273 replies to this topic

[pritch]

http://members.lycos...ro/fountain.htm

Here is a fountain I just made with pics and a video. My first one.

Uses 100 meal, 15 charc and 3 fer/ti. Thanks to panmaster for the mixture.

[Pyromaster2003]

I think you will find that the pulverone did infact ignite and that why the fountain seemed to stop for a few seconds then all of a sudden start again for a few seconds with a burst of energy. Could do with some other comp for a bang at the end of your fountains, flash powder would be great but obviously very dangerous and uses hard-to-get chemicals.

[pritch]

Your right Pyromaster. I just dissected and it did in fact go off. I think I may have accidently compressed the pulverone when I was trying to block up the other end. Im about to make a plain old banger anyway. Im only going to make a 2 mm hole for the fuse this time so if it doesn't go bang....


Yeh it worked this time Completely destroyed the middle of the casing, probally by trying to escape through the fuse hole. Wasn't as loud as an airbomb but was certainly as loud as a normal ?1 for 10 bangers.

Edited by pritch, 05 June 2004 - 10:39 AM.

[RegimentalPyro]

Could do with some other comp for a bang at the end of your fountains, flash powder would be great but obviously very dangerous and uses hard-to-get chemicals.

How would you construct a maroon ending fountain?

My initial thoughts were along the lines of putting the flash at the bottom of the fountain with the fountain comp on top, but wouldn't that risk the fountain ending up like a shotgun shell, firing nozzle/endplug clay all over the place?

OK all the clay should be fired vertically, but if the fountain fell over you'd have some serious risk - What's the alternative?

[pritch]

Doesn't the clay just turn to dust?

[Pyromaster2003]

Well, i don't actualy think fountains with a maroon ending should be used unless there was a seperate maroon which was fused with quickmatch to the bottom of the fountain, simply because if you push the fountain into the ground, when the burst charge ignites and bursts the tube, it will probably blow the dirt/soil up around it and propel that in all directions.

Although, if the fountain was to be constructed with a maroon finish on the same device, it would probably be best to make quite a thick clay plug to seperate the fountain comp from the flash powder and drilling a 2mm hole through the plug with some fuse going through it or some rammed BP to pass fire to the flash powder. If flash powder (good quality) was used, i don't think the plug would come out in tiny fragments, but instead burst the tube wall first.

If a fountain with a burst charge at the bottom was made i think it would probably be best to attach a 3mm diam rocket stick to the side (depending on size of fountain obviously) and pushing the stick into the ground, rather than the fountain.

[Phoenix]

I have made salute endings (called a "Bounce" by Weingart) by loading the (1/2") fountain/saxon to within about 2.5cm of the bottom, then putting in a teaspoonful of hard grain powder in (pressed powder, not just polverone) and then closing with a clay plug as usual. Since the grains are rock hard, they do not crush, but maintain an open structure. This just splits the casing, like a correctly functioning salute. You would just need to make sure you had a strong top plug.

If you wanted to use meal powder, or flash powder, then I guess you would just load the fountain to within 2.5cm of the bottom, put the report comp in, and then glue in a wooden plug, or use Plaster of Paris, to seal the bottom without compressing the powder.

[pritch]

Ahhh. So if you properly compress your meal into pucks and then break into say 30 -40 mesh grains, these grains will be too hard to compress together when your banging in your clay plug, so there will allways be air between them to expand?

[lord_dranack]

I used to make sucessful reports at the end of fountians by ramming from the bottom, then leaving about 1/2" empty, putting some KNO3 and Mg flash in, then some tissue paper, then glue-gunning a wooden plug in.
When I used to bury them for support I had problems with soil being blown up, but now I use stakes to secure them this is no longer a problem

Edited by lord_dranack, 05 June 2004 - 12:31 PM.

[Phoenix]

Ahhh. So if you properly compress your meal into pucks and then break into say 30 -40 mesh grains, these grains will be too hard to compress together when your banging in your clay plug, so there will allways be air between them to expand?

Yup, that's about it. The grains I used were pretty large; 2-6mm, so about 4-10 mesh. Finer grains would probably work, but might crush together more easily.

The use of grain powder means that the BP is open, so there is space for the flame front to flash through it, iginiting it all at once, although that's probably what you meant anyway. That's why you don't want to press the powder you use for rockets, rather just rice it with little or no dextrin.

I've only done one fountain like this, and that was taped to a stick. I've done a few saxons like this, though, where dirt getting blown wasn't an issue.

Even if the BP doesn't burst the case, it still makes a hell of a finish. I've had this happen once, and it ignited whilst there was still a bit of fountain comp left. The Spark height about doubled.

PS, in my last post, by "bottom," I meant the sealed end of the fountain, which would probably be at the top whilst you were working on it.

[BurlHorse]

Or you could Just Drill An 1/8" hole just above the clay Bottom plug through the side of the fountain, Put an appropriate size nail or Hardwood Dowel in the hole, ram in your Fountain Comp and Choke, Pull out the Nail or Dowel and Using a seperate Marroon, cut the Visco fuse of the marroon to the timing of your desire and push it where the Nail once resided. A Dab of Hot Glue Will Hold The Marroon in Place. The Fountain Comp will ignite the visco and just when everyone has stopped clapping your Marroon Goes BANG!!

Obviously, Safe Viewing distances apply and a stable base or Small Stake Would Be a good Idea too.

Regards,

Stay Green,

Bear

[pyro4life]

Hi All
I'm looking for a FerroTitanium fountain formula, I've searched but with no luck (I'm guessing there's one here somewhere but I'm just being dense or something - Sorry Mods), can someone point me in the direction of, or reccomend one to me please?
Thanks
Chris

[Richard H]

Simply substitute the ferro-titanium for titanium in a fountain/gerb formula. I have had great success with the following formula:

Modification of Lancasters silver fountain formula I:

Potassium nitrate: 44
Charcoal (150 mesh) : 8
Sulphur: 9
Meal gunpowder: 9
Ferro-Titanium: 30

Perhaps also try 90 % meal, 10 % ferro-ti.

[Jerronimo]

Try this one:

70 % BP
15 % Al (atomized, spherical)
15 % Fe(iron fillings fine powder)

This gives a strange effect that's hard to describe.

It looks like 100's of little bursts with golden colour.
It also makes a stange sound that again is hard to describe.

Just try it.

[Creepin_pyro]

I'm working on a fountain with micro-stars. My ultimate aim is to get an energetic, charcoal fountain with purple micro-stars. I'm still working out which purple formula to use. I'm just a little concerned about compatibilities....

I seem to remember that Ammonium Perchlorate doesn't like Nitrates
Should I consider priming the micro-stars with a Kcl04 prime, or will they be OK sitting in the meal? Or should I simply use Kcl04 micro-stars?