530 
PYROTECHNY. 
34. To make an artificial earthquake. Mix 
the following ingredients to a paste with wa- 
ter, and then bury it in the ground, and in a 
few hours the earth will break and open in 
several places. The composition: sulphur 
41b. and steel-dust 41b. 
35. Compositions for stars of different co- 
lours. 1. Meal-powder 4 oz. saltpetre 2 oz. 
brimstone 2 oz. steel-dust l^oz. and camphor, 
white amber, antimony, and mercury sub- 
limate, of each half an ounce. 2. Rochepetre 
10 oz. brimstone, charcoal, antimony, meal- 
powder, and camphor, of each f oz. moisten- 
ed with oil of turpentine. These compo- 
sitions are made into stars, by working into a 
paste, with aqua vitse, in which has been dis- 
solved some gum tragacanth ; after you have 
rolled them in powder, make a hole through 
the middle of each, and string them on 
quick-match, leaving two inches between each, 
3. Saltpetre 8 oz. brimstone 2 oz. yellow am- 
ber 1 oz. antimony 1 oz. and powder 3 oz. 
4. Brimstone 2\ oz. saltpetre 6 oz. olibanum 
or frankincense in drops 4 oz. ; mastic, and 
mercury sublimate, of each 4oz. meal-powder 
5 oz. white amber, yellow amber, and cam- 
phor, of each 1 oz. antimony and orpiment 
\ oz. each. 5. Saltpetre 1 lb. brimstone fib. 
and meal-powder 8 oz. moistened with petro- 
lio-oil. 6. Powder f lb. brimstone and salt- 
petre of each 4 oz. 7. Saltpetre 4 oz. brim- 
stone 2 oz. and meal-powder 1 oz. 
Stars that carry tails of sparks. 1 . Bri Hi- 
stone 6 oz. antimony crude 2 oz. saltpetre 
4 oz. and rosin 4 oz. 2. Saltpetre, rosin, and 
charcoal, of each 2 oz. brimstone 1 oz. and 
pitch 1 oz. These compositions are some- 
times melted in an earthen pan, and mixed 
with chopped cotton match, before they are 
rolled into stars ; but will do as well if wetted, 
and worked up in the usual manner. 
Stars that yield some sparks. 1. Camphor 
2 oz. saltpetre 1 oz. meal-powder 1 oz. 
2. Saltpetre 1 oz. ditto melted f oz. and cam- 
phor 2 oz. When you would make stars of 
either of these compositions, you must wet 
them with gum water, or spirit of wine, in 
which has been dissolved some gum arabic, 
or gum tragacanth, that the whole may have 
the consistence of a pretty thick liquid; hav- 
ing thus done, take 1 oz. of lint, and stir it 
about in the composition till it becomes dry 
enough to roll into stars. 
Stars of a yellowish colour. Take 4 oz. 
of gum tragacanth or gum arabic, pounded 
and sifted through a line sieve, camphor dis- 
solved in brandy 2oz. saltpetre 1 lb. sulphur 
x Ib. coarse powder of glass 4 oz. white am- 
ber If oz. orpiment 2 oz. Being well incor- 
porated, make them into stars after the com- 
mon method. 
Stars of another kind. Take 1 lb. of cam- 
phor, and melt it in a pint of spirit of wine 
over a slow fire ; then add to it 1 lb. of gum 
arabic that has been dissolved ; with this li- 
quor mix lib. of saltpetre, 6 oz. of sulphur, 
and 5 oz. meal-powder ; and after you have 
stirred them well together, roll them into 
stars proportionable to the rockets for which 
you intend them. 
J 36. Colours produced bt/ the different com- 
positions. As variety of fires adds greatly to 
a collection of works, it is necessary that 
every artist should know the different effect 
of each ingredient. For this reason we 
shall here explain the colours they produce of 
themselves, and likewise how to make them 
retain the same when mixed with other bodies. 
As, for example, sulphur gives a blue, cam- 
phor a white or pale colour, saltpetre a clear 
white yellow, amber a colour inclining to 
yellow, sal ammoniac a green, antimony a 
reddish, rosin a copper-colour, and Greek 
pitch a kind of bronze, or between red and 
yellow. All these ingredients are such as 
show themselves in a flame, viz. 
IV hit e flame. Saltpetre, sulphur, meal- 
powder, and camphor: the saltpetre must be 
the chief part. 
Blue flame. Meal-powder, saltpetre, and 
sulphur vivum ; sulphur must be the chief : 
or meal-powder, saltpetre, brimstone, spirit 
of wine, and oil of spike ; but let the powder 
be the principal part. 
Flame inclining to red. Saltpetre, sulphur, 
antimony, and Greek pitch: saltpetre the 
chief. 
By the above method may be made va- 
rious colours of fire, as the practitioner 
pleases ; for, by making a few trials, he may 
cause any ingredient to be predominant in 
colour. 
