The Big Boom

[whitefox77]

Whitefox,

I couldn't agree with you more. One year for the 4th we shot over 800 shells, all of which were the standard 2". My audience is fairly close, but protected...so they are very near the action. It was awesome, we had everything a person could want.

 

At the end of the show...everybody kept asking where the big booms were... Being a person that would rather see a sky full of dazzling blue stars and think the booms are unnecessary...I felt betrayed!

 

So this year, I moved my crowed back, did five 5 gallon cremora fireballs, and a finale of 1.75 hand made salutes. Used only 5 grams of flash per shell... 20 shots.

And even though I thought it was a waste of time and I plugged my ears, my audience said at the end...

"I almost pissed my pants..."

Which I guess is a compliment...

 

I realize thats a long story just to say 5 grams... but my point is... less can be more.

 

all my hard work making beautiful shells...and people scream and giggle about a mushroom cloud of coffee creamer....<sigh>

 

 

If you really want them to go nuts, mix in some air-float charcoal to your creamer, about 1 part af to 5 parts creamer. You end up with gold sparks whooshing through the convection currents created by the fireball.

 

I'll try the 5g and 10g salute shells and see which I like better....

[tentacles]

whitefox: Frank and I had our best fireballs in our testing when we combines commercial AF and gravy base (50% fat) 50/50. We didn't actually try different ratios, and we mixed by volume because we are lazy. I can see where less AF might have almost as good of an effect, though, just by providing some IR absorption to bring the temperature up to burn the creamer. The HOTTEST fireballs, though, were straight airfloat. 50/50 AF/GB was the nicest fireball overall, duration, size, rolling.

 

For sparks, toss in some 20-80 mesh charcoal, works great.

Edited September 24, 2008 by tentacles

[psyco_1322]

I finally got around to watching that beraq video. My guess on the red insert things is they are some kind of aerial mines. Possible like splitting stars are made but not two comets in a tube, just loose micro stars giving a double sided mine effect. They look to be shooting things out in directions and not like made to break and spread things everywhere.

[Mumbles]

This video gives a much clearer look at it. I'd say definately not as Psyco has described, but given the other view it does seem plausible.

 

 

Look kinda like ring shells. Could just be little inserts. It's hard to tell if they are the rosette type devices I thought. They are supposed to make a lower toned salute sound, and incorporate the tails and poofiness like Ti salutes. There are still beraq going off when the red devices go. What ever they are, they are probably only about 1.15" to 1.25" OD.

[psyco_1322]

I knew it! I watched the original video over and over again every time it showed them breaking. In the mists I thought I notice one of them breaking in a circular pattern. OK, so I will re-draw my conclusions. Maybe they are made in the similar fassion as Ti ring salutes, were the casing has a ring of glue and stars/Ti are allowed to stick to it. Thus when breaking yields a ring of Ti or in this case, colored stars.

[Pretty green flame]

Is there a difference in sound or performance, if a salute is filled all the way to the top and closed (as in, no empty space or very little of it anyway) as opposed to filling it half way or 2/3rds full? Filling all the way to the top refers to filling to the top and a slight tap on the workbench to settle the composition a bit.

 

Thanks and have a safe NYE

[GraafVaag]

As far as I've heard, a salute makes a better/lower sound when there is some free space. I have never tested it though. Edited December 25, 2008 by GraafVaag

[Miech]

The space left free and the average density are just a few of the many parameters depending how it will sound. I think the amount of confinement is of more importance than other parameters. When using fast flash, heavy confinement usually gives a deep 'boom' with a sharp crack. Less confinement gives a less loud bang, but a slightly deeper sound. With slower flashes little confinement doesn't give much 'boom', while heavy confinement gives chest thumping reports. In my experience it doesn't matter at all if a report is filled all the way up, or even if it is slightly compressed or not. It will explode violently anyway.

 

The only thing I look at is the formula I'll be using. Large reports using slower flash need to be closer to the stochiometric ratio than smaller ones using faster flash, and the smallest either need to be near stochiometric or contain some sort of thermobaric composition.

 

For reports smaller than 5 grams I usually use the following formula from Ralph Degn, which is surprisingly loud:

40 Potassium Perchlorate

34 Magnesium (anything -120 mesh will do)

26 Dark Aluminium

 

For anything up to 30 grams I use the well known 70/30 flash. I strongly dislike salutes needing more than 30 grams of flash, as the power of that stuff just scares the crap outta me. If I do make something big however, I usually use a composition using bright aluminium. That's both to save money and to reduce sensitivity.

[psyco_1322]

Has anyone had any experience with a straight KClO4/Mg type of flash? I read about one a long time ago that said it needed to remain fluffy for rapid burning, otherwise it would act as a flare. Edited December 26, 2008 by psyco_1322

[LGM]

The other day I tested a gram or so of flash I made from potassium chlorate and mangesium I sanded off of a block, no measurements. It made a pop and managed to put out the propane torch I used to light it. I wouldn't worry about keeping it fluffy, as long as it isn't pressed into a solid mass it'll make a bang.

[Richtee]

The other day I tested a gram or so of flash I made from potassium chlorate and mangesium I sanded off of a block, no measurements. It made a pop and managed to put out the propane torch I used to light it. I wouldn't worry about keeping it fluffy, as long as it isn't pressed into a solid mass it'll make a bang.

 

While this MAY be outside what is allowed to discuss... Mg makes one of the most powerful flash comps I have experienced. And according to the lit I have read, one of the more sensitive. But it's gone OT here I suppose.

[Mumbles]

I agree with that. I've had it selfconfine at uncomfortably small quantites. I don't use it unless I have to. Colored flashes and all that, though I'm sure I can make it work with MgAl too.

 

From what I've heard is that the fill level depends on what kind of salute you're making. If you're making a "hardcase" one, it needs expansion room, and room to stay fluffy. If you're making a "softcase" one, you can fill it to the top with no problems. By softcase, I refer to the handrolled bottom shots as outlined in Fulcanelli or this video:

 

http://www.fireworksnews.com/product/927/6

[psyco_1322]

Any insight on the reasoning Mums?

 

I would figure it to be the other way around.

[Mumbles]

I have no concrete explanations as to why. I've heard it's because the hard case ones need the gas to expand inside of the container before rupturing it. While the soft ones have a bit of give, so they can expand like a balloon a bit before breaking.