Part 6
Plate 2, Fig. 18, represents the plan of an apparatus, or lath, for boring of rockets; A the large wheel which turns the small one B, that works the reammer C: these reammers are of different sizes according to the rockets; they must be of the same diameter as the top of the bore intended, and continue that thickness a little longer than the depth of the bore required, and their points must be like that of an auger; the thick end of each reammer must be made square and all of the same size, so as to fit into one socket, wherein they are fastened by a screw D: E the guide for the reammer, which is made to move backwards and forwards; so that after you have marked the reammer three diameters and a half of the rocket from the point, set the guide, allowing for the thickness of the fronts of the rocket boxes, and the neck and mouth of the rocket, so that when the front of the large box is close to the guide, the reammer may not go too far up the charge; F, boxes for holding the rockets, which are made so as to fit one in another; their sides must be equal in thickness to the difference of the diameters of the rockets, and their interior diameters equal to the exterior diameters of the rockets. To prevent the rockets turning round while boring, a piece of wood must be placed against the end of the box in the inside, and pressed against the tail of the rocket; this will also hinder the reammer from forcing the rocket backwards. G, a rocket in the box. H, a box that hides under the rocket boxes to receive the borings from the rockets, which falls through holes made on purpose in the boxes; these holes must be just under the mouth of the rocket, one in each box, and all to correspond with each other.
Fig. 19, is a front view of the large rocket box. I, an iron plate, in which are holes of different sizes, through which the reammer passes; this plate is fastened with a screw in the center, so that when you change the reammer, you turn the plate round, but always let the hole you are going to use be at the bottom; the fronts of the other boxes must have holes in them to correspond with them in the plate. K, the lower part of the large box, which is made to fit the inside of the lathe, in order that all the boxes may move quite steady.
Fig. 20, is a perspective view of the lathe. L, the guide for the reammer, which is set by the screw at bottom.
Fig. 21, a view of the front of the guide facing the reammer. M, an iron plate, of the same dimensions as that on the front of the box, and placed in the same direction, and also to turn on a screw in the center. N, the rocket box, which slides backwards and forwards: when you have fixed a rocket in the box, push it forwards against the reammer; and when you think the scoop of the reammer is full, draw the box back, and knock out the composition; this you must do till the rocket is bored, or it will be in danger of taking fire; and if you bore in a hurry, wet the end of the reammer now and then with oil to keep it cool.
Having bored a number of rockets, you must have taps of different sorts according to the rockets. These taps are a little longer than the bore, but when you use them, mark them three diameters and a half from the point, allowing for the thickness of the rocket’s neck; then, holding the rocket in one hand, you tap it with the other. In order to explain these taps, I have represented one by Fig. 22. They are made in the same proportion as the fixed piercers, and are hollowed their whole length.
Of a Hand Machine used for boring of Rockets instead of a Lathe.
Those sort of machines answer very well, but not so expeditious as the lathe, nor are they so expensive to make; they may be worked by one man; but the lathe will require three. Fig. 23, represents the machine. O, the rocket boxes, which are to be fixed and not to slide as those in the lathe. P Q, are guides for the reammers, that are made to slide together, as the reammer moves forward: the reammers for these sort of machines must be made of a proper length, allowing for the thickness of the front of the boxes, and the length of the mouth and neck of the case: on the square end of these reammers, must be a round shoulder of iron, to turn against the outside of the guide Q, by which means the guides are forced forwards. R, the stock which turns the reammer, and while turning must be pressed towards the rocket, by the body of the man who works it; all the reammers are to be made to fit one stock. This machine as well as the lathe is made by the scale in the same plate.
The Manner of making large Gerbes.
