1235 replies to this topic

[Stuart]

I'm afraid it isn?t a black list. I contacted them a couple of months ago with regards to buying some stuff, and they said that they don?t supply to individuals or home chemists anymore.

[Richard H]

I think a lot of companies have become very weary given recent world events, brought closer to home by what happened in London last July. Of course it is doubtful any amount of company policy would stop someone of a questionable intent going about whatever it is they plan to do, but we just have to hope the security services get to those people first!

It is unfortunate that Chemistry has become a victim of all of this. It is of little suprise students loose interest in it these days, when it seems any even semi-impressive experiment / demonstration is banned under endless tirades of Health & Safety regulation. Where will it all end?

Across the pond things are getting much harder too. The CPSC is basically clamping down on the large chemical firms that supply all the smaller companies like Skylighter etc. Fireworks as a hobby is looking very bleak over there right now.

[Mumbles]

Indeed. This are not looking well. Amateur rocketry is in the same boat we are. If we go down, they go down. There are two main bulk suppliers here in the US. One has stopped serving resellers of chemicals. There is still one remaining though. I still have a couple years before I can be licenced anyway, so I plan to do some stock piling to tide me over.

There are a few things that are making things look up though. A recent article in Wired magazine portrays amateur chemistry in a positive light. There is becoming increased awareness of the issue. Many parts of the government wern't even aware what was going on. I personally feel it is a ploy to get their (CPSC) funding again. It expires and is up for renewal at the 1st of the year. "Oh look, we are fighting terrorism right here in the US". The reality is, there are 42 injuries caused my homemade fireworks a year in the US. You are 4x as as likely to injure yourself while writing a note with a pen or pencil.

[BigG]

Indeed. This are not looking well. Amateur rocketry is in the same boat we are. If we go down, they go down. There are two main bulk suppliers here in the US. One has stopped serving resellers of chemicals. There is still one remaining though. I still have a couple years before I can be licenced anyway, so I plan to do some stock piling to tide me over.

There are a few things that are making things look up though. A recent article in Wired magazine portrays amateur chemistry in a positive light. There is becoming increased awareness of the issue. Many parts of the government wern't even aware what was going on. I personally feel it is a ploy to get their (CPSC) funding again. It expires and is up for renewal at the 1st of the year. "Oh look, we are fighting terrorism right here in the US". The reality is, there are 42 injuries caused my homemade fireworks a year in the US. You are 4x as as likely to injure yourself while writing a note with a pen or pencil.

Mumble ? I think that is a very strange way to compare things. A cut from paper or pen is not likely to cause any serious harm, and there are a few more people using paper and pen then people who do pyrotechnic. I think ?comparing? any two fields will get you nowhere. Claiming that the grass is rotten somewhere else does not make yours look better.

?42? is a large number if you have 100 people doing something. It?s better focus on the statistics that are specific to your field if you want to prove a point to anyone.

Allot of what happens to suppliers over here has to do with the ?climate? of things. It also has to do with the way people call in and ask questions. If you call and sound like you try to hide something ? and if you get too many of those phone calls, you decide not to bother. Don?t forget ? making homemade fireworks in the UK, in quantities above 100g ? is ILLIGAL ? unless you have access to a properly licensed factory.

[Mumbles]

The 4x as likely is per capita. So out of every 1,000 people, 4x as many are injured by pens and pencils than homemade fireworks. Also, these are only hospital warranting injuries. I mentioned this statistic to my mom a few days ago, and she told me she went to the hospital once for a pencil injury. Don't know how, but she managed to stab herself in the hand with a pencil and break off the tip of the pencil fairly deep in her hand.

[gilbert pinkston]

i got hit in the left eye with a pencil at age 11
lost vision in that eye for years but now with time and a lens replacement i can almost read a news paper
never thought about outlawing pencils
after we rid the world of all dangers life wont be worth living

[Creepin_pyro]

after we rid the world of all dangers life wont be worth living

Hear hear! I've been hospitalised with eye injuries twice by a rhododendron bush, and also once with someone elses toenail, but I don't feel the need to campaign for them to be banned (or trimmed in the case of the toenail)

Personally, I think a crackdown on the more dodgy chemical suppliers who are willing to 'discreetly' distribute bulk chemicals of questionable purpose (precursors) to private individuals would be an infinitely more productive use of the CSPCs time, surely?

[Phoenix]

I stabbed myself in the eye with some safety glasses once, lol...

Mumbles, maybe this is what you meant anyway by...

"The 4x as likely is per capita. So out of every 1,000 people, 4x as many are injured by pens and pencils than homemade fireworks,"

...but what BigG meant is that out of those 1000 people pretty much all of them will use pencils regularly, whereas maybe one (in fact I'd guess probably rather less than one in a thousand) ever has anything at all to do with homemade fireworks. If you took 1000 people who regularly made fireworks as well as regularly used pencils, you would definitely see a lot more firework injuries than pencil injuries.

I don't think there's a lot to be gained by comparing injury stats (although I know I've done it myself in the past). Everything in life has some risk associated with it, but making fireworks is inherently riskier than a lot of other things that one might choose to do - that's just something we've got to accept.

[adamw]

All hail things like http://www.amazon.co...9549520-5166245

Not saying that pyrotechnics *is* dangerous, just making a point that if we ban all of the potential dangers in the world, we will become a nation of zombies.

[Asteroid]

One of the main attractions in many hobbies, is the danger factor. Pyrotechnics involves fire (quite a lot from what I've heard ) and fire is dangerous
Danger = Adrenalin
Adrenalin = fun, possibly addictive.
While pyrotechnics is not (AFAIK) done for the adrenalin rush, this is an aspect of many sports and hobbies (such as painballing) which certainly shouldnt be banned. Paintballing is quite a good example IMO, with appropriate (not overdone) safter precautions, it's great fun, and satisfying when you win, without those precautions, it becomes toatlly lethal. Pyrotechnics is very safe with appropriate safety precautions, when you suceed to make something, it's very satisfying, and you have the added bonus of learning along the way, yet when these are removed, like kids making M80s in their backyard, it becomes dangerous. The government is tyring to overdo the safety, so much so that there will be no way to enjoy pyrotechnics.

[EnigmaticBiker]

All hail things like http://www.amazon.co...9549520-5166245

Not saying that pyrotechnics *is* dangerous, just making a point that if we ban all of the potential dangers in the world, we will become a nation of zombies.

Yes!

It talks about all the fun risks children often used to get to take, to learn.

Then again a nation of television zombies is easier to control.

People take risks, whatever they do, some get hurt.

[EnigmaticBiker]

The fact that the UKPS has been set up and trying to attract members of good standing is certainly a step in the right direction (Yes! I will be sending my membership next week) We have to conduct ourselves in an open adult manner before we are even seen to be taken seriously and as something completely different from a silly kid or a terrorist.

Thats why I'm here.

Knowing the risks is one thing, understanding them is another.

[EnigmaticBiker]

I don't usually post ads but this guy seems to have some useful chems and lab sundries.

He corrected an order I made (his balance went wonky), giving me extra. He was conscientious enough to get it to me by return of post.

He isn't a pyro (I checked), he can list other chems if you ask.

http://cgi.ebay.co.u...1QQcmdZViewItem