CHAPTER XI

HOME-MADE PYROTECHNICS

If you would like some bright, lively fireworks, the kind you can manufacture at home, make them the day before the celebration, and there will be no necessity of waiting all the long hours until dark before seeing the sparks fly. Begin the fun early the next morning, and fire off these queer fireworks the entire day. The

=Three-story Red, White, and Blue Pin-wheel=

is very satisfactory, affording three times the enjoyment of a simple one-story affair. Fold a three-inch square of stiff red paper diagonally across from corner to corner, making two folds, which cross at the centre of the paper. Unfold and cut the square along the folds almost to the centre (Fig. 269); then pierce the alternating corner flaps with a long, stiff hat-pin, allowing each point threaded on the pin to remain there; run the pin through the centre of the paper (Fig. 270) and shove the red pin-wheel up close to the large round head of the hat-pin. Push a small cork on also, to prevent the pin-wheel from slipping. Work up another cork on the pin, about an inch or so below the first one; then make a larger pin-wheel of white paper and slide it on the same hat-pin, holding it in place with a third cork. Cut the last pin-wheel still larger and make it of blue paper. Shove up a fourth cork on the pin, and below, against it, thread on the blue pin-wheel. No cork will be required under the last pin-wheel; the hat-pin being now pushed firmly into the end of a stick, the blue pin-wheel cannot slide out of place (Fig. 271).

When ready, run with the toy, or whirl rapidly around, holding it in your hand, and see how beautifully the three parts spin, the whole appearing like a whirling red, white, and blue pyramid.

Another

=Pin-wheel in Your Hands=

has a button as a foundation. Take a large cup and trace two circles on yellow paper measuring three and a half inches in diameter; make two smaller circles of red paper, two still smaller of green paper, two others—decreasing in size—of yellow paper, and the two smallest circles of blue paper (Fig. 272). Separate the disks into two groups exactly [Illustration: Fig. 272.] [Illustration: Fig. 273.] alike; then fasten each of the two sets of disks together by placing one over another; they will form two vari-colored disks, each a duplication of the other. Select a large button and place it between two vari-colored disks. Be sure to have it in the centre; then with a large pin or needle punch two holes through the disks, covering the corresponding opposite holes in the button. Thread a string through the two holes and tie the ends together (Fig. 273); join the edges of the two disks and the pin-wheel will be ready for action. Place the first two fingers of the right hand in one loop, and of the left hand in the other; give the string a twirl and pull the hands apart. The motion causes the string to twist, allowing the hands to come nearer together; another outward motion of the hands and the pin-wheel will revolve rapidly in another direction. By alternately bringing the hands together and pulling them apart, the pin-wheel can be kept spinning as long as you like. In making the pin-wheel, the paper may be either pasted or sewed; it is firmer when pasted.

=Pin-wheels on the Fence=

are fiery, sparkling, and larger than the hand pin-wheels Find a large-sized empty spool (Fig. 274) for a foundation; then cut a circular pasteboard disk four inches in diameter for the back of the pin-wheel (Fig. 275). Make blue fire of strips of fringed-out bright-blue paper (Fig. 276) and paste them across each other on the disk (Fig. 277). Cut a square [Illustration: Fig. 274.] [Illustration: Fig. 275.] of yellow paper fringed around the edges for the yellow fire and fasten it over the blue fire. Make red fire of a circle of fringed red paper (Fig. 278) a trifle smaller than the yellow, that the yellow fire may be seen surrounding the red and the blue stand out beyond the yellow. Each succeeding layer of fire must be smaller, though not necessarily of the same shape as the last. The uneven, straggling ends add to the effect when the pin-wheel is in motion. Let the last two [Illustration: 175] papers be white and green and on the top fasten irregular lengths of the thread-like tinsel left from your Christmas-tree decorations. Do not bunch it too much; have the tinsel string out [Illustration: Fig. 278.] long in various directions, so it will look like dropping flying sparks when you fire off the pin-wheel. If you have no tinsel, finely cut stands of gold-paper may take its place. Paste the back of the pin-wheel securely on one end of the empty spool. When finished it should resemble Fig. 279. Select a strong wire nail and push it through a small disk of inked pasteboard (Fig. 280); bring the pasteboard up close to the head of the nail, then pierce the pin-wheel in the centre and run the nail through both wheel and spool. The little black card-board prevents [Illustration: Fig. 279.] the pin-wheel from slipping off the nail. After the paste or glue has dried, hammer the nail which is in the pin-wheel upon the fence and set the firework off by means of a strong string placed over the spool with the ends crossed (Fig. 281). By holding the two ends of the [Illustration: Fig. 280.] [Illustration: Fig. 281.] string, one in each hand, and rapidly pulling first one, then the other, the pin-wheel will revolve so fast that it might be mistaken for one of actual fire, but unlike the real one there is no likelihood of the paper wheel turning black and falling to the ground. Yours will spin as long and as often as you like, losing none of its brilliancy (Fig. 282).

