Excuses for why you do this.

[teknix]

Either way of spelling it is correct....

 

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=fuze

 

I like to say fuse for things like cannon fuse and fuze for things like the internal fuze in an aerial shell or grenade but that might just be me.

 

Anyhow I started out my hobby building rocket engines and my parents were completly fine with it because they thought it was amazing that I was making working rockets. From there I started to make other types of fireworks such as mines and fountains. Much later on I made a few HE's in small amounts to experiment and my parents were ok with it because Ive already demonstrated over the years that I am safe and cautious and I am doing it for academic reasons. Now I have a job in a similar field because of it all and I plan on taking my career even further into it.

[kwstag]

Haha! That shit's crazy. I would have never guessed...

 

I'm just so used to "fuse".

 

Nice catch there.

[Chaz]

I'm not so sure, according to wikipedia (and if wikipedia says it, there's no doubt about it ):

 

Fuse:

The simplest fuse is a length of combustible material which burns from the free end, through a small opening in the casing, and into the explosive charge, where it then ignites the explosive material.

 

Fuze:

A fuze refers to a device used in munitions which is designed to detonate, or to set forces into action to detonate, the charge (or primer) under desired conditions. Types of fuzes include time fuzes, contact detonators, proximity fuzes, remote detonators, altitude fuzes

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuze

 

But now we're getting off topic. So further discussion on fuze with a 'z' should go in the fuse thread in the pyrotechnics forum.

[FUZE]

LOL. Sorry I made my name when I was a real "newb". I picked it because of my fondness of smoke grenade's and all the documents used the word "fuze" instead of "fuse". But I rather enjoy how easy it is to have a discussion about my name, However we should save debating my name for the random thread. I personally could care less I just remember how It was when I first started posting on the old forum's and people talked about random topics. Anyway best of luck finding a idea on how to "break the ice" to your parents.

[Frozentech]

LOL. Sorry I made my name when I was a real "newb". I picked it because of my fondness of smoke grenade's and all the documents used the word "fuze" instead of "fuse". But I rather enjoy how easy it is to have a discussion about my name, However we should save debating my name for the random thread. I personally could care less I just remember how It was when I first started posting on the old forum's and people talked about random topics. Anyway best of luck finding a idea on how to "break the ice" to your parents.

You could just tell them a couple months before, that you have been seriously studying pyrotechnics, and would really like to put on a small display for ( bonfire night, independence day, AU day, what-have-you family get-together ) Explain that this isn't some out there crazy thing, but a serious pursuit, and that you will follow all the recommended safety precautions.

 

As a parent, that would go a ways toward convincing me, if I weren't already doing pyro myself !

[kwstag]

I'm not so sure, according to wikipedia (and if wikipedia says it, there's no doubt about it

 

Not true buddy Hehe.

 

I could go on wikipedia right now and write that TNT stands for Tide No Ticks or something and say that TNT was a fake explosive and never created and that I like cheese....

 

Wiki is updated mostly by regular people... You can even go edit many documents and add more information..

[Swany]

It's right about that one though. Fuse and fuze.

[justanotherpyro]

Pyrotechnics with my parents was a give a little, take a little relationship. I had to make compromises like no rockets in the city. When I started delving into HE it was a bit sketchy, but I learned alot and do well in school so they didn't hold me back in something I enjoyed. I took a step down from HE devices to making shells and they don't mind at all. My dad encourages it.

 

None of this means too much though I guess, because they don't care if I drink at family parties or camping and whatnot. As long as I'm not the DD.

 

Basically, just work your way up slowly, and COMPROMISE. " I won't do this for now because it makes you uncomfortable, but can I do this."

[Guest pyrokid00000]

Making pyrotechnics with my parents was pretty easy. Sense age 13 ive been going to shoots with my friends dad who is a pyrotech. Even though its against rules with the ATF we even got to load the shells . I found it real fun and started to read up on pyrotechnics. I first started off with making some smoke comps. Sense then ive worked onto shells, salutes, rockets and my parents think it is really neat at times. So i guess starting of with smoke is the best way. Ive been reading up on HE's and want to start making them. But thats a huge no lol. Just seems the words High Explosives with parents dosent work.

 

You guys have any advice on how to talk them into it?

[kiknet]

well i just brought it up casually in a conversation and so far she seems alright with it right now though im just ordering glassware from a science place.

[Swany]

Good for you. Ahh, that fateful day that I ordered glassware... coincidentally it was the first thing I ordered as well.

 

If only your mom knew what happened to some innocent children who bought glassware. Like me. Any nearly everyone else.

[kiknet]

hmm so far ive ordered

 

100ml beaker

400ml beaker

600ml beaker

thermometer

filter paper

20ml pipette

 

should that do me for now?

 

and chem wise im planning on

 

potassium nitrate

98%sulfuric acid

98%nitric acid

 

also i need something to show her ,that will be entertaining but not scare the shit out of her, i was thinking a kno3/sugar rocket, bp salute or fountain.

[Mumbles]

I'd suggest against a salute. I think the best thing to go with would be a fountain, or even a smoke device. Rockets are hard to get going right away without proper tooling. You may just end up with a salute on a stick.

