,illustration3 ,fig4 #aag4 ,fig4 #aah4 ,fig4 #aai4 ,fig4 #aba4 ,fig4 #abb4 ,fig4 #abc4 ,fig4 #abd4 ,,pyrotechny2 ,,or1 ,,the ,,art ,,of ,,making ,,fireworks1 ,,at ,,little ,,cost1 ,,and ,,with ,,complete ,,safety ,,and ,,cleanliness4 ,,with ,,one ,,hundred ,,and ,,twenty-,,four ,,illustrations ,,of ,,forms ,,and ,,diagrams ,,for ,,manufacture ,,and ,,exhibition4 ,illustration3 ,fleuron ,,london3 ,,ward1 ,,lock1 ,,and ,,tyler1 ,,warwick ,,house ,,paternoster ,,row1 ,e4,c4 ,illustration3 ,fleuron ,illustration3 ,fleuron ,,contents4 ,,pages ,,prefatory ,,remarks #a-aj ,general ,requisites #aa-ad ,rockets1 with ,heads of ,brilliant1 ,tailed1 and ,coloured ,stars and ,golden ,rains #ae-fj ,roman ,candles1 with ,brilliant1 ,blue1 ,green1 ,yellow1 and ,red ,stars #fa-gd ,gerbes and ,jets of ,brilliant1 ,chinese1 and ,common ,fires #gd-ic ,wheels of ,various ,devices1 ,horizontal and ,vertical #ic-ajh ,lances1 ,white and ,coloured #aji-aah ,coloured ,lights for ,illuminating ,wheels1 or ,set-,pieces1 or any larger kind of ,firework #aai-abh ,tourbillons1 ,plain and ,brilliant #abh-adj ,bengal ,white and ,coloured ,fires #adj-aeh ,chinese ,flyers or ,saxons #aeh-agb ,mines of ,serpents and ,crackers #agb-ahc ,five-,pointed ,star #ahc-ahh ,exhibition ,pieces #ahh-aig ,illustration3 ,fleuron ,illustration3 ,fleuron ,,index4 ,,page ,,prefatory ,,remarks #a ,,general ,,requisites #aa ,scales and ,weights #aa ,pestle and ,mortar #ac ,sieves #ad ,,rockets #ad ,definition of a ,rocket #ae ,outline ,description #ag ,spindle #ah ,cases #ah ,rolling ,cases #bj ,rocket ,choking #bb ,block and ,spindle #bc ,composition #bf ,rocket ,ramming #bi ,priming #cb ,pot #cc ,cones #cd ,stars #ce ,stick #cf ,stars #ch ,golden ,rain #ci ,brilliant ,stars #dj ,tailed ,stars #db ,coloured ,stars #dc ,quick-,match #de ,crimson ,stars #df ,rose-,coloured ,stars #ej ,green ,stars #ej ,pale ,rose-,coloured ,stars #eb ,green ,stars #eb ,golden-,yellow ,stars #ec ,blue ,stars #ec ,purple ,stars #ed ,golden ,rains #ef ,funnel and ,wire #eh ,portfires #ei ,,roman ,,candles #fa ,white ,roman ,candle ,stars #fc ,yellow #fc ,greek #fd ,composition #ff ,roman ,candle ,cases #fg ,charges for ,roman ,candles #fh ,arrangement of ,stars #ga ,preparation of ,touch-,paper #ga ,quick-,match #ga ,chemicals #gc ,,gerbes ,,and ,,jets ,,of ,,brilliant1 ,,chinese1 ,,and ,,common ,,fires #gd ,chinese and ,brilliant ,stars #ge ,rolling ,cases #gg ,chinese ,fire #gh ,cases #hb ,priming #hc ,prince of ,wales' ,feathers #hd ,bouquet of ,chinese ,fire #hd ,brilliant ,fire #hf ,composition #hi ,common ,sparkling ,fires #ij ,brilliant ,fire--,effective ,combination #ia ,wheel #ib ,,wheels ,,of ,,various ,,devices1 ,,horizontal ,,and ,,vertical #ic #b-oz4 ,wheel #ie ,composition #if ,white ,fire #ig ,common ,single ,triangle ,wheel #ii ,double ,triangle ,wheel #ajc ,vertical ,wheel #ajc ,six ,case ,wheel #ajd ,horizontal #ajf ,capricious ,wheel #ajg ,cases #ajh ,,lances1 ,,white ,,and ,,coloured #aji ,composition for ,white ,lances #aaj ,yellow #aaa ,green #aab ,red #aac ,rose-,coloured #aac ,violet #aad ,lilac #aae ,sieves #aae ,v4 ,r4 ,design #aaf ,arrangement of ,colours #aah ,,coloured ,,lights #aai ,white ,lights for ,decoration #abj ,yellow #aba ,green #aba ,red #abb ,purple #abc ,distinction between ,coloured ,lights and ,coloured ,fires #abd ,fixing #abe ,arrangement of ,pieces #abh ,,tourbillons1 ,,plain ,,and ,,brilliant #abh ,cases #acj ,composition for plain ,tourbillons #acb ,brilliant ,tourbillons #acb ,ramming #acd ,regulation of ,flight #acf ,cradle #ach ,,bengal ,,white ,,and ,,coloured ,,fires #adj ,cases #adb ,common ,bengal ,lights #adc ,white ,fire #add ,yellow #ade ,green #adf ,purple #adh ,red #adi ,encasings #aeb ,to ,fire #aec ,combination #aed ,for ,theatrical purposes #aef ,,chinese ,,flyers ,,or ,,saxons #aeh ,single ,saxon ,flyers #aeh ,cases #aei ,composition #afa ,to ,fire #afc ,combination #afc ,double ,saxon #afd ,cases #afd ,saxon ,wheel #afg ,how to ,light #afi ,fixed ,piece #afi ,saxon ,square #agj ,exhibition ,piece #aga ,double ,saxon #agb ,,serpent ,,mines #agb ,size #agc ,mortars #agd ,filling #age ,lighting #age ,composition #agg ,spur-,fire #agg ,to ,fire from ,mortar #agi ,,cracker ,,mines #ahj ,mortars #aha ,,five-,,pointed ,,star #ahc ,composition #ahd ,to ,fill the ,case #ahe ,to ,fix #ahf ,,exhibition ,,pieces #ahh ,large ,vertical ,wheel #ahh ,double ,triangle ,wheel #ahi ,framework #aij ,lattice-work ,piece #aia ,to prepare for ,firing #aib ,double ,triangle ,piece #aic ,suggestions #aif ,illustration3 ,fleuron ,illustration3 ,fleuron ,illustration3 ,fleuron ,,index ,,to ,,illustrations ,,in ,,the ,,text4 ,,rockets3-- ,,figure ,,page ,rocket #a #ag ,diagram for ,case #b #ai ,rolling ,board #c #ba ,choking ,knot #g #bb ,block and ,spindle #i #bc ,scoop #af #cj ,pot-,former #ah #cc ,rocket ,pot #ai #cc ,cone-,former #bj #cd ,pot with ,conical ,top #ba #ce ,spatula #cj #da ,quick-match and ,pill ,box #ca #de ,plan for ,cutting ,cases #cb #eg #cc #eg ,,gerbes ,,and ,,jets ,,of ,,brilliant1 ,,chinese ,,and ,,common ,,fires3-- ,chinese ,fire ,case #da #gf #db #gg ,plan for ,rolling #dc #gg ,block with ,iron ,ring #dg #hb ,prince of ,wales' ,feather #dh #hc #di #hd ,bouquet of ,chinese ,fire #ej #hd ,chinese ,fire ,piece #ea #he ,brilliant ,fire ,case #eb #hh #ec #hh #ed #hi ,five-,pointed ,star #ed #ia ,brilliant ,wheel #ee #ib ,,wheels ,,of ,,various ,,devices1 ,,horizontal ,,and ,,vertical3-- #b-oz4 ,wheel-,case #ef #ie #eg #ie ,covered ,case #eh #ih ,framework for ,single ,triangle ,wheel #ei #ii #fj #ii #fa #ii ,single ,triangle ,wheel #fb #ajj ,quick-match #fc #aja ,wheel-,case #fd #aja ,doable ,triangle ,wheel #fe #ajc ,six case ,wheel #ff #ajd #fg #aje ,horizontal ,wheel #fh #ajf ,capricious #fi #ajg ,,lances1 ,,white ,,and ,,coloured3-- ,v4 ,r4 ,design #gc #aaf ,,coloured ,,lights3-- ,mode of ,fastening #gd #abd #ge #abe ,,tourbillons3-- ,tourbillon ,case #hj #acj #ha #aca ,,saxons3-- ,saxon ,case #ib #aei #ib;a #aei ,double #if #afd #ig #afe ,,five-,,pointed ,,star3-- ,five-,pointed ,star ,case #aab #ahc ,drift #aac #ahd ,frame for ,five-,pointed ,star #aad #ahf ,,exhibition ,,pieces3-- ,spindle for ,wheels #aaf #ahh ,lattice-,work ,piece #abj #aia ,illustration3 ,fleuron ,illustration3 ,fleuron ,illustration3 ,fleuron ,,index ,,to ,,illustrations ,,in ,,separate ,,plates1 ,,on ,,tinted ,,paper4 ,,figure ,,plate ,,rockets #a ,round-,ended ,drift #d #a ,choking ,piece #e #a and ,drift #f #a ,apparatus for ,choking ,cases #h #a ,mallet #aj #a ,steel ,spindle and ,nipple #aa #a ,rocket-,case on ,nipple #ab #a ,drift #ac #a #ad #a #ae #a #af #a ,former #ag #a ,size of #a-oz4 ,case #bc #a #b #bd #a #d #be #a #h #bf #a ,finished ,rocket tied to ,stick #bg #a ,rocket-,post with ,rocket suspended #bh #a ,ring for ,rocket #bi #a ,funnel for ,golden ,rain ,composition #cd #b ,the ,rain ,rammer #ce #b ,case #cf #b ,the ,tubular ,mould #cg #b ,the ,star ,rammer #ch #b ,finished ,star #ci #b ,the ,settle #dj #b ,wooden ,block with ,metal ,nipple and ,point for #b-oz4 ,case #dd #b ,nipple and ,point for #a-oz4 ,case #de #b for ,small ,fixed ,case #df #b ,spindle for ,wheels #gj #c ,iron made to keep ,wheels well away from ,post during their ,revolution #ga #c ,post for ,wheels #gb #c ,a ,a ,front ,view of ,large ,vertical ,wheel1 ,illuminated with ,revolving ,colours2 ,b ,b ,revolving pieces of ,wood to which the ,colours are ,attached #gf #c ,side ,view of that represented at ,a ,a1 fig4 #gf #gg #c ,improved position of ,wheel-,cases at the ,ends ,a ,a1 fig4 #gf #gh #c ,framework of ,vertical ,wheel showing the position of ,coloured ,lights #gi #c ,block to receive the ,tourbillon while it is being ,bored #hb #d ,block with ,settle #hc #d ,tourbillon #hd #d ,revolving ,cradle #he #d ,metal ,tourbillon ,scale #hf #d ,brass ,cross #hg #e ,frame for ,firing #hh #e ,former for ,coloured ,fire ,cases #ij #e ,iron ,fork to support ,coloured ,fires #ia #e ,chinese ,flyer #ic #e ,instrument for filling ,tourbillon ,holes #id #f ,saxon ,wooden ,centre #ie #f ,double ,saxon #ih #f ,saxon ,square #ii #f ,wheel #ajj #g ,three ,single ,saxon ,piece #aja #g ,exhibition ,piece #ajb #h ,wooden ,centre of a ,double ,saxon #ajc #h ,settle ,proper for ,making ,saxons #ajd #g ,powder ,parcel for ,mortar #aje #i ,serpent1 with ,quick-match attached #ajf #i ,bundle of ,serpents #ajg #i ,pasteboard ,mortar showing ,contents #ajh #i ,iron ,mortar #aji #i ,bag and ,serpents #aaj #aj ,cracker ,mines #aaa #aj ,frame of ,large ,vertical ,wheel #aae #aj ,framework of ,exhibition ,piece #aag #aa ,exhibition ,piece1 ,fired #aah #aa #aai #aa ,lattice-,work ,piece #aba #aa ,fired #abb #aa ,mounted ,framework #abc #aa ,exhibition ,piece #abd #aa ,illustration3 ,fleuron ,illustration3 ,fleuron ,illustration3 ,fleuron ,illustration3 ,fleuron ,,pyrotechny4 ,,by ,,practicus4 ,,prefatory ,,remarks4 ,the art of ,pyrotechny has1 like almost every other art in these days of experiment and research1 undergone many processes of change and improvement4 ,in fact1 that part of the art which relates especially to the preparation of coloured fires may be regarded as entirely new2 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 removed1 but many new colours have also been introduced 7principally by the foreign artists71 and the pyrotechnist is thus enabled to produce new combinations and contrasts1 which twenty years ago were altogether unknown4 ,but1 notwithstanding all this improvement and progress1 it is a remarkable fact that no work has been published in ,england upon this subject since the year #ahcj4 ,we have not even kept pace with neighbouring nations in this respect1 for an excellent work has appeared through the ,french press1 entitled1 8,m4 ,chertier sur les ,feux d',artifice0 7the book1 however1 is now out of print1 ,i believe71 and there is also a very capital manual of the art in ,german1 8,martin ,websky's ,lustfeuerwerkerei40 ,it is true that articles have appeared from time to time in encyclopdias and books of that class1 but these for the most part have been copied out of one into another1 and of all that ,i have been able to see the best are so condensed as to be to those uninitiated in the art simply unintelligible and useless1 and to the initiated often very confusing4 ,moreover1 the professional pyrotechnists have thrown no small mystery over their work1 and have done a great deal to further the idea that the awful ,promethean rites to which they have been admitted are not to be thrown open to ordinary mortals1 and ,i cannot help thinking that they have thus thwarted the very interests which it was to their advantage to forward4 ,let any one only enquire of professional photographers whether the practice of their art by amateurs has injured their business1 and has not rather increased the demand upon them2 and ,i see no reason why the same should not be the case with ,pyrotechny1 though not1 of course1 to the same extent1 because its study is never likely to become so popular4 ,the fact1 then1 that no work in ,english upon this subject has appeared during the last thirty years will1 ,i trust1 be regarded as a sufficient apology for the present publication4 ,from its perusal1 however1 there will be derived nothing new to those who have already acquired a proficiency in the practice of firework-making1 and1 for aught ,i know1 the professional pyrotechnist may even be puzzled by the absence of technical terms4 ,but1 on the other hand1 ,i would have it understood that ,i am not writing with the purpose of describing for the benefit of little boys the mode of making squibs and crackers1 nor am ,i going to tire my readers' patience1 nor to consume my own time1 by drawing up an historical account of the pyrotechnic art in its successive stages2 nor is it my intention to enter into abstract and abstruse discussions upon the mathematical proportions proper for the artist's tools and apparatus2 nor to trace1 as has been so frequently done1 the true and lineal pedigree of gunpowder4 ,my object is simply this3--to furnish1 for those who are unacquainted with the subject1 such information as shall put them in the way of providing at any time for family parties1 or school treats1 an exhibition of fireworks1 capable of affording an hour's real amusement to any number of people4 ,i say to any number of people1 because it costs no more to exhibit such a display to one hundred than to ten1 and because ,i believe that it is difficult to find the person who would rather not see a good exhibition of fireworks1 or who would stigmatise the hour spent in looking at them as 8slow40 ,it is evident that the public demand for exhibitions of this kind is greater and more widely spread than it was1 and is still on the increase2 and the only wonder is that1 under these circumstances1 no more practical system of ,pyrotechny should have appeared through the press4 ,i am not saying that this work will supply the want that many have experienced1 for it will be entirely elementary2 but ,i hope at some future time to bring out a more advanced and extensive work1 should ,i discover that anything worth calling an interest in my subject is abroad4 ,this work1 however1 will be thoroughly practical1 and that with the special object of showing how exhibitions may be provided at a little cost4 ,now1 there are three things which have been generally alleged and admitted as sufficient reasons against the practice of ,pyrotechny2 these are1 danger1 dirt1 and expense4 ,upon each of these three subjects ,i will state what experience has taught me to be the truth4 ,first1 as to danger4 ,the explosion of firework factories from time to time has given a high colour to the risk which the public considers inseparable from any such manufacture4 ,some time ago ,i had the curiosity to inquire as far as ,i could into the cause of these large explosions1 and in no one instance could ,i discover that the accident arose from anything but carelessness on the part of workmen or some wilful and unwarrantable defiance of danger2 and ,i am quite convinced that danger depends far more upon the operator himself than upon the materials used in his work4 ,a barrel of gunpowder is not the thing one would choose for a seat while smoking a cigar or toasting a muffin2 but be it remembered that there is no more danger to be apprehended from this barrel of gunpowder1 when properly handled1 than from a barrel of beer4 ,and then1 gunpowder is a material which the amateur will need only in very small quantities1 being used far less than is generally supposed1 and being only employed to give projective force or to make reports4 ,meal-powder1 which is gunpowder in the state of dust and not in grains1 is extensively used1 but is in itself perfectly safe4 ,of course one can set fire to the one as easily as to the other1 but why need it be dangerous on this account8 ,there is nothing easier than to make the practice of ,pyrotechny dangerous1 but1 at the same time1 it is not only possible1 but very easy1 to manufacture fireworks without danger4 ,now1 as to the dirtiness of the work4 ,it is generally believed that the making of fireworks renders cleanliness in the operator impossible1 and is destructive of clothes on that account4 ,now1 ,i maintain that cleanliness and dirt1 as well as safety and danger1 are mainly dependent upon the person1 and not upon his work4 ,he can fairly be called dirty only if he is never clean1 or if he makes himself unnecessarily dirty4 ,and so with the pyrotechnist4 ,while handling such things as charcoal he does not expect his hands to be white1 but he need not handle charcoal as if with the purpose of making his hands black4 ,every one must have observed how some people1 in whatever they are engaged1 in whatever they undertake1 will do their work cleanly and neatly1 while others can do nothing without 8making a mess40 ,i myself have made the principal part of several exhibitions of fireworks1 have mixed all the compositions1 have done everything1 in fact1 except the actual ramming of the compositions into the cases1 in my own sitting-room1 which1 ,i flatter myself1 is as clean and tidy a room as one need wish to live in2 and were it not for the presence of the boxes in which ,i keep my tools1 c41 c41 no one1 ten minutes after my work is over1 would know what ,i had been about4 ,this1 however1 ,i have only done for want of accommodation1 for ,i would much prefer working in some outhouse or room given up to the purpose where my apparatus would be less out of place as furniture1 and where1 instead of having to get out all my things afresh every time1 ,i could resume my work exactly at the point where ,i had left it1 for by this means a great saving of time would be effected4 ,i would also strongly recommend to the beginner the use of an apron1 and some holland sleeves to fasten tightly round the wrist and extend above the elbow1 for many of the compositions employed are of a subtle and dusty nature1 and will penetrate the clothes until the operator becomes accustomed to use them in such a way as shall not make them troublesome in this respect4 ,i know1 however1 on the best possible authority--viz41 that of experience--that fireworks can be made without detriment to clothes and without violation of cleanliness4 ,expense now1 in the third place1 remains to be considered4 ,it is1 perhaps1 not generally borne in mind that the reason why fireworks are expensive to purchase is that they take time to manufacture4 ,the brown paper of which the cases are made1 and the compositions with which they are filled1 are of little value as compared with the time of the workmen employed4 ,now one supposes that if firework-making is adopted as an amusement1 there is sufficient spare time for its practice4 ,but the amateur must not suppose that he can become proficient without some small outlay at the first2 his tools and apparatus will cost him something1 but when once procured they will enable him to make twenty exhibitions as well as one4 ,and he will do well to bear in mind that if he will purchase such things of the persons whom ,i am about to recommend he will incur no unnecessary expense4 ,he should also know what to order2 and he will find that if he confine himself1 as far as possible1 to the manufacture of one useful size of each kind of firework1 he will greatly diminish the number of tools necessary for making and filling his cases4 ,much expense will also be avoided by his purchasing the necessary chemicals1 not in the smallest quantities procurable1 this being the most uneconomical mode of purchase4 ,i have avoided the employment of any of those costly preparations which have of late become known to the pyrotechnist1 and are employed principally in the compositions for producing coloured fires2 not1 however1 from any wish to ignore their excellence1 but because ,i have been able to produce without them effects with which ,i have always been satisfied4 ,i shall now append a list of those fireworks the manufacture of which it is my intention to describe1 and which in combination will be found to produce all the effects that the amateur need desire3-- ,rockets1 with heads of brilliant1 tailed1 and coloured stars1 and golden rains4 ,roman candles1 with brilliant1 blue1 green1 yellow1 and red stars4 ,gerbes and jets of brilliant1 ,chinese1 and common fires4 ,wheels of various devices1 horizontal and vertical1 plain and illuminated4 ,bengal white and coloured slow fires for illumination4 ,lances1 white and coloured1 for making up devices1 such as names1 crests1 mottoes1 wreaths1 c41 c4 ,tourbillons1 plain and brilliant4 ,chinese flyers of different kinds4 ,mines of serpents and crackers4 ,brilliant suns1 single and double1 fixed and revolving4 ,portfires for lighting exhibition pieces1 c4 ,the pieces which ,i have enumerated above will furnish all the necessary elements of an excellent display4 ,and ,i have no hesitation in saying that by careful attention to my directions all these pieces may be successfully made4 ,i shall recommend nothing but what has been found to succeed constantly in my hands1 and may1 ,i am sure1 be made to answer in the hands of others4 ,i entirely disclaim1 however1 any attempt to describe the modes of manufacture adopted by the professional pyrotechnists4 ,i know nothing of the secrets of their trade1 nor have ,i any desire to acquaint myself with them2 ,i only know that my own system of working never plays me false1 however different it may be from theirs4 ,there are1 however1 a few things which ,i strongly recommend the amateur not to attempt to make1 for the reason that their manufacture entails a considerable amount of tedious and uninteresting work1 and they may be bought ready made of the professional pyrotechnists at a cost to which no one need object4 ,they are such things as quick-match1 mine serpents1 and crackers1 and pin wheels1 if indeed these are necessary4 ,i will now proceed to give an idea of the relative numbers in which the several pieces may be employed to form a good exhibition4 ,this will1 of course1 be but a mere sketch or outline1 intended to show how things1 very simple in themselves1 may be rendered very effective in combination3-- #aj rockets3 #c of these with heads of brilliant stars1 #c with tailed stars1 #b with coloured stars1 and #b with golden rains4 #aj ,roman candles3 #f of these to throw brilliant stars1 and #d coloured stars4 #ab wheel-cases3 #c to make a single triangle wheel1 #d to turn an illuminated vertical wheel1 and #e to turn a horizontal mine wheel4 #c tourbillons3 #b plain and #a brilliant4 ,a ,prince of ,wales feather1 consisting of #c brilliant jets4 ,a bouquet of ,chinese gerbes4 #b white ,bengal fires1 #b green1 and #b red fires4 #b cracker and #b serpent mines4 ,and for a finale1 some small device executed in lances1 which shall change into a #e or #h pointed brilliant star or sun1 accompanied with ,roman candles1 and a mine1 either of serpents or crackers4 ,this is the kind of exhibition which my papers are intended to enable the amateur to make4 ,the above list will be found to contain no lack of variety1 which1 in my opinion1 is the great point to be kept in view4 ,in order that the reader of these papers may find no difficulty or hindrance in the way of his putting my directions into practice1 ,i shall state farther on1 where all the materials1 chemicals1 tools1 c41 c41 which he will require1 can be purchased ready for use1 of a kind and quality that ,i recommend1 and at a reasonable price4 ,but before concluding this part1 ,i would impress upon the amateur the advantages to be derived from adopting a fixed plan of operations in preparing for his exhibition4 ,if he would do his work well1 he must learn to do it with the greatest economy of time1 and labour1 and material4 ,he should first decide of what pieces his exhibition is to consist2 next he should get all his cases made1 and remember that these are not to be used until they are thoroughly dry1 and that the more gradually and naturally they are allowed to dry the better they will be for his purpose4 ,he should commence the filling of one kind of piece1 and finish all of that species up to a certain point1 before he begins upon any other kind4 ,he should calculate the quantity of composition necessary for them1 and not mix it until the cases are ready to receive it1 and he has time to fill them4 ,a very little practice will enable him to judge correctly the quantity necessary2 but let him not hurry over this part of his work1 for a very slight inaccuracy in reckoning the quantities of the several ingredients may spoil a large batch of composition4 ,the old proverb1 8,the more haste the less speed10 is at least as true in the practice of firework-making as in any other work4 ,by mixing up no more composition than he really requires1 he will both avoid waste and have no odds and ends of combustible mixture to take care of4 ,he may perhaps think this piece of advice very unnecessary1 but he will soon arrive at the conclusion that it is well worth his attention4 ,let him also bear in mind that he will require to get out as many tools for the making of one rocket as of ten1 and that when he has them to his hand he cannot do better than finish the ten4 ,it is not1 of course1 to be expected that the amateur will at first fall naturally into the most easy and convenient methods of working1 but every additional hour's practice will furnish some new experience1 and he will soon discover that those operations1 which at one time he considered the most troublesome and difficult1 can be successfully performed in some very simple manner4 ,he must never go to work under the idea that there is but one way of carrying out his plans2 the exercise of a little thought on his part will generally unfold to him ways and means of accomplishing his object satisfactorily and with ease4 ,it is always best for each operator to establish his own mode of working1 and not always to attempt to carry out details of manipulation which he sees described1 under the impression that what is thus recommended is the way4 ,illustration3 ,fleuron ,illustration3 ,fleuron ,,pyrotechny4 ,,general ,,observations4 ,i must beg of you1 kind reader1 the privilege of addressing you no longer in the third but in the second person4 ,by speaking to you1 instead of about you1 ,i shall avoid much circumlocution1 and in words1 at least1 identify your interests with my own4 ,since 8generals0 take the precedence of 8particulars10 before entering upon any description of the details of rocket apparatus or manufacture1 ,i must introduce you to certain friends without which you will find it difficult to get on in your work1 and with which ,i trust you will shortly be on excellent terms1 for you will require their aid in almost every branch of pyrotechny4 ,the tools peculiarly employed in each separate process of the art will be spoken of in dealing with that process1 and in their own place2 but a short account of the things that are generally requisite will be more in place here than in any other part of this work4 ,,scales ,,and ,,weights4 #a4 ,in the first place1 some are indispensable4 ,the scales that ,i use are of a very common make1 with copper pans capable of holding about four ounces of nitre4 ,these ,i have always found very convenient1 and they are by no means expensive to buy2 but ,i should think there is hardly a house where such a pair would not be found ready to hand4 ,i use also1 for purposes in which more delicacy and exactness is required1 a pair of grain scales such as are employed by the apothecary4 ,it is very important1 particularly in the preparation of coloured fire compositions1 to be very exact in weighing out those ingredients which enter sparingly into the formulas1 for a little more or less of these will often change entirely the character of the composition4 ,and now let me say a few words upon the subject of weights4 ,the old books on pyrotechny did their best to confuse their readers in many ways1 but in none more successfully than the following3--,they insisted on giving their formulas in weight4 ,for instance1 they would tell you to mix together #c oz4 of one ingredient1 #b dwt4 of another1 #a scruple of another4 ,now the ordinary way in making up such a receipt would be by employing one weight out of three distinct tables1 for the ounce usually employed in commerce is the avoirdupois ounce2 the pennyweight is only found in a table used for weighing precious metals and precious stones2 the scruple only in a table used by a compounder of medicines4 ,now ,i intend to avoid all confusion of this kind by the simple plan of giving my formulas in parts and not in weights4 ,for instance1 in writing down the formula for gunpowder1 ,i should put it in the following manner3-- ,nitre #gj parts4 ,sulphur #ae ,charcoal #ae ,so that1 whether you take it in grains or in tons1 the formula is equally intelligible1 and you get at one glance a true idea of the relative proportions of the ingredients4 ,but1 although ,i mean to keep weights out of my formulas1 we cannot dispense with them in our work4 ,now1 if you would save yourself much trouble and inconvenience1 procure1 in addition to your ordinary grain weights1 a #b-oz41 a #a-oz4 and a oz4 troy weight4 ,this ounce contains precisely the same number of grains as eight of your apothecary's drachms and as twenty-four of your apothecary's scruples--that is #dhj gr41 whereas the avoirdupois ounce contains only #dcg gr4 ,and by this means you will avoid much confusion and save much time in your calculations2 because you will have all your smaller weights convenient aliquot parts of the greater2 and1 if ,i mistake not1 you will find these extra weights very handy for other than pyrotechnic purposes4 ,next1 ,i wish to caution you against an injudicious employment of the pestle and mortar4 ,these auxiliaries are not intended for any other purpose but the reduction to powder of lumps1 crystals1 c42 they are never properly used for incorporating ingredients4 ,large quantities of pyrotechnic compositions are always mixed in a sieve2 small quantities are best mixed by stirring them about with a spatula upon a piece of paper4 ,a pestle and mortar is a species of apparatus which ,i rarely use1 for ,i procure my various salts1 c41 in the form in which they are ready for use1 and ,i strongly recommend you to do the same1 feeling that you will soon be convinced of the convenience of such a plan4 ,remember1 too1 to keep your powdered ingredients in well-corked or stoppered bottles1 for the reason that some of them are very deliquescent1 and are utterly unfit for pyrotechnic purposes except when perfectly dry4 ,the four following things1 however--nitre1 sulphur1 charcoal1 and meal-powder--which are not subject to injury from a slight exposure to the air1 and which will be required in larger quantities than other things1 ,i always keep in tin canisters1 such as are made to hold a pound of coffee4 ,a piece of sheet copper about six inches long1 bent into the form of a shallow boat or scoop1 will be found useful in taking these things out of their canisters to be put into the scales and weighed4 ,,sieves4 #b4 ,now with regard to ,,sieves3 you will require two of these1 with brass-wire bottoms2 one of the fineness of twenty meshes to the inch for mixing1 which1 for distinction's sake1 ,i will call the mixer2 the other of forty or fifty meshes to the inch for sifting1 and to which ,i shall refer as the sifter4 ,these sieves are made with a receiver and a top1 so that by their means you can sift or mix any compositions1 however subtle or dusty may be their nature1 without the slightest inconvenience or annoyance4 ,i may as well here mention that ,i use the #bj-mesh mixer for sifting the coarse charcoal employed in my rocket compositions1 but all other sifting is done by the #dj-mesh sifter4 ,the size of those which ,i use is about six inches in diameter1 and ,i think you will find this large enough for every purpose1 as you will not be likely to want to mix or sift any very large batches of composition at a time4 ,these sieves1 made of any size or design that you please1 may be procured of ,mr4 ,darby1 #ih1 ,regent ,street1 ,lambeth1 ,london1 at whose shop you will also find many other handy little articles1 such as horn or copper scoops1 spatulas1 c4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #cd4 ,fig4 #ce4 ,fig4 #cg4 ,fig4 #ch4 ,fig4 #ci4 ,fig4 #dj4 ,fig4 #dd4 ,fig4 #de4 ,fig4 #df4 ,,manufacturing4 ,,rockets4 #c4 ,having now cleared our way of these necessary preliminaries1 we may at once proceed to speak of the manufacture of ,,rockets2 first1 of what a rocket is1 and then of how it is made4 ,there is nothing like starting with a good distinct notion of what we have to make before we set to work to make it4 ,it is said of a person who was asked by his friend to give him a logical definition of a house1 that he at once replied that 8it was a thing with a chimney20 which definition1 being equally applicable to a moderator lamp and a steam-engine1 can hardly be considered exhaustive in the case of a house2 and1 in like manner1 if we start with the idea that a rocket is a thing that goes up in the air1 we shall not have any very tangible model of rocket excellence before us as a guide in our work4 ,it is1 however1 very true that some rockets which we see can only be properly and faithfully described as things which go up in the air1 for they no more deserve the name of a rocket than does a child's kite or a cock-sparrow1 either of which would come equally well under the above definition4 ,but let us see whether we can arrive at something a little more accurate4 ,a rocket we will define as a species of firework which1 when properly fastened to a stick of a certain size and weight suspended with its mouth downwards1 and ignited1 ascends into the air by the force of its own combustion1 rises majestically to its proper height1 throwing out1 from the beginning to the end of its course1 a rich and uniform tail of sparks1 and at the extreme range of its flight giving birth to a cluster of stars1 or shower of fiery rains1 or other decorations1 as they are called1 which should burn long enough to be well seen1 and not disappear almost at the moment of their appearance4 ,this is what every rocket should be when fired2 and let me beg of you not to stop short of attaining this excellence1 for perseverance will give you experience1 and with the aid of these two you need despair of nothing4 ,when ,i had been puzzled and misled by all the books and information on the subject that ,i could procure1 and had met with nothing but failure in all my attempts1 ,i set myself to work to make my own experiments in a new direction1 on the supposition that ,i understood1 to a certain extent1 the principle on which success depended4 ,and well do ,i remember my delight at seeing a rocket of my own production scramble up into the air in a very undignified and disorderly manner1 and there perform certain nervous evolutions which ,i will defy any pen to describe or pencil to depict4 ,but although its performance was erratic and laughable1 ,i had conquered2 the key from that moment was in my own hands2 and soon1 after careful consideration and a few more experiments1 ,i managed to produce a rocket of which ,i saw no reason to be ashamed4 ,i have stated above what appearance a good rocket should present to the eyes of a spectator when fired2 ,i am now about to state what appearance it should present to its manufacturer before being fired--in fact1 what it is that he has to make4 ,it is a strong cylindrical case1 made of pasted brown paper and imperial board1 contracted near one of its ends in order to form a narrow aperture1 and filled with a certain composition in such a manner that a long narrow cavity is left in its centre1 extending almost throughout its whole length4 ,this is what ,i shall call the rocket1 for the ascending power lies solely in this part2 the head1 being an after-addition1 will be spoken of it in its proper place1 and not allowed to interfere here4 ,in the annexed woodcut ,a ,a represents the exterior diameter of the case2 ,b ,b1 the interior diameter of the same2 ,c ,c1 the long cavity extending from the mouth up the centre of the composition1 which cavity is called the 8soul0 of the rocket2 ,d ,d ,d1 the composition with which the remainder of the case is filled4 ,the lower of the two ,c's represents the mouth1 or 8choke0 as it is called1 at which all the combustion that goes on in the rocket has to find its vent4 ,when a light is applied to the mouth of the rocket1 the whole surface of the soul of the rocket is set on fire at once1 and on this depends its power of ascent2 for so large a quantity of fire having to make its escape through so narrow an aperture and meeting with considerable resistance from the external air1 makes the rocket recoil in a direction opposite to that of its mouth1 until all the combustible material which it contains is consumed4 ,this is a broad outline of the principle upon which rockets ascend4 ,it will be unnecessary for me to dive deeper into theories here1 for ,i am sure that you will be anxious for me to come to practical details without further delay4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #a4 ,among other things in my prefatory remarks ,i stated that firework-making need not be an expensive recreation1 but you must bear in mind that nothing is easier than to make it expensive1 and that we must adopt some strictly economical system of operation4 ,since rockets are the most scientific of all fireworks1 and the apparatus necessary for making them is more costly than that for making any other kind of firework1 we must do all that we can to bring their manufacture within reach of the amateur4 ,there are many books1 and ,i dare say many persons1 that will tell you that you cannot hope to produce a good rocket unless you have a mould proper for the purpose made either of gun-metal or of some hard wood4 ,i believe that ,i am right in telling you that such a piece of apparatus varies in cost from #cl4 to #ajl41 but ,i also know that ,i am right in assuring you that a rocket1 in every respect equal to many that are rammed in a mould1 may be produced without this expensive luxury4 ,i can only say that ,i never use a mould1 and my belief is that the workmen employed by professional pyrotechnists are1 for the most part1 only too glad to dispense with its use1 for it is of importance to them to ram the greatest possible number of rockets in a given time1 and if they were to be delayed by having to unscrew and screw a mould before and after filling each case1 half their time and its value would be lost to them4 ,i use1 and recommend you also to use1 a simple steel spindle let firmly into a wooden block1 and if your cases are made strongly enough you will be able to produce all that your ambition will picture to you by means of this inexpensive apparatus1 and without the help of the mould4 ,but before we speak of the size and proportions of this spindle it will1 of course1 be necessary for us to determine the size of the rocket which we intend to produce4 ,now1 the rocket that ,i recommend you to make1 as being the most generally useful and economical1 is that which the professionals call the lb4 rocket4 ,you will bear in mind that this name is not intended to signify that the rocket when finished will weigh a quarter of a pound1 but that its interior diameter is equal to the exterior diameter of a leaden ball weighing #doz4 ,you will find1 ,i am sure1 that the capabilities of this size of rocket1 when properly made1 will satisfy you for all ordinary purposes1 and1 taking this for granted1 ,i shall now proceed to speak of this particular size only1 in order to prevent the possibility of confusion4 ,,rocket-,,cases4 #d4 ,the first thing that you have to do is to make the case4 ,do not hurry over this part of the process1 for more depends upon it than is generally supposed4 ,it is made in the following manner3--,procure some imperial board 7which is a kind of thin pasteboard made of two sheets of brown paper pasted and pressed together72 also some stout ,kentish brown paper of such a substance as will weigh #gj-lb4 per ream4 ,now fold a sheet of the imperial board down the middle of its length1 thus3-- ,cut it along this fold1 then divide each of these halves crossways into five equal parts and cut them apart4 ,each sheet will thus furnish enough board for ten lb4 rocket-cases4 ,this board is only made in one size4 ,now take a sheet of the #gj-lb4 brown paper1 divide it into halves at its natural fold1 and then divide each of these halves crossways into four strips4 ,one of these1 together with one of the strips of imperial board1 will be sufficient to make one case4 ,i have given you above the directions for cutting your paper and board without waste2 you will1 however1 find it more convenient to buy them ready cut up2 it will save you time and trouble1 and will occupy much less space among your stores4 ,they can be procured of ,mr4 ,w4 ,h4 ,darby1 #ih1 ,regent ,street1 ,lambeth1 ,london1 and he will supply them ready cut if you only state for what purpose they are intended4 ,illustration3 #b ,the 8former10 on which the board and the paper are to be rolled1 is simply a piece of brass tubing1 about #ab in4 long1 and in4 in diameter4 ,this you had better procure of the person whose name ,i shall mention presently1 when ,i speak of apparatus1 and to whom ,i recommend you as a maker of all pyrotechnic tools1 except such things as the sieves1 c41 above mentioned4 ,i must not speak about the pasting and rolling of the cases until ,i have said a few words upon the subject of the paste itself4 ,it is a great mistake to have your paste made thick2 you will gain nothing by doing so1 and you will find it very troublesome to use4 ,it should be made of such a consistency as will admit of its being