273 replies to this topic

[alany]

if i were to make a fountain and put course bits of magnesium would i get a crackling fountain?

It isn't a very good idea, and it doesn't work as well as say Ferrotitanium.

You do get a weak crackle with Titanium, which can be enhanced quite a bit with some Cryolite.

[gerritje]

Hello guys this is my first real post ( i normally read everything what other people post) but in this case i can`t find the answer.

What i am looking for is a fountain formula wich produces a verry high fountain.

Please don`t post a formula with Ti in it, because i can`t find titanium anywhere. (holland)

Edited by gerritje, 22 October 2005 - 04:15 PM.

[sizzle]

A basic Aluminium Fountain can give a high spray if you use a smaller choke. Try a 3.5" tube with a 3/4" ID and a 5mm Choke at the top, I always use this size and I get about 9 - 10ft spray from it. The Aluminium fountain formula has already been mentioned on the first page of this thread I think.

[gerritje]

Yes I saw this formula at the beginning of this topic. The problem was there where no pictures or movie`s from this fountain. Do you know any other formula`s wich also produce such extreme hights ?

[Richard H]

Well the height of the fountain depends on more than just the composition. Generally for a good high spray you need a choked case, typically 1/3 the inner diameter of the tube.

Compositions with a high percentage of blackpowder and excess spark producing materials like iron or charcoal will produce a fierce jet of fire.

[fishy1]

dan williams has a fountain on his web site that produces a huge spray, exceeding 30feet.

[sizzle]

That was the Jumbo one wasn't it, you need like a 2ft tube for that.

[completebeginner]

clarks giant steel fountain? the tube has to be like 4 inches thick!

[sizzle]

Yup and it was like a kilo of comp or something!

[alany]

You don't need to build a clark's fountian to have a tall plume. Most of us don't have the space to display such a powerful device anyway. Even a 1/2" device can make a very nice and back-yard compatible effect. The nozzle profile is important, good convergence/divergence cones will accelerate the flow and get the best velocity out of the available pressure.

Good tooling definately helps a lot, but sometimes you just need to use more coarse spark producing material. If your sparks are dieing out before they turn-over that is a good sign you need coarser material. Larger particles also mass more, so they are less effected by air resistance and tend to travel farther. Naturally they need to fit through the nozzle throat too or else it will block and the device probably explode.

[gerritje]

Clarks giant steel fountain is a nice one but a little to much for me. At his homepage he is ramming it with an axe. I normally use for this a converted car jack and not an axe.


When using aluminium or iron what mesh would you advice me to use ?

What is a convergence/divergence cone ? I can`t translate this word into dutch.

[Frozentech]

Clarks giant steel fountain is a nice one but a little to much for me. At his homepage he is ramming it with an axe. I normally use for this a converted car jack and not an axe.
When using aluminium or iron what mesh would you advice me to use ?

What is a convergence/divergence cone ? I can`t translate this word into dutch.

A nozzle where the throat narrows to the choke diameter, then widens back out.


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[sizzle]

When using aluminium or iron what mesh would you advice me to use ?

That depends entirely on the effect you want. If you want a fine spray use something along the lines of 200 or 250 mesh, if you want sparks that only just go out before they hist the ground try a 40 or 60 mesh. I use 250 because it can be used in Stars and Rockets too.

OR:

Dat hangt volledig van het effect af u wilt. Als u een fijne nevelgebruik iets volgens de lijnen van 200 wilt of
250 inschakelen, als u vonken wilt die slechts enkel uitgaan alvorens zij hist de grond
netwerk 40 of 60 proberen. Ik gebruik 250 omdat het in Sterren en Raketten kan ook worden
gebruikt.

Let me know how that translates.

Edited by sizzle, 23 October 2005 - 12:48 PM.

[gerritje]

Hahahaha cool dutch on a English forum. The translation was not verry good
But I now know what you mean. Normally I don`t have problems reading English but the word convergence/divergence wasn`t in my vocabulary.

About the sparks: The sparks that I want are those wich just go out before they hit the ground. This because of the great hight of the fountain.

[sizzle]

Ok, for that effect you want something more along the lines of flakes or shreds, try Iron Fillings for a nice gold fountain and Aluminium flake would be good for a white fountain in the effect you are looking for. Both could be something along the lines of 10 to 40 mesh for this. The Green Man and Skylighter should sell Iron Fillings and Aluminium flake, if you can get some tell me how it goes.

Edited by sizzle, 23 October 2005 - 04:20 PM.