Fun Friday Fire Project - Homemade Firecrackers
Friday July 3, 2009
Of course! You need to get primed for the big fireworks displays tomorrow, so get started with firecrackers. Now... the thing about this project is, the more gunpowder you use, the bigger bang you will get. Do have fun, but don't go overboard. If you're a diehard do-it-yourselfer, you can make your own gunpowder. Alternatively, you can collect the powder from toy gun caps. I've designated the remainder of the day "4th of July Eve" so start celebrating!
Comments
I strongly discourage the “scavenging” of powder from toy caps. This stuff is NOT “gunpowder” but rather a friction- and shock-sensitive substance commonly called Armstrong’s Mixture.
It is much more volatile than either black powder (available at many sporting-goods stores, varies by state) or smokeless powder (the “gunpowder” that people use when making or reloading their own ammunition).
When I was a teenager and didn’t know any better, I tried scavenging powder from toy caps almost exactly as the article described, and only a fraction of a teaspoon went off with a flash, burning the hairs off the back of my hand, and scaring the heck out of me, since I was leaning in close to see what I was doing. This stuff is friction-sensitive! That’s why it went off when I was “scavenging” the powder.
ha thats funny lol