Part 1

PYROTECHNY; OR, THE ART OF MAKING FIREWORKS, AT LITTLE COST, AND WITH COMPLETE SAFETY AND CLEANLINESS. WITH _ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FOUR ILLUSTRATIONS OF FORMS AND DIAGRAMS FOR MANUFACTURE AND EXHIBITION_.

LONDON:

WARD, LOCK, AND TYLER, WARWICK HOUSE PATERNOSTER ROW, E.C.

CONTENTS.

PAGES PREFATORY REMARKS 1–10 General Requisites 11–14 Rockets, with Heads of Brilliant, Tailed, and Coloured Stars and Golden Rains 15–60 Roman Candles, with Brilliant, Blue, Green, Yellow, and Red Stars 61–74 Gerbes and Jets of Brilliant, Chinese, and Common Fires 74–93 Wheels of Various Devices, Horizontal and Vertical 93–108 Lances, White and Coloured 109–118 Coloured Lights for Illuminating Wheels, or Set-Pieces, or any larger kind of Firework 119–128 Tourbillons, Plain and Brilliant 128–140 Bengal White and Coloured Fires 140–158 Chinese Flyers or Saxons 158–172 Mines of Serpents and Crackers 172–183 Five-Pointed Star 183–188 Exhibition Pieces 188–197

INDEX.

PAGE PREFATORY REMARKS 1

GENERAL REQUISITES 11 Scales and Weights 11 Pestle and Mortar 13 Sieves 14

ROCKETS 14 Definition of a Rocket 15 Outline Description 17 Spindle 18 Cases 18 Rolling Cases 20 Rocket Choking 22 Block and Spindle 23 Composition 26 Rocket Ramming 29 „ Priming 32 „ Pot 33 „ Cones 34 „ Stars 35 „ Stick 36 „ Stars 38 Golden Rain 39 Brilliant Stars 40 Tailed Stars 42 Coloured Stars 43 Quick-Match 45 Crimson Stars 46 Rose-Coloured Stars 50 Green Stars 50 Pale Rose-Coloured Stars 52 „ Green Stars 52 Golden-Yellow Stars 53 Blue Stars 53 Purple Stars 54 Golden Rains 56 Funnel and Wire 58 Portfires 59

ROMAN CANDLES 61 White Roman Candle Stars 63 Yellow „ „ „ 63 Greek „ „ „ 64 Composition 66 Roman Candle Cases 67 Charges for Roman Candles 68 Arrangement of Stars 71 Preparation of Touch-Paper 71 Quick-Match 71 Chemicals 73

GERBES AND JETS OF BRILLIANT, CHINESE, AND COMMON FIRES 74 Chinese and Brilliant Stars 75 Rolling Cases 77 Chinese Fire 78 Cases 82 Priming 83 Prince of Wales’ Feathers 84 Bouquet of Chinese Fire 84 Brilliant Fire 86 „ „ Composition 89 Common Sparkling Fires 90 Brilliant Fire—Effective Combination 91 „ Wheel 92

WHEELS OF VARIOUS DEVICES, HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL 93 2-oz. Wheel 95 Composition 96 White Fire 97 Common Single Triangle Wheel 99 Double Triangle Wheel 103 Vertical Wheel 103 Six Case Wheel 104 Horizontal „ 106 Capricious Wheel 107 Cases 108

LANCES, WHITE AND COLOURED 109 Composition for White Lances 110 „ „ Yellow 111 „ „ Green 112 „ „ Red 113 „ „ Rose-Coloured 113 „ „ Violet 114 „ „ Lilac 115 Sieves 115 V. R. Design 116 Arrangement of Colours 118

COLOURED LIGHTS 119 White Lights for Decoration 120 Yellow „ 121 Green „ 121 Red „ 122 Purple „ 123 Distinction between Coloured Lights and Coloured Fires 124 Fixing 125 Arrangement of Pieces 128

TOURBILLONS, PLAIN AND BRILLIANT 128 Cases 130 Composition for plain Tourbillons 132 „ „ Brilliant Tourbillons 132 Ramming 134 Regulation of Flight 136 Cradle 138

BENGAL WHITE AND COLOURED FIRES 140 Cases 142 Common Bengal Lights 143 White Fire 144 Yellow „ 145 Green „ 146 Purple „ 148 Red „ 149 Encasings 152 To Fire 153 Combination 154 For Theatrical purposes 156

CHINESE FLYERS OR SAXONS 158 Single Saxon Flyers 158 Cases 159 Composition 161 To Fire 163 Combination 163 Double Saxon 164 Cases „ 164 Saxon Wheel 167 How to Light 169 Fixed Piece 169 Saxon Square 170 Exhibition Piece 171 Double Saxon 172

SERPENT MINES 172 Size 173 Mortars 174 Filling 175 Lighting 175 Composition 177 Spur-Fire 177 To Fire from Mortar 179

CRACKER MINES 180 Mortars 181

FIVE-POINTED STAR 183 Composition 184 To Fill the Case 185 To Fix 186

EXHIBITION PIECES 188 Large Vertical Wheel 188 Double Triangle Wheel 189 Framework 190 Lattice-work Piece 191 To prepare for Firing 192 Double Triangle Piece 193 Suggestions 196

INDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT.

