Pyrotechnica

[Arthur]

Does anyone know where I can buy a full set of Pyrotechnica? Even better in the UK! How do I get notice of the next editions?

[OldMarine]

There's a thread on this over on FW. The fellow who distributes the books is in bad health at the moment and isn't shipping. Ned Gorski is seeking to sell them through the FW site store if possible.

[Merlin]

There's a thread on this over on FW. The fellow who distributes the books is in bad health at the moment and isn't shipping. Ned Gorski is seeking to sell them through the FW site store if possible.

I have got to get back on FW seems I am missing a lot!

[OldMarine]

Merlin, I'm on all three sites and can't do without any of them!

[jimjones]

Where can I buy these publications?

 

I wanted to read specifically this paper:

R. O'Neill, "A Systematic Study of the Performance of Charcoals in Pyrotechnic Compositions", Pyrotechnica XVII

Edited February 4, 2020 by jimjones

[SharkWhisperer]

Hey Guyana Peoples Temple Cult Leader, aka Jim Jones. Is that really your name? Sheez. Poor kid & my apologies if your parents really named you after that deluded & manipulative murderous asshole. If you adopted the name voluntarily, you're already on a bunch o watch lists and nobody's going to want to discuss with you...

 

For those of you too young to know/remember, google up "Jim Jones Guyana" for some light reading and photos. Sheesh...

 

 

You can likely purchase it at passfire.com . I'm sure if you looked hard enough, you could find a pdf version online for free. Have you tried pyrobin?

 

Another very good reference regarding charcoal results in BP is free at: http://www.wichitabuggywhip.com/fireworks/charcoal_tests.html . If you haven't read it, you'll likely appreciate it.

 

 

Since you have only two posts on this site and seem to be rather lost already regarding locating pyro information, please introduce yourself so that we don't jump to any erroneous conclusions regarding your background or intentions.

 

Hoping you're a normal dude trying to learn about BP for productive purposes. Please confirm this.

Edited February 5, 2020 by SharkWhisperer

[jimjones]

Don`t worry, this is just a very old nickname because of my hairstyle.

 

tks for the reply

[Mumbles]

They come across eBay from time to time. Sets can often be obtained at PGI conventions as well. Otherwise, you may want to try to track down contact information for Bob Cardwell. I unfortunately do not have it handy right now.

[sora]

around 9 issues are on sale in ebay now @25 USD each

[spectra1]

He is specifically looking for number XVII. That one is not available on ebay right now.

[SharkWhisperer]

Perhaps somebody on this site owns the volume and can scan/email it to him?

 

Pyrotechnica's got good stuff amassed, but $25 for the primary pleasure of reading a single article on charcoal....hmmmm.

 

Although I'm sure the article is informative, I'm also quite certain that it does not contain information that has not already been read/evaluated/confirmed/expanded by many of the folks here on APC et al. And probably discussed ad nauseum. Check the threads, amigo. Most of us make our own charcoal. Almost all of us had to learn the nuances of making quality BP, whether with guidance, a lot of trial-and-error, or, more usually, both.

 

If you have specific questions regarding essentially any aspect of making charcoal, making BP, and testing either, well...you're at the right place. Lots of knowledgeable folks that are willing to share their experiences, ultimately saving you a bit of time, money, and frustration. Decent group.

 

What's on your mind?

Edited February 6, 2020 by SharkWhisperer

[OldMarine]

Pretty sure encouraging theft of intellectual property will get you booted. If you can't afford the instruction manual you can't afford the hobby.

[SharkWhisperer]

Ah sheesh. We're talkin' about a single article, old, on charcoal. CHARCOAL. Not child porn. Not a recent blockbuster. The web is a big place. Seriously doubt the authorities or especially the owners, if copyrights are even still valid, have either the time or impetus to worry about such trivia... If so, there would be no such thing as pyrobin, ffs.