spread very readily upon the brown paper1 c41 and by being tolerably fluid will saturate it much more thoroughly2 and this1 after all1 is what you want to do1 for the hardness of the finished cases depends far more upon the complete saturation of the paper than upon the thickness of the paste between its layers4 ,the brush1 which you will find convenient1 is one about #b;in4 in diameter1 and can be procured of ,mr4 ,darby4 ,into each pint of paste1 while boiling1 put a large teaspoonful of powdered alum2 this will have the effect of keeping your paste sweet and free from mouldiness for weeks1 and will also prevent it from becoming watery1 which it would otherwise do in a few days4 ,i will now suppose you to have your paper1 imperial board1 paste1 and brush ready to hand4 ,you will next require some kind of slab on which to paste and roll your cases4 ,for this purpose ,i use one of the largest common roofing slates that can be procured3 its size is #bd by #ab;in4 ,this makes a cheap and very serviceable pasting slab if its surface be only moderately smooth4 ,now we come to the actual rolling of the cases4 ,first paste all over one side of one of the strips of #gj-lb4 brown paper2 then take one of the strips of imperial board1 and fold one end of it once round the brass tubular 8former40 ,hold this1 thus folded1 with your left hand1 and paste over all the rest of the upper side of the strip with your right4 ,then roll it up1 as straightly and as tightly as you can1 till all but about #c inches of it is wound upon the 8former40 ,upon these projecting #c inches lay the end of the strip of brown paper1 with its pasted side upwards1 and then roll it till both board and paper are neatly and closely wound round the 8former40 ,you will find at first a little difficulty in getting the strips to roll up straight1 but a little practice will overcome this4 ,you will now require what is called a 8rolling board10 that is1 a piece of common smooth deal board about #bj inches by #h in size1 with a wooden handle screwed on its upper side at one end 7see fig4 #c74 ,then with the left hand take hold of the end of the 8former10 which projects out of the case1 loosely1 so as to allow it to revolve in the hand1 and with the right hand roll case and 8former0 from one end of the slate slab to the other between it and the rolling board1 pressing upon the latter1 and using it as a carpenter does his 8trying plane20 and by this means the same effect will be produced upon your newly-made case as is produced upon linen1 c41 by a mangle4 ,these directions read1 no doubt1 as if they belonged to some very complicated operation2 but let me assure you that it is one far easier to perform than to describe4 ,some modification of this plan will in all probability suggest itself to your mind as an improvement upon it2 for there are few people who do not after a few trials fall into some method of working which1 besides answering their purpose1 has the additional merit of being peculiar to themselves4 ,i may as well mention here that the quickest way of making cases is to paste all your strips of paper and board before you begin to roll any of them1 taking care not to paste that part of each strip of board which is to make the first turn round your 8former40 ,illustration3 #c4 ,illustration3 #g ,in the next place1 when you have made as many cases as you require1 the operation of 8choking10 or forming their mouth and neck1 remains to be done1 and is to be accomplished in the following manner3--,procure some strong close string about one-eighth of an inch in diameter2 take about one yard of this1 and tie one end of it to a ring or nail which has been driven very tightly about #c feet from the ground into a wall1 beam1 or tree1 and the other end of this string tie firmly round a stout piece of stick or ruler about #ah inches long4 ,now take the round-ended drift 7fig4 #d71 and insert this into one end of your cases till its rounded end appears about an inch from the other end1 leaving1 in fact1 an inch at one end of the case unoccupied by the drift4 ,then take the little 8choking piece0 7fig4 #e71 and insert its metal point into the hollow end of the drift4 ,this operation is illustrated at fig4 #f4 ,now rub your string well over with yellow soap2 the more thoroughly this is done the better4 ,then pass the stick or ruler between your legs in such a manner that by leaning backwards you can make the string very tight2 but before tightening it give the soaped part of the string one turn round the part of the case marked e e 7fig4 #f71 then by leaning backwards you will contract that part of the case until you leave an aperture only large enough to admit the point of the 8choking piece40 ,as soon as this is done tie some string tightly round the neck thus formed1 to prevent its becoming larger4 ,the best knot for this purpose is the one given at fig4 #g4 ,then1 when you have drawn out your choking piece and drift1 the proper name of which latter is 8the setting-down piece10 your case must be put by to dry thoroughly before use4 ,the apparatus given at fig4 #h is very convenient for choking cases quickly1 and is given in case you should think it worth while to make such a thing4 ,any boy with a fair notion of carpentering would find no difficulty in making it4 ,it is simply a string passed over a small wheel and fastened to a pedal which works on a hinge close to the ground4 ,a glance at the diagram will show you that by putting your foot upon the pedal f the string may be drawn very tight4 ,the case is choked at the point marked ,f4 ,no choking can be done except while the cases are wet4 ,illustration3 #i ,now1 supposing that you can do nothing else until your cases are dry1 ,i will1 meantime1 introduce you to some of your tools4 ,fig4 #i represents the block and spindle over which your rockets are to be rammed4 ,the case of the rocket is forced1 mouth downwards1 over this spindle by inserting into it the setting-down piece 7fig4 #d71 which you have used before1 and giving the handle of this some blows with the mallet 7fig4 #aj74 ,this operation has the effect of enlarging the choke to its proper size1 and of making the mouth of the case very smooth and hard4 ,the diagram 7fig4 #aa71 represents the steel spindle and nipple in its proper size4 ,the part marked g g is driven into the wooden block which forms its foot4 ,fig4 #ab represents the rocket-case driven down upon the nipple when ready to be filled with its composition4 ,figs4 #ac1 #ad1 #ae1 are three drifts of different lengths1 pierced so as to admit the steel spindle1 and to be used for driving the composition into the cases round the spindle4 ,they are used in the following manner3--,a ladleful of the composition is put into the case1 and then driven down with the longest of these drifts by the mallet2 then another ladleful driven with the same4 ,then a shorter drift is taken for the next few ladlefuls2 then the shortest1 till the case is full up to the top of the spindle4 ,then the unpierced drift 7fig4 #ae7 is used to ram in some composition solid1 and to drive some clay upon the top of this4 ,this operation will be described much more minutely in its proper place4 ,fig4 #ag represents the 8former0 on which the cases are rolled4 ,these tools may be procured at a very reasonable price of ,mr4 ,newman1 #d1 ,augustus ,street1 ,regent's ,park1 ,london4 ,having made you slightly acquainted with the various tools and apparatus to be used in making and filling rocket-cases1 it will now be necessary for me to say a few words about their size and proportion1 for much will depend upon accuracy in this particular4 ,i have given you a sketch of four drifts to be used in loading your cases with composition4 ,the longest of these ,i shall call the first2 and the shortest1 which is the solid one1 the fourth2 this being the order in which you will have to use them4 ,the measurements that ,i am now about to give have reference only to the straight part of the drifts1 not taking their handles into consideration4 ,the length of the first drift is #f inches2 second1 #d2 third #c2 fourth #b4 ,the first three of these drifts are pierced or hollow1 in order to admit the steel spindle over which the rocket is rammed4 ,the first should be pierced to the length of #d inches2 second1 #b2 third #a4 ,taking the exterior diameter of lb4 rocket to be about #a inch--and this measurement is near enough for our purpose--the former on which the cases are rolled should be of an inch in diameter1 and the drifts about of an inch in diameter4 ,the 8former0 should always be slightly larger in diameter than the drifts1 because the paper that is rolled upon it is thoroughly wetted with the paste1 and in drying will shrink a little2 and1 therefore1 if your drifts be of the same size with your former1 you will find considerable difficulty in getting them in and out of your cases2 they ought to be a good easy fit4 ,twelve inches you will find a convenient length for your former4 ,in case you should wish to prepare rockets of other sizes1 and in order that you may readily see the relative magnitude of cases of such sizes as are generally used in the art of pyrotechny1 ,i here append a table3--,those which are called #a-oz4 cases are about inch bore4 #b-oz4 lb4 lb4 #a ,in following the directions which ,i gave in my last paper for cutting up your imperial board and #gj-lb4 brown paper for rocket-cases1 you will find that the case produced will not be a very stout one4 ,although ,i have made an excellent rocket in a case of such a thickness1 you will1 perhaps1 find it advisable to use more paper and board1 and prepare a thicker case4 ,for this purpose cut your board in the manner that ,i have described before for your #gj-lb4 brown paper--that is1 into eight equal strips--and then cut each of your sheets of brown paper lengthwise into four equal strips4 ,by this plan you will be able to make very stout cases1 which will not be at all liable to injury during ramming2 and thus one sheet of board1 with two of brown paper1 will furnish eight lb4 rocket-cases4 ,you must bear in mind when choking them to contract the aperture till it is considerably smaller than you will eventually require it to be4 ,the setting-down piece 7fig4 #d7 has two uses3 it is employed first in choking the case1 and afterwards in driving or setting it down1 when choked1 over the steel spindle4 ,the reason for driving the case thus down till the mouth is brought close to the nipple at the foot of the spindle is that the choke or aperture may thus be left of the proper size4 ,this proper size is about two-fifths of the inner diameter of the case2 and the aperture left immediately after choking should not be much more than one-fifth of the same inner diameter4 ,the operation of 8setting down0 the cases is performed best1 in my opinion1 when they are perfectly dry and immediately before they are filled4 ,,rocket ,,composition4 #e4 ,now supposing your cases to be thoroughly dry and ready to be charged1 the next thing that we must consider is the composition with which they are to be filled4 ,judging from the effect produced by rockets prepared by different makers1 ,i should imagine that the formulas for their compositions are of almost endless variety4 ,some seem to prefer a very quick composition1 which will raise the rocket to a great elevation in a very short time2 others1 one which will produce a large and rich tail of sparks not ascending so fast or so high4 ,in my opinion1 the mean between these two extremes is decidedly preferable3 that which ,i aim at in rocket manufacture is to produce a very high1 but not a very rapid1 ascent2 and when this my object has been properly gained1 ,i have never had any fault to find with the tail of sparks which is thrown out4 ,i may say1 without any exaggeration1 that ,i have experimented upon several hundreds of different compositions1 varying first one ingredient and then another1 increasing or decreasing them by very gradual steps1 until ,i have come to the conclusion that the two following are the only ones worth retaining4 ,but it must be remembered that it is not enough to have a good formula or two in order to be successful1 for much will depend upon the manner in which1 and the care with which1 these are made up3-- ,no4 #a4 ,nitre #af parts4 ,sulphur #d ,charcoal #h to #i ,this1 ,i believe1 is a very old formula1 and1 provided the charcoal be properly prepared1 may be found very useful and effective4 ,i used this receipt for a long time1 and thought it incapable of improvement1 until1 from a wish to try the effect of the addition of a little meal-powder1 ,i came by chance upon the following1 which ,i do not think can be surpassed3-- ,no4 #b4 ,nitre #af parts4 ,sulphur #c ,meal-powder #d ,charcoal #h ,now let me tell you that the success of rocket compositions depends upon two things--the intimate union of their ingredients1 and the fineness or coarseness of the charcoal4 ,such charcoal as you can procure at a chemist's ready pounded will be of no use whatever to you1 for it is in far too fine a state of subdivision4 ,you will require a much coarser charcoal for the most part1 and one not of the same coarseness or fineness throughout4 ,if you could make a mixture containing charcoal of three different degrees of fineness--the first moderately fine1 the next in pieces of the size of grains of ordinary sporting gunpowder1 and the third of the size of large poppy seeds--and take equal parts of each of these three you will find that you have a mixture very serviceable for rocket purposes4 ,but you can procure of ,mr4 ,darby1 whom ,i have mentioned before1 a mixed charcoal which will save you the trouble of sifting4 ,i recommend you1 however1 to use no charcoal that will not pass readily through your #bj-mesh mixer1 for your object is not to have your charcoal in large pieces1 but to have a certain proportion of it coarser than the rest4 ,you will find that the larger your proportion of coarse charcoal is1 the slower your composition will be1 and1 within certain limits1 the more fine charcoal you employ1 the quicker it will be4 ,now1 as the sparks produced by coarse charcoal remain visible in the air much longer and are much larger1 than those produced by fine charcoal1 ,i think it advisable to employ a good proportion of the coarse and in order to make up the strength that the composition loses by this plan1 ,i take a smaller proportion of sulphur1 as you will see by comparing formulas ,nos4 #a and #b1 and at the same time add a certain quantity of meal-powder4 ,all these ingredients may be procured of ,mr4 ,darby4 ,the mode of mixing them is as follows3--,weigh out your quantities of nitre1 sulphur1 and meal-powder1 mix them well together1 and pass them through your #dj-mesh sifter4 ,this you will have no difficulty in doing1 because the condition in which you purchase them is one of fine powder2 your meal-powder especially cannot be too finely sifted for this purpose4 ,you will find it a great convenience to add to this mixture a few drops of methylated spirits of wine or gin--a very slight quantity will suffice to render it less dusty--but you must bear in mind that whenever either of these liquids is employed1 the composition will be sure to rust the steel spindle around which it is driven1 unless you take the precaution of rubbing it over with a little oil or grease after using and before putting it away4 ,next add your charcoal4 ,stir the whole together1 and pass the mixture two or three times through your #bj-mesh mixer2 by this means it will be thoroughly incorporated and fit for use4 ,,rocket ,,ramming4 #f4 ,now we come to the actual ramming of the rockets2 and1 unless you intend to be a great nuisance to your friends and neighbours1 you had better not dream of performing this operation indoors1 it being productive of much noise and jarring2 and you will find that they will not take much interest in your pyrotechnic progress when they have been annoyed and deafened by your frantic efforts for their amusement4 ,you had better choose1 therefore1 some place either out-of-doors1 or in an outhouse1 where you are not likely to be interrupted or interfered with2 the outhouse1 of course1 will be preferable1 because there you will not be exposed to wind and weather1 the former of which1 especially1 is often a source of considerable inconvenience when working out-of-doors4 ,but whatever place you decide upon1 you must have a very solid block of some kind1 which is better made either of wood or stone1 and must be set upon1 or let into1 solid ground4 ,i should think that you will find no difficulty in meeting with one1 made of either of these materials1 in any carpenter's or builder's yard2 odd pieces of stone and timber which would answer your purpose may generally be procured for a few pence4 ,the stone block which ,i use is about #ab #h #h inches4 ,on your block ,i recommend you to put nothing but the wooden block into which your spindle is fixed4 ,the composition which you are using should never be placed upon it1 because it is sure to become to some extent unmixed by the concussion caused by the blows of your mallet1 for the particles of any coarse ingredient which it contains will find their way to the surface4 ,you will find it advisable to have your block1 and the table on which your tools and composition are placed1 of such a height from the ground that1 in working1 you need not stoop or put yourself into any uncomfortable attitude4 ,next we have to consider what is the most convenient receptacle for your composition while your cases are being filled with it4 ,i use a copper scoop capable of holding about #h ounces of composition1 made something like an open coal-scuttle in form1 which ,i have always found very convenient1 and which is represented in the annexed woodcut 7fig4 #ag74 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #ag4 ,you will next require a small ladle made of thin copper or brass1 of such a size that it will take up just as much composition as you should put into your case at a time1 and will admit of being passed into the case4 ,by means of this you will be able to drive in the composition very uniformly1 for by giving a certain number of blows of a certain power to each ladleful1 you can be sure of an equal compression throughout the length of the case4 ,such a ladle ,mr4 ,newman will supply with your rocket tools1 of the right size for filling lb4 cases4 ,i will now suppose you to be ready at the ramming-block1 with all your tools about you1 your composition ready1 and your case driven firmly down over your spindle4 ,i strongly recommend a slight moistening of the composition as directed above before you begin to ram it4 ,now1 taking the longest of the drifts 7fig4 #ac7 in your left hand1 insert into the case when the first ladleful of composition has been put in4 ,you are not to suppose that by 8a ladleful0 ,i mean as much composition as can be heaped up upon the ladle or scoop1 but as much as will lie within it after you have passed the drift over its surface1 and have levelled the composition to the height of its sides4 ,to this first ladleful of composition give fourteen blows with the mallet3 it is not necessary to exert much force in this operation1 for the weight of the mallet will be nearly enough to do the work for you2 and you will find that after each stroke the mallet will recoil with the blow to a point almost high enough to be the starting-point for the next stroke4 ,having given the proper number of blows1 take another ladleful of composition1 and when you have put it into the case1 drive it down in the same manner as the former one with the same number of blows4 ,then for your third ladleful take the longest drift but one1 which must be used for this and the following ladleful1 giving to each of them sixteen blows4 ,then take the shortest hollow drift1 and use this for as many ladlefuls as will make the composition rise to the top of the steel spindle1 giving eighteen blows to each of them4 ,then by inserting the short1 solid drift1 you will be able to measure the distance between the top of the spindle and the top of the case4 ,when you have taken this measurement1 make a mark1 on the outside of the case1 which will show you how high the spindle rises on the inside4 ,by adopting this plan1 or any other that may occur to you as simple1 you will always be able to ram the same quantity of solid composition above the spindle4 ,this is really an important matter1 and one on which depends mainly the beauty of your rocket's performance when it reaches its greatest elevation in the air4 ,there are great varieties of opinion as to what should be the quantity of composition rammed solid above the spindle1 and it is a much more common matter to find too little than too much composition used for this purpose4 ,the effect of using too little is1 that the rocket does not fairly arrive at its turn before its stars or other decorations are thrown out4 ,this1 in my opinion1 is a considerable fault2 for it robs the rocket of a great deal of the elegance of its flight1 and gives one the idea that it is in a hurry to get its work over4 ,nothing but actual experience and observation will enable any one to decide which he considers the proper quantity of solid composition4 ,i consider the best length for this part of the rocket to be that of the exterior diameter of the case--that is1 an inch or rather more for rockets of the lb4 size4 ,larger rockets1 ,i have always found1 do not require quite so much in proportion2 smaller rockets rather more4 ,you should give twenty blows with the mallet to each ladleful of this solid composition4 ,i am well aware that this number of blows sounds like a great deal of hard work1 but you may rest assured that these twenty blows1 given as ,i have directed above1 will occupy only five or six seconds of time1 at the cost of very little exertion4 ,having now completed the ramming of the composition into your case1 you will next require some common potter's clay in dry powder2 this can be procured of ,mr4 ,darby in a condition proper for use4 ,take half-a-ladleful of it1 and ram it down very hard upon the top of the composition with the solid drift4 ,this clay when thus compressed will form an end to your rocket nearly as hard as stone--not so hard1 however1 but that you can bore a hole through it about ths of an inch in diameter1 which will allow of the necessary connexion between the rammed composition and the stars or other contents of the head of your rocket4 ,in the next place ,i will speak of the ,,priming4 #g4 ,this may be done in two ways2 for exhibition purposes ,i should merely put into the mouth of the rocket some meal-powder-paste made as follows3--,make a rather soft1 but not too liquid paste1 by moistening meal-powder with gum-water made of the strength of #b-oz4 of gum-arabic to a pint of water4 ,with the flattened end of a stick rub some of this paste into the cup formed at the choked end of the rocket1 taking care that none of it is left in the choke or narrow aperture at which the fire from the rocket has to find vent2 for1 if any should remain there1 the rocket when fired is almost certain to burst4 ,any of the paste that happens to be forced into this aperture may easily be taken out afterwards by means of a piece of wire or stout pin4 ,your rocket is now finished as far as its ascending power is concerned4 ,,rocket ,,pot4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #ah4--,pot-former4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #ai4--,rocket pot4 #h4 ,i will tell you my method of making the head1 or pot as it is termed1 of the rocket4 ,you must have a piece of hard wood turned of a shape like that indicated in the following woodcut 7fig4 #ah74 ,the straight part of this should be about #d inches long1 and a shade larger in diameter than the exterior of your rocket-case--that is1 about #a inch in diameter1 if you adopt the method of cutting up your imperial board and #gj-lb4 brown paper given in this chapter4 ,now take some moderately thick brown paper1 and cut it into strips about #e inches in width and #h in length2 each of these strips will be long enough to go twice round the pot-former described above4 ,when you have pasted as much of each strip as will not lie actually against the former1 roll it up straightly and pinch in one end2 you will thus have made a cylinder of paper 7fig4 #ai7 closed at one end1 the other end of which will fit nicely over the clay end of your rocket4 ,this is the pot of the rocket1 which is to contain your stars1 rains1 c4 ,,rocket ,,cones4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #bj4--;,cone-former4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #ba4--,paper for ,cone4 #i4 ,you will next require a turned wooden former on which you can make paper cones of such a size at their base that they can be neatly pasted on to the top of your pots--that is1 the base of these cones should have the same diameter as the pots4 ,although such conical caps are by no means necessary1 yet they are a very great assistance to the rocket in its ascent1 enabling it to rise with much less resistance through the air4 ,the cone-former is represented in the annexed woodcut 7fig4 #bj74 ,to make these cones upon it1 cut out as many circular pieces of brown paper as you require1 the semi-diameter of which must be slightly greater than the height of the cones that you have to make4 ,then cut or tear these circles into halves and paste them on one side4 ,now place the first half-circle upon the former1 pasted side outwards1 taking care that the apex of the cone beat the point marked ,a in fig4 #ba4 ,then fold the brown paper neatly round the cone-former1 and when you have made it to sit as closely to it as possible1 proceed in the same manner with the other half-circle1 putting it upon the first1 pasted side inwards4 ,the paper cones thus made must next be covered with one thickness of thin paper cut large enough to extend an inch or rather more beyond the open end of the cone1 and this projecting part1 when notched all round with your scissors1 can be pasted down round the top of the rocket pot4 ,when this is done the pot will present the appearance of annexed illustration 7fig4 #bb74 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #bb4--,pot1 with ,conical ,cap4 ,,rocket ,,stars4 #aj4 ,when all the pasting that has been necessary in making the pots is thoroughly dry1 the filling them with stars is all that remains to be done for the completion of the rocket4 ,you will find that the lb4 rocket will carry an ounce of stars well4 ,after weighing out your stars1 then1 into parcels of this weight1 empty one of these parcels into each pot4 ,you will next require some sort of powder to strew among the stars which shall have the effect of igniting them and at the same time of bursting the pot4 ,i have always found meal-powder by itself to be too rapid in its explosion to convey the fire to all the stars2 many of them are blown out of the pot1 never taking fire at all4 ,the mixture which ,i should recommend you to use is the following3-- ,meal-powder #f parts4 ,fine charcoal #a part4 ,charcoal added to the meal-powder in the above proportion will render its combustion slow enough to light all the stars1 without being too slow to burst the pot4 ,of this mixture take a ladleful 7,i mean the ladle which you use in filling your cases71 and put it with the stars into the pot1 which must now be securely glued over the clay end of the rocket-case4 ,,rocket-,,stick4 #aa4 ,lastly the rocket-stick remains to be considered4 ,this appendage is used for the purpose of keeping the mouth of the rocket downwards1 so that if it move at all its motion must be an upward one4 ,the rule for telling whether the stick be of the proper weight or not is the following3--,after having tied it on to the rocket in the manner indicated in the page of illustrations1 ascertain whether it will balance if laid across the finger about #b inches from the mouth of the rocket4 ,if the stick forms an exact counterpoise to the rocket at this point1 it will answer your purpose very well4 ,the length of the stick which ,i use for lb4 rockets is #d feet1 and its size about inch4 ,the best wood for these sticks is ,american pine4 ,it is very light1 and should be free from knots4 ,you will be able to procure them much cheaper of ,mr4 ,darby1 and much more uniform in their make1 than of any carpenter4 ,in some old treatises upon pyrotechny you will find recommended a tapering rocket-stick1 to the large end of which the rocket is tied4 ,i have never found any advantage which these sticks possess over those that are of one size throughout2 and ,i think ,i may say that no professional pyrotechnist uses tapering rocket-sticks4 ,on the annexed page of woodcuts 7figs4 #bc to #bf7 ,i have given you a sketch of the rings which ,i use1 through which the rocket-stick must be passed1 and from which the rocket is to be fired4 ,these rings should be screwed into an upright post 7fig4 #bg7 standing #e feet out of the ground2 the upper ring near the top of the post1 the lower about #c feet from the ground4 ,there is also a sketch 7fig4 #bh7 to show you how the rocket is to be suspended on this post4 ,i have stated above that there are two ways of priming rockets2 the one used for exhibition purposes ,i have already described4 ,rockets thus primed are fired by applying a lighted portfire to their mouth4 ,the other method ,i have found very convenient when making trials either of rockets or of stars1 for it enables you to get some distance from the rocket-post before the rocket rises1 and consequently to gain a much better view of the object of your experiment4 ,it is done in the following manner3--,paste or tie a piece of touch-paper round the mouth of the rocket which shall project an inch or rather more beyond the mouth4 ,then take a piece of uncased quick-match about #b inches long1 and put it into the soul of the rocket1 leaving so much of it outside the choke as can be twisted into the projecting part of the touch-paper4 ,if this is done so as to leave a short twist of touch-paper beyond that part which contains the quick-match1 you will gain a short interval of time between the moment of lighting the rocket and that of its ascent4 ,you can procure of ,mr4 ,darby the cases ready made1 and1 in fact1 anything employed in firework manufacture2 but ,i strongly recommend you to learn to make the cases yourself1 as you will then be not only much more independent1 but also much more economical in your work4 ,let me recapitulate a little1 and add a few hints to remind you of certain points important in rocket manufacture4 ,do not hurry over any part of the work1 either the making the cases or the composition1 or the ramming of the rockets4 ,in moistening your composition with spirits of wine or gin1 be careful to add very little of the liquid1 and to stir the composition about very thoroughly until all the moisture that is present is very equally diffused4 ,remember that the addition of nitre or meal-powder to your composition will render it more rapid in combustion2 the addition of sulphur or charcoal more slow4 ,by this means you can vary the strength of your rocket composition to any degree which proves successful or satisfactory in your hands4 ,by no means forget to bore a hole through the clay at the end of your rocket1 and thus to form the communication with your stars4 ,never allow your steel spindle to become rusty4 ,every coat of rust that you have to scour off from it diminishes the size of the spindle4 ,remember that the work that is done neatest is always done best4 ,,rocket ,,stars 7,how to ,make74 #ab4 ,by following a few simple directions for the manufacturing of these1 you will be able to vary almost to any extent the heads of your rockets1 and to produce combinations according to your taste and fancy4 ,the stars that are used as decorations to the different species of fireworks are of various kinds1 sizes and shapes1 according to the purpose for which they are intended4 #ast4 ,the ordinary rocket stars1 which are called 8brilliant0 or 8bright10 are made in small cubes4 ,their composition is moistened with gum-water1 and while moist flattened to the thickness required4 ,it is then scored or cut across with a knife1 and allowed to dry4 ,when dry it can be easily broken up into cubes at the places where it was divided by the knife4 ,tailed stars are also made in the same way and of the same size4 #bnd4 ,roman candle stars are small cylinders of composition made of a size proportioned to that of the case out of which they are to be thrown4 #crd4 ,coloured rocket stars are made by driving the coloured composition1 slightly moistened1 into small cases1 which go under the name of pill-box cases4 ,if the star is to consist of one colour only1 these pill-boxes are open at both ends1 and a piece of quick-match is placed between the composition and the inside of the pill-box1 and allowed to project about half-an-inch beyond each end of it4 ,when fired1 these stars burn at both ends at the same time1 and so produce a great amount of fire in proportion to their size4 ,if it is required to make stars consisting of more than one colour 7in which case they are called 8changeable stars071 the pill-boxes are left open at one end only4 ,the composition is thereby prevented from burning at more than one of its surfaces at a time4 ,these stars generally contain two colours2 the pill-boxes are half-filled with one coloured composition and the remaining space filled with another4 ,these changeable stars burn much longer than the others1 and therefore produce a more beautiful effect2 but being larger they require to be used in larger rockets1 the half-pound size being the smallest that is adapted for this purpose4 ,,golden ,,rain4 #ac4 ,there is another and exceedingly beautiful decoration for rocket heads which is called golden rain4 ,this is by no means a difficult thing to make4 ,some small paper cases are made1 about #b inches long and of the size of goosequills2 these are filled with a sparkling composition and primed with wetted gunpowder4 ,they are placed1 mouth downwards1 in the head of the rocket1 and arranged in such a manner that they may all be ignited4 ,at the bursting of the rocket1 they will describe a series of beautiful ringlets of sparkling fire4 ,i have now enumerated as many different kinds of stars1 c41 as will provide you with the means of producing any amount of variety4 ,i now come to the details of the manufacture of these decorations4 ,we will begin with the ordinary ,,brilliant ,,stars4 #ad4 ,first1 let me impress upon you the necessity of seeing that all ingredients used in star compositions are in as fine a powder as possible4 ,you cannot have them too fine or too well incorporated and mixed4 ,the following is the formula which ,i employ for the ,,common ,,brilliant ,,stars4 ,nitre #af parts ,sulphur #h ,sulphuret of antimony #d ,meal-powder #c ,let all these ingredients be in fine powder1 and1 having carefully weighed out the quantities1 mix them thoroughly4 ,next1 take some gum-water of the strength previously mentioned--viz41 two ounces of gum-arabic dissolved in a pint of warm water4 ,spread your star composition upon a piece of zinc plate or slate1 and add to it a little of the gum-water at a time1 taking care to stir the composition about well till all the moisture is equally diffused through the whole4 ,it is not necessary that this composition should be made wet1 but only something like brown sugar in moistness1 so that it will bind well when pressed together4 ,when you think this is sufficiently done1 roll or press the composition into a flat shape like a thick pancake1 and make it as square1 or1 at all events1 as rectangular1 as possible4 ,its thickness should be about a quarter of an inch4 ,you will find a large spatula a very convenient tool in this operation1 both for flattening the cake of composition and for getting it into a convenient shape4 ,now take your spatula1 and with it score the composition across both ways1 so that you have it divided into a number of little cubes1 fig4 #cj4 ,it may then be set aside to dry in a warm place2 it will be forty-eight hours before it is fit for use in summer1 and about a week in winter4 ,when dry you will have no trouble in separating the cubes at the marks left by the spatula4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #cj4 ,i may as well1 however1 introduce you to a simple piece of apparatus which will enable you to perform this operation much more comfortably and cleanly4 ,i have a small wooden tray made of mahogany1 six inches square1 and three-quarters of an inch deep1 inside measurements4 ,into this ,i place a flat piece of wood1 which fits very easily into the tray1 and is half-an-inch thick4 ,this acts as a movable false bottom4 ,it will be readily seen that when this false bottom is in the tray1 placed upon the other bottom1 the tray will be filled up so as to leave a depth of a quarter of an inch only unoccupied4 ,this space ,i fill with the moistened star composition1 having first rubbed the surface of the false bottom with soap to prevent any adhesion taking place between the composition and the wood4 ,having now pressed into the tray as much composition as will fill it to the height of its sides1 ,i score it with the spatula as directed above4 ,a large hole is made in the natural bottom of the tray1 so that ,i can1 by putting my fingers through it1 raise the false bottom covered with stars out of the tray4 ,i then place a piece of cardboard or zinc on the top of the stars and turn the false bottom upside down4 ,the stars will be found to separate from the wood very easily1 and may be left to dry on the zinc4 ,the tray is then ready for another batch of stars4 ,the advantages of this plan are1 that there is no trouble in getting the composition into a uniform1 convenient shape and thickness2 that the composition requires much less gum-water2 and that1 consequently1 the process is a quicker and a cleaner one4 ,,tailed ,,stars4 #ae4 ,the same plan may be adopted also for the making of tailed stars1 with a slight variation which ,i now proceed to describe4 ,these stars are not moistened with plain gum-water1 but with a mixture of gum-water and linseed-oil4 ,the gum-water should be of the strength given above1 and should be made quite hot by placing the bottle which contains it in a jug of boiling water4 ,when it is sufficiently hot1 to every #h ounces of gum-water add #a ounce of linseed-oil4 ,shake the bottle till these are thoroughly mixed1 and no oil can be seen4 ,use the moistening fluid1 while hot1 in the same manner as directed above for brilliant stars4 ,the following is the composition for ,,tailed ,,stars4 ,nitre #af parts4 ,meal-powder #ab ,antimony 7sulphuret7 #h ,fine charcoal #d ,sulphur #d ,if the above directions are carefully followed out1 you will have some stars which are exceedingly beautiful in their effect1 and by no means difficult to make4 ,at its first appearance the star has nothing remarkable in it but the rapidity of its combustion4 ,when this1 however1 is over1 a kind of boiling lava is formed which remains red hot for a long time1 and which1 in its descent to the earth1 takes the appearance of a glowing drop of golden fire1 followed by a tail of sparks1 remaining visible till it reaches the ground4 ,i think the proportion of linseed-oil given above will not bear being altered without detriment to the performance of the stars4 ,if less oil is used1 the stars assume their tailed form sooner1 and disappear sooner2 if more1 they will reach the earth before their principal and characteristic beauty is seen4 ,both 8brilliant0 and 8tailed stars0 may be made in cubes whose sides are about a quarter of an inch4 ,on account of the presence of the oil1 8tailed stars0 take a longer time to dry than 8brilliant40 ,an advantage which they possess1 besides that of superior beauty1 is that they are much more sure of ignition than brilliant stars4 ,i may as well mention here that a tray for forming the stars1 such as ,i have described above1 and of the size given above1 will contain about #h or #i ounces of composition at a time4 ,,coloured ,,stars4 #af4 ,we now come to the very important subject of coloured stars4 ,these require considerable care in their preparation1 the beauty of their performance depending entirely upon the uniform fineness1 the intimate union1 and the dryness of their ingredients4 ,if you wish to make these coloured stars with any degree of satisfaction to yourself1 keep the various preparations which enter into their composition always ready for use--that is1 in fine dry powder1 preserved in well-corked or stoppered bottles4 ,there is one chemical salt which requires especial care in keeping1 on account of its deliquescent properties--that is1 of its tendency to attract