Fig. 24, represents a wooden former; 25, a gerbe compleat, with its foot or stand. The cases for gerbes are made very strong, on account of the strength of the composition; which, when fired, comes out with great velocity; therefore, to prevent their bursting, the paper should be pasted, and the cases made as thick at the top as at the bottom; they ought also to have very long necks, for this reason; first, that the particles of iron will have more time to be heated, by meeting with greater resistance in getting out, than with a short neck, which would be burnt too wide before the charge be consumed, and spoil the effect: Secondly, that with long necks the stars will be thrown to a great height, and will not fall before they are spent, or spread too much; but, when made to perfection, will rise and spread in such a manner as to form exactly a wheat-sheaf.
In the ramming of gerbes, there will be no need of a mould, the cases being sufficiently strong to support themselves; but you are to be careful, before you begin to ram, to have a piece of wood made to fit in the neck; for if this be not done, the composition will fall into the neck, and leave a vacancy in the case, which, as I said before, will cause the case to burst as soon as the fire arrives at the vacancy: you must likewise observe, that the first ladle of charge, or two, if you think proper, be of some weak composition. When the case is filled, take out the piece of wood, and fill the neck with some slow charge. Gerbes are generally made about six diameters long, from the bottom to the top of the neck; their bore must be one fifth narrower at top than at bottom. The neck S is one sixth diameter and three fourths long. T, a wooden foot or stand, on which the gerbe is fixed. This may be made with a choak or cylinder, four or five inches long, to fit the inside of the case, or with a hole in it to put in the gerbe; both these methods will answer the same. Gerbes produce a most brilliant fire, and are very when a number of them are fixed in the front of a building, or a collection of fireworks.
N. B. Gerbes are made by their diameters, and their cases at bottom one fourth thick. The method of finding the interior diameter of a gerbe is thus: Supposing you would have the exterior diameter of the case, when made, to be five inches, then, by taking two fourths for the sides of the case, there will remain two inches and a half for the bore, which will be a very good size. These sort of gerbes ought to be rammed very hard.
Of small Gerbes or White Fountains.
Small gerbes may be made of four, eight ounces, or one pound cases, pasted and made very strong, of what length you please; but, before you fill them, drive in dry clay one diameter of their orifice high, and when you have filled a case, bore a vent through the center of the clay to the composition; the common proportion will do for the vent, which must be primed with a slow charge. These sort of cases without the clay, may be filled with Chinese fire.
To make Paste-board and Paper Mortars.
Fig. 26, a former, and 27, an elm foot for the mortar; 28, a mortar compleat; these mortars are best when made with paste-board; your paste-board must be well pasted before you begin; or, instead of paste, you may use glue. For a coehorn mortar, which is four inches two fifths diameter, roll the paste-board on the former one sixth of its diameter thick; and, when dry, cut one end smooth and even, then nail and glue it on the upper part of the foot; when done, cut off the paste-board at top, allowing for the length of the mortar two diameters and a half from the mouth of the powder chamber; then bind the mortar round with a strong cord wetted with glue. U, the bottom part of the foot, is one diameter two thirds broad, and one diameter high; and that part which goes into the mortar is two thirds of it’s diameter high. W, is a copper chamber for powder, made in a conical form, and is one third of the diameter wide, and one and a half of its own diameter long; in the center of the bottom of this chamber, make a small hole a little way down the foot; this hole must be met by another of the same size made in the side of the foot, as is shewn in Fig. 28. If these holes are made true, and a copper pipe fitted into both, the mortar when loaded will prime itself, for the powder will naturally fall to the bottom of the first hole; then, by putting a bit of quick-match in the side hole, your mortar will be ready to be fired.
Mortars of five and a half, eight, and ten inches diameter, may be made of paper, or paste-board, by the above method, and in the same proportion; but if larger, it will be best to have them made of brass. N. B. The copper chamber, must have a small rim round its edge with holes in it, for screws to make it fast in the foot.
SECT. IV.
The Manner of loading Air Ballóóns, with the Number of Stars, Serpents, Snakes, Rain-falls, &c. contained in Shells of each Nature.