 

Many, you probably included, repost published and likely copyrighted information and formulas all the time online, doh.

 

Appreciate the finely-tuned moral compass. I'm sure it's very rewarding. Mitt would probably be very envious of your virtuosity. That said, why don't you be of assistance to the new dude and provide some actual links to useful information instead of limiting your input to Nervous Nelly finger-wagging and alarmist scaremongering?

 

 

To the OP: Here's 210 pages of nothing but charcoal types/tests and the nuances of BP production. Enjoy, but be forewarned that the writer is not a purist. He does, however, repeatedly cite findings from the O'Neill report that you originally queried : http://pyrotechnic.narod.ru/Black_Powder.pdf

 

There's plenty more info available, freely available.

Edited February 6, 2020 by SharkWhisperer

[NeighborJ]

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JVHeaBCf4n0ARaCD-Vd0GU_-_Tjamqmk/view?usp=drivesdk

 

Did you read the copyright?

[SharkWhisperer]

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JVHeaBCf4n0ARaCD-Vd0GU_-_Tjamqmk/view?usp=drivesdk

 

Did you read the copyright?

Yup. It says "No part of the book can be reproduced in any way..." Doesn't say jack about not being able to read any copy you get your hands on. If so, libraries wouldn't exist. And you could never borrow a book from a friend. Online viewing is neither "reproduction" nor a criminal act. If it is, you just inadvertently made yourself into a crook.

 

But thank you too much for the keen insight!

Edited February 6, 2020 by SharkWhisperer

[wildcherryxoxo]

Contact Warren Klofkorn at prometheus.publications@cox.net. He has a full catalog of pyrotechnic literature including the entire Pyrotechnica Series, he is the primary distributor for them as far as I know, and will gladly sell you any single issue you may want.

 

Sharkwhisperer, are you aware at how much of an ankle you are?

[SharkWhisperer]

Sharkwhisperer, are you aware at how much of an ankle you are?

An ankle, is it?

 

I've seen your ridiculous diatribe posts on other threads and choose not to engage your emotional frailty.

[wildcherryxoxo]

Yea an ankle, as in, youre three feet lower than a cunt! Edited February 6, 2020 by wildcherryxoxo

[SharkWhisperer]

Yea an ankle, as in, youre three feet lower than a cunt!

Are you like 12 years old, or just an unstable person?

 

I've read your posts going back to 2014 and it's plain that people just don't like you.

[wildcherryxoxo]

Youve accomplished the same thing in record time

[a_bab]

@wildcherryxoxo: I fully agree, lots of babble with no useful info: while some books can be found in the hidden corners of the 'net, you can't find Pyrotechnica.

Now, to answer the question: someone may help you with that specific article.
Till then, here is the best reference you can have:

http://www.wichitabuggywhip.com/fireworks/charcoal_tests.html

[Piccaso]

Yup. It says "No part of the book can be reproduced in any way..." Doesn't say jack about not being able to read any copy you get your hands on. If so, libraries wouldn't exist. And you could never borrow a book from a friend. Online viewing is neither "reproduction" nor a criminal act. If it is, you just inadvertently made yourself into a crook.

 

But thank you too much for the keen insight!

No part of this book can be reproduced in any way. That seems to sum it up right there. Infringing on copyrights of other people in this community hurts the community as a whole. If they and the publishers do not make any money from there efforts then there is no reason for them to do it in the future and the fireworking community suffers.

Edited February 6, 2020 by Piccaso

[SharkWhisperer]

@wildcherryxoxo: I fully agree, lots of babble with no useful info: while some books can be found in the hidden corners of the 'net, you can't find Pyrotechnica.

 

Now, to answer the question: someone may help you with that specific article.