37. Ingredients that show in sparks when 
rammed in choaked cases. The set colours 
of fire produced by sparks are divided into 
four sorts, viz. the black, white, grey, and 
red. The black charges are composed of 
two ingredients, which are meal-powder and 
charcoal: the white of three, viz. saltpetre, 
sulphur, and charcoal: the grey of four, viz. 
meal-powder, saltpetre, brimstone, and cha'r- 
coal ; and the red of three, viz. meal-powder, 
charcoal, and saw-dust . 
38. Cotton quick-match, is generally made 
of such cotton as is put in candles, of several 
sizes, from one to six threads thick, according 
to the pipe it is designed for; which pipe 
must be large enough for the match, when 
made, to be pushed in easily without break- 
ing it. 
The ingredients for the match are, cotton 
1 lb. 12 oz. saltpetre 1 lb. spirit of wine 2 
quarts, water 3 quarts, isinglass 3 gills, and 
meal-powder 101b. To dissolve 4 oz. of 
isinglass, take 3 pints of water. 
39- Touch-paper for capping of serpents, 
crackers, Sfc. Dissolve in spirit of wine, or 
vinegar, a little saltpetre ; then take some 
purple or blue paper, and wet it with this li- 
quor, and when dry it will be fit for use. 
When you paste this paper on any of your 
works, take care that the paste does not 
touch that part which is to burn. 
Of moulds, cases, mixture, instruments, flc. 
40. Rocket-moulds. As the performance 
of rockets depends much on their moulds, it 
is requisite to give a definition of them, and 
their proportions. They are made and pro- 
portioned by the diameter of their orifice, 
which is divided into equal parts. 
Rammers must have a collar of brass at the 
bottom, to keep the w'ood from spreading or 
splitting, and the same proportion must be 
given to all moulds, from 1 oz. to 6 lb. As to 
the handles of the rammers, if their diameter 
is equal to the bore of the mould, and two 
diameters long, it will be a very good pro- 
portion ; but the shorter you can use them 
the better ; for the longer the drift, the less 
will be the pressure on the composition by 
the blow given with the mallet. 
Dimensions for Rocket Moulds, if the 
Rockets are rammed solid. 
Weight 
of 
rockets. 
Length of the 
moulds with- 
out their feet. 
Interior dia- 
meter of the 
moulds 
Height 
of the 
nipples. 
lbs. 
OZ . 
Inches. 
Inches. 
Inches. 
6 
0 
34,7 
3,5 
1,5 
4 
0 
38,6 
2,9 
1,4 
2 - 
0 
13,35 
2,1 
1,0 
1 
0 
1 2,2 5 
Iff 
0,85 1 
0 
8 
10,125 
1,333, Sec. 
0,6 
0 
4 
7,75 
1,125 
0,5 
0 
2 
6,2 
0,9 
0,45 
0 
1 
4,9 
0,7 
0,35 
0 
1 
3,9 
0,55 
0,25 
6 drams 
3,5 
0,5 
0,225 
4 drams 
2,2 
0,3 
0,2 
41. Moulds for wheel-cases or serpents. 
This sort of moulds are made of any length 
or diameter, according as the cases are re- 
quired ; but the diameter of the rollers must 
be equal to halt the bore, and the rammers 
made quite solid. 
42. To roll rocket and other cases. Sky-- 
rocket cases are to be made 6| of their ex- 
terior diameter long ; and all other cases that 
are to be rilled in moulds must be as long as 
the moulds, within half its interior diameter. 
Rocket-cases, from the smallest to 4 or 61b. 
are generally made of the strongest sort of 
cartridge-paper, and rolled dry ; but the large 
sort are made of pasted pasteboard. As it is 
very difficult to roll the ends of the cases 
quite even, the best way will be to keep a 
pattern of the paper for the different sorts of 
cases, which pattern should be somewhat 
longer than the case it is designed for, and on 
it marked the number of sheets required, 
which will prevent any paper being cut to 
waste. Having cut your papers of a proper 
size, and the last sheet for each case with a 
slope at one end, so that when the cases are. 
rolled it may form a spiral line round the 
outside, and that this slope may always be the 
same, let the pattern be so cut for a guide. 
Before you begin to roll, fold down one end 
of the first sheet, so far that the fold will go 
two or three times round the former ; then, 
on the double edge, lay- the former with its 
handle off the table; and when you have 
rolled on the paper within two or three turns, 
lay the next sheet on that part which is loose, 
and roll it all on. Having thus done, you 
must have a smooth board, about 20 inches 
long, and equal in breadth to the length of the 
case. In the middle of this board must be 
a handle placed lengthwise. Under this board 
lay your case, and let one end of the board 
lie on the table ; then press hard on it, and 
push it forwards, which will roll the paper 
very tight: do this three or four times before 
you roll on any more paper. This must be 
repeated every other sheet of paper, till the 
case is thick enough ; but if the rolling-board 
is draw r n backwards, it will loosen the paper : 
you are to observe when you roll on the last 
sheet, that the point of the slope may be 
placed at the small end of the roller. When 
the cases are hard to choak, let each sheet of 
paper (except the first and last, in that part 
where the neck is formed), be a little moist- 
ened with water ; immediately after you have 
struck the concave stroke, bind the neck of 
the case round with sfnall twine, which must 