As ballóóns are held in great esteem, by most admirers of fire works, I shall here give a full description of them in every particular, in so clear a manner, that a young practitioner may, by taking a little pains, be pretty certain of succeeding the first trial.
When you fill your shells, you must first put in the serpents, rains, stars, &c. or whatever they are composed of; then the blowing powder; but the shells must not be quite filled; all those things must be put in at the fuze hole; but marrons, being too large to go in at the fuze hole, must be put in before the inside shell be joined. When the shells are loaded, glue and drive in the fuzes very tight. Of these fuzes we shall say more hereafter; but shall here give the diameter of the fuze hole in ballóóns of each nature, which are as follows. For a coehorn ballóón, let the diameter of the fuze hole be seven eighths of an inch. For a royal ballóón, which is near five inches and a half diameter, make the fuze hole one inch one eighth diameter. For an eight inch ballóón, one inch three eighths: and for a ten inch ballóón, one inch five eighths.
Having proceeded thus far with the directions of loading ballóóns, I shall in the second place give an account of the quantities and number of each article, proper for shells of each nature; but it is to be observed, that air-ballóóns are divided into four sorts, viz. first, illuminated ballóóns; second, ballóóns of serpents; third, ballóóns of reports, marrons, and crackers; and fourth, compound ballóóns.
For a Coehorn Ballóón illuminated.
oz. Meal powder 1½ Corn powder 0½ Powder for the mortar 2
Length of the fuze composition three quarters of an inch; one ounce drove or rolled stars, as many as will nearly fill the shell.
For a Coehorn Ballóón of Serpents.
oz. Meal powder 1¼ Corn powder 1 Powder for the mortar 2¼
Length of the fuze composition thirteen sixteenths of an inch; half ounce cases drove three diameters and bounced three diameters; and half ounce cases drove two diameters and bounced four; of each an equal quantity, and as many of them as will fit in easily, placed head to tail.
For a Coehorn Ballóón of Crackers and Reports.
oz. Meal powder 1¼ Corn powder 0¾ Powder for the mortar 2
Length of the fuze composition three quarters of an inch; reports four, and crackers of six bounces, as many as will fill the shell.
For Compound Coehorn Ballóóns.
oz. dr. Meal powder 1 4 Corn powder 0 12 Powder for the mortar 2 4
Length of the fuze composition thirteen sixteenths of an inch; half ounce cases drove three diameters and a half and bounced two, sixteen. Half ounce cases drove four diameters and not bounced, ten. Blue strung stars, ten. Rolled stars as many as will compleat the ballóón.
For Royal Ballóóns illuminated.
oz. dr. Meal powder 1 8 Corn powder 0 12 Powder for the mortar 3 0
Length of the fuze composition fifteen sixteenths of an inch; two ounce strung stars, thirty-four: Rolled stars as many as the shell will contain, allowing room for the fuze.
For Royal Ballóóns of Serpents.
oz. dr. Meal powder 1 0 Corn powder 1 8 Powder for the mortar 3 8
Length of the fuze composition one inch; one ounce cases drove three and a half and four diameters, and bounced two, of each an equal quantity, sufficient to load the shell.
Royal Ballóóns of Crackers and Marrons.
oz. dr. Meal powder 1 8 Corn powder 1 4 Powder for firing the mortar 3 0
Length of the fuze composition fourteen sixteenths of an inch; reports twelve, and compleated with crackers of eight bounces.
For Compound Royal Ballóóns.
oz. dr. Meal powder 1 5 Corn powder 1 6 Powder for the mortar 3 12
Length of the fuze composition one inch; half ounce cases drove and bounced two diameters, eight. Two ounce cases filled three eighths of an inch with star composition, and bounced two diameters, eight. Silver rain-falls, ten. Two ounce tailed stars, sixteen. Rolled brilliant stars, thirty. If this should not be sufficient to load the shell, you may compleat it with gold rain falls.
