X-NEWS: cudnvr rec.pyrotechnics: 13397 Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics Path: carbon!vexcel!ncar!newsxfer.itd.umich.edu!zip.eecs.umich.edu!panix!ddsw1!news.kei.com!eff!news.umbc.edu!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!library.ucla.edu!ihnp4.ucsd.edu!pacbell.com!amdahl!netcomsv!netcom.com!kwd From: kwd@netcom.com (Kurt W. Dekker) Subject: Re: Good for starters Message-ID: Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest) X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL1] References: <2pk96i$d33@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu> Date: Wed, 27 Apr 1994 07:04:27 GMT Lines: 47 Robert C Rich Jr (ek640@cleveland.Freenet.Edu) wrote: : As i read thread after thread about stuff that will blow : your house up if you mess it up, i was wondering if anyone out : there has a suggestion for the beginning pyro. I just want : something that's relatively stable, pretty easy to make, and : will make a good bit of noise. My first experiment was with : a 3" black pipe nipple filled with Pyrodex, and capped. But : once i saw what the endcaps did to the wall in the barn i : touched it off in...never again. Someone here on rec.pyrotechnics mentioned burying a single-end-capped pipe with a fuze hole in the ground (fuze already installed), muzzle end up. Once it was well buried and the ground (dirt or sand) was firmly packed around the buried pipe (I guess the muzzle should probably be flush with the ground level for maximum safety), pour in a little bit of pyrodex. Then drop in a section of wood dowel, preferably something that fits rather tightly in the pipe inner diameter. You could wrap the dowel in paper towel to help the gas seal. When lit, the blast should blow the dowel up into the air, which is why it's important to be wood, because wood will probably turn into matchwood under that kind of stress, leaving nothing dangerous to fall back down upon your head (or the heads of others nearby watching your antics). Obviously, as you bury the unloaded pipe, you're in no danger. Once you pour pyrodex into the pipe, DON'T stand over the open end! Gingerly lower the dowel into place, and should there be an accidental detonation at any point along here, have eye and ear protection installed, and that should take care of any problems, such as flying wood particles and unburnt powder blast. If the pipe bursts, it will be underground near the cap end. Since the pyrodex is only in the enclosed pipe for a few seconds (between the time you pour it in and the time it goes off from the fuze), your window of exposure to danger is relatively small. Depending on the pipe diameter, amount of powder, length of pipe, length of dowel, etc., the blast from these devices can be incredibly spectacular. I would recommend starting with 1/2" x 6" pipe, and a short dowel (3" or so) tamped in firmly against about a thimbleful of pyrodex. This will make a blast far too loud for any residential neighborhood, yet still far on the conservative side of what this device is capable of. Oh yeah: and bring a shovel to help extricate your launch pipe from the ground, since it will earnestly attempt to reach China on each launch! :) Kurt -- Dedicated to the relentless pursuit of hedonism. kwd@netcom.com