNY.

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS.

I must beg of you, kind reader, the privilege of addressing you no longer in the third but in the second person. By speaking to you, instead of about you, I shall avoid much circumlocution, and in words, at least, identify your interests with my own.

Since “generals” take the precedence of “particulars,” before entering upon any description of the details of _rocket_ apparatus or manufacture, I must introduce you to certain friends without which you will find it difficult to get on in your work, and with which I trust you will shortly be on excellent terms, for you will require their aid in almost every branch of pyrotechny. The tools peculiarly employed in each separate process of the art will be spoken of in dealing with that process, and in their own place; but a short account of the things that are _generally_ requisite will be more in place here than in any other part of this work.

SCALES AND WEIGHTS.

1. In the first place, some are indispensable. The scales that I use are of a very common make, with copper pans capable of holding about four ounces of nitre. These I have always found very convenient, and they are by no means expensive to buy; but I should think there is hardly a house where such a pair would not be found ready to hand. I use also, for purposes in which more delicacy and exactness is required, a pair of grain scales such as are employed by the apothecary. It is very important, particularly in the preparation of coloured fire compositions, to be very exact in weighing out those ingredients which enter sparingly into the formulas, for a little more or less of these will often change entirely the character of the composition.

And now let me say a few words upon the subject of _weights_. The old books on pyrotechny did their best to confuse their readers in many ways, but in none more successfully than the following:—They insisted on giving their formulas in _weight_. For instance, they would tell you to mix together 3½ oz. of one ingredient, 2 dwt. of another, 1 scruple of another.

Now the ordinary way in making up such a receipt would be by employing one weight out of three distinct tables, for the ounce usually employed in commerce is the avoirdupois ounce; the pennyweight is only found in a table used for weighing precious metals and precious stones; the scruple only in a table used by a compounder of medicines. Now I intend to avoid all confusion of this kind by the simple plan of giving my formulas in _parts_ and not in weights. For instance, in writing down the formula for gunpowder, I should put it in the following manner:—

Nitre 70 parts.
Sulphur 15 „
Charcoal 15 „

So that, whether you take it in grains or in tons, the formula is equally intelligible, and you get at one glance a true idea of the relative proportions of the ingredients. But, although I mean to keep weights out of my formulas, we cannot dispense with them in our work. Now, if you would save yourself much trouble and inconvenience, procure, in addition to your ordinary grain weights, a 2-oz., a 1-oz. and a ½ oz. _troy_ weight. This ounce contains precisely the same number of grains as eight of your apothecary’s drachms and as twenty-four of your apothecary’s scruples—that is 480 gr., whereas the avoirdupois ounce contains only 437½ gr. And by this means you will avoid much confusion and save much time in your calculations; because you will have all your smaller weights convenient aliquot parts of the greater; and, if I mistake not, you will find these extra weights very handy for other than pyrotechnic purposes.

Next, I wish to caution you against an injudicious employment of the pestle and mortar. These auxiliaries are not intended for any other purpose but the reduction to powder of lumps, crystals, &c.; they are never properly used for _incorporating_ ingredients. _Large_ quantities of pyrotechnic compositions are always _mixed_ in a sieve; _small_ quantities are best mixed by stirring them about with a spatula upon a piece of paper. A pestle and mortar is a species of apparatus which I rarely use, for I procure my various salts, &c., in the form in which they are ready for use, and I strongly recommend you to do the same, feeling that you will soon be convinced of the convenience of such a plan. Remember, too, to keep your powdered ingredients in well-corked or stoppered bottles, for the reason that some of them are very deliquescent, and are utterly unfit for pyrotechnic purposes except when perfectly dry. The four following things, however—nitre, sulphur, charcoal, and meal-powder—which are not subject to injury from a slight exposure to the air, and which will be required in larger quantities than other things, I always keep in tin canisters, such as are made to hold a pound of coffee. A piece of sheet copper about six inches long, bent into the form of a shallow boat or scoop, will be found useful in taking these things out of their canisters to be put into the scales and weighed.