=The Sparkling Calumet=

is fascinating. Its bright sparks fly up and out in every direction all over your head, hair, and clothing, but they do [Illustration: Fig. 283.] no harm. Take a strip of stiff paper three and a half inches wide and eleven inches long; cut a hole in one end (Fig. [Illustration: Fig. 284.] 283) and paste the two lengthwise edges together, forming a hollow tube; then pin up the open end nearest the hole (Fig. 284). Cut Fig. 285, making it about four inches across at the widest [Illustration: Fig. 288.] point; slash the lower edge and pin this pipe-bowl in funnel shape by bringing [Illustration: Fig. 285.] [Illustration: Fig. 286.] the two sides together (Fig. 286); fasten it on the tube over the hole in the top by gluing the flaps down on the pipe-stem (Fig. 287). Half-fill the pipe-bowl with brilliantly colored bits of paper, including [Illustration: Fig. 287.] scraps of gold and silver tinsel cut very small. In this way pieces too little for anything else can be utilized. Make a good supply so that you may fire off the calumet many times. Place the open end of the tube to your lips and blow (Fig. 288).

It will not take more than five minutes to make the

=Roman Candle=

Cut a piece of paper about ten inches long and seven inches wide, roll it up and slip a small elastic over the roll [Illustration: Fig. 289.] to hold the Roman candle in shape; carefully fold in one end of the roll (Fig. 289); then collect all of the scraps of bright-colored paper [Illustration: Fig. 290.] and bits of tinsel for sparks (Fig. 290). When the sparks are ready load the candle by filling it with them. Hold the candle in one hand and gayly swing it around like a real Roman candle. In what a dazzling circle the bright paper sparks fly! No matter if they do scatter all around, they may be gathered up and used again.

If you can find a side-steel taken from a dress-stay, use it for a

=Snap-fire=

Bend the ends together [Illustration: Fig. 291.] [Illustration: Fig. 292.] until it breaks at the centre (Fig. 291). On the broken end of one piece paste two gay tissue-paper streamers (Fig. 292). To fire it, hold the firework in an upright position, streamers downward, the papered end between the thumb and forefinger of the left hand and [Illustration: Fig. 293.] the upper end held with the thumb and forefinger of the right hand. Bend the snap-fire as in Fig. 293. Let go suddenly with the right hand, then an instant later with the left, and see the firework spring up high in the air, carrying its gay trimmings with it.

Just wait until you make the

=Rushing Comet=

and send it flying through the air, with its long tail sweeping [Illustration: Fig. 294.] out behind. How heartily you will laugh when it strikes its round head against some object which drives it flying backward.

A rubber ball about three inches in diameter will make a good comet’s head (Fig. 294).