moisture from the air2 and unless this salt1 which is the nitrate of strontia1 be thoroughly free from moisture when used1 it will produce no effect at all1 except a needless waste of chemicals4 ,i must therefore tell you that the formulas which ,i am about to give you will fail most entirely in your hands1 unless you are very particular in this matter of dryness4 ,over and over again have ,i been led to condemn formulas for coloured stars and fires as useless or imperfect1 for the sole reason that ,i did not then know how their ingredients were to be handled1 and what care was necessary for the production of their intended effect4 ,in the first place ,i strongly recommend you to attempt to make no coloured stars for rockets1 except such as are made in the pill-box cases1 of which ,i have spoken before4 ,these pill-boxes are made in the following manner3--,procure a piece of straight iron rod1 #ab inches long1 and from three-eighths to half-an-inch in size2 the usual size for this 8former0 is about seven-sixteenths of an inch4 ,now cut some cartridge paper into strips about #h inches wide1 and from #i to #aj inches long2 paste these strips all over1 and roll them round the iron rod closely and neatly4 ,when this is done1 remove the case thus formed from the rod without tearing or breaking it1 and set it aside to dry4 ,when dry it will be very hard and stiff4 ,it can then be cut1 by means of a very sharp knife1 into little lengths of half-an-inch each4 ,these lengths are the open pill-boxes1 into which your composition is to be rammed for coloured rocket stars4 ,in order to accomplish the filling of these cases with the least amount of trouble1 procure a piece of stick1 of a convenient length1 and of such a size round that it will pass easily into the pill-boxes4 ,next take a small piece of quick-match1 about #a inch long1 and pass it through the pill-box in such a manner that it may project beyond each end about half-an-inch 7see ,fig4 #ca74 ,you will be able to steady the pill-box while filling it by holding it by these two ends of quick-match4 ,the composition pressed into these boxes is always slightly moistened2 and by this means1 when once dry1 will not be liable to be shaken out again4 ,in making1 however1 any trials of your coloured star compositions for your own satisfaction before making a large batch of stars1 you had better press the composition in dry2 by this means you will be able to see at once what their performance is worth4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #ca4 ,the fluid that ,i employ for moistening these coloured compositions is a solution of shellac in methylated spirits of wine4 ,as shellac enters into the composition of many of these colours1 it will not be necessary to make your solution a strong one4 ,it should be of the thickness of the ordinary spirit varnishes1 such as photographers use for coating their negative pictures4 ,the exact strength is not a matter of any great importance1 as long as you do not make the solution too rich in shellac2 for by doing this you will impair the purity of your colour to some extent4 ,remember that you must make these compositions wet4 ,a very slight moistening is sufficient to make them bind well when pressed into their cases4 ,the first colour of which ,i shall speak will be the red1 or crimson4 ,it is in the preparation of this colour that you must be most careful about dryness4 ,,crimson ,,stars4 #ag4 ,the composition which follows is1 in my opinion1 the best for ,,crimson ,,stars4 ,chlorate of potash #bd parts ,nitrate of strontia #cb ,calomel #ab ,sulphur #f ,shellac #f ,sulphide of copper #b ,charcoal 7fine7 #b ,this composition gives a magnificent deep crimson when burnt at night4 ,do not be disappointed1 if1 in your experiments in the day-time1 the colour should not appear very deep4 ,remember that there are two kinds of colours in pyrotechny1 and that beyond a certain point it is impossible to amalgamate their respective qualities4 ,the first of these two kinds is the colour which has a considerable depth of tint1 but which has not much reflective or illuminative power4 ,the other kind is that which has a very decided1 but not so deep1 tint1 and which is capable of surrounding itself with a luminous atmosphere of colour during its combustion--in fact1 which has great brilliancy and power of illuminating objects4 ,now the last of these two kinds is the proper one to be employed for star purposes4 ,we should never desire to produce a shower of dead-looking stars1 however intense their colour might be4 ,it is also an ascertained fact that the colour of stars always appears deeper when seen from a distance4 ,do not then be disappointed1 ,i repeat1 if the colour appears somewhat weak when you are making a trial of your composition just under your eyes in the day-time4 ,now1 with regard to the crimson star composition above1 remember that ,i only say that it is one that succeeds in my hands4 ,you may1 perhaps1 think it too rapid in its combustion1 in which case you can increase the proportion of calomel1 or decrease that of the chlorate of potash4 ,the calomel has the effect of deepening the colour1 but at the same time of retarding the combustion1 and of weakening the illuminative power4 ,the shellac must be in as fine a powder as possible2 it has the effect of producing a rich1 thick flame1 and also of rendering more sulphur unnecessary4 ,it also enables the composition1 after having been wetted with the above fluid1 to harden into a mass tolerably impervious to moisture4 ,the sulphide of copper is used for the purpose of giving a very slight bluish tint to the flame1 and thereby of neutralising any yellow that might impair the purity of the crimson1 arising from impurity of the chemicals4 ,you should keep all these ingredients ready powdered1 dried1 and sifted through your #dj-mesh sifter2 and then1 when you require stars1 you will having nothing to do but to weigh out the proportions given in the formula1 and mix them on paper with a spatula4 ,the more you handle the nitrate of strontia1 or any composition containing it1 the moister it will become1 and the less effect it will produce4 ,therefore do not think of mixing the ingredients till you are ready to make your stars1 and have a convenient1 dry1 warm place in which to stow them when made4 ,you can procure the things mentioned in the above receipt1 and1 in fact1 those required for all the coloured compositions1 of ,mr4 ,darby1 #ih1 ,regent ,street1 ,lambeth4 ,but1 in case you may think it desirable to prepare and dry your nitrate of strontia yourself1 ,i give you the following directions-- ,procure a common earthenware pipkin1 or1 still better1 a glazed iron frying-pan of a convenient size4 ,into this place your nitrate of strontia in rough crystals4 ,one or two pounds will be sufficient to prepare at a time4 ,place the vessel on a clear fire1 but do not make it too hot4 ,there is not the slightest danger of explosion1 as this salt cannot be induced to burn except in combination with other things4 ,you must now boil1 or rather stew1 the crystals in their own water of crystallisation4 ,the heat will soon cause them to run into a thick pulpy mass4 ,when in this state1 they must be constantly stirred1 or upon the evaporation of the moisture they will resume a crystalline form4 ,this you wish particularly to avoid1 as your object is to get this mass into powder4 ,continue then to stir it with a stick or flat piece of wood until the moisture is driven off by the heat1 and the salt remains in the condition of a white dry sand4 ,a few trials will enable you to perform this operation in such a manner that after it the strontia will be ready at once for use4 ,if1 however1 enough stirring did not take place1 you will find some fused lumps among your dry preparations2 these must be pounded in a mortar1 and afterwards dried4 ,the operation described above is very simple1 and does not take long to perform4 ,no strontia can be used for coloured stars or fires unprepared4 ,if1 after keeping the dried nitrate of strontia for some time1 you find that it is again becoming moist1 it may be re-dried1 either in the vessel used above1 or in an open dish placed in a well-heated oven4 ,this operation is proper also for the preparation of the nitrate of baryta4 ,for the solution of shellac you will find the following plan a convenient one3--,make a very strong solution of the resin in methylated spirit of wine1 which shall be as thick as treacle4 ,as you require your thinner solution for moistening coloured star compositions1 dilute a portion of the thicker solution with the methylated spirit to the strength required4 ,the sulphur used in all coloured compositions should be as free as possible from acid2 otherwise1 when mixed with chlorate of potash1 it may be dangerous4 ,if you have any doubt about it1 wash the sulphur in a solution of common potash in water1 and dry it gradually4 ,the acid will be entirely neutralised by this plan4 ,never think of pounding sulphur and chlorate of potash together2 they form a detonating compound which will explode with friction or percussion4 ,the compositions that ,i here give for colours are perfectly safe when made as ,i direct4 ,i have made coloured stars from them1 and placed these stars at the side of a fireplace till they have become so hot that ,i could not bear them in my hands1 and ,i have subjected them to several tests1 all of which they have stood well2 and ,i think ,i may safely recommend them to you as not at all liable to spontaneous combustion or possessed of any dangerous quality4 ,i must tell you1 however1 that they may be heated till they explode1 but it is quite unnecessary and very foolish to expose them to any high temperature at all4 ,in drying them1 a good plan is to put them in front of a fire in a flat tin box1 which will prevent any chance of their being ignited1 and will at the same time keep them in a thoroughly dry atmosphere till they become perfectly hard4 ,the box may be placed about two feet from the fire1 so that it becomes moderately warm4 ,in filling the pill-boxes with composition1 put a piece of quick-match through them1 as directed above1 and hold them by the two projecting ends of match4 ,let a short groove be cut in the side of the stick with which you press in the composition1 large enough to allow it to pass the quick-match without injuring it4 ,,rose-,,coloured ,,stars4 #ah4 ,i now give you a composition for producing ,,rose-,,coloured ,,stars4 ,no4 #b4 ,chlorate of potash #bj parts4 ,carbonate of strontia #h ,calomel #aj ,shellac #b ,sulphur #c ,charcoal 7fine7 #a part ,the advantage of this composition is that it is not at all liable to suffer from damp in winter4 ,the carbonate of strontia is a salt not deliquescent like the nitrate1 and is1 moreover1 always to be had in a state of fine powder4 ,the colour procured by the above formula is not so deep as that which the first composition will produce2 but it is especially beautiful when contrasted with an intense blue4 ,if its combustion should be thought too rapid1 less of the chlorate of potash may be employed4 ,it is to be moistened with the solution of shellac4 ,,green ,,stars4 #ai4 ,our next colour will be the green4 ,i have especially observed that stars of this colour always appear far more intense when burning at a distance than when close to the spectator4 ,the colour produced by the nitrate of baryta is never very deep where any great rapidity of combustion is required4 ,it is1 however1 an exceedingly pretty tint1 and is seen to its greatest advantage when used in contrast with a rich red4 ,i employ the following formula for ,,green ,,rocket ,,stars4 ,no4 #c4 ,chlorate of potash #bj parts4 ,nitrate of baryta #dj ,calomel #aj ,sulphur #h ,shellac #c ,charcoal 7fine7 #a part4 ,sulphide of copper #a ,the composition made according to this formula will produce a colour which leaves nothing to be desired1 if the several ingredients be only in fine powder1 dry1 and pure4 ,it is not affected by moisture nearly so much as any composition containing nitrate of strontia4 ,the shellac employed should be as fine as possible4 ,and here let me remark that the reduction of shellac to powder is a process of itself2 no coarsely-powdered shellac will answer your purpose4 ,mr4 ,darby will supply you with it in fine powder quite as cheaply as you can get it done elsewhere4 ,composition ,no4 #c is to be moistened with the solution of shellac4 ,the sulphide of copper you may have some difficulty in procuring4 ,you are sure1 however1 to meet with it at the shop of ,messrs4 ,bolton and ,co41 #adf1 ,holborn-,bars1 ,london1 but you must ask for the fused sulphide of copper1 for there is a precipitated sulphide also1 which is of no use to you4 ,do not use any of it that will not pass through your #dj-mesh sifter4 ,i add this ingredient rather as an improvement than as necessary to the composition4 ,you may substitute for it1 if you please1 the preparation of copper which ,i am about to recommend in the composition for blue stars4 ,if composition ,no4 #c should be thought too fierce1 try the addition of a little more calomel4 ,,pale ,,rose-,,coloured ,,stars4 #bj4 ,the next formulas that ,i shall give are two which ,i have occasionally used and found effective4 ,their merit is that they possess a very intense illuminative power2 their colour1 however1 is not so intense as that of those which ,i have already given4 ,they have also the advantage of being very readily ignited1 but care must be taken not to expose them to a high temperature in drying4 ,the following are their formulas3-- ,,pale ,,rose-,,coloured ,,stars4 ,no4 #d4 ,nitrate of strontia #h parts4 ,chlorate of potash #d ,sulphur #c ,sulphuret of antimony #b ,take especial care that the nitrate of strontia used in this formula be very dry4 #ba4 ,,pale-,,green ,,stars4 ,,pale-,,green ,,stars4 ,no4 #e4 ,nitrate of baryta #af parts4 ,chlorate of potash #h ,sulphur #f ,antimony #c ,the compositions made from both these formulas give a pale colour when seen close2 but when falling from a rocket1 and viewed at a distance1 produce a very charming effect1 particularly when contrasted one against the other4 ,they must be moistened with the solution of shellac4 ,,golden-,,yellow ,,stars4 #bb4 ,the next colour that we will deal with is the yellow4 ,the composition for this colour is a very satisfactory one1 on account of its having no tendency to deterioration from damp4 ,there are many formulas used for this colour directing the use of the nitrate of soda4 ,this salt is1 if anything1 more difficult to keep dry than the nitrate of strontia4 ,i therefore have abandoned it for another preparation1 which ,i believe to be as effective and thoroughly permanent4 ,i recommend the following for ,,golden-,,yellow ,,stars4 ,no4 #f4 ,chlorate of potash #bj parts4 ,nitrate of baryta #cj ,oxalate of soda #ae ,sulphur #h ,shellac #d ,if it be thought advisable to give the stars made from this formula a tailed appearance1 add one part of fine charcoal4 ,the composition is to be moistened with the shellac solution4 ,the stars form a beautiful contrast with those of an intense blue4 ,,blue ,,stars4 #bc4 ,and now comes the last1 and1 in my opinion1 the most beautiful colour of all4 ,this is the blue4 ,it has generally been considered a very dangerous colour1 but the following formulas ,i have always found thoroughly safe3-- ,,blue ,,stars4 ,no4 #g4 ,chlorate of potash #h parts4 ,sulphide of copper #f ,chertier's copper #e ,sulphur #d ,or1 ,no4 #h4 ,chlorate of potash #ab ,chertier's copper #f ,sulphur #d ,calomel #a part4 ,these formulas give a rather pale but very brilliant blue4 ,the compositions have the advantage of being very readily ignited4 ,,purple ,,stars4 #bd4 ,if a deeper blue is required1 use the following1 which ,i shall dignify by the name of ,,purple ,,stars4 ,no4 #i4 ,chlorate of potash #af parts4 ,chertier's copper #ab ,calomel #h ,stearine #b ,sulphur #b ,shellac #a part4 ,this gives the most intense blue that ,i have seen used in pyrotechny1 and1 with crimson or yellow stars1 forms a truly magnificent contrast4 ,chertier's copper is a preparation discovered by a ,frenchman of that name1 and particularly adapted to the requirements of the pyrotechnist4 ,it is made as follows3--,take any quantity of common sulphate of copper 7blue vitriol7 and dissolve it in as little water as possible2 then take an equal quantity by weight of chlorate of potash and dissolve it also in as little water as will hold it in solution4 ,mix these two solutions1 and boil them gently over a clear fire until the moisture is nearly evaporated2 then dry the green precipitate that remains by a gentle heat4 ,when dry treat it with strong liquor ammoni till it changes to a deep blue colour2 then let it dry very gradually in a warm place4 ,if this operation be properly performed you will have a fine1 very light blue powder1 which is in reality a chlorate of potash with copper and ammonia4 ,this is what ,i designate as ,chertier's copper4 ,messrs4 ,bolton and ,co4 will no doubt prepare it for you if you please4 ,the stearine employed in the above composition must be in fine powder4 ,it is easily reduced to this state by being treated in the same way as camphor or spermaceti4 ,if a few drops of spirits of wine are used with it1 it can be powdered in a mortar4 ,compositions ,nos4 #g1 #h1 and #i1 must be moistened1 ,,not with the solution of shellac1 but with the gum-water which have recommended to be used in making up the brilliant stars4 ,care1 however1 should be taken that for this purpose the gum-water has not become acid by long standing4 ,a very little of the fluid will make the composition bind well1 and will enable you to form from it stars of great tenacity and hardness4 ,i think now that want of variety is a thing that you can hardly complain of2 but ,i must beg you to bear in mind the following particulars3-- ,the stars of which ,i have at present spoken are only for rocket purposes2 they are not to be used for ,roman candles4 ,another plan is adopted with reference to these1 and their preparation will be described in its proper place4 ,when these rocket stars are to be used some of the powder recommended before must be strewed among them2 you can make that mixture weaker if you please1 using one proportion of fine charcoal to five or even four of meal-powder4 ,the projecting ends of quick-match render these stars much more certain of ignition than the ordinary cubic stars4 ,it is advisable not to prepare your coloured stars until you are ready to use them1 because1 unless protected from damp in the most careful manner1 they will lose some of their beauty1 and you will thereby not be making the most of them4 ,they may appear to you expensive things to prepare1 but you must bear in mind that two or three rockets containing them are quite sufficient for any one exhibition such as ,i suppose you will be likely to give4 ,remember that the red1 green1 and blue or purple stars may be used mixed with a very beautiful effect4 ,the purple and golden1 or purple and crimson1 or rose1 will also form excellent contrasts4 ,,golden ,,rains4 #be4 ,one species of rocket decoration1 the manufacture of which ,i proposed to describe1 remains yet to be considered4 ,it is called ,golden ,rain1 and with the details of its preparation we will conclude our subject of rocket-making4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #cb4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #cc4 ,golden rains are made in the following manner3--,procure a piece of brass rod 7,i always prefer brass for formers1 because it is not liable to rust1 as is iron or steel71 the diameter of which is #c-afths of an inch1 or rather less4 ,the length of the former may be from #f to #h inches4 ,you will now require some thin brown or cartridge paper1 of which to make your cases4 ,cut this paper into short strips1 about #b inches wide1 and long enough1 when wrapped round the former1 to make a case whose external diameter should be a quarter of an inch1 or rather more4 ,the former should have a cup-shaped1 hollow cut in one of its ends1 into which the paper may be turned1 to form a closed end to your little cases4 ,paste your strips of cartridge paper all over1 and also rub some paste on the former4 ,now1 having turned back one end of your strips--7figs4 #cb and #cc7--roll it round the former1 beginning in the manner here sketched1 so that1 instead of rolling a single edge of paper round the former1 you are rolling a double one4 ,the advantages of this plan for making cases will be more easy for you to see than for me to describe4 ,i may state1 however1 that you insure1 by adopting it1 a very close and even fit of the case to the former2 you secure the inner edge of the paper from coming unfastened1 and you are much more certain that your strips will roll up straightly4 ,this plan may be adopted1 if you please1 for all cases4 ,i think it is1 on the whole1 the safest and best4 ,the paste which you rubbed on the former will enable you to draw it out from the case without tearing or injury4 ,but before removing the former entirely1 draw it out only so far as to leave its cupped end a quarter of an inch inside one of the ends of your case--so far1 in fact1 that a quarter of an inch of your case remains unoccupied by the former4 ,now pinch in the paper that projects beyond the former1 and drive it down with a tap upon your pasting slab1 so that the twisted end is pressed into the cup of the former4 ,by this means you will have a neat and secure end to your cases1 which may be dipped afterwards into warm size or glue4 ,if a little red lead be mixed with this size1 it will solidify much more rapidly4 ,this dipping the ends of the cases into size should not be done until they are dry from the paste4 ,now we come to the filling of these little cases2 and for this purpose you will require a simple apparatus1 known among pyrotechnists as 8the funnel and wire40 ,the funnel is usually made of tin1 and has at its mouth a short tube1 about a quarter of an inch long1 the exterior diameter of which is equal to the exterior diameter of your brass former1 so that it will exactly fit into the mouth of your golden rain cases4 ,the wire should be of steel1 about #a-ajth of an inch in diameter1 and at least #f inches long4 ,for convenience in working1 it should have a small wooden handle4 ,the handles sold in the tool-shops for engravers' tools will answer very well4 ,this is the whole of the apparatus required for making golden rains4 ,the composition employed for filling the cases is the following3-- ,,golden ,,rains4 ,meal-powder #f parts4 ,nitre #a part4 ,fine charcoal #b parts4 ,or1 ,meal-powder #h ,fine charcoal #c ,let these ingredients be very intimately mixed4 ,when the composition is ready for use1 place the tubular mouth of the funnel in the mouth of one of your little cases2 and then put the wire1 through the neck of the funnel1 down to the bottom of the case4 ,next1 half fill the funnel with one of the above compositions4 ,now1 steadying the case with one hand1 raise the wire a little by its handle1 and drive it down again4 ,continue to repeat this operation1 giving the wire a succession of short1 rapid strokes4 ,you may give about fifteen strokes in five seconds4 ,each time the wire is raised1 a small quantity of the composition falls round it into the case1 and the descent of the wire has the effect of driving the composition firmly and compactly into its place4 ,when the case is charged1 the funnel must be removed1 and the space that was occupied by its nozzle filled with gunpowder paste--gunpowder1 that is1 or meal-powder moistened with gum-water4 ,this will prevent the composition from being shaken out of the cases1 and at the same time forms the best method of priming them4 ,take care that this paste is pressed well into the mouth of the cases1 and fills them4 ,,portfires4 #bf4 ,the 8funnel and wire0 operation is one to which the pyrotechnist has recourse for many purposes1 one of which ,i may as well mention here1 as it may fairly be said to come under the head of rocket manufacture--,i mean the preparation of portfires4 ,the portfires1 used for firing rockets and fireworks1 are generally made in the following manner3--,the former for this purpose should be of brass1 and not less than a quarter of an inch in diameter1 and the wire for filling them not less than one-eighth of an inch4 ,portfire cases are usually made very thin1 three rounds of such paper as that on which the ,times is printed being quite sufficient4 ,the cases are prepared in precisely the same manner as that described for golden rains1 and are also primed in the same way4 ,the following is the composition which ,i use for ,,portfires4 ,nitre #f parts ,sulphur #b ,meal-powder #a part4 ,portfires may be made of almost any size1 according to the purpose for which they are intended4 ,you will find three-eighths of an inch quite large enough for the inner diameter of any that you are likely to require4 ,if they are to be used for firing exhibitions1 you will find that #h to #ab inches will be a convenient length4 ,the funnel and wire apparatus is so cheaply made that you will be able to provide yourself with two or three sets of these tools1 of different sizes1 so as to answer any purpose4 ,we are thus brought to the conclusion of the subject of rockets and their accessories4 ,i trust that ,i have made my method of operation sufficiently intelligible and plain4 ,the main difficulty that meets any one who attempts to describe a delicate and particular system of working lies in the fact that when one is thoroughly conversant with his subject1 particularly in all its minuti1 he is very liable to overlook1 or to treat as unimportant in his directions1 some point because it appears trifling to him1 and is never likely to be forgotten in his practice1 the involuntary omission of which1 however1 may be a frequent cause of failure in the hands of others4 ,i have tried throughout to evade any possibility of misunderstanding2 and if ,i have been too diffuse1 it has been solely from the desire to avoid that which has certainly been the fault of almost all the treatises on pyrotechny that ,i have seen1 viz41 indistinctness arising from insufficiency of detail4 ,our next subject shall be that of ,,roman ,,candles4 #bg4 ,fireworks of this species are exceedingly beautiful and effective1 especially when made with coloured stars1 and fired in numbers4 ,their manufacture is somewhat difficult1 but the difficulty is one well worth overcoming4 ,i made a considerable series of experiments before ,i produced a ,roman candle that answered my expectations4 ,at last1 however1 ,i hit upon a plan which has never since failed in my hands1 and ,i think that1 if ,i can succeed in making my meaning understood1 and you will undertake to follow my directions closely1 you will find my plan a good one4 ,there are several conditions upon which success depends1 and which it will be as well to enumerate4 ,a poor ,roman candle is not worth making4 ,if you wish to produce one that will satisfy you1 remember-- #ast4--,that you must have a composition to burn in the intervals between the stars1 which will produce as good an effect when the ,roman candle is almost spent as when first lighted--in fact1 which will throw a jet of fire uniformly good throughout4 #bnd4--,that your stars must be hard enough to resist the pressure of the drift with which you consolidate the composition4 #crd4--,that the stars must be of tolerably rapid combustion1 otherwise they will not be ignited before they are blown into the air4 #dth4--,that the charges of powder for blowing the stars must be regulated to a great nicety4 ,if too small1 they will not throw them high enough2 if too large1 they may burst the case1 or spoil the intended effect of the stars1 or so disturb the composition below them that three or four of the stars will be fired in rapid succession1 or almost instantaneously4 ,now1 the first thing to be considered is the size of which ,roman candles are to be made4 ,i make them of one size only1 for ,i have found that it is much more convenient to have but one size of stars to prepare1 and one size of cases to roll1 and one scale of powder-charge to remember1 than to run the risk of confusion by having to think of various sizes4 ,besides1 all the effect that these pieces are capable of can be produced by my one size4 ,this size is that called the #b-oz4 ,roman candle4 ,the former for the cases must be five-eighths of an inch in diameter1 and should be #ah inches long4 ,these fireworks require rather a large amount of paper and imperial board for the manufacture of their cases4 ,a good stout case may be made as follows3--,cut your sheets of #gj-lb4 brown paper into halves1 and your sheets of imperial board into six equal pieces4 ,one of these pieces1 with one half-sheet of #gj-lb4 paper1 will make one case4 ,paste your pieces of imperial board all over1 as well as the sheets of paper4 ,rub some paste on your former1 and proceed to roll a piece of the pasted board tightly and smoothly round the former till all but about two inches of it is rolled4 ,then take the pasted half-sheet of brown paper1 and roll this upon the imperial board in the manner described for making golden rain cases4 ,the method there given is of especial value when the cases that you are making are of considerable length1 because it enables you to roll the paper and board very straightly1 which cannot be done so easily by any other means that ,i know of4 ,the cases thus made will be pasted throughout and can be easily removed from off the former4 ,they will be about #ad inches long1 which is a very good size4 ,you can1 of course1 make them shorter for experiments1 but you will find the above size not too large for exhibition purposes4 ,i do not think it will do to make the cases very much thinner than ,i have directed1 but a few experiments will decide what length or thickness of case succeeds best in your hands4 ,i have given you my size1 which ,i have no wish to alter4 ,now the next thing to be done is to prepare the stars4 ,these are made in a tubular mould1 the exact size of which ,i have sketched in the page of illustrations1 ,fig4 #cg4 ,but before giving you directions for making these stars1 ,i may as well furnish you with a few formulas for their composition4 ,,white ,,roman-,,candle ,,stars4 #bh4 ,the brilliant stars may be made of the same composition as that given you for rocket stars of that kind4 ,if1 however1 you require a more white star1 use the following3-- ,,white ,,roman-,,candle ,,stars4 ,composition ,no4 #a4 ,nitre #dh parts4 ,sulphur #aj ,regulus of antimony #h ,realgar #f ,red lead #d ,shellac #a part4 ,this formula gives a much purer white than the formula for ordinary brilliant stars1 which are always bluish in tint4 ,composition ,no4 #a must be moistened with the solution of shellac recommended for rocket stars4 ,,yellow ,,roman-,,candle ,,stars4 #bi4 ,yellow ,roman-candle stars may be made from the same formula as that given for yellow rocket stars4 ,,greek ,,roman-,,candle ,,stars4 #cj4 ,greek ,roman-candle stars may be made from the formulas given for rocket stars2 but there is also another formula1 which produces a rather deeper tint1 but is hardly rapid enough in combustion for rocket stars4 ,it is the following3-- ,,green ,,roman-,,candle ,,stars4 ,composition ,no4 #b4 ,nitrate of baryta #dj parts4 ,chlorate of potash #bj ,calomel #ab ,sulphur #ab ,shellac 7fine7 #d ,charcoal 7fine7 #a part4 ,this composition must be moistened with the solution of shellac4 ,it will produce a most lovely colour1 if the baryta be pure4 ,,crimson1 ,,rose1 ,,blue1 ,,and ,,purple ,,roman-,,candle ,,stars4 #ca4 ,the formulas for crimson1 rose1 blue1 and purple ,roman-candle stars are the same as given for rocket stars1 and must be moistened with the liquid directed in my last paper as proper for each one4 ,you have now formulas for making brilliant1 white1 golden1 green1 crimson1 rose1 blue1 and purple stars4 ,,roman-,,candle ,,stars 7,to ,make74 #cb4 ,in order to make the stars1 moisten the compositions very slightly4 ,the mould in which these stars are shaped is a brass tube of a size proportioned to the size of the ,roman-candle case1 and is generally about one-sixteenth of an inch smaller in its inner diameter than the case4 ,the drift with which the composition is pressed into the tube is made of boxwood or metal1 and fits easily into the tubular mould4 ,at one of its ends there is a wire point4 ,place the end having the point in the mould as far as it will go4 ,you will find a space left at the end of the mould unoccupied by the drift4 ,press this empty end of the tube into the slightly-moistened composition until it is filled by it1 so that the drift1 being driven down upon the composition1 will compress it into a firm cylindrical mass1 into the centre of which the wire point projects4 ,figures #ce1 #cg1 and #ci1 represent the mould1 drift1 and finished star4 ,when the star is thus formed in the mould the drift must be reversed1 and its long plain end inserted1 and the star pushed out4 ,the object of making the star hollow is that it may dry and harden perfectly in its centre4 ,if heat is employed to dry the stars1 they have a tendency to harden outside rapidly1 and thereby an impervious coating is formed1 through which the inner moisture cannot evaporate4 ,this difficulty is obviated by leaving a hole in the centre of the star1 and this hole is made of use for another important purpose--namely1 the priming of the star4 ,my plan for insuring the ignition of the stars is1 as far as ,i know1 peculiar to myself1 and ,i have the satisfaction of knowing that it has never failed me4 ,some pyrotechnists recommend the smearing of the star with a very combustible paste2 this plan1 however1 must to some extent injure the colour of the star4 ,i simply place a little piece of quick-match into the hole in the star1 and allow it to project about a quarter of an inch above4 ,by this means even slowly-combustible stars are ignited1 and almost every chance of failure is avoided4 ,this priming1 however1 should not be done until the stars are to be put into the cases--at all events1 till they are perfectly dry4 ,their drying may be effected naturally out-of-doors in the summer1 when a very few hours' exposure in the sun will render them thoroughly hard and fit for use4 ,in the winter time1 however1 artificial heat should be used4 ,i always find that the more rapidly1 up to a certain point1 these stars are hardened1 the better they keep4 ,nothing1 however1 will be gained by hurrying them through this process1 except a danger of their exploding4 ,place them carefully1 and not touching one another1 in a tin box having a lid1 and let this box remain at such a distance before a fire that it can become thoroughly warm1 not hot1 till the stars are thought hard enough to be put away4 ,they should be kept1 when dry1 in closely-stoppered bottles in a dry place4 ,each star will weigh1 at least1 thirty grains4 ,,composition ,,for ,,roman ,,candles4 #cc4 ,i must now suppose your stars and cases to be ready for use2 and1 therefore1 the next thing to be considered will be the composition which is to form the intervals between the stars in the cases4 ,for this purpose ,i give you three formulas4 ,,composition ,,for ,,roman ,,candles4 ,no4 #a4 ,nitre #ah parts4 ,sulphur #f ,charcoal 7fine7 #g ,meal-powder #d ,this composition is one which answers very well4 ,i think1 however1 that the following is better1 being rather more rapid in its combustion1 and thus capable of producing a more decided effect when burning at the lower end of the case3-- ,no4 #b4 ,nitre #af parts4 ,meal-powder #h ,charcoal 7fine7 #f ,sulphur #f ,this is the composition which ,i generally employ4 ,both of these formulas give rather a dusty mixture1 and can be used with much greater cleanliness and comfort if slightly moistened4 ,only so much spirits of wine or gin must be used as will render them less dusty1 and not wet4 ,the following composition is very useful1 but produces rather a jet of flame with sparks than a rich sparkling fountain3-- ,no4 #c4 ,nitre #af parts4 ,meal-powder #aa ,sulphur #f ,antimony #d ,this composition is of a more heavy and less dusty nature1 but can also be slightly moistened1 if you find it more convenient to use it when thus treated4 ,take care that in each case the ingredients are well mixed4 ,,roman-,,candle ,,cases 7,to ,fill74 #cd4 ,having selected one of the above compositions1 you will now be ready to fill your cases4 ,for this part of your work you will require a small turned block of wood1 like that drawn in the page of illustrations 7fig4 #dj74 ,this block with its projecting piece is called a 8settle40 ,one end of your ,roman-candle case is pressed over the upper part of this settle1 which is made of a size to fit into it tightly4 ,by this means the case will be supported while it is being filled4 ,the first thing to be done is to close up one end of the case4 ,this is done by ramming in a small quantity of dry potter's clay1 such as you used for rockets2 this being driven down over the top of the settle will form a very hard1 firm end4 ,,charges ,,for ,,roman ,,candles4 #ce4 ,we now have to enter upon the most difficult part of the manufacture of ,roman candles4 ,this is the regulation of the charges of powder which are to blow the stars into the air4 ,these are so small1 and necessarily so1 that unless their quantity be very accurately measured you are very likely to spoil the performance of the whole4 ,the following table will give you an approximate idea of the quantity that each charge should contain2 but so much depends upon the quality of the gunpowder which you employ1 that it is impossible to give you anything more than an approximation3-- ,for the #ast star #c grains4 #bnd #d #crd #d #dth #e #eth #e #fth #f #gth #f #hth #g #ith #h #ajth #cj ,gunpowder exerts more or less force in its combustion in proportion as it meets with more or less resistance4 ,it is in accordance with this principle that those charges of gunpowder which are at or near the lower end of the ,roman-candle case1 are obliged to be much smaller than those placed nearer its mouth4 ,if it were not so1 and all the charges were alike1 when the combustion reached a certain point the case would be burst4 ,you must modify the quantities given in the above table until you produce the greatest and best effect with the greatest economy of power4 ,i think that the five first charges will not require to be altered much4 ,i have given charges for ten stars4 ,you need not1 of course1 put so many into the case2 but you should not put in less than eight4 ,all must depend in this matter upon the quantity of composition which you like to use in the intervals between the stars4 ,only be sure to keep the two last charges of gunpowder always the same1 and do not place the two last stars too near the mouth of the case4 ,the reason why these rules must be observed is that the force of the charges of gunpowder which lie near the mouth of the case is so soon spent1 that if the stars are too near the mouth of the ,roman candle they will do little more than fall out of the case1 instead of being blown to their proper height4 ,the first star means1 not that one which is fired first from the ,roman candle1 but that which is first put into it4 ,your best plan for measuring the charges of powder is to have some small scoops or ladles made of very thin sheet-brass1 of the same shape as that used in filling rockets1 and capable of holding exactly the right charge of powder for each star4 ,this is the only plan that ,i am aware of for insuring with any accuracy the various quantities4 ,now1 having your stars primed1 as directed above1 with quick-match1 your clay rammed firmly into the lower end of the case1 and your composition ready moistened for use1 you must cut some thin touch-paper into squares of an inch in size4 ,next you must be provided with a round stick with a flat end1 which will pass easily into the case from one end to the other1 not shorter than eighteen inches4 ,your materials and apparatus are now complete4 ,first put into the case the first charge of gunpowder1 and take care that this finds its way to the bottom of the case2 drop in next the first star1 with its priming upwards4 ,take care also that the star lies directly upon the charge of powder4 ,now1 by means of another brass scoop made to hold the proper quantity of composition1 put into the case half the quantity that is to be rammed between the first and second stars4 ,you must then press this into its place by means of your ramming-stick4 ,this can be done with the hand1 without any mallet4 ,the weight of a mallet would break the star beneath4 ,remember always to ram in the composition which is to form the interval