For eight inch Ballóóns illuminated.
oz. dr. Meal powder 2 8 Corn powder 1 4 Powder for the mortar 9 0
Length of the fuze composition one inch one eighth; two ounce drove stars, forty-eight. Four ounce cases drove with star composition three eighths of an inch and bounced three diameters, twelve; and the ballóón compleated with two ounce drove brilliant stars.
For eight inch Ballóóns of Serpents.
oz. dr. Meal powder 2 0 Corn powder 2 0 Powder for the mortar 9 8
Length of the fuze composition one inch three sixteenths. Two ounce cases drove one diameter and a half, and bounced two; and one ounce cases drove two diameters, and bounced two and a half; of each an equal quantity sufficient for the shell.
N. B. The star composition which is drove in cases that are bounced, must be managed thus; first the cases must be pinched close at one end, then the corn powder put in for a report, and the case pinched again close to the powder, only leaving a small vent for the star composition, which is drove at top, to communicate to the powder at the bounce end.
REMARKS.
Ballóóns filled with crackers, reports, and marrons, make no great show of themselves, nor are they very pleasing to the eye, for they represent nothing more than a number of pale white flashes, followed by a variety of reports; which altogether make but a very indifferent appearance when fired with illuminated ballóóns, which are so beautiful and brilliant, as to cast forth such lustre that will dazzle the eyes of the spectators for some time; on this consideration, I do not think it worth while loading shells of a large nature, with things that afford so little pleasure: but they have a pretty good effect in royal shells, when thrown among a number of air works, such as pots des brins or flights of rockets, in order to alarm the people with a thundering in the air. For they will not know from whence the reports came, if fired exactly at the same time with the other works, and the fuze made to carry a small fire. But if any one thinks proper to make large ballóóns of this sort, it is only observing a proportion of the blowing and firing powder, and the length of the fuze, for shells of the same dimensions as those you intend to make. These kind of ballóóns are lighter than any other sort, by reason of the crackers being light of themselves, and not lying close in the shells. It must be observed, when you fire light ballóóns, not to put so much powder in the mortar as for heavy ones.
Compound Eight-inch Ballóóns.
oz. dr. Meal powder 2 8 Corn powder 1 12 Powder for the mortar 9 4
Length of the fuze composition one inch one eighth; four ounce cases drove with star composition three eighths of an inch, and bounced three diameters, sixteen. Two ounce tailed stars, sixteen. Two ounce drove brilliant stars, twelve. Silver rain-falls, twenty. One ounce drove blue stars, twenty: and one ounce cases drove and bounced two diameters, as many as will fill the shell.
Another of Eight-inches.
oz. dr. Meal powder 2 8 Corn powder 1 12 Powder for the mortar 9 4
Length of the fuze composition one inch one eighth; crackers of six reports, ten. Gold rains, fourteen. Two ounce cases drove with star composition three eighths of an inch, and bounced two diameters, sixteen. Two ounce tailed stars, sixteen. Two ounce drove brilliant stars, twelve. Silver rains, ten: one ounce drove blue stars, twenty: and one ounce cases drove with a brilliant charge two diameters and bounced three, as many as the shell will hold.
Another of Eight-inches.
oz. dr. Meal powder 2 12 Corn powder 2 0 Powder for the mortar 9 0
Length of the fuze composition one inch one sixteenth; crackers of six reports, ten. Gold rains, twenty. Two ounce cases drove with star composition half an inch, and bounced two diameters sixteen. Two ounce drove brilliant stars, two ounce drove blue stars, two ounce drove coloured stars, two ounce drove tailed stars, large strung stars, and rolled stars, of each an equal quantity, sufficient for the ballóón.
For a compound Ten-inch Ballóón.
oz. dr. Meal powder 3 4 Corn powder 2 8 Powder for the mortar 12 8
Length of the fuze composition fifteen sixteenths of an inch; one ounce cases drove and bounced three diameters, sixteen. Crackers of eight reports, twelve. Four ounce cases drove half an inch with star composition, and bounced two diameters, fourteen. Two ounce cases drove with brilliant fire one diameter and a quarter, and bounced two diameters, sixteen. Two ounce drove brilliant stars, thirty. Two ounce drove blue stars, thirty. Gold rains, twenty. Silver rains, twenty: after all these are put in, fill the remainder of the case with tailed and rolled stars.
