34 replies to this topic

[RegimentalPyro]

So it's a wet windy Thursday in August and I find myself at a loose end [pyro speaking]. Obviously the weather precludes me firing up either my ball mill, or blackmatch production line [these tasks being best suited to be done outdoors..].

Even the construction of my dream pyro factory/shed [a rather radical design of my own featuring very thick walls and a thin roof...] is a non starter today

So I decide to try and fill a gap in my knowledge and attempt to make touch paper. This should be a simple task I think but when I go online I cannot find ANY information about it.

So there you go - Another unashamed Newbie question. How do I make touch paper. Any tricks? Any pitfalls? Any other suggestions on what to make when the weather is inclement....?

[Pazza]

basically you just dissolve kno3 in water and soak a length of tissue paper in it for a while then let it dry and you have touch paper
when you light it, it wont really burn but will sort of smoulder, but it will smoulder along the length a lot faster then if it wasnt soaked in kno3
it doesnt have a very reliable burn rate so make sure when lighting something with it you use a long enough length!

[Richard H]

I find newspaper makes the best choice for touchpaper. It's stronger than tissue ply, and rather absorbant. Just dissolve enough KNO3 until the solution is saturated and then soak your papers in it. I recommend using a large flat shallow tray to soak the paper in.

Just need to find some suitable blue dye for that extra authenticity!

[Rhodri]

I know this is a little sad but I add food colouring to the nitrated water. It gives the paper a nice look. Red is great and the blue gives it the traditional 'blue touch paper' look.

I also sometimes wrap my fountains in bright gift paper. They somehow look better and seem more professional.

I think I'd better go now.....

:-)

[Richard H]

I like your approach. I love to finish off items to give them a professional flare.

[Rhodri]

Thanks Richard. I'm glad I'm not alone. It all goes up in smoke at the end of the day but the finishing 'cosmetic' touches add that certain something to the hobby!

Taking it a stage further, all my chemical storage pots are the same. Nice Kilner storage glass jars. It's nice to look at these when they're all full and lined up.

It reminds me of old Alchemy!

[mrpyromx]

i use plastic penutbutter jars for my chems. i do like the touch of wrapping paper for the finishing.

[Stuart]

If you want more 'umph' out of Flash Paper as in it burns in a flash, use NaClO3 instead. I wouldnt recomend it though as it does burn VERY quickly. What is Flash Paper used for anyway and BTW, I am currently adding a section on how to make Charcoal to my site.


Stuart

Edited by Stuart, 28 August 2003 - 06:45 PM.

[zanes]

Thanks Richard. I'm glad I'm not alone. It all goes up in smoke at the end of the day but the finishing 'cosmetic' touches add that certain something to the hobby!

Taking it a stage further, all my chemical storage pots are the same. Nice Kilner storage glass jars. It's nice to look at these when they're all full and lined up.

It reminds me of old Alchemy!

glass jars?

hope nothing too volitile is stored in them .

hey, why don't we send that into the anarchists crapbook?;

make 20kg of flash, store it in a glass jar with a spark plug in it. connect up the battery to a timer unit and run like f***!

you'd better be careful!! this s**t will take down an entire city!

btw: i know that much flash won't take down a city! i was writing it in k3Wl B**** DuDeZ language

[Stuart]

make 20kg of flash, store it in a glass jar with a spark plug in it. connect up the battery to a timer unit and run like f***!

you'd better be careful!! this s**t will take down an entire city!

Oh right, damn!

[adamw]

Looks like it's turned from Touch paper to flash paper. Touch paper was, if you are old enough to remember, the interface between firer and firework. It didn't really serve a purpose (it wasnt the main delay feature), it was unreliable (the touchpaper going out, the firer taking a look and the firework starting up again had a lot to do with accident statistics, I'm sure...), but thats the way history unfolded...

Flash paper on the other hand is used for SFX, magicians (so people tell me, but I've never seen one use it yet) and is nitrated paper, not to be confused with paper soaked in potassium nitrate (touchpaper)

[Richard H]

glass jars? 

hope nothing too volitile is stored in them .

hey, why don't we send that into the anarchists crapbook?;

make 20kg of flash, store it in a glass jar with a spark plug in it. connect up the battery to a timer unit and run like f***!

you'd better be careful!! this s**t will take down an entire city!

btw: i know that much flash won't take down a city! i was writing it in k3Wl B**** DuDeZ language

Thanks for rapidly degrading this thread...

[zanes]

glass jars? 

hope nothing too volitile is stored in them .

hey, why don't we send that into the anarchists crapbook?;

make 20kg of flash, store it in a glass jar with a spark plug in it. connect up the battery to a timer unit and run like f***!

you'd better be careful!! this s**t will take down an entire city!

btw: i know that much flash won't take down a city! i was writing it in k3Wl B**** DuDeZ language

Thanks for rapidly degrading this thread...

sorry richard

[BigG]

Thanks Richard. I'm glad I'm not alone. It all goes up in smoke at the end of the day but the finishing 'cosmetic' touches add that certain something to the hobby!

Taking it a stage further, all my chemical storage pots are the same. Nice Kilner storage glass jars. It's nice to look at these when they're all full and lined up.

It reminds me of old Alchemy!

I have to agree with zanes - it's not a smart option to use glass for storage of oxidizers or mixtures.

Using it for storing solid fuels or binders by themselves is quite okay. In case of some liquid acids glass is still the best option. Otherwise, use some sort of plastic that does not generate static.

As for finishing devices using all sort of colour paper - it's a must!!! One cannot call himself serious if he/she do not finish up their devices! I also draw small pictures and titles on them For example, I have fountains called "bad eruption" and rockets called "the mars lander". In case of the later - it's not just a name - it the rocket mission. Success rate is not high

Being serious - finishing devices have also a functional aspect - they help hold fuses in place and seal devices.

BigG

[Matt]

I'll have to disagree there. Personally, I have always loved the look of brown craft on devices. Just something about it that turns me on. Nothin like a good ol' plain brown firework with a label scribbled on somewhere with a black marker. I even find fireworks before firing are just as good, if not better looking than when they are in action. Like seeing a factory's drying rack full of shells drying, or a nice great big dirty maltese multibreak shell. Whilst im here I mightaswell let you all know that I machined my own rocket spindle with the school lathe. The pins are interchangeable so you can have a shorter one for fountains and a longer one for rockets. Im going to my dads workshop tommorow and i plan on spending my day making some spindles for myself. You can check it out at my site down the bottom there will be a new link "newer rocket spindle" tell me what ya think!

-Matt