SIEVES.

2. Now with regard to SIEVES: you will require two of these, with brass-wire bottoms; one of the fineness of twenty meshes to the inch for _mixing_, which, for distinction’s sake, I will call _the mixer_; the other of forty or fifty meshes to the inch for _sifting_, and to which I shall refer as the _sifter_. These sieves are made with a receiver and a top, so that by their means you can sift or mix any compositions, however subtle or dusty may be their nature, without the slightest inconvenience or annoyance. I may as well here mention that I use the 20-mesh mixer for _sifting_ the _coarse_ charcoal employed in my rocket compositions, but all other sifting is done by the 40-mesh sifter. The size of those which I use is about six inches in diameter, and I think you will find this large enough for every purpose, as you will not be likely to want to mix or sift any very large batches of composition at a time. These sieves, made of any size or design that you please, may be procured of Mr. Darby, 98, Regent Street, Lambeth, London, at whose shop you will also find many other handy little articles, such as horn or copper scoops, spatulas, &c.

MANUFACTURING.

ROCKETS.

3. Having now cleared our way of these necessary preliminaries, we may at once proceed to speak of the manufacture of ROCKETS; first, of what a rocket is, and then of how it is made. There is nothing like starting with a good distinct notion of what we have to make before we set to work to make it. It is said of a person who was asked by his friend to give him a logical definition of a house, that he at once replied that “_it was a thing with a chimney_;” which definition, being equally applicable to a moderator lamp and a steam-engine, can hardly be considered exhaustive in the case of a house; and, in like manner, if we start with the idea that a rocket is _a thing that goes up in the air_, we shall not have any very tangible model of rocket excellence before us as a guide in our work. It is, however, very true that some rockets which we see can only be properly and faithfully described as things which go up in the air, for they no more deserve the name of a rocket than does a child’s kite or a cock-sparrow, either of which would come equally well under the above definition. But let us see whether we can arrive at something a little more accurate. A rocket we will define as _a species of firework which, when properly fastened to a stick of a certain size and weight suspended with its mouth downwards, and ignited, ascends into the air by the force of its own combustion, rises majestically to its proper height, throwing out, from the beginning to the end of its course, a rich and uniform tail of sparks, and at the extreme range of its flight giving birth to a cluster of stars, or shower of fiery rains, or other decorations, as they are called, which should burn long enough to be well seen, and not disappear almost at the moment of their appearance_. This is what every rocket should be when fired; and let me beg of you not to stop short of attaining this excellence, for perseverance will give you experience, and with the aid of these two you need despair of nothing. When I had been puzzled and misled by all the books and information on the subject that I could procure, and had met with nothing but failure in all my attempts, I set myself to work to make my own experiments in a new direction, on the supposition that I understood, to a certain extent, the principle on which success depended. And well do I remember my delight at seeing a rocket of my own production scramble up into the air in a very undignified and disorderly manner, and there perform certain nervous evolutions which I will defy any pen to describe or pencil to depict. But although its performance was erratic and laughable, I had conquered; the key from that moment was in my own hands; and soon, after careful consideration and a few more experiments, I managed to produce a rocket of which I saw no reason to be ashamed.

