A system of pyrotechny

Nitrate of potassa, nitre, or saltpetre, is composed, as its name expresses, of nitric acid, and potassa. When pure, it contains, according to Kirwan, potassa 51.8, nitric acid...

Under this head are included all artificial preparations, designed, as the name expresses, to communicate fire to buildings, shipping, &c. and for other purposes, connected with...

It is obvious, that the order of arrangement, the manner of disposing the work, or establishing pieces for exhibition, may be greatly varied according to taste and fancy. The gr...

Pyrotechny is defined the doctrine of artificial fire-works, whether for war or exhibition, and is derived from the Greek, πυρ _fire_, and τεχνη _art_. In a more general sense,...

In presenting this work to the public as a system of Pyrotechny, which, we have reason to believe, is the only full and connected system that has appeared, we may be permitted t...

A rocket is a flying fusée, (_Fusées Volantes_ of the French), formed with paper, of a cylindrical shape, and filled with a composition of certain inflammable substances, being...

The directions, given for the formation of serpents, are the same in Morel and Bigot. Paper is rolled lengthwise on a mandril, or form, which is a quarter of an inch in diameter...

We have already noticed the principal furniture of a laboratory, and, therefore, can add nothing new on this head. There are, however, some utensils employed for particular work...

In preparing cases for gerbes, it is necessary that they should be made strong; as they would be liable to burst, on account of the strength of the composition, which comes out...

The jets are made with a caliber of from one-third of an inch, to one inch and one-third, in interior diameter. They are seven or eight exterior diameters in length, and are cha...

Laboratory-works comprehend all the operations of the _workshop_, connected with this branch of pyrotechny. The tools and instruments required for the laboratory, as well as the...

Fire-works, it is obvious, may be employed in a variety of ways, either large or small, in the open air, or in apartments, according to circumstances. _Fire-tables_ are composed...

Water rockets are generally small, from four ounces to two pounds. When large, they are difficult to be kept above water without a cork float. When this is used, it is tied to t...

The fusée of the French, is applied to various purposes, and is differently made by different artificers. Fuses are intended to communicate fire to the powder with which shells,...

There is a variety of scented fires, all partaking, in a greater or lesser degree, of a peculiar flavour, according to the substances, which enter into their composition. It is...

In Europe, the invention of fire-works is of a recent date, and ascribed to the Italians. In China, however, fire-works have been known for centuries. Some recent exhibitions at...

Matches, in artillery, are a kind of rope made of flax, hemp, or cotton slightly twisted, and prepared to retain fire for the use of artillery, mines, fire-works, &c. Bigot, (_T...

The _bouffée_, according to the term used in French, signifies a species of fire, which exhibits itself in _puffs_, or in alternate appearances, more or less brilliant. It is al...

We purpose, in the fourth part of our work, to go into the detail of the manufacture of various kinds of matches, which belong more particularly to military pyrotechny, adding,...

The laboratory for pyrotechny may consist of a building, furnished with furnaces, boilers, &c. for the preparation or refining of saltpetre, and other substances for use; but ac...

Jones (_Fire-works_, 8vo. 1776) observes, among other remarks, that nothing adds more to the appearance of fire-works, than placing them properly; though the management of them...

Port fires (_lances à feu_) are a species of fuse of a slow composition, designed for different purposes, and particularly for guns, when they are to fire rapidly. The paper, is...