between the stars in two quantities4 ,if you attempt to ram it all in at once it will not be sufficiently consolidated1 and its combustion will be too rapid4 ,the quantity of composition must depend entirely upon your own taste4 ,i generally put in as much1 in two quantities1 as will rise about an inch in height in the case2 it will not do to put in less4 ,then upon the top of this composition put one of the square pieces of thin touch-paper4 ,this may be rammed down in the same manner in which a gun-wadding is driven upon the top of the charge4 ,the object of this little piece of touch-paper is to prevent the charge of powder which is above it from disturbing in its explosion the composition which is below it4 ,this ,i have always found it most effectually does1 and allows1 moreover1 of the use of a rather stronger charge of powder1 than could be employed without it4 ,having put this in flatly1 measure out your second charge of powder1 and put upon the top of it your second star1 then another half-charge of composition1 then the remaining half-charge1 then another piece of thin touch-paper1 and so on till the case is filled4 ,the last charge of powder should not be less than two inches below the mouth of the case4 ,the ,roman candles should always begin with composition in their burning4 ,,arrangement ,,of ,,stars4 #cf4 ,with regard to the arrangement of the stars1 ,i generally vary the colours as much as possible in each ,roman candle4 ,if these pieces are to be fired singly1 it matters little what the order of the colours is2 but if they are to be fired in numbers1 it will be necessary to arrange them so that they do not throw up the same colours at the same time4 ,the plan that ,i adopt to prevent this is the following3--,i make out a list of the coloured stars that ,i have ready to use1 arranging them1 for instance1 in the following order3--brilliant1 green1 yellow1 blue1 red1 white1 purple1 rose4 ,the first ,roman candle may be filled with its stars in this order4 ,in the second ,i should begin with the green1 in the third with the yellow1 and so on1 till all that are to be fired at once are completed4 ,,preparation ,,of ,,touch-,,paper4 #cg4 ,i have spoken about touch-paper1 but ,i do not think that ,i have yet described its preparation4 ,this is very simple4 ,obtain some thin blue paper--not so thin as tissue-paper1 but thinner than the ordinary blue paper used by shopkeepers--brush or sponge this over with a weak solution of nitre4 ,if this solution is made too strong1 the nitre will recrystallise as the water evaporates in drying1 and this should not be the case4 ,,quick-,,match4 #ch4 ,quick-match1 of a quality good enough to answer for priming to the ,roman-candle stars1 may be made simply as follows3--,make a thick paste of gunpowder and hot water with a small quantity of gum in it4 ,take about four strands of cotton1 such as is sold in balls and used for making the wicks of lamps1 steep this in the solution of nitre used above for making touch-paper1 and then wring it as dry as possible2 then rub it well in the gunpowder paste till it is thoroughly covered with it4 ,one end of the cotton may then be passed through a small funnel1 whose mouth is not more than an eighth of an inch in width4 ,by this means1 if the whole length of the cotton is drawn through it1 the superfluous paste will be removed1 and the match will be of a nice round form4 ,hang it out-of-doors on a dry day1 and when it is nearly dry coil it upon a tray or paper1 and dust it over with meal-powder4 ,in winter it will not be sufficiently dry for use under a week4 ,when thoroughly dry it should be stiff and hard1 and the less it is bent or doubled the better4 ,if you wish to use this match for connecting the mouths of different fireworks1 or 8clothing0 them1 as it is termed1 you must make some long paper tubes round a wire former which has a diameter of not less than three-sixteenths of an inch4 ,these pipes are threaded on the match1 and have a piece cut away at their side wherever they are inserted into the mouth of a case1 in order that the match may be laid bare and convey its fire to the priming of the cases4 ,i have given you these short hints for the preparation of a quick-match4 ,i cannot1 however1 recommend your acting upon them1 as the manufacture of this useful article involves a great deal of very dirty work4 ,unfortunately1 quick-match is rather expensive to buy1 while it may be made at a very trifling cost4 ,it is a most indispensable accessory1 and if you dare face the dirty work1 you will find your courage will well repay you4 ,you may prepare it any way that you please1 remembering that all that is necessary is to coat the cotton well with a highly-combustible compound1 and one which will dry thoroughly4 ,your ,roman candles1 when charged1 should be finished with touch-paper2 or with ordinary paper1 to receive the quick-match1 if they are intended to be fired simultaneously in numbers4 ,i trust that the above directions will enable you to succeed in the manufacture of a species of firework without which no exhibition can be complete1 and with which so many and beautiful effects may be produced4 ,in case you should prefer to buy your chemicals and various ingredients of an operative chemist1 ,i beg to refer you to ,messrs4 ,bolton ,co41 #adf1 ,holborn-bars1 ,london1 in whose preparations ,i have great confidence1 and who will undertake to supply you with all the articles required in pyrotechny at the prices in the subjoined list4 ,you will perceive that it is much more economical to purchase them by the pound whenever they are required in such quantities4 ,many of the things1 however1 you will need to use only sparingly1 and these1 therefore1 may be bought by the ounce4 ,i think the following list will be found to contain nearly all the preparations that you will require2 there may be a few things omitted1 such1 for instance1 as red lead 7used in the composition for white ,roman-candle stars71 but this can be procured of any country chemist or painter3-- ,per lb4 ,per oz4 s4 d4 s4 d4 ,nitre in powder #j #h ,meal-powder #a #j ,sulphur #j #d ,charcoal #d;d4 to #j #h ,calomel #e #j #j #d ,nitrate of strontia #a #j #j #a do4 do4 anhydrous #b #j #j #b ,nitrate of baryta #a #j #j #a ,do4 do4 anhydrous #b #j #j #b ,chertier's copper #d #f #j #d ,oxalate of soda #c #j #j #c ,shellac in powder #c #j #j #c ,sulphide of copper fused #b #f #j #b ,realgar #b #j #j #b ,carbonate of strontia #b #j #j #b ,stearine #b #j #j #b ,regulus of antimony #a #i #j #b ,bright steel filings #a #j #j #a ,cast-iron borings #j #f ,powdered glass #a #j #j #a ,i have now only to give you a brief description of the woodcuts4 ,fig4 #cd represents the funnel into which golden rain composition is placed2 ,fig4 #ce the drift with which it is rammed2 ,fig4 #cf the case which is to contain it2 ,fig4 #cg represents the tubular ,roman-candle star mould2 ,fig4 #ch the drift with which the stars are rammed2 ,fig4 #ci the finished star with its quick-match priming2 ,fig4 #dj represents the settle with its upper part on which the ,roman-candle case is to be supported4 ,the next portion of our subject with which we have to deal is that which comes under the head of ,,gerbes ,,and ,,jets ,,of ,,brilliant1 ,,chinese1 ,,and ,,common ,,fires4 ,,chinese ,,and ,,brilliant ,,fires4 #ci4 ,these are certainly among the most beautiful and effective pieces to be met with in the whole range of pyrotechny4 ,they should find a place in every exhibition1 and1 if only prepared properly1 according to the directions which ,i am now about to give1 will be sure to prove one of the most striking features in your display4 ,they have one great advantage--that there is no limit to the modes of combination or arrangement in which these pieces may be effectively employed4 ,by means of them you can make any such things as the following3--,fountains of any size or design1 cascades1 brilliant suns1 either fixed or revolving2 bouquets of ,chinese fire1 ,prince of ,wales's feathers1 trees of silver flowers1 and a thousand other devices which will readily occur to you4 ,but1 like many other things which are possessed of highly useful or ornamental qualities1 they have a corresponding disadvantage4 ,their compositions1 to produce the desired effect1 must be made as shortly as possible before you intend to fire them2 for the ingredients upon which they rely for their beauty are filings of steel for brilliant fires1 and borings of iron for ,chinese fires1 and unless these filings and borings be entirely free from rust at the time when they are fired1 the effect produced will be insignificant as compared with what it should be4 ,and it must be borne in mind that both iron and steel become very soon and very easily corroded when mixed with any composition into which nitre and sulphur enter4 ,i have known cases filled with brilliant or ,chinese fire remain good for a week in winter2 but ,i do not suppose that even then their performance was at all what it would have been if they had been prepared for a few hours only4 ,many attempts have been made to secure these metallic ingredients from corrosion4 ,some have stirred the filings in a varnish made of resin and spirit2 others have shaken them about in powdered black-lead1 and so coated them with this substance4 ,but a coating of any kind is tolerably certain either to rob the spark1 which each particle of metal should produce1 of its brilliancy1 or to render the composition during combustion very smoky1 and so impair the intended effect4 ,by far the most successful preparation of steel and iron that ,i have noticed is the following3--,a weak solution of asphalt in naptha is made1 and the filings or borings are stirred about in this4 ,when it is thought that they are thoroughly covered with it1 the solution is poured off1 and the filings spread out upon a paper to dry4 ,this plan will protect them from rust for a little time longer than they would otherwise remain uncorroded4 ,but still the best plan is to prepare the compositions as short a time as possible before they are to be fired4 ,the size that ,i recommend for cases which are intended to contain ,chinese fire is that called the two-ounce case4 ,to make them1 the same former may be used as was employed in the manufacture of ,roman-candle cases already described4 ,the paper and imperial board may be cut of the following sizes4 ,open your sheet of paper1 of the #gj-lb4 thickness1 to its full size1 and divide it into three pieces1 as shown in the following woodcut1 ,fig4 #da3-- ,illustration3 ,fig #da4 ,then open your sheet of imperial board to its full size1 and divide it thus into nine equal pieces1 ,fig4 #db4 ,so that by these arrangements one sheet of imperial board and three sheets of #gj-lb4 brown paper will furnish you with material for nine cases1 each of which will be about nine and a-half inches in length4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #db4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #dc4 ,my plan for rolling the cases is that which ,i have described in paragraph #be1 but which may perhaps1 be rendered slightly more intelligible by the accompanying sketch4 ,having pasted one of my strips of paper and one piece of board all over on one side1 and having brushed some paste over my metal former1 ,i lay the former across the strip of paper about one-third of its whole length from the end nearest to me4 ,i then double the one-third of the strip1 pasted side downwards1 over the former1 on to the remaining two-thirds1 ,fig4 #dc1 taking care that the edges of the one are even and parallel with the edges of the other4 ,then having made a crease in the upper fold just in front of the former1 ,i put into this crease the pasted piece of imperial board1 and roll up the whole together4 ,it is necessary1 however1 to paste the upper side of the fold of paper which you have made round the former4 ,this ,i have always found a very quick1 and easy1 and perfect method of preparing cases of any kind4 ,i trust that ,i have rendered my meaning plain1 as ,i shall have occasion to refer frequently to this operation4 ,the rolling board must1 of course be used4 ,the cases when made are to be choked1 while wet1 precisely in the same manner as described for rocket-cases1 only it must be remembered that their aperture may be almost choked up1 because when it has been reopened by the point over which they are loaded1 it must not be more than one-third of the interior diameter of the case in size4 ,having described the manufacture of the cases4 ,i now proceed to give the formulas for the composition of ,,chinese ,,fire4 #dj4 ,there are two sorts of this fire which are known by the names red and white4 ,the red is that which contains charcoal1 and therefore has some red sparks intermixed with those produced by the iron2 the white is that the sparks of which are produced by the iron only4 ,it is my intention to give several formulas for this fire1 in order that my readers may select for themselves1 and use that which they find most successful4 ,no4 #a4 ,meal-powder #af parts ,nitre #af ,sulphur #d ,charcoal 7,no4 #b7 #d ,iron borings #ad ,or the following is quicker in combustion3-- ,no4 #b4 ,meal-powder #af ,sulphur #c ,charcoal #c ,iron borings #g ,or1 ,no4 #c4 ,meal-powder #h ,nitre #af ,sulphur #c ,charcoal #c ,iron borings #h ,or1 ,no #d4 ,meal-powder #af ,nitre #h ,sulphur #d ,charcoal #c ,iron borings #g ,the compositions given above produce what is termed ,red ,chinese ,fire1 since they all contain charcoal4 ,i have numbered the charcoal1 because ,mr4 ,bolton1 #adf1 ,holborn-bars1 supplies three different degrees of fineness1 the second of which is proper for this purpose4 ,the following formulas will produce what is called ,white ,chinese ,fire3-- ,no4 #e4 ,meal-powder #af parts4 ,nitre #f ,sulphur #c ,iron borings #aj ,or1 ,no4 #f4 ,meal-powder #af ,nitre #d ,sulphur #b ,iron borings #f ,or1 ,no4 #g4 ,meal-powder #af ,iron borings #e ,it is an understood rule among pyrotechnists that the smaller the diameter of the case employed the quicker must be the composition with which it is filled2 or1 in other words1 a quick composition which answers well in a case of small diameter will burn too rapidly1 or explode1 in a case of larger dimensions4 ,my readers must therefore first determine the size of the case that they intend to use4 ,it will not be well to adopt any size of case smaller than the two-ounce for ,chinese fire4 ,if1 however1 the lb4 size be chosen1 ,i should recommend the compositions ,no4 #a1 ,no4 #c1 or ,no4 #e4 ,nos4 #b1 #d1 #f1 #g will answer very well in a case of the #b-oz4 size4 ,but if it be thought advisable to have recourse to a case of the lb4 size1 a still weaker composition will be required1 in which case the following formulas may be used3-- ,no4 #h4 ,nitre #af parts4 ,sulphur #c ,charcoal #d ,iron borings #g ,or1 ,no4 #i4 ,nitre #bj ,sulphur #d ,charcoal #d ,iron borings #ab ,for general purposes1 cases of the #b-oz4 size will be found quite large enough1 particularly when used in combination1 and not fired singly4 ,the most effective of all the compositions that ,i have given is ,no4 #g1 which consists of meal-powder and iron borings only1 but it is very rapid and fierce in its combustion1 and will burst the cases into which it is put unless great care be taken in the ramming4 ,a very little of the composition must be rammed at a time1 in order to insure a thoroughly equal and solid compression throughout the case4 ,if properly managed a two-ounce case filled with this composition will throw a very brilliant jet of large flowers of fire from eight to ten feet in height4 ,i have sometimes thought that the moistening of composition ,no4 #g with a little turpentine1 so that it becomes less dusty1 has the effect of preserving the iron or steel from rust to some extent4 ,at all events1 it greatly facilitates the uniform mixing of the ingredients4 ,it must1 however1 be especially borne in mind that neither spirits of wine nor gin must be used to moisten any composition containing iron or steel4 ,the iron borings which ,mr4 ,darby will supply are very effective for the preparation of ,chinese fire4 ,you should take care that the other ingredients are thoroughly mixed before you add the iron borings1 and then that the iron be equally distributed throughout the mixture4 ,the next operation is the filling of the cases4 ,for this you will require some tools not before mentioned1 which ,i will now proceed to describe4 ,you should get ,mr4 ,newman to make you three solid drifts which will pass very easily into your #b-oz4 cases4 ,the first of these should be about nine inches long1 the second about five inches long1 and the third two inches long4 ,these tools will always be found convenient for many purposes in pyrotechny1 and not only for the filling of ,chinese fire cases4 ,the two longest of these drifts should be about nine-sixteenths of an inch in diameter2 the third may be nearly five-eighths of an inch4 ,your mallet should be1 in the measurement of its head1 five inches long and three in diameter4 ,it should be made either of ash or beech4 ,in the next place you will require a block with a nipple and point1 such as is drawn in the page of illustrations1 figs4 #dd1 #de and #df4 ,this may be made of wood1 with its point only of metal2 but ,i much prefer a metal nipple and point4 ,mr4 ,newman has made for me a set of nipples and settles in gun-metal1 all of which fit into the same block4 ,they answer all purposes1 and take up very little room2 whereas you will find a multiplicity of blocks very inconvenient1 if your accommodation is as scanty as mine4 ,you must1 of course1 have a scoop of a proper size for filling #b-oz4 cases1 and this1 ,i think1 will complete your tools4 ,your case must now be pressed over the point of your nipple1 and by this means its aperture will be made of the proper size4 ,you will find it very convenient to have a ring of iron fixed into your block1 through which the case must be passed1 which will steady it and keep it in a perpendicular position while being filled 7fig4 #dg74 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #dg4 ,and this is in reality more than a matter of convenience1 for unless the case be perpendicular while the operation of filling is going on1 the blows of the mallet will not have their proper effect1 and the composition will not be thoroughly consolidated2 or1 what is worse1 the neck of the case may be wrenched or injured in some manner1 and will in all probability give way and burst upon the combustion of the composition4 ,now drive in your composition1 a ladleful at a time1 and1 after putting in each ladleful1 give the drift twelve blows with the mallet4 ,fill the cases till there remains a space of two inches only unoccupied at the end4 ,into this end put a gun-charge and a-half of gunpowder4 ,then with a bradawl separate one or two of the inner folds of the paper of the case1 and turn these down on the top of the powder4 ,my method of filling in the ends of the cases is the following3--,melt in an earthen pipkin a mixture of two parts of common resin and one of wax4 ,this may be poured into the ends of the cases upon the paper that has been turned down4 ,it will harden in a few minutes1 and will be found to insure you a good report from the powder4 ,it only remains now to prime these cases4 ,this is an operation requiring some care1 although it may be performed in a very simple manner4 ,if the point of your nipple is not too long--that is1 is only long enough to reach the composition without penetrating it--all that you need do is to press into the mouth of the case some meal-powder paste2 but if a cavity has been left in the composition1 this must be filled up before priming1 or the case will inevitably burst4 ,it is an excellent plan to take for your first ladleful1 not any of the compositions for ,chinese fire1 but a ladleful of some slower fire containing no iron borings4 ,you may use a mixture consisting of ,nitre #f parts4 ,sulphur #a part4 ,charcoal #a ,the advantage of attending to this piece of advice will be very apparent to you1 and ,i strongly recommend the plan to your notice in the case of brilliant1 as well as of ,chinese1 fires4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #dh ,having now described the manufacture of the cases of ,chinese fire1 ,i shall proceed to point out to you some of the combinations in which they may be used4 ,the simplest is the ordinary ,prince of ,wales ,feather1 the framework of which any blacksmith can make in thin iron rod1 having a couple of holes drilled in it1 through which screws may be driven to fasten it to your post4 ,i give you two sketches 7figs4 #dh and #di71 the former of which has1 in my opinion1 rather the advantage4 ,the mouths of the cases must1 of course1 be connected with quick-match1 so that they all take fire simultaneously4 ,by having a framework made of iron it will be liable to no injury from the explosions at the end of the cases4 ,the same framework may be used with three ,roman candles1 instead of ,chinese fire cases1 and with excellent effect4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #di4--,prince of ,wales' ,feathers4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #ej4 ,the next most simple combination is that which is called the ,bouquet of ,chinese ,fire4 ,it should be made with1 at least1 five cases1 and will then be found very effective in its performance4 ,its framework is of very simple construction1 and may be made in a few minutes by any boy4 ,the accompanying sketch 7fig4 #ej71 will prevent the necessity of any further explanation4 ,a very pretty piece may be made1 representing a tree of silver flowers4 ,procure a straight piece of deal of any length that you require 7the length must be determined by the number of cases that you intend to use74 ,this will answer for the trunk of the tree4 ,to this nail some pieces of lath in the shape given in the adjoining woodcut 7fig4 #ea74 ,on each of these1 and at the top of the straight piece1 tie a case of ,chinese fire1 and connect all the mouths of the cases by means of quick-match4 ,when ignited1 this piece will present a very beautiful appearance1 and may be made a highly satisfactory conclusion to a small exhibition4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #ea4 ,it is worthy of remark that all pieces in which ,chinese fire is used should be raised to a considerable height from the ground1 otherwise they will lose much of their beauty1 for the sparks produced by the particles of iron are thrown much farther1 and remain visible much longer1 on account of their superior size1 than those produced by steel1 and if they have not a certain distance through which to fall1 much of their effect will be thrown away4 ,the post on which ,i fire nearly all my pieces stands ten feet out of the ground4 ,it is made of deal painted with lead-colour1 and is about three inches square4 ,it can be taken down or put up at a moment's notice1 as it fits into an oak box sunk in the ground1 of the same kind as those used in drying grounds4 ,if you have a post of this kind made1 see that the part which fits into the box is not straight1 but slightly tapered4 ,this will allow of a better fit1 and enable you to remove it far more easily when required4 ,there are many combinations which it will not be at all necessary for me to notice here1 for the firing of one of these cases of ,chinese fire is not only a beautiful thing in itself1 but is also very suggestive of different devices under which this valuable preparation may be employed4 ,if any of my readers should hit upon any unusually good device ,i shall be glad to hear of it through the publishers of this book2 and if my readers1 in the course of their experiments1 should stumble upon a really good plan for preparing iron borings and steel filings so that they become incorrodible1 they will confer a great favour upon the pyrotechnic world by making it known4 ,be sure not to forget to first ram into your cases half-a-ladleful of the preparatory fire given above3 it will save you many a disappointment4 ,if you prefer a composition a little quicker1 add some meal-powder to it4 ,having said all that is necessary to make the manufacture of ,chinese ,fire intelligible1 ,i pass on to consider1 in the next place1 the subject of ,brilliant ,fire4 ,,brilliant ,,fire4 #da4--,the points of difference between brilliant and ,chinese fires are these3-- #ast4--,the sparks produced in the combustion of brilliant fire by steel filings are much whiter1 but at the same time much smaller and shorter-lived1 than those produced by iron borings in ,chinese fire4 #bnd4--,the steel sparks are not thrown to so great a distance1 on account of their superior weight and size2 but they are much more numerous1 and afford a rich tale1 or 8brush10 as it is termed1 of glowing scintillations1 rather than a gracefully-falling jet or fountain of large sparks4 ,this very fact1 however1 of their not being thrown so far from the case out of which they are fired renders them capable of producing an effect in combination of which ,chinese fire is incapable4 ,the cases1 when arranged in the position of the radii of a circle or spokes of a wheel1 will throw a perfectly straight brush of brilliant fire1 which will1 of course1 much more closely represent rays of light emanating from a centre than any fire the sparks of which have a tendency to fall4 #crd4--,another point of difference between the composition containing iron borings and that containing steel filings is that the former should never be employed in the construction of pieces which have motion2 for the very motion of the piece1 or rather the increased impetus with which the particles of iron are thrown out into the cold air1 has the effect of cooling them so rapidly that almost all their beauty is lost4 ,but this is not the case with steel filings3 they seem almost unaffected by the rapid motion of the piece in which they are employed2 and for this reason they possess an advantage which fully makes up for their being so much less showy in their performance than the iron borings4 ,the cases into which the composition for brilliant fire is rammed need not be so large as those employed for ,chinese fire4 ,i employ two sizes--the #a-oz4 size for cases that are intended to turn wheels or any revolving pieces1 and a smaller size still for those that are to remain perfectly stationary during their combustion4 ,the fault into which the young pyrotechnist is most likely to fall is that of using a power considerably in advance of his need4 ,in order that you may not do this 7for there is always fear of failure when you do71 ,i recommend you to use no cases for brilliant fire larger than the one-ounce size4 ,this1 you will find1 will give you a moving power amply sufficient for any wheels that ,i suppose you are likely to use1 and particularly if you bear in mind the rule1 that increase of power is gained much more safely and much more effectively by an additional number of cases burning at the same time than by any additional force that you can get out of one case4 ,the #a-oz4 case1 as you know by this time1 is made round a former exactly half-an-inch in exterior diameter and #ab inches long4 ,the paper for these cases may be cut precisely in the same manner as directed for ,chinese fire cases4 ,the imperial board should be cut thus 7fig4 #eb71 into twelve equal pieces4 ,take care that the long side of the board is divided into three1 and the short into four4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #eb4 ,if1 however1 you think a shorter case sufficient1 cut your sheets of paper into eight equal parts1 thus 7fig4 #ec71 and your imperial board into sixteen pieces--that is1 half the length of the strips of paper2 this will give you cases about five and a-half inches in length4 ,both these divisions of paper and board are for the #a-oz4 cases4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #ec4 ,i will now speak of the smaller sizes1 which are used only in fixed pieces1 and which are generally called on that account1 for the sake of distinction1 fixed cases4 ,the former for these is a metal tube #ab inches long and seven-sixteenths of an inch in exterior diameter4 ,for cases of this size you may either use paper and board cut as directed above for the longer #a-oz4 cases1 or you may divide each sheet of paper into six strips thus 7fig4 #ed71 and each sheet of board into twelve pieces half the length of the strips of paper4 ,for filling either the #a-oz4 or the fixed cases it will be evident that you must have at least two drifts for each size that will pass easily into their respective cases--one about #i inches long in its straight part1 and the other from #b to #c inches in length4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #ed4 ,you must also have a nipple and point over which to ram each different size of case4 ,the exact size of these nipples you will see in the pages of illustrations 7figs4 #de and #df74 ,use the same mallet and observe the same rules in filling these brilliant fire cases as in filling the cases with ,chinese fire4 ,we are now ready for the compositions4 ,the first given is by far the most beautiful1 and most generally used2 but being very rapid in its combustion1 it must be very carefully and uniformly compressed in the case4 ,no4 #b is of a much quieter character1 and may be found useful for some purposes4 ,,brilliant ,,fire4 ,no4 #a4 ,meal-powder #d parts4 ,bright steel filings #a part4 ,or1 ,no4 #b4 ,meal-powder #af parts4 ,nitre #h ,sulphur #c ,fine ,charcoal #c ,bright steel filings #aj ,neither of these compositions should on any account be mixed before their preparation is absolutely necessary1 for their whole beauty depends upon the brightness of the filings at the time of firing4 ,,common ,,and ,,sparkling ,,fires4 #db4 ,i will now give a few formulas for common and sparkling fires1 which will in all probability be found very useful for jets and fixed pieces4 ,,common ,,and ,,sparkling ,,fires4 ,no4 #a4 ,meal-powder #d parts4 ,charcoal ,no4 #b #a part4 ,or1 ,no4 #b4 ,meal-powder #af parts4 ,nitre #h ,sulphur #d ,charcoal ,no4 #b #d ,or1 ,no4 #c4 ,meal-powder #af ,very fine glass dust #e ,or1 ,no4 #d4 ,meal-powder #h ,very finely powdered porcelain #c ,these four compositions will be found effective for many purposes1 but should not be used in cases under the one-ounce size4 ,their great advantage is that they are not in the least degree impaired by keeping4 ,they are to be rammed into the cases in precisely the same manner as directed for ,chinese fire4 ,,brilliant ,,fire4--,,effective ,,combination4 #dc4 ,but now to return to brilliant fire4 ,i will suppose you to be using some of the first composition given1 and to have completed the filling of a few cases4 ,let us see what we can do with these to put them into effective combination4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #ed;a4--,five-pointed star in brilliant fire4 ,provide a circular disc of hard wood1 #f inches in diameter1 and #a inch thick4 ,this is to form the centre of your piece4 ,nail to this five spokes of wood at equal distances from one another1 and #ae inches long4 ,nail also to the back of the central disc a strip of wood about #b feet long1 #b inches wide1 and three-quarters of an inch thick 7fig4 #ed74 ,by means of this you can screw the whole piece conveniently to your firing post4 ,on each of the five spokes tie a case of brilliant fire1 reported at its end1 and connect the mouths of these with quick-match4 ,the effect produced by this piece is very surprising1 when we take into account its extreme simplicity4 ,its beauty may1 however1 be much enhanced by the addition of a ,chinese flyer to its centre2 but the manufacture of this auxiliary has not yet been described1 and must not be spoken of out of its place4 ,a simple large wheel of brilliant fire may be made by fastening two cases to each end of a strip of wood about #cj inches long1 the centre of which strip is made thick enough to turn steadily on an iron spindle4 ,the cases are tied on at an angle so as to throw a large circle of fire4 ,the mouth of the case at one end is connected with that at the other by means of quick-match4 ,when these two cases are consumed they communicate their fire to the two inner ones by a quick-match1 which is led from the tail of the first to the mouth of the second4 ,if two of these pieces are made to revolve on the same spindle in opposite directions a very magnificent brilliant sun will be formed1 throwing a circle of rays #bj feet in diameter4 ,the accompanying sketch 7fig4 #ee7 will1 ,i trust1 make these directions sufficiently intelligible4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #ee4--;,brilliant wheel4 ,a fixed sun may be made with any number of brilliant cases arranged as the radii of a circle1 and connected at their mouths with quick-match4 ,but since pieces of this kind may be rendered so much more effective by the addition of other fireworks1 it will be useless for me to give drawings of them here4 ,at the point ,i have sufficiently advanced in this subject to enable you to complete these exhibition pieces in all their beauty ,i have furnished some designs1 from which you may perhaps derive a few useful hints4 ,i have now1 ,i think1 opened to you a wide field for experiment1 your success in which depends now upon a careful following out of my directions1 and upon the amount of taste and ingenuity of which you are master4 ,mr4 ,newman will supply you with any of the tools mentioned1 and either ,mr4 ,darby1 or ,messrs4 ,bolton ,co41 with any of the ingredients for your compositions2 and if you have not fairly astonished your friends on some festive occasion1 ,i do not think the cause will rest with me4 ,illustration3 ,fleuron ,do not forget the preparatory half-ladleful of slow composition in your cases of brilliant and ,chinese fire4 ,do not be careless about the manner in which your cases are primed4 ,you would feel very foolish if1 in firing a five-pointed brilliant star1 for instance1 like the one sketched above1 one or two of your cases were not ignited by the quick-match4 ,do not be in a hurry about making your frames4 ,a framework for any piece1 once well made1 will last for ever4 ,remember that the concussion from your reports will be an excellent test of the strength of your woodwork4 ,lastly1 run no risks4 ,strong compositions have a way of behaving in a very awkward manner if they take fire unexpectedly1 or at the wrong time2 never1 therefore1 make compositions till the cases are ready to receive them1 and you have time to ram them4 ,and1 above all1 never leave batches of composition about1 for the temptation is very strong to inquiring minds to experiment upon their powers of combustion4 ,,wheels ,,of ,,various ,,devices1 ,,horizontal ,,and ,,vertical4 #dd4 ,you will do well to remember that the remarks that ,i have already made1 under other heads1 concerning device are especially applicable to the subject of wheels4 ,i am not giving you designs to lead you to suppose that this or that is the way of accomplishing any one object4 ,there is no limit to the methods by which you may work out any plan1 and this you will discover by degrees1 as your knowledge of the art of pyrotechny grows riper1 and your hands become more dexterous1 and your manipulation consequently more easy4 ,but in the outset of our subject1 let me advise you not to attempt to make catherine-wheels--that is1 those small spiral wheels which are made by the professionals to sell on the ,fifth of ,november1 and seem to be intended for little girls to fire4 ,you have nothing to do with such pieces as these4 ,your object is to provide an exhibition1 and you will find it worth your while to bear in mind that the fireworks made by professionals are of two kinds--those made for their retail business1 which consists for the most part of small single pieces1 and which are papered up very neatly for sale1 and those which they prepare for their large exhibitions1 and which are in many instances made in an entirely different way from the former4 ,catherine-wheels cannot1 as far as ,i can see1 be employed in combination1 and on this account they can form no part of our present work4 ,i am very ready to allow that1 when properly made1 they are very pretty little things1 but1 not being available for our immediate purpose1 they must be passed over here4 ,in case1 however1 any one of my readers may happen to be so prejudiced in their favour that he cannot consider his exhibition perfect without them1 ,i may as well say that he can procure them of ,mr4 ,darby quite as economically as he can make them himself1 for the rolling and the filling of their cases involves an expenditure of time and the acquisition of a certain 8knack10 which1 when we consider that the wheel will only do one thing after all1 seems like a wilful waste of such perseverance as might be directed much more profitably to some worthier object4 ,now1 the wheels of which ,i am about to treat are such as are made by tying on choked cases1 filled with a strong composition1 to frames of various forms1 in such a manner that the recoil of the case during combustion shall have the effect of driving the wheel4 ,the preparation of the composition for this purpose1 and the making and filling the cases are exceedingly simple3 and1 in fact1 the only part of wheel-making which requires any degree of nicety is the preparation of the woodwork2 for1 unless the framework of the wheel be tolerably well balanced1 and made to run easily and smoothly on its axis1 much of the intended effect of your piece will be lost4 ,but we had better begin with the cases and compositions1 and then proceed to consider the various modes of combination in which they can be employed4 ,the cases that ,i use for wheel purposes are of two sizes only--the #b-oz4 and the #a-oz4 size2 and of these two sizes1 the one far most commonly useful is the #a-oz4 ,cases of the #b-oz4 size are necessary only for large wheels1 where a considerable weight of material has to be set in motion4 ,i make both these sizes of cases of the same length--that is1 about #e inches long4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #ef4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #eg4 ,the paper for the #b-oz4 wheel-cases is to be cut as follows3--,divide each sheet of #gj-lb4 brown paper into eight equal pieces 7see fig4 #ef71 and then divide each sheet of imperial board into ten equal strips4 ,then proceed to make your cases1 pasting and rolling them in precisely the same manner as previously directed1 taking especial care that the inner fold of the paper1 which lies next the former1 is thoroughly saturated with paste1 so that it is not loose when the former is drawn out of the case4 ,if this inner edge be left loose1 the composition will get behind it1 and1 upon firing the case1 will act as a quick-match1 and infallibly burst the whole1 and destroy your piece1 and not only your piece of pyrotechny1 but also your peace of mind2 so do not fail to remember this hint4 ,your #a-oz4 cases for wheels must be made in the same manner1 and with the same care4 ,but your imperial board must be cut differently4 ,cut your #gj-lb4 paper in the same manner as directed above for #b-oz4 cases--into eight equal strips--and your board into pieces of half that size--that is1 into sixteen pieces4 ,these divisions will give you cases quite thick enough for all purposes4 ,of course1 each case is to consist of one piece of board and one strip of paper4 ,you will require no more tools for the filling of these cases than those already mentioned4 ,the operations of choking and ramming are to be performed in the same manner as directed for cases of brilliant and ,chinese fire1 and the same blocks and nipples are to be employed4 ,we now come to the compositions with which the cases are to be filled4 ,for these ,i give you several formul1 in order that you may be able to vary your fires according to taste4 ,no4 #a4 ,meal-powder #af parts4 ,steel filings #d ,this is the brilliant composition given in paragraph #da1 which is used also for wheels with excellent effect4 ,,white ,,fire4 ,no4 #b4 ,meal-powder #af parts4 ,sulphur #c ,or1 ,no4 #c4 ,meal-powder #af parts4 ,nitre #d ,sulphur #b ,charcoal 7,no4 #b7 #b ,or1 ,no4 #d4 ,meal-powder #bj ,charcoal 7,no4 #b7 #d ,or1 ,no4 #e4 ,meal-powder #af ,fine litharge #c ,or1 ,no4 #f4 ,meal-powder #dj ,nitre #bj ,sulphur #d ,charcoal #c ,bright steel filings #f ,litharge #b ,or1 ,no4 #g4 ,meal-powder #af ,nitre #b ,sulphur #b ,charcoal 7,no4 #b7 #b ,glass dust #b ,of the above compositions1 ,nos4 #a1 #b1 and #d will be found the most generally useful2 and of these ,i prefer ,no4 #d for all ordinary purposes4 ,remember that the compositions for wheel-cases are by far the strongest that are used in