Consumer Fireworks Dissection

[MDH]

NOTE TO MODS: If this is violating patents issued by consumer fireworks companies and we're knowing something we shouldn't know, please delete this thread by all means. It isn't so far to my knowledge, so I'm going to go ahead.

The goal of this thread is to find out what techniques the consumer fireworks industry uses to often achieve some impressive effects with such small amounts of composition and strict limitations.

Please post any pictures or details of carefully (read, not ripped apart) consumer fireworks.

Better yet if you have any photographs of chemicals under the microscope from a really awesome firework please post them!

Looking forward to see what people have come up with as I know some of you guys (are guilty ) have done this sort of thing before.

EDIT: to the point, I'm just talking about compositions under the microscope, what packaging they used, etc.

-MDH...

[nme]

good idea. Don't have any exotic bought ones atm, like shells etc... Maybe a few bangers... Boring.. but hey... Commercial bangers SUCK ASS. Their casings are counter productive. (although safer)

[Douchermann]

Well I'd help you out, but in my state all fireworks are illegal except for smoke devices and sparklers. Oddly enough I have a microscope and would definitely post some shots of the compositions. Also, I'd like to point out that in the USA, the maximum amount of flashpowders allowed in any ground device is about 50mg, but any aerial is 150mg I believe. I love it when people say "oh man, check out my M-80's that my *insert family member* bought from *insert bordering state*" I just chuckle because I know how little powder is in them, and know about the ones that I've made

[nme]

Heh, Nice
Ya hell I'd be interested in those micro pics if you can get some good focus!

Oh, I should have rephrased my earlier statement; Counterproductive in the sense that the casing's arn't that efficient for the amount of flash inside them. i.e. The same effect could be attain with half the powder in a stronger casing. They are to degree safer, being able to rupture easier, and exerted a less powerful blast radius. The flash is also increased this way.

[MDH]

Wow. Well, I dissected a cheap 80 cent fountain today. It is mostly what looks like just black powder with more charcoal content, but there's bunches of little particles here and there of which I can only assume are spherical AL and a flaky looking delay agent.

I'd say it's a safe bet that this is somewhere around 4-6 parts KNO3, 1-4 parts charcoal and then some small parts of whatever the heck I was looking at and will assume is a delay agent due to the fountain's glitter effect.

Not perticularly exciting - but I'll see if I can get a picture or at least make a loose crappy paint program representation of what I'm seeing.

For info, the fountain was about 4 inches tall, 1 and 1/4 inches diameter, 1/4 inch thick casing and a cheap clay nozzle with a hole about 5 millimeters in diameter. There about six seconds of thin blackmatch.

[nme]

Aw some well focused micro-pics are a must! When I took apart a commercial fountain before I found the delaying agent to be just sawdust....