HPAVC/HPAVC CD-ROM.iso/pc/VORTEX.ZIP/066.TXT

Text File | 1996-07-07 | 4.5 KB | 255 lines

                          -  Pyrotechnics I -
                            -Introduction-
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        What is pyrotechnics, you ask?  Well it consists of a general topic
of fire.  Fire used for display purposes only!  It can go from the actuall
blowing up buildings for movies or launching the mortars on the 4th of July.
I will talk about the firework part of pyrotechnics here, for the reason of
because that is the stuff I like the most.  Pyrotechnics is an art and a hobbie.
You have to like it alot in order to be really good at it.  You can't screw up
by any measure unless you like getting burnt and blown up.  It is generally a
safe field if you know what your doing.  Now I will explain the consept of
how fireworks work.  Well I guess I could start off with the skyrocket.  It
can be used for numerous diplays.  Depending on where you get the supplies can
determin wether or not this hobbie will be expensive.  I made my first actuall
skyrocket that worked very well on JULY 4th 1996.  It worked wonderfully.  There
was only one problem.  The average skyrocket goes about 100-150 feet up in the
air and then throws its colored stars.  Well my rocket engine that I used (C6-7)
was a bit too powerfull.  It launched the rocket to an alltitude (I'm guessing)
of about 500-800 feet up.  Too high.  You could hardly see my star composition
because it was so high.  It blew up by throwing gold rain and crakling white
stars.  Every one loved it (except for the fact that it went to high).
Well now I will tell you how to make this one.  It was a simple consept but
smart.  I used a regular model rocket that you can get at most hobbie stores.
As I said above I used a C6-7 model rocket engine.  You must have a rocket that
you can open up right above the engine to expose the end, and must also have
a nice distance from the tip of the engine to the nose cone of the rocket for
your display materials.  Before you insert the enging into the rocket, you must
scrape of the following on the back of the rocket:

        - the clay retainer cap
        - the ejection charge
        - half the tracking smoke / delay

After you have done this, place the engine into the rocket.  Now you will have
to obtain the following:

        - a nice length of firecraker fuse
        - picolote pete powder
        - crakling balls (out of the "fire crakle" type fireworks) they come in
             boxes that look like morning glory boxes.
        - magnesium
        - eletric starter (the kind used in old lights, can buy at store)

Now, mix 1 part magnesium, 2 parts crakling balls, 1 part picolote pete powder,
and set it aside for later.  Now take your starter and uncrimp the ends to remove
the lid.  After removing the lid, gut the thing so that it is empty.  Then at
the bottom there should be a little hole.  You need to make this hole about
two or three times larger than it already is.  Then place the fuse you obtained
( another good fuse to use is from the firecrakle things, use the gray one, not
the green one!) in the hole at the bottom. It is always good to place as many
as you can fit in the hole and then loop them so that incase one or two of them
doesn't work.  After placing the fuse, pour in your mixture that you have made
before into the starter making sure that all of the fuses are running through
it.  Then place the cap back on the starter and crimp it down with the four
little prongs.  Place the starter into the rocket body just abouve the engine.
Pour a little picolo pete powder into the end of the engine, about 3mm high.
Then place the fuses coming out of the starter into the picolo pete powder in
the end of the rocket.  Carefully glue the rocket together without tiping the
rocket upside down or else it will put pressure on the fuses causing some to
rip and the rocket to fail.  All left now is to fire!!  When the rocket engine
burns out it will ignite the picolo pete powder, igniting your fuses.  When the
stuff in the starter ignites it will create enough pressure to blow of the lid
and everything inside of it. There is your display....Be creative...

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