the whole range of pyrotechny1 and that they must on that account be compressed very evenly and completely in the cases1 or they will burn too rapidly1 and explode when ignited4 ,you will find it very advisable to ram a small quantity of the preparatory composition1 recommended in paragraph #dj1 into the cases before putting in the wheel-case composition which you have selected4 ,the cases should be filled till the composition rises to about half-an-inch from their ends--that is1 half-an-inch at the end of the case should be left unoccupied by the composition4 ,they should be primed with wetted meal-powder as soon after they are filled as convenient1 care being taken that the space which the point of the nipple occupied during the operation of ramming is filled up by the priming4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #eh4 ,when the filling and priming of all your cases is accomplished1 you will next have to cover them with paper which shall project about an inch beyond each end of the case4 ,the object of this is to enable you to tie in the quick-match which is to connect one case with another4 ,this operation is very easily performed4 ,cut some ordinary newspaper into strips wide enough to project an inch over each end of your case--that is1 about eight inches wide--and long enough to go two or three times round the case4 ,it will not be necessary to paste the newspaper strips all over4 ,if they are pasted slightly at each end it will be quite enough4 ,the paste at one end of the strip will stick it to the case1 and that at the other end will fasten it down so as to prevent it from coming unrolled4 ,the annexed sketch 7fig4 #eh7 will show you how the case ought to be covered4 ,,common ,,single ,,triangle ,,wheel4 #de4 ,now1 the first form of wheel of which ,i shall speak is that usually known by the name of the 8,common ,single ,triangle ,wheel40 ,its manufacture is very simple4 ,provide a piece of light beech wood1 of hexagonal form1 each of whose sides is two inches in length 7fig4 #ei74 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #ei4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #fj4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #fa4 ,this hexagonal piece of wood may be about half-an-inch thick4 ,then bore through its true centre a hole about three-quarters of an inch in diameter1 into which glue firmly a piece of wood turned or cut to the shape given in the drawing 7fig4 #fj74 ,through this piece bore1 in its exact centre1 a hole about a quarter of an inch in diameter1 and1 when bored1 burn it through with a piece of quarter inch iron rod1 red hot4 ,this is the hole through which the spindle is to pass which is to form the axle of the wheel4 ,when the operation is finished1 the side view of your framework will be like the accompanying sketch 7fig4 #fa74 ,the object of this centre is twofold2 first1 to obtain a greater steadiness in the motion of the wheel1 by increasing the length of the hole through which the spindle runs2 and1 secondly1 to keep the wheel1 during its revolutions1 from touching against the post into which the spindle is driven--a precaution never to be forgotten in the case of vertical wheels of all descriptions4 ,i must next suppose you to have three cases of the #a-oz4 size ready filled and primed and papered4 ,before fastening these on your framework take especial care that the one which is to burn last has its end stopped up with some incombustible material4 ,the best plan is to ram some powdered clay upon the composition before removing the case from the nipple1 in the same manner as recommended for the ends of rockets4 ,if some precaution of this kind be not taken1 the fire issuing from the mouth of the first of your three cases will be communicated to the tail of the third1 and thus bring your wheel to a most inglorious end4 ,having1 then1 taken this precaution1 proceed to tie on your cases to the edge of your wooden framework4 ,this is easily done if you bore two holes1 through which your string can pass1 close to each of those sides of the frame on which the cases are to lie4 ,a reference to the sketch of the framework 7fig4 #ei7 will show you where these holes should be made4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #fb4 ,in tying on your cases1 be quite sure that the mouths or choked ends of them lie all in the same direction1 in such a manner that the tail of the first case reaches almost to the mouth of the second2 the tail of the second to the mouth of the third2 the tail of the third to the mouth of the first4 ,when you have secured them firmly in their places with string1 you can then proceed to connect them with quick-match--or clothe them1 as it is called--so that when one case is burned out it will communicate its fire to the mouth of the next1 and so on till they are all consumed4 ,in cutting your quick-match1 bear in mind that about an inch of the black match itself must project uncovered beyond each end of the paper tubes in which it burns4 ,this is to insure its taking and communicating its fire4 ,in the annexed sketch 7fig4 #fc7 you will see represented a piece of quick-match as it should be cut for connecting cases4 ,at fig4 #fd is represented a wheel-case1 such as is to burn second in your single triangle1 and has a piece of quick-match1 like fig4 #fc1 at each of its ends1 to connect it with the first and third case on the wheel4 ,you will observe that the newspaper which projected beyond the ends of the case is simply tied in tightly round the quick-match4 ,you will1 after a few trials1 be able to get through this 8clothing0 operation very easily1 and with no unnecessary wasting of quick-match4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #fc4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #fd4 ,the mouth of your first case may either be finished off with touch-paper1 or may have a short piece of quick-match put into it1 to be lighted with a portfire4 ,your wheel is now completed and ready for firing4 ,but ,i may as well suggest here that its beauty and effectiveness will be very much enhanced if the three cases on it be filled with different compositions4 ,for instance1 fill the case which is to burn first with composition ,no4 #b2 that which is to burn second with ,no4 #d2 and the third case with ,no4 #a4 ,this plan of varying the compositions1 or any other that suggests itself1 may be adopted in the case of all wheels4 ,it is necessary1 however1 that you should be well acquainted with the character of each composition1 in order that you may be able to produce the exact effect that you require at the right time4 ,composition ,no4 #a gives only brilliant sparks1 and must be prepared as shortly as possible before use4 ,composition ,no4 #b will give a whitish circle of fire fringed with red sparks4 ,composition ,no4 #c produces less white flame and more sparks than ,no4 #b4 ,no4 #d is a sparkling composition2 by far the best for general use1 in my opinion4 ,no4 #e gives reddish sparks1 which fly off in very straight lines from the wheel1 and form rays1 as it were4 ,no4 #f gives rays1 brilliant sparks1 and a centre circle of white fire4 ,no4 #g gives a moderately good centre1 with drossy red sparks of a peculiar shape4 ,those compositions which throw out the greatest number of sparks during combustion are the best for larger wheels1 but will be found also very effective in the common single triangle4 ,those which have a tendency to produce a flame1 rather than a jet of sparks1 are very effective as a variety for small wheels1 but produce an effect comparatively poor when employed for those of greater dimensions4 ,for horizontal wheels1 sparkling compositions alone are effective1 because in them everything depends upon the form that the fire assumes in its outline1 and not upon the shape of the wheel itself4 ,compositions which produce but few sparks would be entirely out of place if used to turn horizontal wheels4 ,,double ,,triangle ,,wheels4 #df4 ,i will now offer a few remarks with respect to the construction of the ,double ,triangle ,wheel4 ,this piece may be made by employing two hexagonal frames of wood of the same size1 in a centre twice as long as that described in fig4 #fj4 ,but it may also be made in such a framework as ,mr4 ,darby will supply1 which is a nave made of light wood1 with six spokes1 cut at their ends in such a manner as will allow the cases to be firmly attached4 ,but whether you use the one form or the other1 the principle is precisely the same1 and the cases must be arranged as shown in the adjoining diagram 7fig4 #fe74 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #fe4 ,the performance of this wheel is1 of course1 the same as that of the single triangle wheel1 and differs from it only in the matter of duration4 ,but it must be borne in mind that a double triangle wheel1 having six cases upon it1 would be a very slow sample of pyrotechnic beauty if all these cases were filled with the same composition4 ,it would1 indeed1 be a most meaningless performance4 ,you must therefore take care that some variation is made1 using at least two varieties of composition4 ,you will then have an effective piece1 capable of lasting a long time in proportion to its size4 ,,vertical ,,wheels4 #dg4 ,leaving now the triangular form of wheels1 we will pass on to those which are called ,vertical4 ,all triangle wheels are vertical wheels1 but all vertical wheels are not triangular2 it is of non-triangular vertical wheels that ,i am now about to speak4 ,these are made with a nave1 spokes1 and felloe in the same manner as a carriage wheel4 ,the cases may be fastened to the felloe1 or the wheel may be made without a felloe1 and the cases fastened1 in any way that occurs to you1 to the extremities of the spokes2 either by nailing to their ends pieces of wood at right angles with the spokes1 or by cutting a groove in the end of each spoke and tying a case into it with string4 ,as long as the cases be properly arranged and secured firmly to the framework it matters very little which of the above plans is adopted4 ,select the plan which can most easily be carried out by the means that you have at command1 and carry it out in the simplest possible way4 ,complications are not only unnecessary1 but very likely to deprive your pieces of what would otherwise have been their complete success4 ,the accompanying sketch 7fig4 #ff7 gives you a representation of another arrangement of six cases1 which is1 in my opinion1 productive of a better effect than the double triangle4 ,the wheel here represented is vastly improved by the addition of a coloured fire placed somewhere near its centre2 but ,i have not yet given any directions or instructions for the preparation of colours for such a purpose1 and the making of these additions must be reserved for its proper place4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #ff4 ,but perhaps the most satisfactory arrangement of six cases on a vertical wheel is that which the next sketch represents4 ,by the plan adopted there--that of making the cases incline outwards--a much larger circle of fire is produced1 and the general effect is considerably improved4 ,it will be perceived that the mode of 8clothing10 and tying on the cases1 for all these different forms of wheels is the same1 the only difference being in the shape of the framework4 ,the cases may be fired singly or doubly in this wheel--that is1 you may make them burn one at a time till all are consumed by putting the quick-match to them just as my sketch 7fig4 #fg7 represents1 or you may connect with quick-match the first and fourth cases1 so that these take fire simultaneously4 ,by this arrangement the first and fourth cases will work together1 the second and fifth1 and the third and sixth4 ,of course the first and fourth cases are the only pair that need be connected by quick-match1 for they will severally convey their fire to the second and fifth1 and these to the third and sixth4 ,the framework of this wheel may be made of deal or beech 7the latter ,i should prefer7 about three-eighths of an inch thick2 the wheel altogether should be from #ae to #ah inches in diameter4 ,it should by all means have some centre1 like that described at fig4 #fj1 to secure its steady and true movement4 ,this wheel also will be vastly improved by the addition of a coloured fire to its centre4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #fg4 ,we will now proceed to speak of ,,horizontal ,,wheels4 #dh4 ,these1 like the vertical wheels1 may be made of almost any shape or design4 ,they have a hole bored in the exact centre of their nave1 and up this hole the spindle passes on which they revolve4 ,the annexed fig4 #fh gives you one of the simplest forms of the horizontal wheel4 ,a wheel made according to this plan will require four wheel-cases and a case of ,chinese fire long enough to last during the combustion of two of the wheel-cases4 ,the quick-match is put to it in the following manner3--,simply connect the first and second wheel-cases by carrying a quick-match from the tail of the first to the mouth of the second4 ,then from the tail of the second carry two 8leaders0 7as these pieces of quick-match are called71 one to the third wheel-case and the other to the perpendicular case of ,chinese fire1 which will thus be ignited at the same moment with the third wheel-case2 and to complete the wheel carry a leader from the tail of the third to the mouth of the fourth case4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #fh4 ,the case of ,chinese fire which ,i should recommend you to make for this and for other horizontal wheels is one of the #b-oz4 size1 nine or ten inches in length1 and filled with composition ,no4 #d1 given in paragraph #da4 ,it is to be affixed to the wheel thus3--,there must be a small projecting piece of wood left by the turner at the top of the nave of the wheel1 about an inch in height and five-eighths of an inch in diameter1 and if an inch of the case be left unoccupied by the composition at its unchoked end1 this end can be squeezed over the wooden point mentioned above1 or can be glued on to it if you think it desirable4 ,another and very amusing variety of the horizontal wheel is that which my next illustration represents1 and which is sometimes called the 8capricious0 wheel4 ,this carries six wheel-cases and one ,chinese fire case4 ,the wheel-cases are arranged in the following manner3--,all the cases are placed at an angle with the plane of the wheel's revolution2 the three upper ones have their mouths inclined upwards1 the three lower ones downwards4 ,care of course must be taken that all the mouths1 whether inclining upwards or downwards1 be turned in the same direction4 ,they are connected thus3--,make one of the lower cases the first to be fired2 from the tail of this carry a leader to the nearest of the upper cases1 which will then burn second2 from the second carry a leader to another of the lower cases2 then from this to another of the upper ones4 ,from this fourth case carry three leaders--one to the remaining upper case1 one to the remaining lower case1 and one to the case of ,chinese fire4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #fi4 ,the effect of this wheel is exceedingly laughable4 ,it does not revolve so rapidly as the simple horizontal wheel mentioned above1 the cases of which are perfectly horizontal4 ,the impression that its performance always gives one is1 that it is determined to do something violent3 that if one direction of fire will not answer it will try another4 ,each succeeding case sends it round more rapidly than the last1 on account of the decreasing weight as the cases burn out2 and if the two cases which are to burn with the case of ,chinese fire be filled with composition ,no4 #a1 given in paragraph #dd1 the fury of the wheel will at the last seem to know no bounds4 ,it is necessary1 however1 to see that the hole into which the iron spindle is to pass is truly bored and is long enough1 and that the spindle at the top of the post is straight and strong4 ,this spindle should pass into the nave of the wheel five inches at least4 ,let me press upon you one or two important hints4 ,the case1 or cases1 that burn last on each wheel must always have their ends closed with clay1 or some incombustible substance4 ,if this advice be neglected your wheel is pretty certain to fail4 ,i have drawn at fig4 #gj1 a fac-simile of the spindle which ,i use for all vertical wheels4 ,it is made to screw into an iron which is represented at fig4 #ga1 which iron is fixed by screws to my post in the manner shown at fig4 #gb4 ,the post ,i employ stands about ten feet out of the ground4 ,into its top is driven another spindle1 on which my horizontal wheels turn4 ,both these iron spindles should be made of quarter inch iron rod4 ,you will find the spindle drawn at fig4 #gj very much more convenient than one simply driven into the post1 and having a 8nut0 at its end to screw and unscrew2 for it is more than probable that on a dark night1 when you are taking down one wheel that has been fired1 and putting up another1 you will drop the 8nut10 and feel considerably at a loss without it4 ,and besides this1 you can by this means always remove the spindle1 and protect it from rust4 ,your post should be very steady4 ,mr4 ,darby will supply you with any frameworks of wheels1 made to any pattern that you please4 ,i shall speak of some other wheels when we are sufficiently advanced in pyrotechnic proficiency to be able to attempt the manufacture of all their component parts4 ,,lances--,,white ,,and ,,coloured4 #di4 ,we have now1 in the course of our pyrotechnic investigations1 arrived at a point where it becomes necessary to know something more than we have already learned about coloured fires4 ,i have spoken hitherto only of those coloured compositions which are employed in the manufacture of rocket and ,roman-candle stars4 ,these compositions must for the most part be confined in their use to that purpose1 because they are1 in almost all cases1 far too rapid in their combustion for the purposes of which ,i am now about to speak4 ,i now proceed to treat of ,lances1 white and coloured1 for making up devices1 such as names1 crests1 mottoes1 wreaths1 c41 c4 ,now1 there are a great many formul given for compositions employed to decorate other fireworks1 or to form designs of any kind in white or coloured fire1 with which it may be advisable for my readers to be acquainted1 in order that they may have the opportunity of selecting for themselves1 and of providing themselves with1 a colour of that particular shade and character which is best adapted for the working out of the design determined upon4 ,in the first place ,i will speak of those fireworks which are properly called 8lances40 ,these are small cases1 generally made about three-sixteenths of an inch in diameter1 that is round a piece of glass or brass rod or tube of that size 7tubes are always best for these small formers74 ,the cases are about two or two and a-half inches long1 with one end pinched or turned in4 ,two rounds of thin demy or double crown white paper1 pasted1 will give sufficient thickness and substance for the case4 ,the cases1 when dry1 are to be filled with either of the following compositions by means of the funnel and wire apparatus illustrated at figs4 #cd and #ce3-- ,,compositions ,,for ,,lances4 ,white4 ,no4 #a4 ,nitre #af parts4 ,sulphur #h ,meal-powder #f ,or1 ,no4 #b4 ,nitre #af ,sulphur #d ,meal-powder #f ,or1 ,no4 #c4 ,nitre #ab ,sulphur #d ,sulphide of antimony #c ,or1 ,no4 #d4 ,nitre #gb ,sulphur #ah ,regulus of antimony #cc ,realgar #a part4 ,shellac #a ,or1 ,no4 #e4 ,nitre #if parts4 ,sulphur #bd ,regulus of antimony #dh ,realgar #f ,shellac #a part4 ,these for the most part give a bluish-white flame1 and when employed in cases of the size mentioned above1 burn slowly1 and will last as long as this species of firework is required to last4 ,yellow4 ,no4 #f4 ,chlorate of potash #gb parts4 ,oxalate of soda #fj ,stearine #f ,sulphur #f ,or1 ,no4 #g4 ,chlorate of potash #dj ,oxalate of soda #af ,shellac #h ,stearine #c ,green4 ,no4 #h4 ,chlorate of potash #fj ,nitrate of baryta #da ,calomel #di ,powdered sugar #cj ,shellac #a part4 ,or1 ,no4 #i4 ,chlorate of potash #fc parts4 ,nitrate of baryta #ej ,calomel #ej ,sugar #cb ,shellac #a part4 ,the green colour is never very decided when the compositions are employed in cases so small as those spoken of above4 ,but by far the best composition to be used in these small cases is one containing a rather costly ingredient1 which is the chlorate of baryta4 ,the usual price of this salt is about #hs4 per lb41 or rather less4 ,it gives a magnificent colour if it is pure1 but if not1 it is not worth buying4 ,i give you the formul in which it may be employed1 in case you should require a very brilliant emerald green in these small lances4 ,they are-- ,no4 #aj4 ,chlorate of baryta #ah parts4 ,calomel #g ,shellac 7very fine7 #c ,or1 ,no4 #aa4 ,chlorate of baryta #bd ,stearine #c ,sugar 7very fine7 #a part4 ,compositions containing chlorate of baryta are perfectly safe where no sulphur is employed4 ,the salt itself is not at all deliquescent4 ,a very good formula besides the above is one containing three proportions of chlorate of baryta1 and one of powdered sugar4 ,we will next speak of ,,red ,,lances4 ,red ,lances4 ,no4 #ab4 ,chlorate of potash #ac parts4 ,nitrate of strontia #aj ,calomel #h ,shellac #c ,dextrine #a part4 ,chertier's copper #a ,or1 ,no4 #ac4 ,chlorate of potash #ab parts4 ,nitrate of strontia #ab ,calomel #f ,shellac #d ,chertier's copper #a part4 ,charcoal 7fine7 #a ,a good rose-coloured fire may be produced by a composition containing the oxalate of strontia1 which1 though not to be met with everywhere1 is a valuable salt on account of its extreme dryness and fineness4 ,the formula given next has the merit of being rapid in its combustion4 ,should it be thought too quick1 decrease the proportion of chlorate of potash1 or increase that of calomel4 ,the increase of calomel has the effect of deepening the colour1 but1 at the same time1 of diminishing the reflective power of the light4 ,rose-coloured ,lances4 ,no4 #ad4 ,chlorate of potash #bd parts4 ,sulphur #b ,stearine #c ,oxalate of strontia #d ,this composition will remain good for any length of time1 and has therefore a great advantage over those which contain the nitrate of strontia4 ,and here ,i may as well remind you of the importance and necessity of having this latter salt perfectly dry and fine1 otherwise you will be disappointed of your intended effect in the ordinary red-fire compositions4 ,for the blue lances you may use composition ,no4 #h1 given in paragraph #bc4 ,but there are also two other formul which you will find very serviceable and effective3-- ,no4 #ae4 ,chlorate of potash #cb parts ,chertier's copper #ab ,calomel #dj ,sugar #be ,or1 ,no4 #af4 ,chlorate of potash #f ,chertier's copper #a part4 ,calomel #e parts4 ,sugar #d ,for the preparation of a purple fire for these little cases1 you cannot do better than use that given for ,purple ,rocket ,stars4 ,there are still two other colours which you may perhaps find useful and ornamental1 and without which my list would not be complete4 ,they are the violet and the lilac tints4 ,the violet is at ,no4 #ag1 and the lilac at ,no4 #ah3-- ,no4 #ag4 ,chlorate of potash #bf parts4 ,calomel #bd ,carbonate of strontia #d ,chertier's copper #c ,sugar #ad ,or1 ,no4 #ah4 ,chlorate of potash #ab ,prepared chalk #d ,sulphur #e ,calomel #c ,sulphide of copper #aj ,with regard to the use of sugar in pyrotechnic compositions it must be borne in mind that it is a substance which readily attracts damp1 so that it must be kept in a closely-corked or stoppered bottle4 ,it should be reduced to powder in a very dry mortar1 and then sifted through very fine muslin1 to fit it for pyrotechnic uses4 ,and the mention of muslin here reminds me of a fact which experience has brought to light1 and which you will find it highly convenient to remember4 ,all those powdered salts and pyrotechnic ingredients which clog the meshes of a wire sieve will easily pass through a sieve made of muslin4 ,for instance1 powdered stearine1 shellac1 sugar1 and the salts of strontia and baryta will be found to sift much more readily through muslin1 provided the muslin be dry and clean4 ,this will enable the amateur pyrotechnist to fit himself up with sieves of any fineness at a very small cost4 ,he will require only a tin or zinc drum1 about #f inches in diameter1 and #d inches high1 with a wire ring round each end4 ,over one of these ends he can stretch a piece of muslin of the required thickness1 and fasten it with a strong elastic band4 ,or he may have a metal ring made large enough to fit over the muslin and round one end of the drum1 which he can remove when a change of muslin is necessary4 ,i do not by any means recommend this kind of sieve for sifting such things as meal-powder1 charcoal1 or sulphur2 for ,i consider a receiver1 made to fit on to the sieve1 indispensable in the case of sifting these articles4 ,the dust arising from this operation will otherwise find its way into your eyes1 and nose1 and clothes1 and over everything in your room4 ,it is1 perhaps1 unnecessary for me to add that all the above compositions must be made up with the greatest exactness1 and no ingredients must be used but such as are thoroughly dry and in the finest powder4 ,the most successful pyrotechnists have never been able to produce proper effects1 even with the purest and best materials and chemicals1 unless those materials have been first reduced to the necessary state of fineness and dryness1 and then mixed till they have become most intimately incorporated4 ,we will now suppose a sufficient number of these lances to be filled with the selected compositions4 ,they must be primed precisely in the manner described under the head of 8,golden ,rains40 ,when finished they will be about two and a-half inches long1 and about equal in size to an ordinary drawing-pencil4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #gc4 ,the first thing to be done is to decide upon your design4 ,this1 ,i presume1 will not be very large4 ,i need not furnish you with a series of suggestions for these designs1 for the chance is1 that1 after all ,i can say1 the one which you wish to execute will be one of your own conception1 or at all events1 one which you would rather carry out in your own way4 ,but ,i give here a plain sample of the work 7fig4 #gc71 which is merely intended to make clearer my verbal directions4 ,the letters should not be less than ten inches high4 ,in the first place you must either procure a board of sufficient size for your design1 or you must make a wooden framework of the shape that you require4 ,suppose the design to be a ,v4,r43 now either sketch this out upon one side of your board1 or1 if you wish to have it larger than a board will allow1 make a plain rough framework describing the letters4 ,when this is done1 decide upon the distance at which you can place the lances one from another4 ,this distance is generally about two inches1 but no exact rule can be laid down1 for so much depends upon the sort of design that you think of executing1 and upon the scale of its size4 ,i will now suppose that you have your design carefully drawn upon the board or framework4 ,upon the outlines of your sketch make little pencil circles wherever you intend to place a lance2 and1 as far as it is possible1 arrange that the lances shall be equidistant one from another4 ,of course the prime object of the arrangement must be to make the outline of the letters1 figures1 c41 as plain and bold as possible4 ,now with a centre-bit1 or1 what is better1 a pin-bit1 bore a hole about a quarter of an inch deep where your circles are pencilled4 ,these holes must be of such a size that the closed ends of the lances will fit easily into them4 ,when you have completed this operation1 get either some glue or some of the mixture of size and red lead which ,i have recommended before2 and when it is liquid1 dip into it the closed end of each of the lances4 ,enough of the mixture will adhere to the lances to allow of their being secured firmly in the holes that you have bored4 ,in a very short time all will be hard and dry1 and you will then have a series of lances projecting at right angles with your board or framework1 each having its mouth primed1 and all being of the same length4 ,the only thing that remains now to be done is to clothe these primed mouths with quick-match4 ,this is by no means difficult1 but requires a certain amount of patience4 ,take a length of match in its case1 and1 having exposed one end of the black match itself1 put a small pin through it into the priming of one of the lances4 ,this will fasten it down1 and at the same time will insure its ignition4 ,then lead the quick-match on to the next lance1 cutting away with scissors a piece of the under side of its case1 to allow the match in passing to touch its priming4 ,put a pin through the match into the priming of this lance also1 and so on till all are clothed4 ,if more of the casing of the match has been cut away than is necessary1 it will be well to paste small strips of paper wherever this has happened1 as any exposure of the black match will endanger the piece1 rendering it liable to ignition from the sparks of other fireworks4 ,this piece of caution must be carefully attended to1 because lance-work is generally employed with the finale of an exhibition1 when a great many pieces are going off at once1 and when the effect of the whole may be easily spoiled by the untimely firing of one part4 ,the arrangement of colours in lance-work must1 of course1 be left entirely to the artist himself4 ,it matters not what the arrangement is1 if the colours be only properly contrasted4 ,remember that the most effective and striking contrasts are blue with yellow1 red with green1 purple with red1 white with violet or red4 ,in the case of letters1 or a monogram1 a border of an oval or circular shape adds very much to the effect4 ,this border should be of a different colour to that used for the letters1 c4 ,lance-work is not very largely used in pyrotechnic exhibitions2 one specimen of it in each display is quite as much as is generally seen4 ,but it certainly is a pyrotechnic feature1 and on that account must not be passed over4 ,lance-work is generally accompanied in its exhibition with ,roman candles1 or with some arrangement of gerbes to take off what would otherwise be its bare appearance4 ,when introduced as a centre to some framework of sparkling fire it is very beautiful1 particularly if colours be employed in it4 ,i need hardly add that when it is fired the framework is to be placed vertically1 and the lances are to burn horizontally4 ,it is a good plan to paint the framework black4 ,,coloured ,,lights4 #ej4 ,we may now go on to deal with another branch of this part of our subject--viz41 that which concerns the manufacture of coloured lights for illuminating wheels1 or set-pieces1 or any larger kind of firework4 ,this species of colour is perhaps more useful in exhibition work than any single firework that can be named1 for there are few set-pieces1 or wheels1 or designs of any pretensions to which these coloured lights cannot be adapted1 and adapted1 too1 with a very enhancing effect4 ,their preparation is exceedingly simple4 ,they are generally made in two sizes only2 these are the two-ounce and the one-ounce sizes4 ,the cases are made of cartridge or foolscap paper and are about two inches long for the two-ounce size and one inch and three-quarters for the one-ounce size4 ,used-up copy-books furnish excellent paper for making these coloured light cases4 ,three or four rounds of the paper will give you ample thickness for the case4 ,the paper should be pasted all the way along the strips4 ,when the cases are thoroughly dry1 ram into the bottom of them some dry powdered clay2 this will make a close end1 and will also furnish an incombustible part by which the case may be tied or fastened to its place4 ,the clay is often rammed so as to fill the case nearly half-way up2 but1 of course1 the space left for the composition will depend upon the length of time that you wish the colour to burn4 ,there is some exactness and nicety1 besides a certain amount of actual experience1 required for the proper adjustment of these colours to the cases in combination with which they are to burn4 ,the coloured light should be under control1 so that it makes its appearance and introduces its intended effect at the right time1 and lasts only as long as it is required to last4 ,i will now give a few formul for these larger coloured lights4 ,these1 if made up with ordinary care and their ingredients thoroughly mixed will produce magnificent colours1 both as regards depth of tint and brilliancy of reflective power4 ,the compositions given above for lances are for the most part of too rapid combustion to answer well in these larger and more open cases1 but the following will be found to succeed admirably if the chemicals used be only pure and dry1 and properly incorporated3-- ,,white ,,lights ,,for ,,decoration4 ,no4 #ai4 ,nitre #d parts4 ,sulphur #a part4 ,sulphide of antimony #a ,or1 ,no4 #bj4 ,nitre #d parts4 ,sulphur #a part4 ,meal-powder #a ,these will give the ordinary bluish-white light1 and compositions made from them will remain good for any length of time4 ,the yellow lights may be made from the formul given under the head of ,lances4 ,the following will produce the green3-- ,no4 #ba4 ,nitrate of baryta #hj parts4 ,chlorate of potash #cb ,sulphur #bd ,calomel #af ,charcoal 7fine7 #c ,shellac #b ,the drawback to all green colours burnt in cases is that the combustion of the case itself impairs to some extent the purity of the tint of the flame4 ,cases1 therefore1 which are to contain green fire must not be made unnecessarily thick4 ,composition ,no4 #ba gives by far the best colour that ,i have yet seen for this purpose1 and when contrasted with a good red is all that one need desire4 ,the two next compositions will furnish exceedingly beautiful red colours4 ,it is best to make them up only a short time before using them1 as their effect is much more brilliant when quite freshly mixed2 and1 besides1 the nitrate of strontia becomes damp after a time1 particularly in the autumn and winter months1 in which case it will produce only the effect of disappointing you4 ,the compositions are both perfectly safe1 since they contain no sulphur1 and are on that account entirely free from all liability to spontaneous combustion3-- ,red ,lights4 ,no4 #bb4 ,chlorate of potash #cb parts4 ,nitrate of strontia #dh ,calomel #bj ,shellac #ab ,chertier's copper #d ,charcoal 7fine7 #a part4 ,or1 ,no4 #bc4 ,chlorate of potash #hd parts4 ,nitrate of strontia #hj ,calomel #ea ,dextrine #bb ,shellac #ah ,chertier's copper #d ,of these two formul1 ,no4 #bb is the one that ,i generally employ4 ,it produces a very brilliant colour1 which is almost scarlet1 and forms1 in my opinion1 the best contrast both to the green and purple lights4 ,no4 #bc gives a deep rich crimson1 which may also be found very effective occasionally4 ,dextrine1 which enters into its composition1 is always to be had in very fine powder1 and therefore it will give you no trouble to bring it into the proper condition for use4 ,it is very cheap1 being sold generally at from #as4 to #as4 #f;d4 per pound4 ,you will require only a very small quantity of it4 ,we now come to the last of our colours for making these decorating lights1 and that is the purple4 ,purple4 ,no4 #bd4 ,chlorate of potash4 #bh parts4 ,chertier's copper #bh ,calomel #ac ,shellac #h ,stearine #a part4 ,or1 ,no4 #be4 ,chlorate of potash #dj parts4 ,calomel #bh ,chertier's copper #bh ,dextrine #aj ,stearine #c ,no4 #bf4 ,chlorate of potash #bf ,chertier's copper #bd ,calomel #ad ,shellac #g ,all of these three formul produce good colours4 ,i think that ,i am rather inclined to give the preference to ,no4 #be1 on account of the very effective contrast that it makes when employed to burn with the red at ,no4 #bb4 ,these three colours are perfectly safe1 for the same reason that ,i stated above when speaking of the red lights4 ,i trust that the formul which ,i have now given will be found to supply all that you will require in this department of pyrotechny4 ,the compositions have all been used by me1 and ,i can therefore speak from actual experience of their respective merits1 and so you will be pleased to remember that if they do not succeed in your hands the fault will lie either in the condition1 perhaps the impurity1 of your chemicals1 or in your own manipulation4 ,i can answer for the receipts2 all that is necessary on your part is a scrupulous attention to my directions4 ,and here let me put in a word of caution4 ,where you see 8,red ,lights1 ,green ,lights1 ,purple ,lights0 written over the formul above1 you are to remember distinctly that ,i use the word 8,,lights0 to distinguish this branch of pyrotechny1 and these compositions1 from those which ,i mean to treat of under the title of coloured 8,,fires40 ,by coloured lights ,i mean small cases1 of the #a or #b-oz4 size1 filled with either of the above compositions from ,no4 #ai to ,no4 #bf inclusive4 ,these compositions are not adapted for the purpose of producing coloured ,,fires1 such as are employed to light up gardens1 avenues1 buildings1 c4 ,they are to be confined to their own use1 which is the decoration of wheels1 or of any large and complicated exhibition fireworks4 ,for this purpose they will answer well1 and for the other they will not answer at all4 ,and having now explained the distinction between coloured ,,lights and ,,fires1 ,i must ask my readers not to lay the blame upon me if1 when employing my compositions for purposes for which they were never intended1 they find they do not succeed4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #gd4 ,but we have still to speak of the way in which these coloured lights are to be fastened to the pieces which they are designed to decorate4 ,the most common way of doing this is to drive a nail into the wooden framework of the piece at the place where you wish to place the coloured light1 and to tie the case which contains it to this nail4 ,two nails1 like 8two heads10 are better than one1 and the case may be secured as shown in the annexed sketch 7fig4 #gd74 ,a represents the coloured light case2 ,b the string which is passed round its lower clayed end1 by means of which it is secured to the two nails1 ,c ,c1 which are driven into the wooden framework4 ,this mode of fastening is very simple and effective for attaching the coloured fire cases to the framework of a fixed piece4 ,but in the case of a wheel1 or any piece which has motion1 it is1 in my opinion1 very desirable to give them a position like that of the wheel-cases--i4e41 to let them revolve with their mouths in the opposite direction to that of the motion of the wheel4 ,this is easily done1 either by fastening them between the spokes of a large wheel1 or1 in the case of a small one1 by driving in a longer nail than is necessary1 and bending down the head of it in the desired direction1 and fastening the coloured light case to this bent part 7fig4 #ge74 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #ge4 ,by this means you will have no difficulty in attaching these little decorations in any place1 to any part of the framework of your piece1 or in any direction4 ,the object of turning the mouth away from the direction in which the piece moves is that the resistance offered by the air during its revolution may not interfere with the easy combustion of the coloured light4 ,but we have yet to say a few words about the filling these #a or #b-oz4 cases1 and their priming4 ,the compositions used for this purpose do not require1 it must be remembered1 to be rammed into the cases2 they only need be pressed in so firmly that their motion during combustion shall not shake them out4 ,of course they should be uniformly pressed in1 and this is simply done by pressing in only a small quantity at a time4 ,with regard to their priming1 this may be done in either of the following ways--by smearing into their mouths some wetted meal-powder1 or1 what is better1 by pressing into their mouths a piece of quick-match1 and then pressing a little of the coloured composition over that1 and allowing the end of the match to project about half-an-inch4 ,but in whatever way they are primed they must have two rounds of some thin paper pasted round their mouths1 and projecting an inch or so beyond them1 into which the leaders can be tied which are to connect them with the other cases of the piece4 ,in the case of small wheels1 in which only one of these coloured light cases is to be employed1 it will be advisable to fill it with