I have stated above what appearance a good rocket should present to the eyes of a spectator when fired; I am now about to state what appearance it should present to its manufacturer before being fired—in fact, what it is that he has to make. _It is a strong cylindrical case, made of pasted brown paper and imperial board, contracted near one of its ends in order to form a narrow aperture, and filled with a certain composition in such a manner that a long narrow cavity is left in its centre, extending almost throughout its whole length._ This is what I shall call the rocket, for the ascending power lies solely in this part; the head, being an after-addition, will be spoken of it in its proper place, and not allowed to interfere here. In the annexed woodcut A A represents the exterior diameter of the case; B B, the interior diameter of the same; C C, the long cavity extending from the mouth up the centre of the composition, which cavity is called the “soul” of the rocket; D D D, the composition with which the remainder of the case is filled. The lower of the two C’s represents the mouth, or “choke” as it is called, at which all the combustion that goes on in the rocket has to find its vent. When a light is applied to the mouth of the rocket, the whole surface of the soul of the rocket is set on fire at once, and on this depends its power of ascent; for so large a quantity of fire having to make its escape through so narrow an aperture and meeting with considerable resistance from the external air, makes the rocket recoil in a direction opposite to that of its mouth, until all the combustible material which it contains is consumed. This is a broad outline of the principle upon which rockets ascend. It will be unnecessary for me to dive deeper into theories here, for I am sure that you will be anxious for me to come to practical details without further delay.

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Among other things in my prefatory remarks I stated that firework-making need not be an expensive recreation, but you must bear in mind that nothing is easier than to make it expensive, and that we must adopt some strictly economical system of operation. Since rockets are the most scientific of all fireworks, and the apparatus necessary for making them is more costly than that for making any other kind of firework, we must do all that we can to bring their manufacture within reach of the amateur. There are many books, and I dare say many persons, that will tell you that you cannot hope to produce a good rocket unless you have a mould proper for the purpose made either of gun-metal or of some hard wood. I believe that I am right in telling you that such a piece of apparatus varies in cost from 3_l._ to 10_l._, but I also know that I am right in assuring you that a rocket, in every respect equal to many that are rammed in a mould, may be produced without this expensive luxury. I can only say that I _never_ use a mould, and my belief is that the workmen employed by professional pyrotechnists are, for the most part, only too glad to dispense with its use, for it is of importance to them to ram the greatest possible number of rockets in a given time, and if they were to be delayed by having to unscrew and screw a mould before and after filling each case, half their time and its value would be lost to them. I use, and recommend you also to use, a simple steel spindle let firmly into a wooden block, and if your cases are made strongly enough you will be able to produce all that your ambition will picture to you by means of this inexpensive apparatus, and without the help of the mould.

But before we speak of the size and proportions of this spindle it will, of course, be necessary for us to determine the size of the rocket which we intend to produce. Now, the rocket that I recommend you to make, as being the most generally useful and economical, is that which the professionals call the _¼lb. rocket_. You will bear in mind that this name is not intended to signify that the rocket when finished will weigh a quarter of a pound, but that its interior diameter is equal to the exterior diameter of a leaden ball weighing 4oz. You will find, I am sure, that the capabilities of this size of rocket, when properly made, will satisfy you for all ordinary purposes, and, taking this for granted, I shall now proceed to speak of this particular size only, in order to prevent the possibility of confusion.

ROCKET-CASES.

4. The first thing that you have to do is to make the case. Do not hurry over this part of the process, for more depends upon it than is generally supposed. It is made in the following manner:—Procure some imperial board (which is a kind of thin pasteboard made of two sheets of brown paper pasted and pressed together); also some stout Kentish brown paper of such a substance as will weigh 70-lb. per ream. Now fold a sheet of the imperial board down the middle of its length, thus:—

Cut it along this fold, then divide each of these halves crossways into five equal parts and cut them apart. Each sheet will thus furnish enough board for ten ¼lb. rocket-cases. This board is only made in one size. Now take a sheet of the 70-lb. brown paper, divide it into halves at its natural fold, and then divide each of these halves crossways into four strips. One of these, together with one of the strips of imperial board, will be sufficient to make one case. I have given you above the directions for cutting your paper and board without waste; you will, however, find it more convenient to buy them ready cut up; it will save you time and trouble, and will occupy much less space among your stores. They can be procured of Mr. W. H. Darby, 98, Regent Street, Lambeth, London, and he will supply them ready cut if you only state for what purpose they are intended.

