FIREWORKS

Hokitika Guardian, 13 January 1925, Page 3

FIREWORKS

The art of making fireworks has been practised for centuries by the Eastern rates. The most brililaot displays have been achieved bv the Chinese since the earliest times, and a Chinese regards our most dazzling spectacular elleets as insignificant compared with those of Ids own country.

Fireworks were not known in Europe until the introduction of gunpowder in 133(1. Nowadays there are two fashionable varieties, hand pieces, such as the squib, the rocket and the Catherine wheel, and the big “set pieces,” which are fitted with elaborate mechanical devices to ensure the simultaneous lighting of their parts. The chief ingredient of a firework is gunpowder, which is a mixture ol nitre, charcoal, and sulphur. Ihe varied effects are produced by adding to this, or by altering the composition of the gunpowder. The actual firework is made by rolling thick paper round a cylinder of v.oo d till it is several layers thick and cutting the tube so formed intp- the icquired lengths. One end of this tube is then closed hv drawing a piece of string around it, and the end is sealed bv dipping it in melted resin. 'lhe explosive ingredients are then poured in at the other end. rammed down, and covered with touch paper. Rockets are rather more complicated in structure, for unless their tube has a hollow centre they will not use. lie discharge of coloured ram as the rocke descends is produced by a supplementarv part called a garniture. w „C resembles a squib, and is attached to the fuse. The filling ot tins sq „b is made into a hard paste with alcohol and is cut into stars of small balls - A good mixture for l;°nte-made two ounces oi coni.t ounces of gunpowder, four ounces of sulphur, and six ounces of steel filings.