Cut two strips of bright red tissue-paper, each four inches wide, the entire length of the sheet, and paste the two pieces together, forming a long paper ribbon (Fig. 295); fold this once near the centre (Fig. 296); fold again, bringing the lower folded end up to the first end (Fig. 297), then cut the paper in a fringe, making the strands half an inch wide; begin at the folded end and cut through all the layers up to the single layer of paper (Fig. 298). Unfold and you will have Fig. 299. [Illustration: Fig. 299.] Fasten this tail on the ball with strong paste (Fig. 300). In the same manner cut another long fringe of bright-blue tissue-paper; fasten it on the ball partly beyond and partly [Illustration: Fig. 300.] overlapping the red paper. Make a third fringe of orange-colored tissue-paper, and glue that also on the comet’s head. [Illustration: Fig. 301.] Gather up the tail carefully so it will not tangle and set the ball aside until it is perfectly dry; then run out in the sunshine with the comet in your arms and throw it up as far as you can toward the blue sky. The comet will look gorgeous sailing through the air. When it comes down, take the ball up again and throw it as far in front of you as possible. Away it will speed with a flutter and a dash, a long, brilliant streak of color (Fig. 301). The tail of the comet can be made longer by using three instead of two lengths of the paper.

Now we will make

=The Pistol=

of any firm, strong, hollow cylinder. A slender pasteboard mailing tube, or a stick of bamboo, or a section of some shrub from which you can push the pith, leaving a hollow case, will answer the purpose. Have the hollow stick about eight inches long, and for a ramrod cut a smooth, round stick an inch or two longer. Be sure that the ramrod slides easily through the tube while fitting snugly. [Illustration: Fig. 302.] Fig. 302 shows the ramrod in the pistol. Get a large raw potato and cut off several thick slices to use for bullets. Punch a slice with one end of the pistol, [Illustration: Fig. 303.] then with the other, leaving the potato bullets in it exactly as they came from the slice. When you are ready to fire, place the ramrod against the bullet in one end of the pistol and suddenly push the ramrod with force through the tube, sending the first bullet flying, and as it leaves the pistol a loud report will follow. Fig. 303 shows the potato slice and the bullets which have been used. Should you be able to find corks which exactly fit the pistol you could use them instead of potato. Fasten each cork to the end of a string and tie the string firmly around the centre of [Illustration: Fig. 304.] [Illustration: Fig. 305.] the pistol. Remember that the success of the pistol depends upon keeping the air bottled up tight in the tube by having the bullets fit tight. If the air is allowed to escape, no report will be heard; the bullets will not pop. But never fear; you will be able to make the pistol; have confidence, patience, and care, and your work will turn out well.

=Sky-rockets=

are one of the best kind of fireworks and furnish lots of fun. We will make some and send them flying through the air. Cut strips of paper eighteen inches long and two inches wide, fringing them seven inches on one side (Fig. 304). Commence at the unfringed end, B, and roll them like lamplighters (Fig. 305), folding each over at top end to keep it in place (Fig. 306, C). These are the sky-rockets, and are best made of stiff, bright-colored paper, but may be of any kind except very limber paper. Make a number of sky-rockets and “fire them off” by the aid of a large, empty spool with a piece of elastic adjusted loosely over one end, but tied securely (Fig. 307). Place one sky-rocket at a time through the hole in the spool, fringed end out, and, grasping the tip end in the elastic (Fig. 308), pull the sky-rocket toward [Illustration: Fig. 306.] you and let it fly back as you would send an arrow from a bow. There is another paper sky-rocket which rivals a real one in brilliancy, and is much easier to fire. Make the rocket of a hollow stick—a bamboo handle from a Japanese fan or parasol, or an old dried sunflower stalk will do—and [Illustration: Fig. 307.] cut the stick about seven inches long. Near one end tie on firmly a stout rubber band (Fig. 309). The stick of the sky-rocket should be strong and slender and about twelve inches in length. Have it small enough in diameter to slide easily through the sunflower stalk. Fasten many gay-colored streamers of tissue-paper on one end, making them fully a yard in length. When all is ready, place the stick with streamers uppermost in the tube, draw back the rubber band with the stick (Fig. 310), and fire (Fig. 311). The sky-rocket goes swiftly through the air, carrying a stream of paper fire in its wake. As with the real fireworks you must be careful not to aim any of these in a direction where they will strike anyone.