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The “former,” on which the board and the paper are to be rolled, is simply a piece of brass tubing, about 12 in. long, and ¾in. in diameter. This you had better procure of the person whose name I shall mention presently, when I speak of apparatus, and to whom I recommend you as a maker of all pyrotechnic _tools_, except such things as the sieves, &c., above mentioned.

I must not speak about the pasting and rolling of the cases until I have said a few words upon the subject of the paste itself. It is a great mistake to have your paste made thick; you will gain nothing by doing so, and you will find it very troublesome to use. It should be made of such a consistency as will admit of its being spread very readily upon the brown paper, &c., and by being tolerably fluid will saturate it much more thoroughly; and this, after all, is what you want to do, for the hardness of the finished cases depends far more upon the complete saturation of the paper than upon the thickness of the paste between its layers. The brush, which you will find convenient, is one about 2in. in diameter, and can be procured of Mr. Darby. Into each pint of paste, while boiling, put a large teaspoonful of powdered alum; this will have the effect of keeping your paste sweet and free from mouldiness for weeks, and will also prevent it from becoming watery, which it would otherwise do in a few days.

I will now suppose you to have your paper, imperial board, paste, and brush ready to hand. You will next require some kind of slab on which to paste and roll your cases. For this purpose I use one of the largest common roofing slates that can be procured: its size is 24 by 12in. This makes a cheap and very serviceable pasting slab if its surface be only moderately smooth.

Now we come to the actual rolling of the cases. First paste all over one side of one of the strips of 70-lb. brown paper; then take one of the strips of imperial board, and fold one end of it once round the brass tubular “former.” Hold this, thus folded, with your left hand, and paste over all the rest of the upper side of the strip with your right. Then roll it up, as straightly and as tightly as you can, till all but about 3 inches of it is wound upon the “former.” Upon these projecting 3 inches lay the end of the strip of brown paper, with its pasted side upwards, and then roll it till both board and paper are neatly and closely wound round the “former.” You will find at first a little difficulty in getting the strips to roll up straight, but a little practice will overcome this. You will now require what is called a “rolling board,” that is, a piece of common smooth deal board about 20 inches by 8 in size, with a wooden handle screwed on its upper side at one end (see fig. 3). Then with the left hand take hold of the end of the “former,” which projects out of the case, loosely, so as to allow it to revolve in the hand, and with the right hand roll case and “former” from one end of the slate slab to the other between it and the rolling board, pressing upon the latter, and using it as a carpenter does his “trying plane;” and by this means the same effect will be produced upon your newly-made case as is produced upon linen, &c., by a mangle. These directions read, no doubt, as if they belonged to some very complicated operation; but let me assure you that it is one far easier to perform than to describe. Some modification of this plan will in all probability suggest itself to your mind as an improvement upon it; for there are few people who do not after a few trials fall into some method of working which, besides answering their purpose, has the additional merit of being peculiar to themselves. I may as well mention here that the quickest way of making cases is to paste all your strips of paper and board before you begin to roll any of them, taking care not to paste that part of each strip of board which is to make the first turn round your “former.”

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In the next place, when you have made as many cases as you require, the operation of “choking,” or forming their mouth and neck, remains to be done, and is to be accomplished in the following manner:—Procure some strong close string about one-eighth of an inch in diameter; take about one yard of this, and tie one end of it to a ring or nail which has been driven very tightly about 3 feet from the ground into a wall, beam, or tree, and the other end of this string tie firmly round a stout piece of stick or ruler about 18 inches long. Now take the round-ended drift (fig. 4), and insert this into one end of your cases till its rounded end appears about an inch from the other end, leaving, in fact, an inch at one end of the case unoccupied by the drift. Then take the little “choking piece” (fig. 5), and insert its metal point into the hollow end of the drift. This operation is illustrated at fig. 6. Now rub your string well over with yellow soap; the more thoroughly this is done the better. Then pass the stick or ruler between your legs in such a manner that by leaning backwards you can make the string very tight; but before tightening it give the soaped part of the string one turn round the part of the case marked _e e_ (fig. 6), then by leaning backwards you will contract that part of the case until you leave an aperture only large enough to admit the point of the “choking piece.” As soon as this is done tie some string tightly round the neck thus formed, to prevent its becoming larger. The best knot for this purpose is the one given at fig. 7. Then, when you have drawn out your choking piece and drift, the proper name of which latter is “_the setting-down piece_,” your case must be put by to dry thoroughly before use. The apparatus given at fig. 8 is very convenient for choking cases quickly, and is given in case you should think it worth while to make such a thing. Any boy with a fair notion of carpentering would find no difficulty in making it. It is simply a string passed over a small wheel and fastened to a pedal which works on a hinge close to the ground. A glance at the diagram will show you that by putting your foot upon the pedal _f_ the string may be drawn very tight. The case is choked at the point marked F. No choking can be done except while the cases are wet.

