starting out

A place where you can have some friendly discussion and leave some feedback about your experience!

Moderators: richardh08, Boophoenix, Lloyd

Post Reply
stephen.urwin
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Nov 11, 2019 2:08 pm

starting out

Post by stephen.urwin »

as a black powder shooter,i was wondering if I can use black powder to make fireworks,if so where do I buy materials and read about how to start?
User avatar
Pyro-Gear
Site Admin
Posts: 3034
Joined: Wed Jul 10, 2013 8:24 am

Re: starting out

Post by Pyro-Gear »

Sure you can use BP to make a form of firework it would be interesting to know your ambitions.
User avatar
Boophoenix
Posts: 968
Joined: Wed Sep 09, 2015 11:49 pm

Re: starting out

Post by Boophoenix »

Welcome to Pyro-Gear, Stephen.

Black powder is a major factor of fireworks. While not all use it it is a major part of the art. What’s your interest that brought you here? That might help guide you a little better in the right direction.

I’d feel I was doing you a disservice by not sharing this opinion. I’d think you might want to do some extra research if you wished to take the pyrotechnic art back to the shooting art. With a little effort it’s not very complicated to make BP with better performance than commercially available powders which may be unsafe in firearms. Some very crude testing of my own has shown that much of what I have made is much nastier ( lots of residue ) than commercial powders. At least that’s my take as I’m not a black powder shooter and still pretty much a newbie fireworker as well.
stephen.urwin
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Nov 11, 2019 2:08 pm

Re: starting out

Post by stephen.urwin »

thanks for the repl,ive used bp for over 30 years and just got thinking about fireworks as a hobby
but didn't know you could make your own till I started looking on web.
would just like to have a go,and add a new interest in my 60s lol.
any advice would be appreciated,would like to try bangers to start,
when I was little we used to loosen the fuses and turn them inti mini rockets.
just a kid at heart.
thanks
steve
User avatar
Pyro-Gear
Site Admin
Posts: 3034
Joined: Wed Jul 10, 2013 8:24 am

Re: starting out

Post by Pyro-Gear »

Welcome to the 60s club, if you want to make a simple device like a banger then it’s just a case of a tube a clay plug and a suitable fuse pretty simple stuff.
User avatar
Boophoenix
Posts: 968
Joined: Wed Sep 09, 2015 11:49 pm

Re: starting out

Post by Boophoenix »

Black powder is a very interesting subject that is very simple and very complex at the same time.

Simple as far as ingredients and basic methods. Complex in all the variables that can come into play between processes and charcoals used in it’s production.

As I’m in the US I am not fully up to date on the regulations in the UK. I do believe marron’s ( May be spelled incorrectly ) might be an interesting option for you to start out with. They are fused BP then wrapped tightly with twine to add confinement to produce a more audible sound along with the more physical reaction as well.

There are much easier ways to accomplish the same thing, but as a beginner BP is a perfect place to start.

There are also many Rocket options to consider if you wish to go that route. Ken ( Pyro-Gear ) would be a good place to discuss options for supplies and tools to proceed.
Post Reply