ROCKETS:— FIGURE PAGE Rocket 1 17 Diagram for Case 2 19 Rolling Board 3 21 Choking Knot 7 22 Block and Spindle 9 23 Scoop 16 30 Pot-Former 18 33 Rocket Pot 19 33 Cone-Former 20 34 Pot with Conical Top 21 35 Spatula 30 41 Quick-match and Pill Box 31 45 Plan for Cutting Cases 32 57 „ „ „ 33 57

GERBES AND JETS OF BRILLIANT, CHINESE AND COMMON FIRES:— Chinese Fire Case 41 76 „ „ 42 77 Plan for Rolling 43 77 Block with Iron Ring 47 82 Prince of Wales’ Feather 48 83 „ „ „ 49 84 Bouquet of Chinese Fire 50 84 Chinese Fire Piece 51 85 Brilliant Fire Case 52 88 „ „ „ 53 88 „ „ „ 54 89 Five-Pointed Star 54 91 Brilliant Wheel 55 92

WHEELS OF VARIOUS DEVICES, HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL:— 2-oz. Wheel-Case 56 95 „ „ „ 57 95 Covered Case 58 98 Framework for Single Triangle Wheel 59 99 „ „ „ „ 60 99 „ „ „ „ 61 99 Single Triangle Wheel 62 100 Quick-match 63 101 Wheel-Case 64 101 Doable Triangle Wheel 65 103 Six case Wheel 66 104 „ „ 67 105 Horizontal Wheel 68 106 Capricious „ 69 107

LANCES, WHITE AND COLOURED:— V. R. Design 73 116

COLOURED LIGHTS:— Mode of Fastening 74 124 „ „ 75 125

TOURBILLONS:— Tourbillon Case 80 130 „ „ 81 131

SAXONS:— Saxon Case 92 159 „ „ 92a 159 Double „ 96 164 „ „ 97 165

FIVE-POINTED STAR:— Five-Pointed Star Case 112 183 Drift 113 184 Frame for Five-Pointed Star 114 186

EXHIBITION PIECES:— Spindle for Wheels 116 188 Lattice-Work Piece 120 191

INDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS IN SEPARATE PLATES, ON TINTED PAPER.

FIGURE PLATE ROCKETS 1 Round-Ended Drift 4 1 Choking Piece 5 1 „ „ and Drift 6 1 Apparatus for Choking Cases 8 1 Mallet 10 1 Steel Spindle and Nipple 11 1 Rocket-Case on Nipple 12 1 Drift 13 1 „ 14 1 „ 15 1 „ 16 1 Former 17 1 Size of 1-oz. Case 23 1 „ 2 „ 24 1 „ 4 „ 25 1 „ 8 „ 26 1 Finished Rocket tied to Stick 27 1 Rocket-Post with Rocket suspended 28 1 Ring for Rocket 29 1 Funnel for Golden Rain Composition 34 2 The Rain Rammer 35 2 Case 36 2 The Tubular Mould 37 2 The Star Rammer 38 2 Finished Star 39 2 The Settle 40 2 Wooden Block with Metal Nipple and Point for 2-oz. Case 44 2 Nipple and Point for 1-oz. Case 45 2 „ „ for Small Fixed Case 46 2 Spindle for Wheels 70 3 Iron made to keep Wheels well away from Post during their Revolution 71 3 Post for Wheels 72 3 A A Front View of Large Vertical Wheel, Illuminated with Revolving Colours; B B Revolving pieces of Wood to which the Colours are Attached 76 3 Side View of that represented at A A, fig. 76 77 3 Improved position of Wheel-Cases at the Ends A A, fig. 76 78 3 Framework of Vertical Wheel showing the position of Coloured Lights 79 3 Block to receive the Tourbillon while it is being Bored 82 4 Block with Settle 83 4 Tourbillon 84 4 Revolving Cradle 85 4 Metal Tourbillon Scale 86 4 Brass Cross 87 5 Frame for Firing 88 5 Former for Coloured Fire Cases 90 5 Iron Fork to support Coloured Fires 91 5 Chinese Flyer 93 5 Instrument for filling Tourbillon Holes 94 6 Saxon Wooden Centre 95 6 Double Saxon 98 6 Saxon Square 99 6 „ Wheel 100 7 Three Single Saxon Piece 101 7 Exhibition Piece 102 8 Wooden Centre of a Double Saxon 103 8 Settle Proper for Making Saxons 104 7 Powder Parcel for Mortar 105 9 Serpent, with Quick-match attached 106 9 Bundle of Serpents 107 9 Pasteboard Mortar showing Contents 108 9 Iron Mortar 109 9 Bag and Serpents 110 10 Cracker Mines 111 10 Frame of Large Vertical Wheel 115 10 Framework of Exhibition Piece 117 11 Exhibition Piece, Fired 118 11 „ „ „ 119 11 Lattice-Work Piece 121 11 „ „ Fired 122 11 Mounted Framework 123 11 Exhibition Piece 124 11

PYROTECHNY.

BY PRACTICUS.

PREFATORY REMARKS.

The art of Pyrotechny has, like almost every other art in these days of experiment and research, undergone many processes of change and improvement. In fact, that part of the art which relates especially to the preparation of coloured fires may be regarded as entirely new; for not only has the danger which arose from the spontaneously-combustible nature of some of the old compositions for this purpose been obviated and removed, but many new colours have also been introduced (principally by the foreign artists), and the pyrotechnist is thus enabled to produce new combinations and contrasts, which twenty years ago were altogether unknown.