My Story

[AndyPyroNoob]

Hi,

Just thought I would tell you my story.

I remember many years ago, we had a cracker night on the Queens birthday? in like June. I loved cracker night. Going to the local grocery store and buying a bag. Then my family sitting on the front verandah and watching my Dad light the firecrackers that night. I was about 7 or 8. The next day playing with the old burnt out firecrackers pretending I was lighting them. ( I even remember drawing pictures of fireworks on paper. Like the way they would burst in the sky and the colours.

Forward to when I was 10. 1986. The first year my dad let me light some of the firecrackers. None of the big ones though. That was awesome. I was under strict supervision of course. But alas, in 1986 they said that it was the last year they would allow firecrackers at home. My dad was a qualified chemist. He was the one who told me that the different metals/chemicals in the crackers made the different colours.(Yep that is the correct way to spell colours... lol)
I only remember copper for green....

The smell of a good burnt firecracker.... If I could bottle it and use it as air freshener.... lol

No more crackers for me. Not until 1999

As chance would have it a family member somehow managed to purchase some for the new year. He was scared of the big crackers so I got a few of them. That bought back memories. I didn't remember them being that big in 1986 lol

Then over the next few years I got old of some people in Canberra who sold me firecrackers. in 2005 I think was the last time I got a hold of those canberra crackers. They were stopping selling them to us people in NSW.

In 2008 I found a neighbour, whos son was working in a Pyrotechnic business so I got some consumer fireworks, and some big 2 and 3 inch shells. Well they seem big to me. Honestly I am kinda scared of them still lol

Then recently I had to get some KNO3 for fertilising my plants in my fish tanks. Youtube being my friend I then stumble across this reaction between the KNO3and ordinary Table sugar. I tried it.. wow! sweet! Found how they melt it down and make Hobby Rocket fuel from it. Damn I thought! I have some firepower in my garage!

Then I discovered a few Youtube videos on Black Powder. I thought what's this? Oh geez, Firecracker! Hang on I thought. I can make my own firecrackers? no way!

For the past week or 2 I have watched lots of videos and read lots of internet pages and forums and this one too. Looks like some forums like these have been going for 14+ years. Alas some of the Australian forums no longer exist. And some of the supplies shops no longer exist for us here either.

I'm not seeing much action from Aussies as yet, or maybe I haven't found them.

It took me a while, at first, I thought I will never get any colours like Red, Purple, Blue. But the more I researched the more I found. Making Potassium Chlorate, Make Strontium and Barium Nitrates. Making Dark Aluminium.

One thing to mention here, After researching just a small little bit about dark aluminium. I'm never going near the stuff. I want to have fun if I make some crackers. I don't want to do it as a career. I also want to be able to live after making them to make more.

Now I could make Red, Green, and Orange colours. I can use 200 mesh Aluminiun powder in my compositions.

Last night I got some dusting sulpher from the nursery. I did a 75/15/10 mix and it sparked and burnt fairly quickly in my opinion. I used Horticultural Charcoal for it. I used a mortar and pestle to grind down the KNO3 and Charcoal to a less coarse powder. Damn if I get into this I am going to have to make a ball mill. and a coffee grinder..... lol

That's my rant.

I do have a question though. As I am in Australia, and unlike my American Cousins, its a lot harder to get anything fireworks related here. Are there any decent tutorials on how to make the cardboard cylinders? I think that is my next biggest hurdle I need to do some research on...

Thanks for making it this far.

AndyPyroNoob

[justvisiting]

AndyPyroNoob, cool story. I sent some rocket stuff to NSW, and also to Russia. I'd suggest you watch some European or Russian pyro videos. These folks manage to make beautiful stuff despite the restrictions placed upon them. Pirotex is a Russian fireworker that is very good. Viking Pyrotechnics is from Germany, I believe. These guys make nice stuff with what they have available, and do better than a lot of us!

[Sulphurstan]

Andy.

I first rolled my tubes my self (Ned Gorski had a good page about it, if I don't mistake): it was satisfying, but long work, and not always perfect.

After a few months, I started buying them from a German supplier: reliable material, strong, each tube being ALWAYS the same strength, the same ID and OD....

The quality/price ratio was far better than mine, so until then, I only roll the special diameter ones. And so I can spend more time in other tooling, in experimenting new compositions etc.

 

As somebody wrote recently on a post here somewhere, money spent in good tools, and good equipment is very rewarding in hobby pyro.

[Richtee]

If yer “rolling your own” look into waterglass (Sodium Silicate) I been playing with little rockets (Sugar with a catalyst) and have rolled tubes maybe 1.5MM thick, yet have to really TRY to crush them. And they won’t “burn thru” due to the WG’s characteristics.

[AndyPyroNoob]

AndyPyroNoob, cool story. I sent some rocket stuff to NSW, and also to Russia. I'd suggest you watch some European or Russian pyro videos. These folks manage to make beautiful stuff despite the restrictions placed upon them. Pirotex is a Russian fireworker that is very good. Viking Pyrotechnics is from Germany, I believe. These guys make nice stuff with what they have available, and do better than a lot of us!

Thanks justvisiting. I will check out both their channels!

 

 

Andy.

I first rolled my tubes my self (Ned Gorski had a good page about it, if I don't mistake): it was satisfying, but long work, and not always perfect.

After a few months, I started buying them from a German supplier: reliable material, strong, each tube being ALWAYS the same strength, the same ID and OD....

The quality/price ratio was far better than mine, so until then, I only roll the special diameter ones. And so I can spend more time in other tooling, in experimenting new compositions etc.

 

As somebody wrote recently on a post here somewhere, money spent in good tools, and good equipment is very rewarding in hobby pyro.

Yeah Ned Gorski appears to know what he is talking about. Watched a lot of his videos so far. Will check out his site to find about rolling my own tubes. Yeah it is not a cheap hobby to get into with the tools, but at least the chemicals are somewhat easy to get. A lot of DIY involved for me in the near future I think

 

If yer “rolling your own” look into waterglass (Sodium Silicate) I been playing with little rockets (Sugar with a catalyst) and have rolled tubes maybe 1.5MM thick, yet have to really TRY to crush them. And they won’t “burn thru” due to the WG’s characteristics.

I did not know that stuff existed until your post Richtee! lol

I will do some research into it, I can get it from ebay here. Do you happen to know any websites or youtube vids that demonstrate making DIY tubes with it?

 

Thanks guys!

[Richtee]

 

 

I did not know that stuff existed until your post Richtee! lol

I will do some research into it, I can get it from ebay here. Do you happen to know any websites or youtube vids that demonstrate making DIY tubes with it?

 

 

there’s a thread here... https://www.amateurpyro.com/forums/topic/9090-how-to-roll-pyro-tubes/page-2

 

Take a look around.