A Professional's Guide to Pyrotechnics: Understanding and Making Exploding by Joba Donner Copyright © 1997 by John Donner ISBN 0-87364-979-4 Printed in the: United States of America Published by Paladin Press, a division of Paladin Entesprises, Inc., PO. Box 1307, Boulder, Colorado 50306, USA. Direct inquiries and/or orders to the above address. PALADIN, PALADIN PRESS, and the “horse head™ design are trademarks belonging te Paladin Enterprises and registered in United Statea Patent and Trademark Office. All rights reserved. Except for usc im a review, no portion of this book may be reproduced in any form ‘without the express wrifien permission of the publisher. Neither the author mor the publisher assumes any responsibility for the mse or misuse of information contained in this book, Contents Introduction Chapter 1: Firecracker History Chapter 2; Tools and Supplies ‘Chapter 3: ‘Chemicals ‘Chapter 4: Chinese Firecrackers Chapter 5: Flash Powder ‘Chapter 6: The American Cannon Cracker Chapter 7: Hite’s Flashcracka Chapter 8: The Cherry Bomb Chapter 9: Ash Cans 3 21 29 37 B 53 59A Professionaf’s Guide to Pyrotechnics Chapter 10: ‘The MBO Li: The Globe Torpedo Chapter 12: The Cracker Ball ‘Chapter 13: (Chasers ‘Chapter 14: The Knallkorper Chapter 15: The Thunder Flash Chapter 16: The Booby Trap ‘Chapter 17: The Triangle Cracker ‘Chapter 18: The Aerial Bomb Glossary Bibliography Further Reading Resources: Chemicals and Supplies Internet Resources vi 67 3 77 cy a7 103 109 115 1i7 121 123 Warning The manufacture, possession, and use of explo- sives and explosive devices is illegal without certifi- cation and registration with the proper authorities. It is solely the reader's responsibiliry to research and comply with all local, state, and federal laws regard- ing the manufacture, posession, and use of explo- sives and explosive devices. The procedures described in this manual and the resulting end products are extremely dangerous. Whenever dealing with explosives of any type, spe- cial precautions must be followed in accordance with industry standards for experimentation and production of explosives. Failure to strictly follow such industry standards may result in harm to life and limb. Therefore, the author, publisher, and distribu- tors of this book disclaim any liability from any damages or injuries of any type that a reader or user of information contained within this book may encounter from the use of said information. Use the material presented in this manual and any end product of by-product at your own risk. This book is for informarion purposes only.