compositions of different colours4 ,press in first enough red-light composition to fill one-third of the case2 then enough purple to occupy another third1 and fill the remainder of the case with green composition4 ,by this means you will be able to vary your effects to any extent4 ,i now wish to give you directions for making a very beautiful and effective firework1 in which these coloured lights play a prominent part4 ,i must refer you to the page of illustrations which accompanies this paper1 in order that you may have no difficulty in understanding the directions which ,i am now about to offer4 ,in its general working the piece is very similar to that which ,i have described under the name of 8,brilliant ,wheel0 at paragraph #dc4 ,but it is at the same time a great improvement upon the one there spoken of4 ,cut a piece of deal or beech board into the shape drawn at ,a ,a4 7fig4 #gf74 ,this should be at least half-an-inch in thickness1 and not less than three feet in length4 ,when you have shaped it as you intend to leave it1 find its centre1 the point at which it balances4 ,through this point bore a hole of such a size as will easily admit the iron spindle which screws into your firework post 7fig4 #gj74 ,at each end of this wooden frame place three wheel-cases1 taking care that the position of the mouths of these cases is so arranged that their driving power shall all be in one direction4 ,a quick-match leader is to be carried from the tail of the extreme case at each end to the mouth of the next1 and then from the tail of these to the mouths of the third at each end4 ,two more pieces of wood 7represented at ,b ,b4 fig4 #gf7 will now be required1 each about twelve inches long1 five-eighths of an inch wide1 and three-eighths of an inch thick4 ,they must have a hole bored through them1 into which a spindle or smooth round nail can pass easily4 ,but this hole must not be in their centre2 it should be bored about four inches from one end1 which will leave eight inches on the other side of the hole4 ,through these holes drive a smooth round nail into the long framework of the piece1 exactly half-way between its centre and the innermost wheel-cases4 ,the object of hanging these two pieces not by their centre of balance is that one end being longer1 and therefore heavier1 than the other1 may cause the pieces to fall round by their own weight1 as the firework makes its revolutions4 ,to these two pieces coloured lights are attached at each end in such a position that they shall project horizontally at right angles with the pieces ,b ,b4 ,this will be seen clearly by reference to the drawing at ,c ,c4 7fig4 #gg71 which is intended to give you a side view of the same piece4 ,it must not be forgotten that the satisfactory performance of this firework depends mainly upon the exactness and true adjustment of the woodwork4 ,unless the revolving pieces are neatly hung1 and the balance of the main framework is true1 you must not expect success4 ,the coloured lights may be arranged as follows3--,a green and a red light on one of the revolving pieces1 and a purple and red on the other4 ,these coloured lights are all to be connected together and with the mouths of the two extreme wheel-cases by quick-match4 ,it will be obvious1 then1 that the coloured lights must be so prepared as to last during the combustion of the three driving cases4 ,the drawing at 7fig4 #gh7 represents a rather better position for the wheel-cases than that given at 7fig4 #gf74 ,the diagram 7fig4 #gi7 represents a wheel frame1 to which are attached at f f f coloured lights4 ,the position there indicated is a very good one for coloured lights when required for wheels of any such make as that in the drawing4 ,you must not forget that they are all to be placed at different distances from the centre of the wheel4 ,they may1 of course1 be made to play their part at any period of the wheel's revolution4 ,the coloured lights1 for whose manufacture ,i have given directions above1 are very valuable auxiliaries in nearly all exhibition pieces1 and that we shall have occasion to call them in frequently to our aid as our practical pyrotechny becomes more advanced1 and our enthusiasm in the art leads us to search for new combinations and effects4 ,,tourbillons--,,plain ,,and ,,brilliant4 #ea4 ,the tourbillon is a species of firework very ingeniously contrived to represent a spiral column of fire4 ,its performance is of short duration1 but while it lasts it produces a very striking effect1 and is1 moreover1 entirely different from any other pyrotechnic piece4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #hb4--;,block to receive the tourbillon while it is being bored4 m--,groove in it to receive the quick-match4 ,fig4 #hc4--;,block1 with settle 7n7 over which tourbillons are rammed4 ,q ,q ,q ,q--,wooden cylinder to enclose tourbillon case4 ,o ,o ,o ,o--,iron rings to tighten cylinder4 ,p ,p--,pin to pass through cylinder1 and settle to connect them4 ,fig4 #hd4--,tourbillon complete1 with stick attached4 ,fig4 #he4--,revolving cradle from which tourbillons are fired4 s--,iron spike1 with tubular top1 in which the cradle revolves4 ,fig4 #hf4--,metal tourbillon scale4 ,the preparation of tourbillons requires a considerable degree of nicety and precision1 for unless the several proportions of the piece be accurately preserved1 the true and intended effect will certainly be lost1 and the operator not merely lose a feature1 but a very beautiful feature1 in his exhibition4 ,since1 then1 it is utterly impossible to prepare successful tourbillons by careless manipulation1 and to hurry over any part of their manufacture without some deterioration to their performance1 ,i must beg that my readers will carefully follow my directions in every particular4 ,they will then be able to make these tourbillons as successfully as ,i do4 ,but if they prefer to work out some principle of their own1 they must not hold me responsible for its results4 ,for the benefit of those of my readers who may know little or nothing of what a tourbillon is1 ,i will first endeavour to explain the principle upon which it is constructed1 and then give in detail the various operations necessary for its completion4 ,a tourbillon consists of a stout case filled with a strong sparkling composition1 and closed very tightly at both ends4 ,in this case are bored four holes1 at which the fire is to find vent4 ,two of these holes are made underneath the case2 from these the fire issues in a downward direction1 and gives the piece the power of ascending perpendicularly4 ,the other two holes are made in opposite sides of the case near each end2 the fire issuing from these causes the case to revolve in a horizontal direction while it is ascending4 ,now1 it will be obvious that to gain an exact counterbalancing of these two forces considerable care and precision will be necessary4 ,in order to make my directions as clear as possible1 ,i intend to speak only of one size of tourbillon4 ,you may make them of any size1 from the #a-oz4 up to the -lb4 size1 if you please2 but you will find it by far the most economical and certain plan to keep to one effective size1 and thus avoid all confusion and expense arising from the multiplication of tools and measurements4 ,we must first of all know how to make the cases4 ,these are to be of the quarter-pound size4 ,you will derive little advantage from adopting a larger size than this1 and you will find smaller sizes unworthy of such an exhibition as ,i trust you will be able to make by following my directions in these papers4 ,from each sheet of your #gj-lb4 brown paper you will only be able to cut two strips of sufficient width and length to make the lb4 tourbillon cases4 ,these two strips are represented at ,a and ,b in the annexed diagram 7fig4 #hj74 ,these strips must be eight inches wide4 ,your sheets of paper measure about twenty-two inches on their short side2 so that if ,a and ,b are eight inches wide1 the remaining strip ,c will be only six inches wide1 and useless1 therefore1 for tourbillon cases of our present size4 ,but these spare strips are sure to prove useful for some purposes1 and so no waste will be incurred4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #hj4 ,the imperial board for these cases must be cut as in the adjoining illustration4 ,each sheet of board will provide four strips of a size proper for our purpose1 each of which will be eight inches wide and fourteen inches long4 ,those marked a b c d are intended to represent the pieces to be used 7fig4 #ha74 ,those marked e e should be kept with the spare strip marked ,c in fig4 #hj1 and will make you a good lb4 case for ,chinese fire4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #ha4 ,i will now suppose you to have divided your paper according to the above directions4 ,in the next place you must paste both paper and board all over thoroughly4 ,brush some paste upon your lb former 7the one used for making rocket-cases1 which is three-quarters of an inch in diameter71 and then roll on your paper and board in the manner described at p4 #gg4 ,especial care must be taken that the innermost end of the strip of paper 7that which lies next to the former7 is so thoroughly saturated with paste that it cannot become separated or loose4 ,if this precaution be not taken1 some of the composition will1 in the process of filling1 drift behind it--will form a quick-match1 as it were1 inside your case1 and will infallibly cause the tourbillon over which you have otherwise taken so much pains to vanish in a neat sharp report1 and you will discover to your annoyance that in the place of a tourbillon you have only made an inferior kind of marroon4 ,well1 your cases are now made1 and are eight inches in length1 and three-quarters of an inch in their bore4 ,their external diameter will be found to be about one inch and an eighth4 ,we must next speak of the composition proper for filling tourbillons4 ,for this purpose ,i employ the following formul1 which ,i think will be found to answer well3-- ,no4 #a4 ,,for ,,plain ,,tourbillons4 ,nitre #h parts4 ,meal-powder #af ,sulphur #d ,charcoal #d ,the charcoal that ,i use in making up this formula is the same that ,i recommended for rocket purposes--that is1 it should be partly fine and partly coarse4 ,if the above composition be found too strong1 more charcoal may be added until the desired strength be gained4 ,no4 #b4 ,,for ,,brilliant ,,tourbillons4 ,meal-powder #af parts4 ,nitre #h ,sulphur #c to #d ,charcoal 7fine7 #c ,steel filings #f ,the effect produced by this composition is very good indeed1 and in my hands leaves nothing to be desired4 ,it is advisable not to fill the cases with composition ,no4 #b longer than necessary before use1 as the steel is sure to become corroded to some extent1 and then much of the brilliancy of the sparks is lost4 ,some pyrotechnists use iron borings instead of steel filings for tourbillons4 ,i cannot say that ,i have ever succeeded well with them4 ,iron particles will not work well in rapidly-revolving pieces1 as far as my experience goes4 ,they seem to me to become chilled too soon by their motion through the air1 and produce hardly any scintillation4 ,i1 therefore1 always use steel filings for all fireworks which are intended to revolve1 and employ iron only in those that are stationary4 ,now1 having prepared your composition1 you will be ready to ram it into your cases4 ,for this purpose you will require a simple piece of apparatus1 which ,mr4 ,newman will make for you at a small cost4 ,you will find a drawing of it on my page of illustrations 7fig4 #hc74 ,it consists of a block of wood provided with a 8settle10 on which one end of the tourbillon case is placed1 and over which the composition is rammed4 ,then there is a wooden mould capable of inclosing the case and supporting it tightly and firmly while the operation of ramming is being performed4 ,this mould consists of a hollow cylinder of wood pierced throughout1 and of such a size in its bore as will just admit the tourbillon case4 ,the mould is divided longitudinally in halves1 and these halves are kept together by means of iron rings1 which encircle the whole4 ,you will find a full description given with the drawing4 ,in order to fill the cases1 squeeze one end of one of them over the projecting piece at the top of the settle4 ,then fit on the two halves of the cylindrical mould1 and drive down the iron rings until they are tight4 ,the exterior of the cylinder is made to taper1 in order that the rings may always fit tightly over it4 ,and1 lastly1 put in the pin which secures the cylinder to the block and settle4 ,you will now require a straight wooden drift1 eight inches long 7independently of its handle71 and nearly three-quarters of an inch in diameter--one1 in fact1 that will pass easily into your tourbillon case4 ,the tools you have already--viz41 a scoop for the composition1 a mallet1 and the short solid drift which you used for driving in the clay over the composition in your quarter-pound rockets4 ,first put into your tourbillon case as much clay as will1 when rammed very hard1 occupy three-eighths of an inch in the length of the case4 ,the settle projects into the case about one-eighth of an inch1 and thus half-an-inch at each end of the case is left for the purpose of insuring a very firm ending1 which cannot be blown out by the combustion of the composition4 ,when the clay has been rammed in as tightly as possible1 drive in the composition1 a ladleful at a time1 as uniformly as you can1 until you have only half-an-inch at the upper end of the case unoccupied by it4 ,into this vacant space drive the same quantity of clay that you put into the lower end1 and be sure that it is rammed in very firmly indeed4 ,the ramming of your tourbillon is now completed1 but the most important part of its manufacture has yet to come4 ,open your penknife1 and lay its blade on the table1 back downwards and edge upwards4 ,place your filled tourbillon case across the edge of the knife1 and find the exact central point at which it balances on it1 and mark that point by making a hole there with a small bradawl4 ,now1 having found the centre of its balance1 you have next to mark the places at which the holes are to be made1 and by far the best way to save yourself trouble in this respect1 and to insure the proper marking out of all your tourbillons1 is to follow my plan1 which ,i am now about to describe4 ,at fig4 #hf ,i have drawn out for you a shape which you must get copied exactly in tin or zinc sheet4 ,this piece of sheet metal1 when bent into the form of a trough of such a size as to fit tightly round your tourbillon case1 will give you the true position of the holes4 ,in using it you will have to put the filled tourbillon case into it1 and make pencil marks through the holes that correspond to those drawn in my sketch1 and you will then have got over the entire difficulty4 ,in the middle of the scale which ,i have drawn is one small hole marked ,h4 ,this hole is to come exactly over the mark which you made with your bradawl at the balancing point1 and if this be done all the rest must come right4 ,having thus marked the position of the holes1 the next thing is to bore them4 ,they should be as nearly as possible three-sixteenths of an inch in size4 ,i use a large bradawl for boring the holes1 and it is better to drive it into the case with a mallet than to work it in with the hand4 ,it must not be driven in farther than necessary1 the object being merely to make a clear hole through the case1 and not to disturb the composition4 ,if you drive in the bradawl with your mallet you will require a small block of wood with a groove cut in it1 in which you can lay the case while making the holes4 ,i have given you a sketch of such a block at fig4 #hb4 ,if it is two inches square or rather more it will be quite large enough4 ,you will find the block very useful afterwards in attaching the stick to the tourbillon4 ,the plan that ,i have given for the tin or zinc tourbillon scale1 as ,i shall call it1 is drawn out quarter size1 and the dimensions1 marked1 so that no tinman can have any difficulty in copying it accurately4 ,your tourbillon case is #h inches in length4 ,half-an-inch at each end is taken up by the clay endings1 so that you have seven inches of composition in the case4 ,the two extreme holes1 which are on opposite sides of the case1 are made at the ends of the composition4 ,the fire issuing from these gives the tourbillon a horizontal revolution round its centre of balance4 ,the two inner holes1 which are on the under side of the case1 should be the same distance from one another that they are from the extreme holes4 ,the fire issuing from these gives the tourbillon its ascending power4 ,but we have now to connect all these holes with quick-match1 in order that the composition may take fire at all the four points simultaneously4 ,to do this1 begin at one of the under holes 7those marked ,f in the scale71 and press into it the end of a piece of uncased quick-match1 taking care that the match reaches the composition4 ,then carry the match on to the nearest side hole1 and press it into it4 ,then carry on the quick-match over the upper side of the tourbillon to the side hole at the other end of the case1 and press it in there2 and1 lastly1 carry it on to the remaining under hole1 and press it into it4 ,having completed this operation1 cut some strips of thin paper1 about an inch wide1 paste them well all over1 and cover the quick-match with them1 holes and all4 ,a very little practice will enable you to adapt this pasted paper very neatly4 ,the tourbillon1 if now ignited1 will be sure to go somewhere1 but probably not in the direction which we should like it to take4 ,in order to regulate its flight we must do as we did with the rockets1 adjust a stick to it1 which shall have the effect of keeping its under side downwards1 and so of compelling it to move upwards perpendicularly1 if at all4 ,this stick is usually made of a curved shape in the manner represented at ,i ,i1 in fig4 #hf4 ,those that ,i use ,i get from ,mr4 ,darby2 they are eight inches long1 about an eighth of an inch thick1 and are made of beech4 ,there is a small hole in their centre through which a flat-headed nail is driven into the tourbillon at its balance point1 which you marked with your bradawl4 ,the stick must1 of course1 lie at right angles with the case in the manner represented at fig4 #hd4 ,it is a very good plan to put a drop or two of glue at the point where the stick touches the case1 as it will then be prevented from shifting its position4 ,in driving the nail through the stick into the tourbillon1 make use of the block represented at fig4 #hb1 having previously cut at the bottom of its rounded groove another small groove diagonally1 so that when the tourbillon is lying upside down in the large groove1 for the purpose of having the nail driven into it1 the quick-match that extends across it may lie in the smaller groove1 and may not be injured by being crushed1 as would otherwise be the case4 ,the nails used should be about three-quarters of an inch long1 and should have a smooth1 flat head4 ,to fire the tourbillon1 place it stick downwards on a level board1 and see that it spins easily and freely on the head of the nail4 ,then with a portfire burn through the quick-match in the middle on the upper side4 ,the tourbillon will make a few revolutions on the board before it begins to rise4 ,i have known several tourbillons fail1 when ,i had reason to believe that there was nothing faulty in their make4 ,they all behaved in the same unaccountable manner1 jumping off the board and falling bottom upwards upon the ground4 ,of course1 after this freak they could not right themselves4 ,they appeared to sink into a kind of blustering1 sulky fit1 and when exhausted went out4 ,some time elapsed before ,i could assign any satisfactory cause for this remarkable behaviour1 but at last ,i began to suspect the board on which the tourbillons were placed to fire them4 ,it occurred to me that there was not room enough for the rush of fire from the under holes between the tourbillon and the board1 that as soon as the fire had been conveyed to these under holes the force generated then and there was sufficient to throw the tourbillon over on its back1 and thus effectually to prevent any further performance4 ,now this was by no means satisfactory1 for if there is any single firework which requires care1 exactness1 and attention in its preparation1 it is the tourbillon4 ,i have often felt that ,i would much rather have a rocket than a tourbillon1 for in the first place the latter takes much longer to make1 and one feels that one should have some remuneration for one's trouble2 and in the next place a good tourbillon1 though it is a species of firework not by any means so necessary to an exhibition as the rocket1 is still one capable of producing a very unique and grand effect4 ,i began to suspect that the board was the cause of my failure1 and after a little consideration ,i came to the conclusions here enumerated3-- #ast4 ,that a board of proper size1 shape1 and level was a thing not always to be found when one wanted it1 particularly if away from home4 #bnd4 ,that it was a very lumbering piece of luggage to carry with one when about to take an exhibition to a distance4 #crd4 ,that1 if warped by damp1 or put out of its level in any way1 it would be rather worse than useless4 #dth4 ,that something better might be contrived4 ,whether ,i was right in blaming the poor board ,i do not know2 but one thing is certain--that ,i have never1 since the adoption of my new plan1 had any failures at all with tourbillons4 ,i wanted something from which to fire the tourbillon which would leave it no excuse for turning on its back1 which would be small and portable1 and always ready for use4 ,i first made a brass cross of the shape and size indicated in fig4 #hg4 ,in the ends of the arms ,i drilled holes1 into which ,i soldered pieces of stout brass wire about two inches and a-half long4 ,thus a sort of cradle was formed like that which is represented at fig4 #he in the plate4 ,the next thing to be done was to enable the cradle to revolve very easily4 ,to do this ,i soldered on to the centre of the under side of the cross a piece of brass rod of the size generally used for stair-rods4 ,this piece was about six inches in length1 and was filed at its lower extremity to a point on which it might revolve4 ,i thus had made a thing like that in fig4 #hh4 ,now all that ,i had to do was to get a piece of glass tubing1 into which my piece of rod at a a would fit easily1 and in which it would turn freely4 ,this ,i did1 and procured also a piece of iron rod half-an-inch in diameter and about eighteen inches long4 ,i had this forged into a kind of spike point at its lower end1 and filed at its other end1 to pass about an inch into the brass tube1 and then ,i had the tube and iron spike soldered together4 ,this iron spike ,i press into the ground1 taking care that it is upright1 and then drop the brass rod which is soldered to the cradle into the brass tube at the top of the spike4 ,the cradle will be found to revolve freely4 ,in it ,i lay the tourbillon1 with its stick downwards4 ,when it is fired the holes at its sides are first ignited1 and so its horizontal revolutions begin before any ascending power is given to it4 ,the cradle of course revolves with it1 and1 if properly made1 can offer no obstruction of any kind to its free play4 ,but as soon as the fire is communicated to the lower holes1 the force there developed will lift the tourbillon out of the cradle1 and will send it on its upward flight4 ,my description of this little piece of apparatus may1 perhaps1 incline my readers to imagine that its manufacture is difficult4 ,i can only assure them that it is not so1 and that1 if they will only give it a trial1 they will be convinced of the advantages which it possesses over the old plan of the board4 ,probably some modification of its principle will occur to you which may render it still more easy to be made4 ,the means at your own command are1 after all1 the best referees as to which is the shortest and readiest method of carrying out any plan4 ,i have given you the method by which ,i obviated the difficulty that met me4 ,i need only add that if you use the board ,i hope that your tourbillons will not disappoint you as mine did me4 ,many persons make six holes in their tourbillons--four on the under side1 and one at each end or opposite side4 ,for my own part1 ,i never could see the advantage of this plan4 ,i have tried it and succeeded with it1 but the effect has been always to convince me more firmly of the superiority of the four-hole system4 ,i know one or two very successful pyrotechnists whose experiments have led them to the same conclusion4 ,it is possible to ram tourbillons without a cylindrical mould1 but it is neither advisable nor convenient4 ,the cases require some very substantial support while they are being filled1 for the composition cannot easily be driven too hard4 ,the cylindrical mould cannot be an expensive apparatus if made as ,i have suggested4 ,mr4 ,newman has such facilities for boring blocks of wood and turning them1 that ,i strongly recommend you to get him to make you one1 as it will considerably lighten the trouble of preparing tourbillons1 besides giving them1 when prepared1 a much better chance of success4 ,i beg here to give my readers the size of #gj-lb4 paper and imperial board1 that there may be no difficulty in knowing what to purchase4 ,the sheets of #gj-lb4 brown paper and imperial board are of precisely the same size1 which is #bb #bi inches4 ,i must conclude the subject of tourbillons with one hint4 ,the person who fires a tourbillon with a portfire will generally fail to get a good view of its performance4 ,the plan that ,i commonly adopt is to cut an inch of quick-match and twist some touch-paper round one end of it1 and lay the other end next to the match on the tourbillon at the point r in fig4 #hd1 pasting a piece of thin paper over it to secure it1 and leaving its other end free1 with the touch-paper round it4 ,,coloured ,,fires4 #eb4 ,coloured fires1 such as are employed for illuminating gardens1 shrubberies1 avenues1 buildings1 c41 will now occupy our attention4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #ij4--;,former for ,coloured ,fire ,cases4 ,fig4 #ia4--;,iron ,fork to support ,coloured ,fires while burning4 ,this species of firework is of very simple construction1 and requires only an ordinary amount of care in order to insure its success4 ,and it is very fortunate that so necessary an item in the programme of a pyrotechnic display is one which can be relied upon for producing so beautiful and surprising an effect4 ,i have known spectators more pleased with the coloured fires in an exhibition than with any other of its features2 and ,i am convinced1 that by a well-contrived introduction and arrangement of them1 results may be produced at least as effective and satisfactory as by any combination of a much more elaborate character4 ,but before entering upon the description of their manufacture1 it will be necessary for me to remind you of some information that ,i have already given in the portion devoted to coloured stars1 in order that you may be induced not to prepare your colours for an exhibition until you know what you are going to prepare them for--that is1 what sort of a place they are required to light up4 ,what ,i have before said under the head of ,coloured ,stars with regard to the illuminating or reflective properties of this or that composition1 must more than ever be borne in mind in the matter of coloured fires4 ,there are two kinds of fires used in pyrotechny--one burning with a considerable depth and richness of tint1 but possessing a very moderate illuminating power1 the other having great brilliancy and reflective power1 but not the same depth of colour4 ,now with this plain distinction before us1 there will be no difficulty in selecting such composition as will produce the desired effect4 ,you have simply to make up your mind beforehand whether you require a colour of considerable intensity1 which you may gaze at while it burns1 or one whose beauty will be seen to advantage1 not in itself1 but in its reflection upon those objects which are within reach of its illumination4 ,the formulas which ,i shall give will be characterised as 8reflective10 or 8intense in colour10 and if they are only made up with pure1 dry1 and fine ingredients1 will1 ,i am sure1 give as good results as need be desired4 ,in the first place the preparation of the cases is to be considered4 ,with regard to these it must be remembered that they are required to burn with the composition1 and must not be made too thick or hard on that account4 ,the thicker they are1 the more will their consumption interfere with the burning of1 and impair the colour produced by1 the composition4 ,a sheet of #fjlb4 or #gj-lb4 brown paper cut up into nine strips in the manner represented at fig4 #hi will furnish you some very good cases for the purpose4 ,each of these strips will be a little over three inches in width1 which1 in my opinion1 is quite sufficient4 ,the former for these cases is made of wood1 and should be from an inch and a-half to an inch and three-quarters in diameter1 and about four inches long1 irrespectively of its handle4 ,the drift for filling the cases may be of the same length1 and one-sixteenth of an inch smaller in diameter1 so as to admit of its passing easily in and out of the case4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #hi4 ,the difficulty that ,i have always experienced with regard to these cases has been this--they must be made of a certain thickness1 in order that they may not be broken during the process of ramming in the composition4 ,this process is1 ,i believe1 indispensable4 ,at all events1 ,i find it so1 for if the composition be only pressed in loosely1 and not rammed1 it will fall to the ground in burning lumps1 instead of burning slowly and evenly in and with its case2 and if the cases be made unnecessarily thick1 either the composition will not burn freely enough1 or its colour will be impaired 7and this will be particularly the case with regard to green fires71 or1 what is more probable still1 both these calamities will happen at once1 and render your production doubly ineffective4 ,now my plan for obviating the difficulty has been to increase the diameter of the cases1 and thereby to gain a greater body of composition in proportion to their thickness4 ,this plan ,i have found to answer very well1 and so ,i can conscientiously recommend it to you4 ,take1 then1 one of the strips of paper1 cut as recommended above1 and1 pasting it all over on one side1 roll it evenly round your former1 having previously brushed a little paste over the former to prevent the paper sticking to it4 ,having rolled the strip up evenly and smoothly1 take it off from the former1 and set it by to dry4 ,it will readily be perceived that these cases are among the easiest to make4 ,and now we may pass on to the important subject of the compositions with which these cases are to be filled4 ,the first of these is known as the3-- ,,common ,,bengal ,,light4 #ec4 ,it has a bluish-white colour1 and is called by some pyrotechnists 8,artificial ,moonlight40 ,its composition is3-- ,no4 #a4 ,nitre #ab parts4 ,sulphur #d ,antimony #a part4 ,orpiment or realgar may be substituted for the antimony1 in which case there will be less smoke4 ,the above is the commonest sort of ,bengal light4 ,it gives a pretty effect1 but has no great illuminating power4 #ed4 ,,white ,,fire4 ,,white ,,fire4 ,no4 #b4 ,nitre #cb parts4 ,sulphur #h ,regulus of antimony #ab ,red lead #aa ,this is a ,french composition1 introduced by ,chertier1 and is remarkable for its whiteness4 ,it will be found a very useful composition1 possessing a fair reflective power4 ,,white ,,fire4 ,no4 #c4 ,nitre #bd parts4 ,sulphur #g ,realgar #b to #c ,antimony #a part4 ,this ,i always find the most serviceable composition on the whole4 ,it does not possess the intense whiteness of ,no4 #b1 but has a slight tint of blue2 and this difference alone would gain it the preference in my judgment4 ,but it has also a greater illuminating power1 and is decidedly the best composition that ,i have yet been able to find4 ,the red lead recommended in composition ,no4 #b can be purchased in fine powder1 ready for use1 at any painter's or chemist's shop4 ,,yellow ,,fire4 #ee4 ,we may now proceed to the formula for-- ,,yellow ,,fire4 ,no4 #d4 ,nitrate of baryta #cf parts4 ,oxalate of soda #f ,sulphur #c ,shellac #e ,this composition produces a good colour and has a moderate reflective power4 ,its principal merit lies in the fact that it will keep good for any length of time after it is mixed1 and can be made with samples of nitrate of baryta which will not produce a good green4 ,,yellow ,,fire4 ,no4 #e4 ,nitrate of soda #dh parts4 ,sulphur #af ,antimony #d ,charcoal 7fine7 #a part4 ,this is decidedly the best formula for yellow fires1 as far as effect is concerned4 ,but the nitrate of soda is so highly deliquescent that the composition must on no account be made up longer before use than is absolutely necessary4 ,yellow fires are not much used in pyrotechnic exhibitions4 ,i suppose this is to be accounted for by the extraordinary power that they possess of giving to all objects1 especially the human face1 a ghastly and death-like appearance1 anything but agreeable to behold4 ,i have no doubt1 however1 that some of my younger readers1 knowing this1 will set a higher value upon the formulas for yellow fire1 for the fun of showing off the spectators of their exhibitions to the greatest possible disadvantage4 ,especial notice should be taken of the complete annihilation of colour in flowers1 dresses1 c41 by this yellow light4 ,the effect is1 of course1 very similar to that produced by the burning of spirits of wine or naptha holding salt in solution4 ,this latter is known as the monochromatic light2 that is1 a light in which only one of the colours of the spectrum is shown4 ,although ,i do not remember ever having seen a yellow fire used in any large exhibition of fireworks1 ,i have given the above formulas in order to render my paper upon the subject as complete as possible4 ,the next colour with which we shall deal will be the ,,green ,,fire4 #ef4 ,for this colour ,i shall give three formulas1 all of which ,i have found good1 notwithstanding the universally acknowledged difficulty of obtaining a real green colour4 ,this difficulty has arisen1 ,i believe1 solely from the imperfections and impurities in the nitrate of baryta which finds its way into the market4 ,this salt should be prepared from the sulphate of baryta1 and not from the carbonate2 and ,i think ,i am right in stating that it is far more generally prepared from the carbonate than from the sulphate4 ,when this is the case you either get a very decent yellow colour from the sample1 or you get a salt which burns about as green as a very bad specimen of nitre will burn4 ,my readers will readily understand that nitre ought not to be so green as to admit of this4 ,and now1 before giving the formulas1 it only remains for me to say that if you have but a really good sample of dry nitrate of baryta in fine powder1 you ought to be able to make from the following receipts a green fire which will answer any purpose3-- ,,green ,,fire4 ,no4 #f4 ,nitrate of baryta #de parts4 ,chlorate of potash #aj ,sulphur #aj ,antimony 7sulphide7 #a part4 ,the above formula gives a pure but pale green4 ,it has a most intense illuminating power1 and for this cause is very valuable4 ,the addition of a little nitrate of baryta will render the composition more intense in colour1 but will detract from its rapidity of combustion1 and therefore from its illuminative power4 ,no4 #g4 ,nitrate of baryta #gg parts4 ,chlorate of potash #e ,sulphur #ab ,charcoal #b ,orpiment or realgar #b ,shellac #b ,composition ,no4 #g is a very old one1 slightly altered to make it burn more freely4 ,it gives a more intensely green colour than ,no4 #f1 but has not the same advantage with regard to its illuminative properties4 ,it is1 however1 a very serviceable and inexpensive receipt to employ4 ,we now come to the best of all the formulas for green fire that ,i have been able to meet with1 and one which has thoroughly satisfied me4 ,it is almost the same as that recommended by ,chertier1 the difference consisting in a slight decrease in the quantity of calomel1 which enables the composition to burn rather more freely and adds to its reflective power4 ,i have seen a real emerald green produced by this composition when good nitrate of baryta has been used1 but in this1 as in the case of all other green fires1 if you do not succeed you may generally fasten your suspicions upon the nitrate of baryta4 ,no4 #h4 ,nitrate of baryta #dj parts4 ,chlorate of potash #d ,sulphur #h ,calomel #h ,charcoal 7fine7 #b ,shellac #a part4 ,i do not think that any better formula than this can be needed4 ,it carries with it a better combination of intensity of colour with intensity of illuminating power than any coloured fire composition that ,i am acquainted with4 ,,purple ,,fire4 #eg4 ,i have next a formula to offer which ,i think has considerable merits of its own4 ,it produces a purple colour of a very pleasing tint1 and has also very considerable illuminating power4 ,i have never seen a colour of this kind employed in any pyrotechnic exhibition1 but ,i believe it to be an effective composition1 and one certainly that will make a change from the ordinary routine of white1 green1 and red4 ,i shall dignify it by the title of-- ,,purple ,,fire4 ,no4 #i4 ,nitre #dh parts4 ,sulphide of copper #ab ,sulphur #ab ,calomel #f ,arsenic #f ,nitrate of strontia #f ,chlorate of potash #d ,shellac #d ,charcoal 7fine7 #a part4 ,i trust that my readers will not be alarmed at the number of ingredients in the above formula4 ,i can only promise them that the colour produced is an extraordinary one1 and cannot be produced by ordinary means4 ,you will observe that ,i have recommended #ab parts of sulphide of copper4 ,this must be the fused sulphide4 ,or you may substitute for it equal parts of ,chertier's copper and sulphide of copper1 or equal parts of ,chertier's1 or of sulphide of copper and fine black oxide of copper4 ,the arsenic employed in the formula may be either orpiment or realgar1 but by far the best preparation of arsenic for this purpose is the finely powdered metallic arsenic4 ,formula ,no4 #i is one of my own introduction4 ,it possesses the advantages of being perfectly safe1 deep-tinted1 and decidedly illuminative4 ,but ,i do not pretend to say that it can ever be admired to the same extent with the red and the green fires4 ,these latter will always take the precedence1 for their effect at night is so thoroughly theatrical and surprising that no other colour1 however beautiful or extraordinary1 can hope to supersede them4 ,i was once asked by a lady to make a brown-coloured flame4 ,the idea was so rich in theory that ,i never attempted to dissolve its charm by any failures in experimental practice4 ,but had ,i succeeded to the utmost with this brown fire1 no illuminating properties could ever have been obtained4 ,one might as well have expected a good effect from a black star or a neutral tinted sun4 ,,red ,,fire4 #eh4 ,we come now to the most telling colour of all--the red1 or crimson as it is usually called4 ,in the preparation of the green fires the purity of the nitrate of baryta is the most important consideration4 ,in that of the red fires the dryness of the strontia is the main point4 ,this is most especially to be borne in mind1 as success or failure depends upon it4 ,a really good red-coloured fire is often the making of an exhibition or its redeeming point1 but in any case it is a most important feature1 and on that account is worth the expenditure of any trouble on its preparation4 ,i shall give several formulas for red fires1 each having its own characteristic properties4 ,you will have but to determine the particular description of fire that is necessary1 and ,i think you will find all that you need among the following compositions3-- ,,red ,,fire4 ,no4 #aj4 ,nitrate of strontia #bj parts4 ,chlorate of potash #c ,sulphur #e ,antimony #b ,charcoal 7fine7 #a part4 ,this formula gives rather a deep rose-coloured flame1 and has a most intense illuminating power4 ,but the composition is one on which the non-dryness of the nitrate of strontia has the most disastrous effects4 ,it is1 when properly prepared1 a very useful composition for illuminating buildings1 c41 c4 ,the next is a slower composition1 having decidedly more intensity of colour4 ,it is a remarkably good composition1 having