14 replies to this topic

[Green_as_my_powder]

Fellow pyro's,

I really like reading pyro books, and have gotten a number of them (see below). Are there any other good texts? Downloadable files (like on the Cannonfire and Skylighter sites) would be ideal, but I feel the books pyro books I've bought have been worth the money. Thanks for any suggestions or links!

Books I've gotten so far..

Amature Pyrotechnics----Dan Williams
Chemistry of Pyrotechnics - Basic Principles and Theory--- J. Conkling
Fireworks - The Art, Science and Technique --- T. Shimizu
Fireworks --- Lancaster
Pyrotechnics ---A. Hardt
Round Shells & Stars --- D. Bleser
Introductory Practical Pyrotechnics -- T. Perigrin

Thanks for any suggestions !

[portfire]

Certainly for the beginner Introductory Practical Pyrotechnics -- T. Perigrin is the way to go but with those your pretty much set for now I'd say

[aquarius]

F.A.S.T- by T. Shimizu is a very good read, a lot of good info there. To bad Peregrin does not include rockets/drivers in his book to the full extent.
David Sleeter wrote a brilliant book on (model) rocket motors, if your into rockets.

[AdmiralDonSnider]

www.pyroguide.com

[phildunford]

The problem is that the 'serious' literature says 'don't do it' and the more popular literature can contain some poor (and dangerous) advice.

Read the technical literature to find out the principals and facts and search on here (and sites like passfire) for practical advice.

[chris17]

www.pyroguide.com

Material at Pyroguide has to be assessed critically. Much of the information is written by people who do not have enough experience to discuss the subject from a comprehensive point of view.

Edited by chris17, 25 January 2009 - 02:20 PM.

[AdmiralDonSnider]

Material at Pyroguide has to be assessed critically. Much of the information is written by people who do not have enough experience to discuss the subject from a comprehensive point of view.

That´s right indeed. Pyroguide does not divest you of the necessity to inform yourself in good books etc., but that´s true with any kind of sites giving tutorials, including Passfire.

We are trying to eliminate doubtful information as good as we can. Concerning the fact that part of the information comes from pubescent and uninformed people, I also regret that; but this might be a consequence of the fact that most of the more advanced persons simply don´t care about contributing useful information.

Against that background all of you are invited to help improve the material at Pyroguide.com, and I would be glad if you did.

[Brakkie]

I would also definetly recommend reading through forums and eventually participating in them. Reading through forums gives you a lot of practical information as well as NEW information. A lot of books are old, that doesn't mean that they're useless because some are like a bible to me. It just means that there's a lot of new inventions, techniques and formula's that are not stated in books. Especially when it comes to tools and techniques forums have, in my honest opinion, got a good role at how to finish things, how things should be made, how devices should perform and when they don't perform properly, how to improve them.




Lastly, that doesn't mean that can't become a pyrotechnic without forums! You can become a great pyrotechnic just by yourself but it's a good bit of information out there on the net, use it wisely! Know who's talking sh*t and know who has the reputation to match the talking. Some people talk a lot but give wrong/impractical or downright dangerous information.

[Arthur Brown]

Lancaster, Weingart and Shimizu are my top three books, a real hard copy puts funds into the author and publisher and encourages them to reprint and perhaps publish another good book.

ALL books and web sources leave out information. Sometimes it simply isnt possible to condense a practical technique into print, sometimes a successful manufacturer will not reveal the final secrets of his formulae and methods. Even a proven formula can have different effects according to particle size and size distribution.

[seymour]

a real hard copy puts funds into the author and publisher and encourages them to reprint and perhaps publish another good book.

I was sure that in some cases (notable Lancaster) the Author did not receive any funds from the book. If someone could tell me that I'm wrong, it would make my day a happier one.

There is something special about having a hardcover book, usually with smudged charcoal/Iron oxide/Red gum/Al fingerprints. That quality cannot be reproduced on the internet, even if the hard facts can be.

Internet based information are our friendly acquaintances. Books are our best friends.

Back to the topic of Discussion... Green as my Powder, you already have a good stack of literature there. My advice if you are looking for more would be to think What fireworks you are really getting into, and getting literature specific to iit. If you love rockets, then you should look for good books on rockets, as an example. In case you have not visited it, the American Fireworks News website has an extensive range of literature that they sell worldwide. Browsing through their list is sure to give you a few ideas.

[crystal palace fireworks]

Seymour;- Lancaster would recieve funds from the publishing company for sales of his hard cover book, but I guess the revenue from the number of books sold given the specialist knowlege of the subject would be small (more a labour of love).

According to what I have briefly read on the copyright website (www.copyrightservice.co.uk),........ copyright infringement for copying established works in another format has improved a little in recent years, whereby you pay a one-off fee to cover yourself for using samples of one`s works (meaning the author gets a fee for his works published elsewhere) providing he or she gives permission in the first place, but again the time involved in pursuing the culpriates who dont register, is time consuming and legally expensive.

[starseeker]

I have also found the Best Of AFN series of books very usefull and good value for money.

[Green_as_my_powder]

Is there one particular "Best of the AFN" series that is the best for a beginner? My boss (wife) said one more book is all. She just got the credit card bill. She is very supportive, but I may have over indulged a little, or gone a little too fast.

Thanks to all for the suggestions!

[Green_as_my_powder]

Thanks for the reply!

Actually, I've been rather protective of my hardcopies. I'll highlight and make notes, but I don't take it into the workplace. I'll rewrite the formulas into my journal so that the journal stays chronological, and the hardcopy stays clean. Just my approach.

[Mumbles]

You can view the tables of contents here if you want to see what is most suited to your activities. Best of AFN 2 seems to be missing a page in the TOC.

http://www.skylighte.../mall/books.asp