bombboy218 Posted January 26, 2008 Posted January 26, 2008 I am new to the pyro thing besides the store bought fireworks and playin with fire but i wanted to know how to make a good fountain safely to show my parents that i am responsible enough to start building fireworks. i know how to make tubes and smoke bombs and could you supply best tube dimensions so i can make some and easy to understand plans and ingredients [in parts or teaspoons or etc because i do not have a gram scale yet i am saving up for one] and please dont lock this one i searched but search does not seem to work for me or i am doing something wrong Thanks Bryce
TheSidewinder Posted January 26, 2008 Posted January 26, 2008 OK, I searched too and I couldn't find a tutorial about fountains specifically. This post is fine. If you can already make tubes as good as this: http://www.apcforum.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=1718 you don't need further help there. But you do need a way to properly plug one end, and restrict the other. WIth fountains, about the only problem you may have is too-small a nozzle diameter, which can turn a fountain into a damned big firecracker in a hurry. As I said in my PM, get Peregrine's book. It tells you how to do this (and end up with a nice fountain!) as well as other good starter projects. He also provides some basic formulas. Another place I would run, not walk, to is passfire.com and become a member. It's a cheap investment and has more good "strictly pyro" information in one place than I've seen anywhere else. And since we seem to be short of them, how about some people post a few nice fountain comps, along with any contstruction "gotchas" you may have encountered when you made them.
Frozentech Posted January 26, 2008 Posted January 26, 2008 I am new to the pyro thing besides the store bought fireworks and playin with fire Please... never mention that again. Pyrotechnics =/= "playin with fire." but i wanted to know how to make a good fountain safely to show my parents that i am responsible enough to start building fireworks. i know how to make tubes and smoke bombs and could you supply best tube dimensions so i can make some and easy to understand plans and ingredients [in parts or teaspoons or etc because i do not have a gram scale yet i am saving up for one] and please dont lock this one i searched but search does not seem to work for me or i am doing something wrong Thanks BryceBest tube dimensions for what ??? ummm.... 3/4" ID x 7 1/2 L, that should work. No one does pyro by teaspoons that I ever heard of. Get a scale capable of 1/10 gram resolution. When a composition has components referred to by "parts" (i.e. 75 parts KNO3...) it is ALWAYS by weight. ( I won't say by mass because old comps do use lb and oz ) Try searching google. if you can't follow the search instructions on here, it would worry me to give you any "easy to understand plans and ingredients". http://www.wfvisser.dds.nl/indexEN.html has a lot of good basic info, but his fountain tutorial page is "under construction". A quick search here on APC turns up this good link: http://thegreenman.me.uk/projects/foun.html You should probably try and obtain a copy of Tom Perigrin's "Introductory Practical Pyrotechnics" I think I saw someone on here talking about selling their copy in the past few days ?
TheSidewinder Posted January 26, 2008 Posted January 26, 2008 There ya go, a link for what looks to me to be a good fountain, complete with formula. Keep them coming. I happen to like fountains. Anf frozentech is correct. A good scale is a MUST. Nearly all pyro formulas call for parts by weight, and "teaspoon" is a volume.
mormanman Posted January 26, 2008 Posted January 26, 2008 I got a scale from ebay for ten bucks. Its a good scale. It measures grams to 1/10, and troy oz. and oz. to 1/100 and I think it does pennyweight. Remember $10.
hst45 Posted January 27, 2008 Posted January 27, 2008 If you're trying to convince your folks that you're into pyrotechnics not mischief, I would change my handle from "bombboy" to something that didn't make you sound like you're a punk blowing up mailboxes. If you have access to basic pyro chemicals then try an unchoked blackpowder fountain with the addition of some iron filings. A 1/2" I.D. tube packed with a mix of homemade 90% black powder and 10% brake drum turnings will make a serviceable fountain. If that burns too rapidly add a bit of baking soda to slow down the burn rate. If you have zinc powder available a mix of 2 parts sulfur to one part zinc makes a pretty decent fountain with a greenish hue. No matter what you try, please use small amounts and always take precautions. What you don't know WILL hurt you, so be careful and do small sized experiments so that if the dragon bites you he only takes a nip not a hand.
marks265 Posted January 27, 2008 Posted January 27, 2008 I agree with hst45 I would definetly change your your handle as most of us look at this as an art. I know I don't blink when the "B" word comes out! I would have mentioned it earlier but I can be like a buzz saw through rotten meat. I'm 45 years old and can atest to a bad habit or two at one time or another. This is a hobby where you do not want a bad habit. So I lived what the sidewinder and frozentech are talking about, I got Perigrin's book and the first thing I did was read the first couple of chapters. The stuff about safety and realizing that there are bad compositions out there and things you just don't do. So do a lot of reading and asking and then put your leather gloves on! I know that pyro books are not cheap but there are reputable suppliers out on the net that have projects posted that I'm sure you would like. In reguards to a tutorial I just might try a video on this in the next couple of days. Sounds like fun actually! HMMM, wonder if I have some Ti left somewhere. Or maybe I'll try to catch a flitter or two.oh yea BTW welcome aboard!
Gottagotomoz Posted January 27, 2008 Posted January 27, 2008 If you can get access to the bare necessities, (KNO3, S, and Charcoal) then you're well on your way. Try a mix of 85% BP, and 15% various mesh charcoal. Get a sturdy paper tube, and ram the composition with a dowel of the same ID as the tube and a rubber mallet. This will give you a nice spray of orange sparks. I'd be careful choking the nozzle. Try an unchoked nozzle at first, and if you feel like it's "spitting" the sparks out, rather than spraying them try a 3/4 ID choke. Recently, I've been spending a great deal of time working on fountains, and came across this composition: Meal - 40 (I used Cowboy brand charcoal, in the standard 75:15:10 BP ratio, milled for about 3-4 hours)Antimony Trisulfide 200 Mesh Chinese Needle - 8Atomized 325 Mesh Al. - 6 (I'm aware this is an actual composition, though I have added 2 parts to the aluminum.) The mix was screened together, and pressed in a 3/4" ID tube with a one ton arbor press. For anyone looking for a glitterish type fountain, I recommend you try this. I did not choke this composition at first, and I was more than impressed with the results.
oskarchem Posted January 27, 2008 Posted January 27, 2008 Yeah I would try a basic BP fountain, but you don't really have make a nozzle, I mean my coarse charcoal actually made a pretty heigh fountain... Oh and Gottagotomoz> He said that he had the basic chemicals, I don't think he has Antimony trisulphide... I've been in this hobby for a 1 1/2 and still don't have any.
Gottagotomoz Posted January 27, 2008 Posted January 27, 2008 Oh and Gottagotomoz> He said that he had the basic chemicals, I don't think he has Antimony trisulphide... I've been in this hobby for a 1 1/2 and still don't have any.Haha, yeah I'm aware of that. That's why I stated below: "For ANYONE looking for a glitterish type fountain, I recommend you try this." It wasn't directed towards just him, but to anyone.
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