considerable depth of tint1 and a very fair amount of reflective power4 ,its proportions are these3-- ,no4 #aa4 ,nitrate of strontia #fd parts4 ,chlorate of potash #d ,charcoal 7fine7 #e ,sulphur #bd ,the next formula is one of very slow combustion1 but of the greatest depth of colour4 ,it has but a small illuminating power1 and can therefore be employed only for certain purposes4 ,no4 #ab4 ,nitrate of strontia #dh parts4 ,chlorate of potash #d ,sulphur #ab ,calomel #h ,chertier's copper #b ,charcoal 7fine7 #a part4 ,this composition1 burns so slowly that if it be very much compressed1 or its case be at all thick1 much of its effect is lost4 ,i should therefore recommend that it be laid in a heap upon a tile in order to be fired4 ,its beauty will then be seen to the greatest advantage4 ,the following composition for red fire is the one which ,i have always found the most generally useful3-- ,no4 #ac4 ,nitrate of strontia #gj parts4 ,chlorate of potash #f ,sulphur #bd ,charcoal 7fine7 #b ,shellac #b ,this composition1 when employed in a case #a inch in diameter1 produces a magnificent effect1 and is at the same time a very economical composition to make up4 ,its combustion does not appear rapid1 and yet there seems to be no lack of illuminating power combined with intensity of colour4 ,it is1 of all the compositions which ,i give1 the one best adapted for the use of young aspiring pyrotechnists1 as very certain in its results1 very inexpensive1 and very easy to prepare4 ,thus we are brought to the close of our list of compositions for ,coloured ,bengal ,fires4 ,i trust that this list will be found to contain all that you require1 and contain it1 too1 in variety and abundance4 ,but we have still to consider how these compositions are to be encased and fired4 ,,coloured ,,fires 7,to ,encase74 #ei4 ,the cases1 made as directed above1 ,i will now suppose to be dry and ready for use4 ,your drift1 with which the composition is to be compressed into the cases1 is one-sixteenth of an inch smaller in diameter than your former4 ,it will therefore pass easily within the cases which were made upon 8the former40 ,now cut some pieces of newspaper1 or thin brown paper1 into squares or circles about #c inches in diameter4 ,place the flat end of your drift in the centre of these1 and turn down the papers round its sides in the same way that papers or bladders are turned down over bottles or jars when these are to be capped or covered4 ,then insert the drift with the paper cap over it into one end of the coloured fire case and push it through to the other end4 ,now withdraw the drift1 and leave the paper cap in the end of the coloured fire case4 ,next place the case upright upon your driving-block with the end1 thus filled up1 downwards1 and put into it as much powdered clay as will1 when driven1 occupy about half-an-inch in the end of the case4 ,drive this clay down firmly with a few blows of the mallet1 taking care1 however1 not to rupture the case by exerting too great a force4 ,the case is now ready to be filled with composition4 ,this operation is to be done as follows3--,first put in enough of the composition to occupy about half-an-inch in the case1 and ram this down with a few light blows of the mallet4 ,then put in another quantity1 and ram that down in the same way2 and so on till the case is filled4 ,i strongly recommend you not to put in more composition at a time than will ram down into the space of half-an-inch4 ,you will find it easy to compress the whole of the composition equally and uniformly by attending to this simple piece of advice2 and you will soon discover1 if you do not already know1 the advantage of uniform compression4 ,when you have charged the case as far as you can with the drift and mallet1 that is1 to about a quarter of an inch from the top of the case1 press the mouth of the case into the composition 7from which you were filling it7 until the case becomes full up to the brim4 ,over the flat surface of composition thus left1 paste a piece of touch-paper1 or any thin paper1 taking care not to paste that part of the paper which lies against the composition1 but only that which is to stick to the sides of the case4 ,,coloured ,,fires 7,to ,fire74 #fj4 ,your coloured fire is now complete and ready for firing4 ,this is the usual and most convenient way of preparing colours for exhibitions4 ,but for your own experiments you may place a small quantity of the composition to be tried upon a tile or brick1 not spreading it about1 but piling it into a pyramidal heap1 to be lighted at the top4 ,many persons adopt this plan for exhibitions1 but it is not good1 because several of the best compositions burn too rapidly when unconfined by a case4 ,i only beg that you will do me the justice to remember that the formulas which ,i have given above are intended to furnish compositions suitable for burning in such cases as ,i have described1 and not1 as a general rule1 adapted for open and loose burning4 ,my plan all along has been this--to find compositions of sufficient freedom of combustion to enable them to consume their case1 to give a powerful light1 and not to burn out too rapidly4 ,i think ,i have succeeded in gaining the first two of these qualities in the compositions themselves1 and the third by compressing them closely in cases4 ,it is very much better to put into each case two different sorts or colours of fire1 making the fire1 for instance1 change from white to red1 or from green to purple4 ,but if this be done1 and more than one case is to be burning at a time1 of course an especial regard must be had to the contrast of colour4 ,you should never burn a yellow with a red fire1 or a yellow with a white2 green with red1 yellow with purple1 white with red make the best contrasts4 ,but1 for my own part1 ,i never burn two ,bengal fires of different colours at once4 ,if the fires have any illuminative power at all1 they are pretty certain to neutralise one another's effect1 and so give you a very poor and unsatisfactory return for your outlay4 ,it is very true that red and green are complementary colours1 as they are called1 and look very well side by side1 but the effect produced upon an object by illuminating it with a red and green light is anything but complementary to the object or to the coloured fires themselves4 ,if you wish1 however1 to try the effect of the contrast1 use compositions possessing the greatest depth of colour and the least reflective power2 in this case the fires themselves will be complementary one to another1 and their non-illuminative properties will effectually prevent any confusion of reflection4 ,that what ,i have said above is true any one may discover by getting two pieces of stained glass1 one of a rich red1 the other of a rich green colour4 ,let these colours be thoroughly transparent1 and if you place one before the other and attempt to look through them1 you will find that you have a medium through which very little can be seen at all4 ,the cases of coloured fire1 made as directed above1 must not be placed perpendicularly to be fired1 but horizontally4 ,the reason of this is very simple4 ,while they are burning a sort of boiling lava is formed1 which is the refuse of the combustion1 and this will considerably clog the flame and rob it of much of its light if allowed to remain at the mouth of the case4 ,now if the cases be placed horizontally1 this lava will fall away as it forms1 and leave the fire to burn without impediment4 ,all that it is necessary to do to give the cases this horizontal position is to drive two long1 stout nails into a post horizontally1 about an inch and a-half apart1 and lay the case on these4 ,coloured fires should1 as a general rule1 be fired at a distance of about three or four feet from the ground4 ,but as one cannot always find nails of the proper sort for these purposes1 especially when at a distance from one's own stores1 ,i have sketched for you an iron which ,i always use1 fig4 #ia1 and which ,i am sure you will find convenient4 ,it is made in the shape of a tuning-fork1 with a screw at its handle2 this screw is simply twisted into a gimlet-hole in a post1 and is easily put up or removed4 ,i must not omit to say a few words with regard to the placing of coloured fires4 ,this must depend mainly upon individual taste1 but a few hints may not be out of place4 ,i cannot help thinking that the best and most effective way of displaying coloured fires is to conceal the fire itself1 and let only its illumination or reflection be seen4 ,let any of my readers keep his spectators at a distance of twenty or thirty yards from the coloured fire1 and hold up a tray or piece of board in front of the fire1 of such a size as will conceal only the fire itself4 ,i think it will be generally admitted that the beauty of the piece is much enhanced by this simple contrivance1 and if it be thought so1 then it becomes a consideration whether it would not be better to use the most illuminative colours always out of sight1 in such a position that their effect only can be seen4 ,for instance1 if there be a large tree conveniently at hand1 place your colour on that side of it which is away from the spectators1 so that the trunk of the tree is between them and the coloured fire4 ,this plan ,i have always found to give a most charming result4 ,but it must be remembered that anything but highly illuminative colours cannot be employed in this manner4 ,you will of course find objectors to the plan mentioned above4 ,there are many people who will tell you1 8,no1 ,i like to see the light itself10 as if gazing on the sun or moon1 except for astronomical purposes1 could ever give half the pleasure that the sight of a fine sunlit or moonlit landscape can impart4 ,what would a fairy scene in a pantomime be worth if you saw some of the green-room myrmidons1 with a pot of beer in one hand and a lucifer-match in the other1 lighting a heap of composition on a tile beside the stage1 and then saw the composition burst into a smoky flame1 but were prevented from seeing the effects of its colour8 ,this suggests to me another branch of my present subject1 which some of my readers may consider an important one4 ,,coloured ,,fires ,,for ,,theatrical ,,purposes4 #fa4 ,in the event of private theatricals you may not1 or your friends may not1 like their drawing-room to be filled with a strong sulphurous smoke1 which is pretty certain to hang about the drapery of the room and the dresses of the company for some unpleasantly long time4 ,i shall therefore give you now two or three formulas for coloured fires which may be safely used in a room1 and which contain no sulphur4 ,but first let me give you this caution1 which it is most highly important that you should attend to3-- ,,never ,,burn ,,any ,,coloured ,,fire ,,composition ,,indoors1 ,,or ,,in ,,any ,,inclosed ,,space1 ,,which ,,contains ,,orpiment1 ,,realgar1 ,,or ,,any ,,preparation ,,of ,,arsenic ,,amongst ,,its ,,ingredients4 ,,the ,,fumes ,,from ,,such ,,compositions ,,must ,,be ,,very ,,injurious4 ,,they ,,can ,,only ,,be ,,used ,,with ,,safety ,,out-,,of-,,doors4 ,,coloured ,,fires ,,for ,,theatrical ,,purposes4 ,,white4 ,no4 #ad4 ,chlorate of potash #ab parts4 ,nitre #d ,sugar #d ,stearine #a part4 ,carbonate of baryta #a ,this does not give a pure white light1 for it is impossible to get a real white without sulphur1 but when used to overpower theatrical lamplight1 it is to all intents and purposes white4 ,,yellow ,,fire4 ,no4 #ae4 ,chlorate of potash #f parts4 ,nitre #f ,oxalate of soda #e ,shellac #c ,nitrate of baryta may be substituted for nitre in the above formula with advantage1 provided it be very dry and fine4 ,,green ,,fire4 ,no4 #af4 ,chlorate of potash #b parts4 ,sugar #a part4 ,nitrate of baryta #a ,this green colour is but faint in itself1 but gives a very good reflection4 ,,red ,,fire4 ,no4 #ag4 ,nitrate of strontia #d parts4 ,chlorate of potash #a part4 ,shellac #a ,these colours are for the most part very rapid in their combustion1 and therefore may be used in cases if you please4 ,but as coloured fires for theatrical purposes are only required to last a short time1 the more brilliant they are during that time the better4 ,,chinese ,,flyers ,,or ,,saxons4 #fb4 ,i now treat of the manufacture of ,chinese flyers1 or ,saxons1 as they are called by professional pyrotechnists4 ,but it will not be sufficient merely to speak of the manner in which they are made--we must follow them into some of those combinations in complex designs in which they fulfil a very striking part4 ,and first the object of the ,chinese flyer is to produce a circle of white fire1 unattended by any scintillating radii1 which can be easily worked into large pyrotechnic designs1 and which is at the same time easy of construction4 ,the ,chinese flyer forms a very pretty little piece of itself when properly made1 but its principal use is in combination4 ,it is of two kinds1 and these are known by the names of the 8single0 or 8double0 ,saxon or flyer4 ,illustration3 ,fleuron ,,single ,,saxon ,,flyer4 #fc4 ,first we will speak of the single ,saxon4 ,its case should be eleven inches in length1 and should be made round a 8former0 of the one-ounce size4 ,in order to cut your paper and board of a proper size for these cases1 refer to the following woodcuts4 ,open a sheet of #fj lb4 brown paper of the imperial size1 and divide it in halves lengthwise4 ,at fig4 #ib it will be seen that each sheet of paper will give you two cases4 ,if you use #gj-lb4 brown paper instead of that of the #fj lb4 substance1 you will hardly require any imperial board4 ,but ,i think that the cases are better when made with a piece of the board used with the paper4 ,supposing1 then1 that you employ #fj lb4 brown paper1 cut your imperial board as shown at fig4 #ib;a1 that is1 into eight equal pieces1 one of which is to be used with each strip of paper4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #ib4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #ib;a4 ,now paste your paper and board well all over1 for you will require a hard1 strong case4 ,then proceed to roll your paper round the former1 folding it over in the manner described at par4 #ci4 ,then place upon the unfolded paper the piece of imperial board1 and roll both up together into a close firm case4 ,your former should be moistened with paste1 and particular care must be taken that the inner fold of the paper1 that which lies next to the former1 is well saturated with paste4 ,this will effectually prevent its being separated afterwards when dry1 and will obviate one cause of failure and explosions4 ,i have before explained the necessity for attending to this piece of advice in speaking on tourbillons4 ,the cases for these ,chinese flyers are1 in fact1 very much like those made for ,roman ,candles1 but as they are to contain a very much stronger composition1 must have so much additional care bestowed upon their preparation4 ,the next thing necessary is to know the principle upon which these ,chinese flyers are made4 ,a reference to fig4 #ic will make this easily intelligible4 ,the composition is rammed into the cases in two compartments1 between which and at the extreme ends of which some dry powdered clay is driven in4 ,the clay in the centre of the case is put there to form a solid substance1 through which a hole can be bored to admit the spindle on which the case is to revolve4 ,the clay at the extremities of the case is driven there to form a hard ending which is capable of resisting the force of the combustion of the composition4 ,the intervening spaces between the ends and centre of clay are filled with composition4 ,the cases are filled over a settle proper for the purpose1 of which a sketch is given at fig4 #ajd4 ,when the cases are dry1 take one of them and place one of its ends over the projecting piece at the top of the settle4 ,you will now require a long drift1 rather less than half-an-inch in diameter1 so that it will pass easily in and out of the case4 ,it must1 of course1 be of a length not less than that of your case4 ,i must suppose that you provided yourself with a ladle proper for filling the cases of brilliant fire1 and the wheel-cases1 of which ,i have treated4 ,the same ladle will now come into use again4 ,in case you have not such a ladle1 buy or make yourself one in metal which will pass easily into cases of the one-ounce size4 ,in this ladle take up as much powdered clay as will1 when driven1 occupy a quarter of an inch in the length of the case4 ,drive it in firmly by means of your drift and mallet4 ,then put in the composition1 for which the following are the formulas3-- ,,composition ,,for ,,saxons4 ,meal-powder #af parts ,nitre #h ,sulphur #f ,or1 ,meal-powder #f ,nitre #c to #d ,sulphur #b ,antimony #b ,of these two ,i prefer the former1 but the latter is perhaps better when the flyers are to to be fired singly1 as it produces a much greater halo of sparks4 ,now drive in the selected composition1 a ladleful at a time1 giving from twelve to sixteen blows to each1 until it rises to half-an-inch below the middle of the case4 ,it is a good plan to mark cases1 so that there shall be no possibility of mistake as to where this point is4 ,remember that you will require one inch of clay in the exact centre of the case1 in the middle of which clay you will have afterwards to bore a hole4 ,upon the top of this clay ram in more composition until the case is filled to about three-eighths of an inch from the end4 ,upon this second composition drive in as much powdered clay as you drove in at the other end of the case1 taking care that it is made very firm1 and is not at all likely to be blown out by the combustion of the composition4 ,the next thing to be done is to bore the central hole through the clay4 ,i do this generally with a bradawl first1 and afterwards with a pin-bit or spoon-bit4 ,the size of spindle which is best adapted for such fireworks as these is that which is three-sixteenths of an inch in diameter4 ,i should therefore use a bradawl of about an eighth of an inch in diameter first1 and then a pin-bit of the same size as the spindle to be employed4 ,care must be taken that the hole is not made unnecessarily large1 and that it is bored at right angles with the length of the case4 ,having accomplished this1 you have in the next place to bore the holes from which the fire is to issue4 ,these are to be made on opposite sides of the case at each end1 and about half-an-inch from the ends of the case4 ,i make these holes with a bradawl1 beginning with a small one and finishing with one rather less than three-sixteenths of an inch in diameter4 ,i believe the true size of the awl that ,i use to finish with is five thirty-seconds of an inch4 ,i mention this because some considerable nicety is required with regard to the sizes of these holes1 otherwise the ,saxon will either burst or not have force enough4 ,the compositions that ,i have given have reference to holes of the above size1 and will not be found to succeed well with any other sized aperture4 ,i bore these holes about half-way through the composition1 and then nearly fill up the hole with some of the same composition1 leaving room for the ends of the match to be pressed in4 ,a very convenient instrument for filling up these holes after boring1 also for filling up tourbillon holes and the necks of wheel or brilliant fire cases1 is that represented at fig4 #id1 which consists of a piece of stout brass wire driven into a bradawl-handle1 and having a flat end4 ,this simple instrument will serve also to press in the ends of the quick-match which is to connect the extremities of the case4 ,at fig4 #ic is represented the manner in which the quick-match is applied4 ,a hole is bored at ,a4 ,a piece of match is put into it and carried to the end of the case for the convenience of lighting the flyer4 ,a piece of thin paper is pasted over the match and round the end of the flyer to keep the match in its place1 and to protect it from injury and from taking fire before its time4 ,another hole is made at ,b just large enough to admit an end of quick-match4 ,the match is inserted into this hole1 and is carried on to another hole at ,c1 bored exactly like the one at ,a1 and at the same distance from the end of the case1 but on the opposite side4 ,the reason for all this contrivance will be readily understood4 ,the ,chinese flyer is lighted at the match which enters the hole ,a4 ,it revolves on the spindle which is passed through its centre1 and in a direction opposite to that of its mouth4 ,the composition continues to burn till it reaches the point marked ,b1 when it communicates its fire by means of the quick-match with the other aperture at ,c4 ,if the flyer be required to burn by itself1 a piece of touch-paper should be pasted round the end at ,a1 and twisted into a point4 ,if1 however1 it is to be connected with other pieces1 some thin paper should be used1 two or three folds thick1 and projecting an inch beyond the end of the case1 so as to allow the communicating match from the other pieces to be tied in4 ,in my opinion no ,saxon or ,chinese flyer1 single or double1 used singly or in combination1 should be without a colour in its centre4 ,for this purpose colours in cases of the one-ounce size will be found sufficient4 ,a case an inch long1 independently of its clay end1 will burn as long as is required4 ,it may be fixed on in such a position as that indicated at ,d in fig4 #c4 ,it can either be tied on with wire or glued on1 or fastened in both ways if considered necessary4 ,it must be connected by quick-match with the end of the case which is fired first4 ,the colours that ,i recommend to be used for this purpose are those given at ,nos4 #ba1 #bb1 and #bf1 in paragraph #ej4 ,it is a good plan to fill the cases with at least two colours1 if the ,saxon is to be fired by itself1 so that it may have a varied centre4 ,but if the piece is to consist of more than one ,saxon1 then it is best to employ a separate colour1 which does not change1 with each4 ,i shall say more about the construction of pieces consisting of ,saxons presently1 when ,i have described the making of what is known among pyrotechnists under the name of the ,,double ,,saxon4 #fd4 ,this1 though a larger firework than the single1 is quite as easily made1 and is more effective4 ,it consists of two cases attached to a wooden centre1 such as is represented at fig4 #ie4 ,it is simply a turned piece of light wood1 having ends of such a size as will fit tightly into the ,saxon cases4 ,it is about five inches and a-half long1 and four inches and a quarter between its shoulders4 ,you can procure these in any quantity of ,mr4 ,darby or ,mr4 ,newman4 ,the cases for double ,saxons are made in the same manner as described above for the single ,saxons1 but are of a different length4 ,the following directions for the division of paper and board will give you cases of a size proper for double ,saxons3-- ,cut your #fjlb4 brown paper lengthwise into three equal strips1 as represented at the annexed fig4 #if4 ,by this division your cases will be about seven and a-half inches in length4 ,your imperial board must be cut1 as shown in the illustration at fig4 #ig1 into twelve equal pieces2 so that four sheets of #fjlb4 brown paper1 and one of imperial board1 will give you material enough for twelve cases1 and therefore enough for six double ,saxons4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #if4 ,the cases are to be filled in the same way as directed above under the head of single ,saxons4 ,after placing your case upon the settle1 drive in as much clay as will1 when compressed1 occupy a quarter of an inch1 and see that it is very firm and secure4 ,then drive in your composition 7made from one of the formulas given above7 a ladleful at a time1 until you have filled the case to within an inch of the end4 ,drive in another small quantity of clay1 and you will then have three-quarters of an inch1 or thereabouts1 of unoccupied space at the end of the case4 ,this is to be filled with the end of the wooden centre represented at fig4 #ie4 ,when your two cases are filled1 glue them on to the centre1 taking care that they are not likely to come unfastened by any fair means4 ,you will have no trouble in boring the central hole for these1 for you buy them already bored in the right manner4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #ig4 ,but you will have to bore through the case to the composition1 to make a vent for the fire4 ,the holes are to be made about half-an-inch from each end1 and on opposite sides1 as represented at ,a and ,b in fig4 #ih4 ,after boring the holes1 be careful to fill them up again with some of the same composition1 leaving only room enough to receive the ends of the quick-match1 which should be pressed in with the little instrument represented at fig4 #id4 ,this quick-match is first to be put into the hole at ,a and secured there1 and then carried over that end of the case and down the other side to the hole at ,b1 where it is to be secured in the same way4 ,over the quick-match is to be pasted a piece of thin paper4 ,a strip an inch wide and twenty inches long is what is required for this purpose4 ,this strip is to be pasted all along the match4 ,this will prevent its being injured or ignited at the wrong time4 ,it is hardly necessary for me to state that the same plan must be adopted with regard to the quick-match that is put to single ,saxons4 ,the paper is simply to be pasted over the match in the same way as is done in the case of tourbillons4 ,a wider strip of paper is next to be cut1 which is to be pasted round the end ,a of the double ,saxon1 and to project beyond the end1 in order to receive the quick-match from other pieces4 ,in order to attach a colour to the centre of these double ,saxons 7and they should never be used without a colour71 a nail may be driven into the wooden centre1 in the position indicated at ,c1 in fig4 #ih1 and the coloured fire case bound to the nail with a round or two of fine wire4 ,the case at ,c must then be connected by quick-match with the end at ,a4 ,all the double ,saxons that ,i have seen have been made in this manner1 but there is no reason why they should not burn one end at a time1 like the single ,saxons4 ,the difference will be that if both ends take fire at once1 the pieces will last just half the time that they would otherwise take4 ,the compositions that ,i have recommended for filling them are quite strong enough to make them revolve well1 if only burning at one end2 but if the two ends are arranged to burn simultaneously1 a much more perfect circle of white fire is produced1 and this1 ,i presume1 is the object of their always being made to burn double4 ,in deciding whether they shall burn singly or not1 you must take into consideration the questions1 ,how are they to be used8 and1 ,with what other pieces are they to burn8 ,you will1 no doubt1 have plenty of devices of your own making into which these illuminated ,saxons will enter4 ,a very little experience will show you their effect1 and teach you how long they last1 and how to regulate their use4 ,and here let me give you a hint that you will find very useful with regard to these1 and to all fireworks which can be used in combination4 ,whenever you ascertain the length of time that any piece--say a ,roman candle1 a brilliant gerbe1 a ,saxon1 or a wheel-case--is in burning1 make a note of it in a book kept for the purpose4 ,it will save you much trouble and calculation1 and will add very much to the beauty of your compound pieces1 to have a written statement of the duration of any component part of them1 so that you may have no excess in any particular1 and that it may appear that your design has been made with judgment1 and is not the result of a chance mixture of pieces4 ,i trust that ,i have left no particular unnoticed in my directions for making these single and double ,saxons4 ,if ,i have1 ,i hope that the principle on which they are constructed is laid down with sufficient clearness to put the mode of its working out beyond a doubt4 ,,saxon ,,wheel4 #fe4 ,i now wish to supply a few designs for combinations in which these ,saxons1 together with other pieces1 find a place4 ,the first that ,i shall give will be that which is called a ,saxon wheel4 ,it consists of a wooden framework about three feet in diameter1 having six spokes1 and into three of these spokes the spindles are driven on which three double ,saxons are to revolve4 ,on the circumference of the wheel1 cases are tied filled with brilliant fire made from the following formula3-- ,meal-powder #d parts4 ,steel filings #a part4 ,these cases may be of the one-ounce size1 and must burn two at a time4 ,this is easily effected by connecting the mouths of the cases1 on opposite sides of the wheel1 with quick-match1 and then from the tails of these cases carrying leaders to the heads of the next two1 and so on4 ,the number of cases on the circumference is not a matter of importance4 ,i have drawn six in the sketch at fig4 #ajj4 ,in the centre should be placed a single triangle wheel1 the cases on which may be of the 8fixed case0 size1 spoken of in paragraph #da1 but not quite so long--five and a-half inches will be found long enough4 ,the cases on this triangle wheel may be filled with the brilliant fire4 ,the piece will then require-- #f one-ounce wheel-cases in brilliant fire4 #c triangle wheel-cases in brilliant fire4 #c double ,saxons1 illuminated with colours4 ,you may make this wheel perform in any manner that you choose4 ,i may1 however1 suggest one order for its performance4 ,i should first light the triangle wheel1 and let its three cases expend themselves4 ,this central triangle must revolve upon the same axis on which the larger wheel turns4 ,then ,i should advise you to fire the two connected cases on opposite sides of the large wheel1 and let these convey their fire to the other cases which follow them4 ,when four of these cases are consumed 7or rather1 ,i should say1 when two couples of these cases are consumed71 fire the quick-match which connects the illuminated ,saxons4 ,you will see that the central triangle is a separate piece1 and will not require to be connected with the other part of the design4 ,the ,saxons must be connected by quick-match with one another1 and must have a leader left by which to fire them4 ,the outside wheel-cases must also have a leader by which they can be ignited at the proper moment4 ,especial care must be taken that these leaders are not too near one another1 or you will probably find your whole piece ignited at one time1 and not in the order which you had intended it to observe4 ,the triangle wheel will1 of course1 be in front of the other wheel1 and so the fire from it will not start the other pieces before their time4 ,the best plan for igniting the ,saxons at the right moment is to make a fuze to last just the time that the two first couples of wheel-cases take to burn out1 and so to convey its fire to the ,saxons4 ,these fuzes are a larger sort of portfire1 primed at both ends1 with a quick-match leading to and from them4 ,the fuze must be lighted by the same leader which fires the wheel-cases1 and if it be only of the proper length1 will when consumed pass its fire on to the ,saxons at the proper time4 ,illustration3 ,fleuron ,in the sketch at fig4 #ajj it will be seen that the cases at ,a ,a are to burn together2 those at ,b ,b will follow them2 and while ,a ,a and ,b ,b are burning1 the fuze at ,d is also burning1 and should last precisely the same time4 ,then when ,c ,c take their fire from ,b ,b1 the ,saxons take their fire from the fuze at ,d4 ,i hope this is intelligible4 ,i can answer for the beauty of the design if properly carried out4 ,you may put on the three ,saxons a red1 a green1 and a purple fire1 which will make a good contrast1 and you will further improve your piece by putting a changeable colour on the centre of the triangle wheel4 ,put the end of the leader ,e in such a position that it is not ignited by the fire from the triangle4 ,there is also a very pretty fixed piece1 of more simple construction than the above1 in which you may use three single ,saxons4 ,it consists of three ,saxons illuminated1 and three fixed cases of brilliant fire4 ,a fuze will be found useful in this piece as in the last1 but you can do without it here4 ,connect the three ,saxons with leaders2 connect also the three fixed cases with leaders1 and carry from these another leader to some point where you can conveniently light it with a portfire4 ,fire the ,saxons 7which we will suppose are single ones7 and let them burn until one end of each is consumed2 then fire the fixed cases of brilliant fire1 which should each have a report at its end4 ,a sketch of the shape of this piece is given at fig4 #aja4 ,,saxon ,,square4 #ff4 ,the next design that ,i shall give is known by the name of the ,saxon square4 ,the sketch at fig4 #ii shows the form of it4 ,it consists of a square wooden frame1 used diamond-wise--that is with one of its angles downwards1 and not one of its sides downwards4 ,the pieces required to mount it are as follows3-- #h brilliant fixed cases4 #d ,saxons illuminated with colours4 #a illuminated triangle wheel for centre4 ,the framework may be about #cj inches square4 ,in the centre place a brilliant illuminated triangle wheel4 ,a double triangle will be the best for this purpose1 and will make the piece last longer4 ,if the ,saxons burn at both ends at once1 they must be fired with the brilliant fixed cases2 but if one end only burns at a time1 the fixed cases may burn with the second halves of the ,saxons4 ,the fixed cases should all be reported4 ,let two of the cases on the triangle wheel burn first2 then let the colour in the centre of the triangle take fire1 and burn with the remaining four cases2 then let the first halves of the ,saxons take fire when the fourth wheel-case begins1 and let the brilliant cases come on with the sixth of the wheel-cases1 and with the second halves of the ,saxons4 ,in this and in all other cases where a triangle1 or any wheel is employed1 as a centre1 it must be brought well forward so that its fire will not injure any other part of the piece4 ,if it be thought advisable to increase slightly the size and beauty of this piece1 place three brilliant fixed cases in the intervals between the ,saxons instead of two1 and let them be fixed so as to form a kind of ,prince of ,wales's feather in each place4 ,illustration3 ,fleuron ,i now come to a design which ,i have used1 and can1 therefore1 speak from experience of the beauty of its effect4 ,i employed it at the close of an exhibition1 and ,i can assure you that it makes no inconsiderable finale4 ,it consists of the following component parts3-- #af brilliant fixed cases reported4 #d double ,saxons illuminated4 #d five-pointed stars4 ,this piece will be much better if it has a brilliant triangle1 or double triangle1 wheel in its centre4 ,if a double triangle be used1 it will begin first and last out through the performance of the piece4 ,the sketch given at fig4 #ajb will speak for itself as to design1 shape1 outline1 c41 c4 ,but ,i may as well suggest in this case1 as ,i have in the others1 an order for its changes1 or mutations1 as the authorities delight to call them4 ,i will suppose that you use a brilliant double triangle wheel in the centre4 ,this1 of course1 has six small cases upon it1 and should have also a colour in its centre4 ,fire this wheel first1 and let two of its cases be consumed4 ,then fire the four coloured lights which are to be substituted for the five-pointed stars4 ,two of these coloured lights may be green1 and two purple4 ,then when two more of the cases on the triangle are burnt out1 strike in the double ,saxons and the brilliant fixed cases4 ,this piece will1 of course1 take you some time to make1 and will require some patience and a good deal of nicety and precision in its arrangements4 ,but it will fully repay you for all the pains that you bestow upon its preparation4 ,i think the colour on the double triangle wheel had better be purple2 those on the ,saxons red2 the other four colours1 as ,i have said1 green and purple4 ,at fig4 #ajc ,i have drawn the wooden centre of a double ,saxon to show you an easier way of fastening on your colours4 ,you have simply to bore a hole with a small bradawl through the clay end of the coloured light case1 and pass through it a piece of small soft iron or copper wire4 ,the ends of the wire are then bent round the wooden centre1 and twisted together tightly at the back4 ,fig4 #ajd represents a settle proper for the making of ,saxons4 ,it is to be fixed or screwed into a block1 such as ,i have drawn in the illustrations for ,roman candles4 ,,serpent ,,mines4 #fg4 ,we now come to a very useful and effective feature in pyrotechnic displays1 which1 although rather short-lived in its performance1 produces quite as much arial decoration as any piece that can be employed4 ,i speak of the mine1 whether charged with serpents or crackers4 ,it would be difficult to find a better single accompaniment to the concluding piece of a small exhibition than a really good serpent mine4 ,but these pieces need not necessarily be used as accompaniments2 they may also be made up as separate pieces4 ,of these combinations ,i shall speak hereafter4 ,and first1 for the information of those who do not know what a mine is1 or what its performance is1 ,i may say that it consists of a cylindrical box1 made either of thick paper or iron2 and this box contains a number of small serpents having reports2 these serpents are placed in the box in such a manner that their mouths may all readily take fire at the same instant1 at which instant they are blown out of the box to the height of fifty or sixty feet in the air1 where they be-have themselves in a most lively and somewhat eccentric manner1 until a smart pop from each brings their gambols to a close by turning their carcasses inside out4 ,illustration3 ,fleuron ,now comes the question1 8,how are we to charm these little serpents into doing as we please80 ,the following answer to this question will1 ,i trust1 leave nothing unexplained or difficult of comprehension4 ,in the first place1 with regard to the serpents themselves1 ,i cannot think that you will find it worth your while to be troubled with the manufacture of them4 ,the work is dirty1 troublesome1 and rather expensive1 because you can do nothing without a choking apparatus proper for this purpose1 and when you set in array against these disadvantages the very low price of the serpents1 as you can buy them of ,mr4 ,darby1 of #ih ,regent ,street1 ,lambeth1 which is1 ,i believe1 at the rate of three shillings per gross1 primed and ready for use1 ,i think you will agree with me that the best plan is to wash your hands altogether of their manufacture1 and to buy them where you can depend upon their being uniformly good and reasonable in price4 ,these serpents are generally about two inches and three-quarters in length1 and are of a very convenient size for the purpose4 ,i will suppose that you have provided yourself with some of these1 and that you want to make one of such serpent mines as can be bought at the firework shops4 ,the first thing for you to do is to decide upon the size of mine that you require4 ,in my opinion1 very small mines are not worth making4 ,i should never think of putting less than two dozen serpents into a mine4 ,if you will take my advice you will determine upon one or two sizes1 and keep to them2 you will find this by far the most convenient plan4 ,the two sizes which ,i should recommend are those whose cases are two inches and a-half and three inches in diameter4 ,the latter will discharge three dozen serpents1 and will1 ,i think1 be found large enough for all purposes4 ,if you want a former round which to make the case1 or mortar1 as it is called1 of the two and a-half inch size1 you can generally find one ready made at the draper's4 ,they have them as rollers for silks1 c41 and the above is one of their sizes4 ,i have found one of these very convenient4 ,in the next place you must always keep your eye on the look-out for old odd pieces of thick brown paper1 or sugar paper1 or any thick paper used for parcels1 and turn them to account2 any old pieces of cardboard may also be worked in4 ,you will want a case or mortar seven inches long1 and so well pasted and closely rolled that you can hardly bend it with your fingers4 ,do not spare the paste1 nor imagine that you can dispense with the roller board4 ,well paste the former and all the paper1 and when you have finished the mortar1 set it by1 and do not use it till it is thoroughly dry and hard1 but at the same time do not attempt to hurry the drying over1 and so warp it and put it out of shape4 ,you will now have a round hard cylinder of pasteboard1 open at both ends4 ,cut a piece of