Till then, here is the best reference you can have:

 

http://www.wichitabuggywhip.com/fireworks/charcoal_tests.html

This exact link was provided in my first post on this thread #6, prior page; it contains some useful info, so hopefully the OP has opted to review it. It's findings generally support what has been previously published, including the O'Neill findings in the OP's initially queried Pyrotechnica query. That said, this wichitabuggy's tests were not rigorous well-controlled comparisons, as he freely concedes, but still provide useful information. Also, lift tests were performed using a film canister instead of baseball launches from larger mortars. This approach (and pyrogolf) might be more attractive for beginners who make small BP lots because it requires less BP quantity per test. However, this is shooting from 1.4g-sized mortors; the 3" baseball testing requires larger (but doable, even for a small producer) amounts of powder.

 

If the OP is a newbie, I implore you to use good safety sense (and don't test the flexibility of neighbors and law enforcement) in performing any of these tests. A film canister, golf ball, or baseball launched to altitude will return to earth bearing significant kinetic energy, and with it the potential to cause serious damage to property and flesh.

 

Pyrotechnica XI is freely available online. The other complete issues are not so visible.

 

Best of AFN series (at least through #6) is also freely available and recommended, whatever your selected sourcing. For a newbie, unless entering with a reasonably in-depth chemistry/physics background and the ability to dissect slightly complex academic works typically found in Pyrotechnica, particularly assessing study limitations and data presentation/omissions, the Best of AFN series provides easy-to-digest straightforward explanations in a highly readable format, including many articles on the topic of charcoal.

 

There is a ton of background info available on safe pyro, whether it be electronically or human sourced.

Edited February 6, 2020 by SharkWhisperer

[SharkWhisperer]

Pretty sure encouraging theft of intellectual property will get you booted. If you can't afford the instruction manual you can't afford the hobby.

We in the US are spoiled insofar as resources (both financial and practical/chemical availability) compared to, only for example, our pyro counterparts in Bulgaria, Argentina, and other places where doing pyro is much more difficult. So the blanket statement that fiscal affordability or lack thereof for pyro texts/"instruction manuals" should be the baseline deciding rule on whether or not our very intelligent and creative fellow international pyros should be able to engage in the hobby seems to overlook some basic realities.

 

Also, laws and enforcement regarding intellectual property rights vary dramatically from US standards in other parts of the world.

 

So, the bright pyro guy overseas spending limited $$ optimizing KClO₃ electroproduction by necessity but who is interested in a specific though old technical article on charcoal should exit the hobby because they have an insufficient budget to, in this instance, spend $25 on a Pyrotechnica volume from 1977 ??? I don't think that's what your intended take-home message was.

Edited February 6, 2020 by SharkWhisperer

[AustralianPyromaniac]

Yup. It says "No part of the book can be reproduced in any way..." Doesn't say jack about not being able to read any copy you get your hands on. If so, libraries wouldn't exist. And you could never borrow a book from a friend. Online viewing is neither "reproduction" nor a criminal act. If it is, you just inadvertently made yourself into a crook.

 

But thank you too much for the keen insight!

 

Suffering through your pompous writing style on more than one occasion (through reading your posts here) had led me to believe, or at least to fathom, that you may work in the legal profession in some capacity. Although it wouldn't make writing like a lawyer on a *pyrotechnics forum* any more forgivable, it would help me to understand why you find a need to compose each of your posts in the same stuffy, formal manner as a politicians obituary.

 

Unfortunately, your evident lack of understanding of the most basic principles of US copyright law makes it clear this is not the case.

 

 

To reproduce/copy for the purposes of copyright law both in the US and internationally means to ‘cause a work to be reproduced.' If what you are doing results in the creation of an additional copy of copyrighted material, you have broken the law. This means that downloading a PDF file of a copyrighted work is breaking the law. By making that download, you have brought into existence an additional copy of a published, copyrighted work. By the defection set out in law, you have reproduced it.

 

 

Borrowing a book – from a library or a friend – is not a crime because no new copy is produced. Once you take the book, the borrower no longer has access to it. No reproduction has occurred.

 

 

Regards, AP