25 replies to this topic

[patrickescotland]

I am lucky to still have a few boxes of British bangers from the 80s inclusing Astra, Standard, Esco and Brocks. I have 2 boxes of each, and the plan is to keep at least one box intact and set a few off. In order to preserve these national treasures, I will be recording videos and taking detailed photographs.

Here is the test video of a couple of Esco bangers.

http://uk.youtube.co...h?v=TByeMtvd8_c

Videos are recorded in real time using a high definition video camera, and slow motion using a camera which can record up to 1200 frames per second. The high speed camera is a Casio EX-F1 and cost approx £550. This is the first time that consumer digital camera has included an ultra high speed recording feature. Unfortunately the high speed camera does not record the sound, but I can see it could have very useful applications in pyrotechnics for analysing star compostions, burn rates etc.

The image below shows individual frames montage from the high speed footage. Note there is a particularly "beautiful" moment when the main black powder ignites, creating an eerie glow from within. The banger then starts to accelerate across the ground before the tube breaks and creates the bang.



My personal favourite: Astra bangers



A selection of different types.

[phildunford]

Awesome filming! Makes a humble banger look like a major display...

Do keep some - this sort of thing is becoming verey rare now.

(ps how exactly are we better off for the loss of this harmless type of firework?)

[Firefiend]

Thanks for a brilliant video. Shame the old bangers are not still around.

[crystal palace fireworks]

Great filming patrickscotland,.............love the slight sprinkling of mauve sparks etc (in the 300 sec frame) before the bang (I have never really noticed this in a banger),....I wonder if this to do with the camera`s optics/trick of light/speed of filming? or it is part of the composition?

If I remember correctly, the blue touch paper lighted a thinner solid fuel core tube and then the loose grain BP!

It just confirms how a simple quality british banger is so much better than the chinese crackers of today, or am I too biased?, in fact I think the thinner tube bangers were in general louder/sharper sounding than the larger `1-2-3 zero` type bangers!

What was the name of the black & silver cased Brock`s banger you have in the last picture?

Hope you can find the time to come to the 2009 annual general meeting,........would love to see those fireworks up close!

[maxman]

Excellent stuff patrickescotland! Any chance of a dissected view? Cut with a sharp blade down the length and contents shown up close? and the weight and granulation of the grain? Best pictures yet! and to see one in action just excellent!

[Mortartube]

The 3-2-1 bangers that I dissected in the mid 80's contained nitrocellulose prills. There was virtually no smoke when they went off.

As you can see in the pictures above, there is little smoke.

Edited by Mortartube, 29 January 2009 - 07:26 PM.

[crystal palace fireworks]

Thanks Mortartube,

Did you managed to take any photos of the dissection of the 3-2-1 banger back in the 80`s by any chance?,.........Im curious as to the spherical shape & size of the nitrocellulose prills, and any info on the process to make them?

[Mortartube]

No photos I am afraid. Just idle curoiusity.

The NC was like this but shorter in length. Imagine these about as long as their diameter and that would be about right.

http://www.rws-munit...ages/pulver.jpg

They would have undoubtedly bought it in from Nobels I assume. Shotgun grade probably.

[Rip Rap]

The 3-2-1 bangers that I dissected in the mid 80's contained nitrocellulose prills. There was virtually no smoke when they went off.

As you can see in the pictures above, there is little smoke.

I have a few Standard 3-2-1's from the '80's & '90's & they all contain B.P. I wonder if the use of nitrocellulose prills by Standard was just a trial & then for whatever reason they returned to using B.P.? (Unless I got old stock when I bought the ones in the '90's!)

[Mortartube]

Possibly a trial run. I was surprised but when you burnt it, it was smokeless.

[patrickescotland]

The black-cased bangers are Brocks, however I actually have two different types, one made in Huddersfield and the other in Sanquhar, Scotland. Unfortunately I only have one of the Scottish ones, so am reluctant to set it off. Here's a photo comparison. As you can see, the blue touch paper is different and the casing paper is slightly thicker on the Sanquhar specimen.



Videos of a Brocks (Huddersfield) banger:



Below is a photo of some 90's Brocks bangers (Huddersfield) - the casing is the same, however they have replaced the little red paper fuses with horrible plastic ones!!! I regards these 1990s specimens as "transitional" bangers.



More photos and videos coming soon...

[Mortartube]

Those horrible red plastic fuses are waterproof Bickford. Spanish bangers have the same thing on some brands. It is easier and more reliable on burn time. It was probably a safety improvement to give consistent burning time.

[concept]

From what I understand bangers were gradually "toned down" over the years, does anyone know exactly what this consisted of? Was it a general agreement between the firework companies or was new legislation enforced. In any case the standard and brocks bangers didn't sound too bad. The esco one looked like it just popped it spolette off though. Fantastic filming, looking forward to more.

[patrickescotland]

Here's some "transitional" bangers from the 90s. Most of the toned down bangers which appeared in 90s had Visco fuse and appeared to be Chinese made. They were very poor performers indeed



The Astra "Knallkorper-style" bangers to the right hand side are actually quite good and appear to be based on black powder composition (not flash, like the match crackers that are sold in France, Holland etc.) Here is a rather spectacular video of an Astra Knallkorper in action (real time with sound then high speed @ 600 frames per second).



Here are some Chinese firecrackers that were purchased in the UK in the early 90s, before they were banned. I picked these up for £3.99 at the local newsagent. This was the first time I have ever seen firecrackers for sales in retail outlet in the UK! The shopkeeper even commented that they were very loud and "went on for ages"! Fantastic fireworks also did a great range of celebration crackers by mail order.





The photograph below shows some nice old British bangers from 3 different manufacturers. Note similarities in appearance of casings for Brocks and Benwell Bangers, and packaging of Standard compared to Benwell. I wonder who made which???

[spanner]

Until now, I'd never even seen a knallkorper, let alone a lit one. The high speed imagery of the knallkorper is outstanding. Jets off like a rocket, almost!

The formula for the Glusatz fuse (not the light-on-a-striker comp), as given by Lloyd Sponenburgh is:

Slow Burning “Fuse” Comp
It is very reliable, both in terms of burn rate, and its ability to faithfully pass fire to the next component. It burns at almost exactly 30 sec./in.
The super-slow fuse is made like a spolette. It's rammed of a composition called "Glusatz". Glusatz is the stuff from which the fuses for "knallkorpers" are made. Those are the little German strike-on-a-matchbook firecrackers.

Glusatz
Barium nitrate..............75.5
Charcoal AF.................10
Sulfur.........................10
Meal powder.................3
Cab-O-Sil.....................1
CMC............................0.5
Distilled H2O..............+6
Dissolve CMC in distilled H2O.
Add barium nitrate, C and S, stirring. Let stand for ~1 hr., then screen granulate to about 14-mesh (window screen).
Allow to dry completely before ramming. Straight meal or hand made "green mix" makes a suitable first-fire and take-fire.