deal or other wood1 of a size that will fit tightly into one of these ends1 and about an inch thick1 and glue it in1 to make a firm bottom to the mortar1 so that it has no chance of coming out4 ,now weigh out one-ounce of common gunpowder2 such as is sold at the shops at about #as4 per pound is quite good enough for this purpose4 ,put this into a piece of thin paper1 and make it up into a neat little flat circular parcel as shown at fig4 #aje4 ,it should be as nearly as possible the same size as the interior of the mortar4 ,you will find that the mortar of the two and a-half inch size is capable of holding about twenty-eight serpents4 ,but1 whatever sized former you use for the mortar1 ascertain how many serpents will be required to fill it1 remembering that they are by no means required to fit in tightly2 that if they are fitted in tightly your mortar is pretty sure to be blown to pieces1 which catastrophe is by all means to be avoided4 ,having ascertained the number of serpents required1 tie them into a bundle with cotton4 ,this will enable you to pass them without any trouble into the mortar4 ,but before putting them in take out the centre serpent1 and tie to its neck a piece of quick-match in the manner represented in fig4 #ajf4 ,this match is to convey the fire to the mouths of the serpents1 and so on to the packet of powder4 ,when the piece of match has been attached as directed above1 replace the serpent in the midst of the bundle4 ,take notice that that part of the match which projects beyond the mouth of the serpent is to be uncovered--that is1 is to have its case cut away from it4 ,now in order to insure the proper lighting of all the serpents1 ,i have adopted a plan which ,i have always found successful4 ,the usual plan is to smear the flat side of the packet of gunpowder with meal-powder-paste1 and to let the serpents stand mouth downwards upon this4 ,i am well aware that many good mines are made in this way1 but ,i must think that their success is the result rather of chance than of anything else4 ,i have experimented a great deal in this direction4 ,i have fired mines so prepared in a place where ,i have been able to pick up the remains of the serpents after the explosion of the mines1 and ,i have frequently found serpents that had never taken fire at all4 ,and this fact set me to work upon discovering some new plan4 ,i at once hit upon the cause of former failures1 imagining them to be due to the too rapid ignition of the powder1 which had not allowed time enough for the fire to be conveyed to the mouths of all the serpents4 ,in attempting to rectify this1 ,i naturally enough ran to the other extreme1 and gave them rather too long a time1 so that they actually found their way out of the mortar by their own force1 and the powder expended itself in a mighty puff just when they were out of the reach of its influence4 ,of course the serpents only found their way just out of the mortar1 and did not produce that lively effect in the air which was intended4 ,so then ,i had recourse to the plan which ,i now adopt1 and which has never failed me4 ,i take some circles of thin blue paper--such paper as the pyrotechnists use for making into touch-paper1 which is called thin blue double crown2 these circles ,i cut of such a size that they will just pass into my mortar1 and ,i smear them well over with meal-powder-paste made with meal-powder moistened with thin starch or gum-water4 ,one of these circles ,i place between the packet of powder and the mouths of the serpents4 ,and ,i find that this arrangement just allows time enough for the fire to be conveyed to all the serpents before the packet of powder is exploded4 ,you will now have the three principal parts of the mine ready to put into the pasteboard mortar4 ,in order to do this1 take your bundle of serpents and hold them mouths upwards1 as represented at fig4 #ajg1 and on their mouths lay the primed circle of thin paper1 meal-powder side downwards4 ,on this lay the packet of gunpowder1 with its smooth side downwards1 and its tied side upwards4 ,then taking the mortar1 bottom upwards1 pass it over the whole in the way in which an extinguisher is used4 ,the mine1 thus far completed1 is now to be turned the proper way upwards1 and a knife or pair of scissors passed into it to divide the cotton which bound the serpents together4 ,care must be taken that this little piece of after-work is not forgotten and left undone1 otherwise your serpents will come out in a lump1 and will not be able to spread4 ,but now we come to the case which is to play before the mine is fired4 ,this may be a short case of the one-ounce or two-ounce size1 and may be filled with the beautiful old composition called spur-fire4 ,the composition for this is-- ,nitre #ah parts4 ,sulphur #h ,lampblack #f ,but there is a great deal of art in preparing this composition4 ,the ingredients require to be well-sifted together1 and then rubbed together in a large mortar with a wooden pestle4 ,you must have two or three short choked cases ready while this pestle and mortar operation is going on1 in which to try the composition at different stages of its progress4 ,if the ingredients have not been sufficiently rubbed with the pestle1 very few of the beautiful spur-shaped sparks will be thrown out4 ,but if1 on the other hand1 too much rubbing has taken place1 the composition will burn too fiercely1 and will throw out only drossy sparks4 ,there is certainly a good deal of patience necessary in the preparation of this spur-fire composition1 but when properly made it will repay you for all the trouble it has given4 ,it is better to make a good large batch of it at a time4 ,it is said to improve after being rammed into cases a long time4 ,there is only one disadvantage that ,i have ever found in this spur-fire1 and that is1 that much of its beautiful effect is lost unless the spectators are very close to it when it is fired4 ,the scintillating sparks may be caught in the hand without danger4 ,but there are many other compositions which will answer very well for the beginning case for a mine4 ,for instance1 you may use-- ,meal-powder #b parts4 ,steel filings #a part4 ,or1 ,meal-powder #b parts4 ,iron borings #a part4 ,or1 ,meal-powder #d parts4 ,charcoal #a part4 ,these compositions may be rammed into either one-ounce or two-ounce cases1 and primed in the ordinary way4 ,the tail end of the case must be left open1 in order to insert the end of the match which comes out of the bundle of serpents4 ,you will next require a circular piece of millboard1 of a size that will answer as a lid to your pasteboard mortar4 ,through the centre of this lid bore a hole with a centre-bit just the size of the case that you mean to insert2 and when you have decided how far this case shall project out of the lid1 make a mark1 and glue the case into the central hole3 and when you have made the necessary connection between the tail of the fountain-case and the quick-match from the bundle1 the lid is ready to be pasted on4 ,if1 however1 there is any chance of the mine being knocked about before it is fired1 fill in the space above the serpents with waste paper1 or1 still better1 with common wadding1 which does not burn4 ,it only remains now to paste a strip of thin paper neatly round the top of your mortar1 so as to secure the lid1 and then to put some touch-paper to your fountain-case1 and the piece is ready for firing4 ,there is another way of making these mines which you can adopt if you please4 ,instead of using a short fountain-case1 a long one is employed which will reach down to the smeared meal-powder pad4 ,this case has1 of course1 to pass through the bundle of serpents1 and so takes up a good deal of room among them4 ,if you employ a long case of this kind1 you will find it best to use one of the sparkling compositions given above1 and not the spur-fire2 or1 at all events1 if the spur-fire is used1 only half fill the case with it4 ,it is a slow-burning composition1 and answers much better in short cases of large calibre than in long cases of small bore4 ,for a mine two inches in diameter the charge of powder should be three-quarters of an ounce4 ,the mortar should be about six inches high4 ,for a mine two and a-half inches in diameter1 and seven inches high1 the charge of powder should be one-ounce4 ,for a mine three inches in diameter1 and eight inches high1 the charge should be an ounce and a-half4 ,but ,i must now proceed to tell you of another way of making mines for exhibition purposes which can be fired at any given moment4 ,these are fired from iron mortars4 ,one of these mortars will last a lifetime4 ,the size that ,i use is that which has a diameter of three inches4 ,the mortar is made of thick sheet-iron1 rivetted firmly into the form of a cylinder1 with an iron ring round its mouth1 and a wood block screwed into its other end for a foot4 ,this mortar has a clear depth of eight inches inside1 and is capable of throwing three dozen serpents4 ,the exterior of the iron cylinder is bound round with cord1 which is supposed to give it great additional strength4 ,so much for the mortar from which these exhibition mines are fired4 ,the serpents1 powder1 c41 are contained in paper bags1 and have a projecting piece of match by which they are fired4 ,i have a solid cylinder of wood1 six inches long1 and two and three-quarter inches in diameter1 upon which ,i make my paper bags for these mines4 ,a former of this size makes a bag that will contain the three dozen serpents1 and will at the same time pass easily into the mortar4 ,the powder1 meal-pad1 serpents and quick-match are to be put in precisely in the same manner as that directed above3 the powder packet at the bottom1 of course1 then the meal-pad1 then the serpents4 ,after all are inclosed1 feel with the fingers for the string that ties the serpents together1 and cut through the paper of the bag and this string to liberate them4 ,your mine will then be ready for firing4 ,any number of these bags can be fired one after another from the same iron mortar4 ,you will find a sketch of a pasteboard mortar at fig4 #ajh1 showing its contents and the fountain-case4 ,you will find also a sketch of an iron mortar1 fig4 #aji1 and bag and serpents1 fig4 #aaj2 such as ,i use1 which is by far the most convenient way of exhibiting serpent mines4 ,,cracker ,,mines4 #fh4 ,we will now proceed to speak of cracker mines1 another very effective item in exhibition pyrotechny4 ,with regard to the crackers that are employed for this purpose1 ,i cannot think that you will economise at all by trying to make them yourselves4 ,in order to make them all of one uniform size and shape--and these points must be attended to particularly in the manufacture of crackers for mines1 otherwise you will be unable to pack them properly in the bags or mortars--a considerable amount of apparatus of rather an expensive kind is required1 and is in fact indispensable4 ,the money laid out in the purchase of this apparatus would furnish you with many grosses of mine crackers4 ,if you will be advised by me1 you will purchase them of ,mr4 ,darby1 whose crackers for this purpose are1 in my opinion1 exceedingly good4 ,the only difference between mine crackers and those usually sold at the shops for the #eth of ,november is in their priming4 ,instead of having touch-paper1 at which they are lighted1 a piece of bare quick-match is left projecting from the mouth1 which1 of course1 takes fire very readily4 ,illustration3 ,fleuron ,the mortars used for throwing crackers differ from those employed for throwing serpents in being square instead of round4 ,i shall speak only of one size of cracker mortar1 because you can at your pleasure fire from it any number of crackers from one dozen to four dozen by adopting my plan of packing them4 ,if you are about to use a pasteboard mortar1 you must have a square former made1 two inches and three-quarters square and six inches long4 ,upon this former make a very strong mortar with well-pasted cardboard and thick paper1 and let it be thoroughly dry before you use it4 ,glue into one end of it a piece of wood an inch thick for a bottom4 ,you will now require just the same kind of packet of gunpowder as was spoken of under the head of serpent mines4 ,this packet may contain an ounce and a-half of common powder4 ,put it into the bottom of the mortar1 flat side upwards2 then put a piece of thin paper1 smeared over with meal-powder paste1 meal-powder side upwards1 and then proceed to put in your crackers in the following way3--,you will find two dozen a very good number for cracker mortars of this size4 ,i frequently use three dozen1 but this is not necessary4 ,i will suppose that you have determined to use two dozen4 ,take six of these2 pack them side by side1 so that their primed mouths are arranged in a line2 tie them in this position with a piece of cotton2 make four of these packets containing six crackers2 now put them into the mortar in such a way that the projecting pieces of quick-match are all turned inwards1 as shown in the drawing at the page of illustrations4 ,the crackers will1 of course1 all be lying on their sides4 ,now down the centre of this arrangement lay three or four pieces of bare quick-match1 which shall be in immediate juxtaposition to all the primed mouths of the crackers1 and which shall reach down to the meal-powder pad4 ,thus you will infallibly insure the lighting of all the crackers before the charge of powder takes fire at the bottom4 ,over this mine1 and as an introduction to it1 you can1 if you please1 place a fountain-case1 as with the serpent mines1 gluing it into the centre of the lid of the mortar1 and connecting its tail end with the crackers below4 ,but the most useful plan for exhibition purposes is to have an iron mortar for these mines1 made about two inches and three-quarters square 7interior measurement71 and six inches in depth4 ,iron mortars should have a very substantial foot of wood4 ,if an iron mortar is employed for cracker mines you must have a wooden former made1 about two and a-half inches square and six inches long1 on which to form the paper bags that are to contain your powder1 crackers1 c4 ,the arrangement of the contents of these bags is precisely the same as that recommended for the filling of the pasteboard cracker mortars1 except that of course a piece of quick-match must be left projecting from the top of the bag by which the whole is fired4 ,take especial notice that after placing the parcels of crackers in the bags1 as directed above1 the cotton which binds each parcel must be cut so as to liberate the crackers1 otherwise you will have four parcels of crackers instead of twenty-four crackers making their appearance at the explosion of your mine4 ,in the page of illustrations1 fig4 #ajh represents a section of a pasteboard serpent mine2 aa1 the fountain-case2 bb1 the serpents2 c1 the meal-pad2 d1 the packet of powder2 ee1 the match passing from the fountain-case through the bundle of serpents2 f1 the wooden block at the bottom of the mortar2 gg1 the lid4 #aji represents an iron serpent mortar4 #aaj represents a mine bag for firing from an iron mortar4 #aaa represents the arrangement of crackers in a cracker mine4 ,the drawing will be found about the right size1 and crackers packed in this manner cannot fail to light4 ,,five-,,pointed ,,star4 #fi4 ,the cases are made upon the same 8former0 on which the quarter-pound rocket-cases are rolled4 ,they consist of a piece of #gj-lb4 brown paper and a piece of imperial board4 ,the sheet of brown paper is cut into strips1 as represented in the annexed diagram1 by which it will be seen that each sheet furnishes enough paper for six cases4 ,the imperial board should be divided1 as shown in the following sketch1 #aab1 into twelve equal strips--thus3 so that two sheets of #gj-lb4 brown paper and one of imperial board will give material for one dozen cases for five-pointed stars4 ,the paper and board must be well pasted1 and the rolling board used unsparingly1 as cases for this purpose cannot be too strong and hard4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #aab4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #aac4 ,the common plan for filling these cases with composition is simply to put them on the same settle on which quarter-pound tourbillons are rammed1 and to drive into the lower end of them about half-an-inch of clay1 very solid1 and to ram in the composition upon this until it rises to such a height as will enable the star to burn as long as the piece or pieces with which it has to keep time4 ,but ,i think a much better plan is the following3--,procure a turned drift of box1 or some hard wood1 about five inches long in its straight part1 with an end as represented at fig4 #aac4 ,put a ladleful of clay into the case when it is upon the settle 7the ladle used for filling quarter-pound rockets is meant71 and drive down the clay with the conical end of the drift1 by which means you will have a hollow clay cone formed in the end of the case4 ,now ram in your composition1 which may be made from either of the following formulas3-- ,,for ,,five-,,pointed ,,stars4 ,no4 #a4 ,nitre #af parts4 ,sulphur #f ,meal-powder #d ,antimony #b ,no4 #b4 ,nitre #af ,sulphur #h ,meal-powder #f ,antimony #d ,no4 #c4 ,nitre #af ,sulphur #h ,meal-powder #d ,antimony #c ,it will be best to decide first of all which of these compositions you prefer1 and to keep to that1 remembering that five-pointed stars are never used singly1 but only as parts of compound pieces1 and that1 in order to produce their proper effect1 they ought to last just for a certain time and no longer4 ,by keeping to one of the compositions given above1 you will be able to time them better4 ,i cannot give any directions for the quantity of composition to be driven in--this must depend entirely upon the part which it is intended that the stars should play in the piece for which they are made1 and can be decided only by actual experiment4 ,the composition will not require to be driven very hard4 ,you will by this time be beginning to wonder how a case filled in the manner described above is to make a five-pointed star4 ,well1 there is no great difficulty in achieving this end4 ,provide yourself with a gimlet which will make a hole about one-eighth of an inch in diameter1 or rather more2 also with a pair of compasses the legs of which can be secured at certain distances from one another4 ,let the points of the compasses be exactly such a distance apart that they will represent one-fifth of the exterior circumference of the case--that is1 so that they will exactly go round the case in five strides1 finishing at the point from whence they started4 ,when you have thus adjusted your compasses1 make them perform their five-stage journey round that part of the case inside which is the hollow clay cone1 about half-way between the point and base of the cone1 and wherever the points of the compasses touch1 there make a mark by pressing the point into the case4 ,you will thus have divided the circumference of the case into five equal parts4 ,now at each mark made by the compasses bore a hole gently with your gimlet1 which should be a sharp one1 taking care that you only bore through the case and the clay1 and disturb the composition as little as possible4 ,in order to prime the case1 fill the hollow at the end of it1 which was occupied by the top of the settle1 with wetted meal-powder1 and when this is dry1 pass across it a piece of bare quick-match1 the ends of which should be long enough to be tucked into two of the gimlet-holes1 and which will convey the fire from the priming to the composition inside the case4 ,then cut some pieces of thin paper 7such as double crown7 three inches wide1 and long enough to go twice round the case1 and paste one of these on the case just below the gimlet-holes1 so that the paper covers up gimlet-holes1 priming1 match1 and all1 and projects an inch and a-half or thereabouts beyond the primed end of the case4 ,this projecting paper serves to contain the end of the encased match which is to connect the five-pointed star with other pieces4 ,the best method of fixing these stars on the frames for which they are required is to have projecting from the frames wooden pegs of such a size that the unprimed end of the case can be squeezed tightly over them or glued on to them4 ,i should have stated that when the proper amount of composition has been inserted1 a little clay should be driven on the top of it for the sake of security1 and there should be not less than three-quarters of an inch of unoccupied case beyond this clay4 ,into this unoccupied space the pegs mentioned above should be fixed4 ,five-pointed star-cases must1 of course1 be placed horizontally1 with their primed end towards the spectators2 and when fired they will1 or should1 present an appearance of this kind1 the burning composition protruding its tongues of white flame through the holes made by the gimlet4 ,in your anxiety not to disturb the composition with the gimlet1 do not run into the other extreme1 and leave the clay unbored4 ,and see that there is sufficient clay beyond the point of the cone to prevent the combustion from finding vent there4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #aad4 ,the object of the conical clay head to the case is that the fire may not burn the holes larger4 ,if the holes were simply bored through the paper case they would be burnt much larger than they were originally made4 ,nevertheless1 if it be thought too troublesome to make the hollow clay cones1 as ,i have suggested1 a very fair five-pointed star may be made by driving in a flat end of clay1 and boring just below it into the composition4 ,it is possible to make the cases for five-pointed stars of iron tubing1 such as ordinary gas-tubing1 about the same size in bore as the paper cases1 the manufacture of which ,i have described above4 ,half-a-dozen iron cases1 open at both ends1 with the five holes drilled at equal distances round their circumference1 and about an inch from the end1 will be found very handy1 because they are indestructible1 can be used any number of times1 and after use have only to be laid in hot water1 and they can be washed as clean as when new4 ,it will be necessary to tie something round the holes while the composition is being driven in4 ,the ends1 of course1 are made with clay4 ,but let me here caution you to be very careful in the use of iron cases4 ,if quicker compositions than those given above are employed1 there is danger of the case being blown to pieces4 ,if this should happen it would result in the most serious injury to any one who might be in its way4 ,and therefore it will be advisable1 if you think of using iron cases1 to fire your experimental five-pointed star at a great distance from where you stand1 taking care that no one is near it4 ,it will probably go well2 but there is a risk attending the use of iron cases which makes them less safe than those made of paper and board4 ,i trust that these directions will enable you to prepare a satisfactory five-pointed star4 ,it now remains for me to furnish you with some designs for exhibition pieces1 and to describe the manner in which they are to be made up4 ,,exhibition ,,pieces4 #gj4 ,if it be thought desirable to have ready a variety of frames which can be fitted up at a moderately short notice1 some of the following will be found useful1 and capable of being mounted with fireworks in many effective ways3-- ,in the first place there is the large vertical wheel1 the frame of which is described at fig4 #aae4 ,this should be not less than four feet in diameter1 and should turn on an iron spindle made of three-eighths of an inch rod4 ,the following is a good useful sort of spindle for large wheels 7fig4 #aaf71 being very steady and easily fixed to your post4 ,,aa represents the post1 which should be ten feet out of the ground4 ,,bb represents the spindle1 which has an iron collar at ,c and a large thumbscrew at ,,dd4 ,the collar is fixed to the spindle1 and is placed against the face of the post4 ,the thumbscrew is screwed up tightly at the back of the post1 and keeps the spindle firmly in position4 ,the other end of the spindle may be 8tapped0 for a short distance1 and have a small 8nut0 to fit it1 in order to keep the wheel from working off2 this1 however1 is not of much importance1 as a piece of cork tied on will do as well4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #aaf4 ,the wheel should have a nave of hard wood1 through which a hole is bored to admit the spindle4 ,and in the case of all vertical wheels1 it should be borne in mind that they will revolve much more lightly and easily if the spindle does not touch the wood of the nave at all1 but works through two iron or brass plates1 fastened one on the back and the other on the front of the nave1 and having holes drilled in them of a size proper to admit the spindle without too much 8play40 ,the working of a large wheel will be very much more satisfactory if this plan be adopted1 and the wood of the nave be not allowed to touch the spindle at all4 ,for a wheel of four feet in diameter there should be six spokes1 to the ends of which is fastened a strong ash or beechwood hoop4 ,there should also be another wooden hoop six inches nearer to the centre of the wheel1 as is shown at fig4 #aae4 ,the pieces with which ,i have there represented the wheel as fitted up are as follow3-- a a a a are twelve brilliant reported 8fixed cases10 which1 as will be remembered1 are cases having an interior bore of seven-sixteenths of an inch1 and reported with a gun-charge of powder at their end1 and filled with brilliant fire4 ,each of these is fastened to the two outer wooden hoops at a slight angle1 and all their mouths are connected with quick-match1 the end of which is to be brought to the bottom of the wheel and tied to the post which carries the wheel4 ,this tying will have the effect of steadying the wheel until the time arrives for firing the fixed cases4 ,b ,b ,b ,b are six triangle wheels1 the turning cases of which are filled with brilliant fire1 and carrying each a colour4 ,the cases need not be larger in diameter than the 8fixed cases0 mentioned above4 ,in my sketch ,i have described them as double triangle wheels1 but the artist must decide for himself whether they shall be double or single--i4e41 whether they shall have six or three cases apiece4 ,in front of the nave of the wheel is placed a much smaller vertical wheel 7,c7 on the same spindle4 ,this may be made to carry six turning cases of brilliant fire1 and as many colours as you think proper4 ,the cases may be made to burn singly or doubly 7i4e41 two cases at a time upon opposite sides of the wheel74 ,supposing the wheel represented at fig4 #aae to be mounted with one smaller central vertical wheel1 with six cases and colours1 six small brilliant single triangle wheels with colours and twelve brilliant reported fixed cases1 the way in which it should be fired is this3--,connect together by quick-match all the single triangle wheels1 and let the end of this match be secured where it can be found with readiness1 and where also it is out of the reach of sparks4 ,i will now suppose the cases on the central wheel to burn singly1 in which case fire-- #astly4 ,the central wheel1 and when three of its cases are all but burnt out1 put your portfire to-- #bndly4 ,the match which is to start the six single triangle wheels4 ,when these are half burned out 7i4e41 when about a case and a-half is consumed on each7 fire-- #crdly4 ,the quick-match which connects all the reported fixed cases on the circumference of the wheel1 and you will then have a revolving piece of fire nearly twelve feet in diameter1 of which the sketch at fig4 #aai is intended to give you an idea4 ,the framework of this piece is1 as you will at once see1 capable of being fitted up in many other ways4 ,for instance1 instead of triangle wheels1 you might use ,saxons2 instead of a central illuminated vertical wheel1 you might have a six-pointed star in white lance-work4 ,in fact1 there is hardly any limit to the variety which might be produced if the artist will only acquaint himself with the value and adaptability of the single pieces which are treated of in the former numbers of this series of papers4 ,we now come to the last page of illustrations1 where is described a set-piece known by the name of the lattice-work piece 7fig4 #aba74 ,this may be made either with #bd brilliant reported fixed cases and #f coloured fires1 or with #cf fixed cases and #i coloured fires4 ,the sketch is made to represent the arrangement as it should be for #cf cases and #i colours4 ,if used with only #bd cases1 and #f colours or five-pointed stars1 it will be a large piece1 and quite effective enough for a display of ordinary pretensions4 ,it is made by fastening brilliant reported fixed cases to squares of wood1 and fixing these squares at equal distances from one another1 so that the fire from the cases represents lattice-work4 ,provide for this purpose as many squares as you require1 half-an-inch thick and seven inches square4 ,to each of these fasten the reported ends of four brilliant fixed cases by boring holes on each side of the cases through the wood1 and fastening them by means of wire or string in their places4 ,in the centre of each square fasten either a coloured case or a five-pointed star4 ,each square1 when mounted1 will be like the adjoining sketch4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #abj4 ,the distance from one another at which these wooden squares should be fixed must depend upon individual taste2 you must remember that the farther apart you fix your upright posts in the ground the longer the posts must be1 as you cannot spread the piece sideways without increasing its height1 ,a good distance apart for the posts will be three feet six inches4 ,if this distance be observed1 and nine squares are used1 you will require posts at least fifteen feet out of the ground2 but if six squares are used1 which ,i think you will find effective enough1 posts twelve feet out of the ground will be sufficiently high4 ,at fig4 #aba you will see that1 for additional effect1 ,i have placed at the top of the two side-posts large gerbes4 ,i should make these certainly not smaller than the quarter-pound size1 and as long as the fixed cases employed4 ,fill them with-- ,meal-powder #c parts4 ,iron borings #a part4 ,these gerbes must be connected by quick-match with the squares which are on the same posts with them4 ,at the top of the central post ,i should place either a 8simple horizontal0 or a 8capricious0 wheel1 the manufacture of which ,i described in my paper on wheels4 ,the capricious wheel will be the most effective4 ,in order to prepare the piece for firing1 bring all the pieces of match which are to convey the fire to the brilliant squares and gerbes to a point in the centre of the piece1 leaving them long enough to be tied together in a bundle round the case of the match4 ,beyond the point where the match-cases are all tied together leave at least six inches of each quick-match bare1 and tie these bare pieces together in one or two places4 ,unless this precaution is taken1 some of your squares will have a good chance of not being fired at all4 ,but by this means they can hardly misfire4 ,the object is to give all the bare-ends of match time to take fire before the fire reaches the covered part of any of the matches4 ,fig4 #aba will give you some idea as to what the lattice-work piece should look like before it is fired4 ,to fire it1 light first the piece of quick-match which hangs from the capricious wheel4 ,when four cases on this wheel are burnt out1 light the collected ends of quick-match in the centre of the lattice-work4 ,these ends must on no account be exposed until they are to be fired2 therefore some paper must be wrapped round them1 which can easily be removed4 ,at once your brilliant cases1 stars1 and gerbes will be ignited1 and will burn while the remainder 7which is the best part7 of the capricious wheel is going through its revolutions4 ,you will then1 if all goes right1 have such a piece as is represented at fig4 #abb4 ,my next illustration shows a simple but beautiful piece1 having for its centre a wheel such as ,i have described in my papers on coloured lights1 lances1 c41 and consisting of four double triangles executed in white lances1 and a large four-pointed star in brilliant fire4 ,fig4 #abc represents the framework mounted1 as it appears before firing4 ,this framework is simply four arms1 made of deal1 and fastened into a solid centre2 the arms may be five feet long4 ,at the extremities of these arms are fastened four double triangles made of deal lath or any light material4 ,upon these little frames fasten white lances1 by driving in short pieces of iron-wire into the woodwork1 and after boring the closed end of the lances with a very small awl1 sticking a lance upon every wire-pin with the mixture of glue and red lead recommended in former papers4 ,then clothe the double triangles with quick-match in the usual way1 and connect them all4 ,in the next place fasten on each of the arms1 at a suitable distance from the centre of the piece1 two reported brilliant fixed cases1 in the manner indicated in the sketch2 clothe these with match1 and connect them4 ,for the centre of the piece take the wheel with dangling colours1 explained under the head of coloured lights1 and fit it up carefully4 ,the piece will thus be ready to be fixed to its post4 ,to do this you will require an iron spindle something like the one ,i have recommended for the four-feet vertical wheel1 with this difference--that the framework of our present piece must not revolve1 but remain stationary2 the centre wheel alone is to revolve1 which it will do well enough on such a spindle4 ,but remember that all vertical wheels used as centres to large pieces must be brought well forward before the rest of the piece1 otherwise the sparks from them will fire the other parts before their time4 ,i will now suppose that you have the piece represented at fig4 #abc4 ,you must first start the central wheel1 which should be connected by match with the triangles at the extremities of the arms4 ,these will then burn together until a case and a-half of the central wheel is consumed1 at which time strike in the eight brilliant fixed cases1 and this done your piece will take the form represented at fig4 #abd4 ,we now come to the last of my designs1 by which is represented at fig4 #aag a large set-piece worthy of proving a finale to any exhibition1 and at the same time by no means difficult of preparation4 ,the framework of this piece consists of a solid wooden centre1 into which are secured six arms made of deal1 in such a manner that they are like the spokes of a large wheel in their arrangement4 ,the arms for this piece1 and for that represented in fig4 #abc1 should be five feet in length1 two inches in width1 and an inch full in thickness4 ,for the sake of economy ,i think you will find it well to make one centre do for both these pieces1 by having grooves cut in one side of it to hold six arms1 and in the other side for four1 as you would never require both these pieces in the same exhibition4 ,the grooves in my framework are about half-an-inch deep on each side of a circular flat centre of oak1 two inches in thickness and twelve inches in diameter2 they impart greater steadiness to the arms than could be gained by screws alone4 ,so much for the framework1 which you will see is1 when put together1 ten feet in diameter1 and can always be taken to pieces for the purpose of economising space4 ,if you have six arms made1 you can use either four or all of them at pleasure4 ,now for the pieces with which this framework is to be mounted4 ,in the centre there should be a large double triangle frame1 mounted with white or coloured lances4 ,the six laths of which this framework should be made should be each three feet six inches long1 and about five-eighths of an inch square4 ,the lances placed upon them should be not less than three and a-half inches apart4 ,these must all1 of course1 be connected by quick-match4 ,the six angles of the double triangle should rest upon the six spokes of the framework of the piece4 ,at a distance of an inch or two outside each angle should be fixed a five-pointed star1 and close to it two brilliant reported fixed cases1 which must be connected by quick-match1 and fastened at such an angle with the framework that their fires may meet at a point between the six triangle wheels1 which1 lastly1 are to be placed at the extremities of the long arms4 ,the cases on these wheels are to be filled with brilliant fire1 and each wheel is to carry a colour in its centre4 ,to fire this piece begin with the central double triangle1 and when this is well-lighted1 fire the six triangle wheels and five-pointed stars1 and when one case of the triangle wheels is consumed1 fire the twelve brilliant fixed cases1 and your piece will be of the shape given at fig4 #aah4 ,with this piece ,i close my 8,papers on ,pyrotechny40 ,i trust that ,i have left nothing unsaid which could make the directions given for these pieces more clear1 and ,i hope that many an amateur will soon have arrived at such a state of proficiency as will enable him not only to prepare such pieces as these1 but any variation upon them4 ,no piece should be used as a finale to any exhibition unaccompanied by two batteries of ,roman candles containing coloured stars4 ,these so-called 8batteries0 consist simply of four1 six1 or any number of ,roman candles fastened to upright posts at such an angle that they may throw their stars over the centre of the piece from each side of it4 ,any number of serpent or cracker mines that can be brought to bear while the finale is in full force will greatly enhance the effect1 if fired from behind it4 ,in conclusion ,i believe that1 in any village even1 were any one to manifest a desire to become a successful pyrotechnist1 and to interest his intelligent neighbours in his adopted art1 he would find that in most cases they would lend a hand1 and show an activity in the preparation of a public exhibition to a degree which no one who has not tried the experiment would anticipate4 ,many a long evening might be shortened by discussion with the artisans of the place as to the best mode of making what is usually known as a 8grand flare-up0 for ,christmas ,eve or ,new ,year's ,eve4 ,and if ,i am not very much mistaken1 such a discussion would prove at least as interesting to any inquiring mind as the very desultory and questionable source of information commonly called ,penny ,readings1 at which it is the fashion to spoil so much good writing by bad reading1 and so much good music by bad singing4 ,it cannot but be evident that any exhibition of fireworks in a place must be to a certain extent public2 all who can will do their utmost to get their chins above the level of the walls or fences which are intended to make any exhibition private2 and quite rightly too1 in my opinion4 ,though no longer a boy1 ,i should do the same now1 unless ,i had reason to believe that the 8grand display0 was about to consist of a certain number of dozens of squibs1 crackers1 and pin wheels1 fired as fast as circumstances will allow1 considering the number of times that the lantern is blown out by the incautious application of one or other of the above-named combustibles to its flame4 ,in the case of experiments1 which must be made before every exhibition1 ,i think that the more private one can keep them the better4 ,but if there is to be an exhibition1 why not let every one who can1 not only see it1 but give assistance in its preparation8 ,you will by this means not only insure a much more real interest in your success1 but gain the satisfaction of having proved to many an intelligent villager the important truth that he is capable of doing something for which he had never suspected the slightest capability4 ,these hints ,i throw out merely as suggestions4 ,they have been acted on with the most satisfactory results1 and ,i feel sure that they may be turned to account2 but everything will depend1 of course1 upon the manner in which the plan is worked out1 and the spirit felt by those whose aid it is proposed to engage4 ,i need only add to these remarks that if it can be shown that my work has done anything towards making pyrotechnic recreation more general1 reasonable1 and possible than it has hitherto been1 ,i shall consider myself amply rewarded for the time that has been spent 7much to my own gratification7 in making and recording the results of my experiments4 ,,the ,,end4 ,illustration3 ,fleuron ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,transcriber',s ,,notes ,typos fixed2 non-standard spelling and dialect retained4 ,enclosed italics font in underscores4