 

You'll have problems buying 98% nitric I feel. 70% is about as high as it normall comes. What kind of stuff are you more interested in, pure pyro or HE? For pure pyro I recomend Sulfur, Charcoal, KNO3, maybe some Al for coloring of fountains, or some larger mesh C for the fountain. Please check the supplier section for reviews. Also, don't use United Nuclear, they are horrifically expensive.

 

For HE, I would say KNO3, Sulfuric acid, some HCl maybe.

[Von Bass`]

My parents allowed me to buy chems after i successfully made a rather pretty golden fountain - they were so impressed they wanted to see more! If you have some way of making lift powder and are into fireworks, a properly functioning starmine can be beautiful

[Swany]

My first starmine, the stars barely lobbed out of the motar, then burned on the ground. Not very spectacular when they are TT stars...

 

My after starmines, I made a comet. Remebering the lift incident(not enough) and my BP wasnt good at that stage, I used about 15g of lift for a comet weighing in at about 40-50g, tt was TT. This was all taped up really well, and quickmatched with not so much visco, as to conserve my supply from butchered fireworks. Well, this is what happened.

 

I was about 1-2m away when it blew, if even. No need to repeat that. Yes, that is snow, and yes, I am wearing shorts.

[kiknet]

do i even need nitric acid? is there any advantage in HE synths over the kno3/h2so4 nitration solution or any specific HE's that need nitric acid?

 

I think i will start out with pyro before i move onto HE's because it seems like the obvious choice.

 

So far chemical wise im still looking for suppliers in aus because so far all i've been able to find is expensive lab reagents.

[Mumbles]

Nitric is required in a few instances. Most of those require 95+%, which you will have trouble buying anyway. It is more convienient at times, but nothing that can't be overcome is most cases. The yields are a bit better due to higher surface area. I would say nitric acid should not be one of the first things you get if you are starting with pyro.

[BigBang]

So swany, that's what your "too much lift" avitar was about on the old forum.

 

I tried making a super roman candle out of shells once. It wold have worked if one of the middle shells hadn't of gone off first! This was when I was about 10, before I made my own...

[justanotherpyro]

Holy shit Swany, thats enough to open some eyes!

[Swany]

At the time, it seemed appropriate. Though I did learn these things:

1) Confined burning is faster

1.2) Just cause your BP sucks doesnt mean that you should pour the rest of the bag in there.

2) The whole lot was taped up like a salute

3) It was basically 75g of crude BP

4) It helps to be more than 1m away when a salute goes off

5) All 75g of it.

6) It was pretty.

[Caleb51]

haha, I have yet to fully convince my parents. This week, after more than a year of trying to convince them, they let me order 8 oz (I know, small order) of kno3 to make some smoke bombs, and I plan to go buy a bar of magnesium from a sporting goods place and make some flash powder as well, maybe.

But yeah, without my parents knowing, as far back as in 6th grade (I'm in 9th now) I would pretend to be going to the bathroom, but I would really be sitting there breaking apart jumping jacks and black cats that I had aquired from friends and putting all the powder in a baggie. I had some fun with that stuff when I was home alone

[TheSidewinder]

I'd suggest you rethink the idea of making flash of any sort, let alone one with Mg, until you have more experience with fireworks. None of us want to read about you losing a finger (or worse) when that flash powder goes boom unexpectedly. Learn to walk before you try to run, and you'll have a *LOT* more fun along the way....

 

M

[RUUUUUN]

hmmm. I could run before I could walk. because of the simple physics of when you are moving faster you have better balance.

 

I have always been around and loved being around lots of loud noises, my dad was a pyro back in his day, but he never got farther than BP salutes, rockets, and fountains. He didn't really have to push hard to get me into it... He bought some KClO4 and some Al from skylighter for the fourth and I was totally caught, hook line and sinker. Now me dad reloads long range rifles and makes little tiny groups, (under 1/2 inch) at 300 or so yards, (boy me dad would make a great sniper...) and I make the loud noises.

[Douchermann]

Thats pretty impressive, RUUUUUN

 

As for my parents, they were wary when I first started. Which was about a year and 4 months ago. Now I can walk into the living room and show them a beakerful of nitroglycerin and they just say "Oh cool, just be careful"

 

The problem is, you don't know how developed a kids decision making skill is, so you can't really know if they'd be safe around an HE or even some LEs

I wouldn't want to limit my theoretical kids if they were interested, but at the same time I wouldn't want them to get hurt.

 

 

As an answer to your question at the top, kiknet

Some nitrates need to be done at colder temperature which is when potassium bisulfate would come out of solution and turn your nitration bath into a sludge. You can use ammonium nitrate which the bisulfate is quite soluble at low temps, but IMO, ammonium nitrate is inferior to potassium nitrate when it comes to nitration baths and even distiling nitric acid.

[Flashzone]

My mom and dad are happy that I make stuff, but they sont want me to get to carried away and kill myself. My dad doesnt want me to make NG beacuse he had some bad experiences with it, but he will let me make everything else. When ever I'm nitrating somthing or happly lighting off NC my dad seems to like watching me make stuff. The big problem is detting things, I cant seem to find a good place for setting things off.