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Now, supposing that you can do nothing else until your cases are dry, I will, meantime, introduce you to some of your tools. Fig. 9 represents the block and spindle over which your rockets are to be rammed. The case of the rocket is forced, mouth downwards, over this spindle by inserting into it the setting-down piece (fig. 4), which you have used before, and giving the handle of this some blows with the mallet (fig. 10). This operation has the effect of enlarging the choke to its proper size, and of making the mouth of the case very smooth and hard. The diagram (fig. 11), represents the steel spindle and nipple in its proper size. The part marked _g g_ is driven into the wooden block which forms its foot. Fig. 12 represents the rocket-case driven down upon the nipple when ready to be filled with its composition. Figs. 13, 14, 15, are three drifts of different lengths, pierced so as to admit the steel spindle, and to be used for driving the composition into the cases round the spindle. They are used in the following manner:—A ladleful of the composition is put into the case, and then driven down with the longest of these drifts by the mallet; then another ladleful driven with the same. Then a shorter drift is taken for the next few ladlefuls; then the shortest, till the case is full up to the top of the spindle. Then the unpierced drift (fig. 15) is used to ram in some composition solid, and to drive some clay upon the top of this. This operation will be described much more minutely in its proper place. Fig. 17 represents the “former” on which the cases are rolled.

These tools may be procured at a very reasonable price of Mr. Newman, 4, Augustus Street, Regent’s Park, London.

Having made you slightly acquainted with the various tools and apparatus to be used in making and filling rocket-cases, it will now be necessary for me to say a few words about their size and proportion, for much will depend upon accuracy in this particular. I have given you a sketch of four drifts to be used in loading your cases with composition. The longest of these I shall call _the first_; and the shortest, which is the solid one, _the fourth_; this being the order in which you will have to use them. The measurements that I am now about to give have reference only to _the straight part_ of the drifts, not taking their handles into consideration. The length of the first drift is 6 inches; second, 4½; third 3¼; fourth 2¾. The first three of these drifts are pierced or hollow, in order to admit the steel spindle over which the rocket is rammed. The first should be pierced to the length of 4 inches; second, 2½; third 1½.

Taking the exterior diameter of ¼ lb. rocket to be about 1 inch—and this measurement is near enough for our purpose—the former on which the cases are rolled should be ¾ of an inch in diameter, and the drifts about ¼ of an inch in diameter. The “former” should always be slightly larger in diameter than the drifts, because the paper that is rolled upon it is thoroughly wetted with the paste, and in drying will shrink a little; and, therefore, if your drifts be of the same size with your former, you will find considerable difficulty in getting them in and out of your cases; they ought to be a good easy fit. Twelve inches you will find a convenient length for your former.

In case you should wish to prepare rockets of other sizes, and in order that you may readily see the relative magnitude of cases of such sizes as are generally used in the art of pyrotechny, I here append a table:—Those which are called

1-oz. cases are about ½ inch bore.
2-oz. „ „ ⅝ „
¼ lb. „ „ ¾ „
½ lb. „ „ 1 „