For a Ten-inch Ballóón of three Changes.
oz. dr. Meal powder 3 0 Corn powder 3 2 Powder for the mortar 13 0
Length of the fuze composition one inch; the shell must be loaded with two ounce cases, drove with star composition a quarter of an inch, and on that one diameter of gold fire, then bounced three diameters; or with two ounce cases first filled one diameter with gold-fire, then a quarter of an inch with star composition, and on that one diameter and a quarter of brilliant fire. These cases must be well secured at top of the charge, lest they should take fire at both ends, but their necks must be larger than the common proportion.
To make Ballóón Fuzes.
Fuzes for air ballóóns are sometimes turned out of dry beech, with a cup at top, to hold the quick-match, as you see in Plate II. Fig. 28, but if made with pasted paper, they will do as well: the diameter of the former for fuzes for coehorn ballóóns, must be half an inch; for a royal fuze, five eighths of an inch; for an eight inch fuze, three quarters of an inch; and for a ten inch fuze, seven eighths of an inch. Having rolled your cases, pinch and tie them almost close at one end; then drive them down, and let them dry; before you begin to fill them, mark, on the out side of the case, the length of charge required, allowing for the thickness of the bottom; and when you have rammed in the composition, take two pieces of quick-match, about six inches long, and lay one end of each on the charge, and then a little meal powder, which ram down hard; the loose ends of the match double up into the top of the fuze, and cover it with a paper cap to keep it dry. When you put the shells in the mortars, uncap the fuzes, and pull out the loose ends of the match, and let them hang on the sides of the ballóóns; the use of the match is, to receive the fire from the powder in the chamber of the mortar, in order to light the fuze: the shell being put in the mortar with the fuze uppermost, and exactly in the center; sprinkle over it a little meal-powder, and it will be ready to be fired. Fuzes made of wood must be longer than those of paper, and not bored quite through, but left solid about half an inch at bottom; and when you use them, saw them off to a proper length, measuring the charge from the cup at top.
Of Tourbillons.
Having filled some cases within about one diameter and a half, drive in a ladle full of clay, then pinch their ends close, and drive them down with a mallet; when done, find the center of gravity of each case, where you nail and tie a stick which should be half an inch broad at the middle, and run a little narrower to the ends these sticks must have their ends turned upwards, so that the cases may turn horizontally on their centers: at the opposite sides of the cases at each end, bore a hole close to the clay with a gimblet, the size of the neck of a common case of the same nature; from these holes draw a line round the case, and at the under part of the case bore a hole, with the same gimblet, within half a diameter of each line towards the center; then from one hole to the other draw a right line. This line divide into three equal parts, and at X and Y, Fig. 29, Plate III. bore a hole, then from these holes to the other two, lead a quick-match, over which paste a thin paper. Fig. 30, represents a tourbillon as it should lay to be fired, with a leader from one side hole A, to the other B. When you fire tourbillons, lay them on a smooth table, with their sticks downwards, and burn the leader thro’ the middle with a port fire. They should spin three or sour seconds on the table before they rise, which is about the time the composition will be burning, from the side holes to those at bottom.
To tourbillons may be fixed reports, in this manner; in the center of the case at top, make a small hole, and in the middle of the report make another; then place them together, and tie on the report, and with a single paper secure it from sire, this being done your tourbillon is compleated. By this method you may fix on tourbillons, small cones of stars, rains, &c. but be careful not to load them too much. One eighth of an inch will be enough for the thickness of the sticks, and their length equal to that of the cases.
The Manner of making Mortars, for throwing Aigrettes and loading and firing the same.