There are, besides these four regular or set charges, two others which are distinguished by the names of compound and brilliant charges; the compound charge being made of many ingredients, such as meal-powder, saltpetre, brimstone, charcoal, saw-dust, sea-coal, antimony, gla.s.s-dust, bra.s.s-dust, steel-filings, cast-iron, tanners'

dust, &c., or any thing that will yield sparks; all which must be managed with discretion. The brilliant fires are composed of meal-powder, saltpetre, brimstone, and steel-dust; or with meal-powder, and steel-filings only.

_Of the Method of mixing Compositions._

The performance of the princ.i.p.al part of fire-works depends much on the compositions being well mixed; therefore, great care ought to be taken in this part of the work, particularly in the composition for sky-rockets. When you have four or five pounds of ingredients to mix, which is a sufficient quant.i.ty at a time, (for a larger proportion will not do so well,) first put the different ingredients together, then work them about with your hands, till you think they are pretty well incorporated: after which, put them into a lawn sieve with a receiver and top to it; and if, after it is sifted, any should remain that will not pa.s.s through the sieve, grind it again till fine enough; and if it be twice sifted it will not be amiss; but the compositions for wheels and common works are not so material, nor need be so fine.

But in all fixed works, from which the fire is to play regular, the ingredients must be very fine, and great care taken in mixing them well together: and observe, that, in all compositions wherein are steel or iron filings, the hands must not touch; nor will any works which have iron or steel in their charge, keep long in damp weather, without being properly prepared, according to the following directions:--

It may sometimes happen, that fire-works may be required to be kept a long time, or sent abroad; neither of which could be done with brilliant fires, if made with filings unprepared; for this reason, that the saltpetre being of a damp nature, it causes the iron to rust, the natural consequence of which is, that when the works are fired, there will appear but very few brilliant sparks, but instead of them a number of red and drossy sparks; and besides, the charge will be so much weakened, that if this should happen to wheels, the fire will not be strong enough to force them round; to prevent such accidents, prepare your filings after the following manner:--Melt in a glazed earthen pan some brimstone over a slow fire, and when melted, throw in some filings, which keep stirring about till they are covered with brimstone; this you must do while it is on the fire; then take it off, and stir it very quick till cold, when you must roll it on a board with a wooden roller, till you have broken it as fine as corn powder; after which, sift from it as much of the brimstone as you can. There is another method of preparing filings, so as to keep two or three months in winter; this may be done by rubbing them between the strongest sort of brown paper, which has been previously moistened with linseed oil.

N.B. If the brimstone should take fire, you may put it out, by covering the pan close at top. It is not of much consequence what quant.i.ty of brimstone you use, provided there is enough to give each grain of iron a coat; but as much as will cover the bottom of a pan of about one foot diameter, will do for five or six pounds of filings.

Cast-iron for gerbes will be preserved by the above method.

_To make Crackers._

Cut some stout cartridge-paper into pieces three inches and a half broad, and one foot long; one edge of each of these pieces fold down lengthwise about three-quarters of an inch broad; then fold the double edge down a quarter of an inch, and turn the single edge back half over the double fold; open it, and lay all along the channel, which is formed by the foldings of the paper, some meal-powder; then fold it over and over till all the paper is doubled up, rubbing it down every turn; this being done, bend it backwards and forwards, two inches and a half or thereabouts, at a time, as often as the paper will allow; hold all these folds flat and close, and with a small pinching cord, give one turn round the middle of the cracker, and pinch it close; bind it with packthread, as tight as you can; then in the place where it was pinched, prime one end, and cap it with touch-paper. When these crackers are fired, they will give a report at every turn of the paper; if you would have a great number of bounces, you must cut the paper longer, or join them after they are made; but if they are made very long before they are pinched, you must have a piece of wood with a groove in it, deep enough to let in half the cracker; this will hold it straight while it is pinching.

_To make Squibs and Serpents._

First make the cases, of about six inches in length, by rolling slips of stout cartridge-paper three times round a roller, and pasting the last fold; tying it near the bottom as tight as possible, and making it air-tight at the end, by sealing-wax. Then take of gunpowder half a pound, charcoal one ounce, brimstone one ounce, and steel-filings half an ounce, (or in like proportion,) grind them with a muller, or pound them in a mortar. Your cases being dry and ready, first put a thimble-full of your powder, and ram it hard down with a ruler; then fill the case to the top with the aforesaid mixture, ramming it hard down in the course of filling, two or three times; when this is done point with touch-paper, which should be pasted on that part which touches the case, otherwise it is liable to drop off.

_Sky-Rockets._

Rockets being of the fire-works most in use, we shall give them the preference in description. As the performance of rockets depends much upon their moulds, they should be made according to the following proportions:--Taking the diameter of the orifice, its height should be equal to six diameters and two-thirds: the choke, one diameter and one-third of this model, will serve for every rocket from 4 oz. to 6 lb.--For instance:--suppose the diameter of a rocket of 1 lb. be 1-1/2 inch, then its length being 6 diameters and two-thirds, the length of the case must be 10-1/3 inches, and the choke 2-1/4 inches. Your rammer must have a collar of bra.s.s, to prevent the wood from splitting.

_Method of rolling Rocket Cases._--The cases must be made of the strongest cartridge-paper, and rolled dry. The case of a middling-sized rocket will take up paper of four or five sheets thick; having cut your papers to a proper size, and the last sheet with a slope at one end, fold down one end, and lay your former on the double edge, 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.

Then, in order to roll the case as hard as possible, place it on a table, and with a smooth board roll it for some time forwards on the table, till it becomes quite hard and firm. This must be done with every sheet. You have next to choke the case; for which purpose draw your former a little distance from the bottom, then, with a cord, once round the case, pull it rather easy at first, and harder, till you have closed the end. To make it easy, you may dip the ends of the inner sheets in water before rolling, then bind it with small twine.

Having thus pinched and tied the case so as not to give way, put it into the mould without its foot, and with a mallet drive the former hard on the end-piece, which will force the neck close and smooth.

This done, cut the case to its proper length, allowing from the neck to the edge of the mouth half a diameter, which is equal to the height of the nipple; then take out the former, and drive the case over the piercer with a long rammer, and the vent will be of a proper size.

Having formed your cases, we will now proceed to the description of the ingredients necessary for the rocket.

_Of mixing the Composition._--The performance of the princ.i.p.al part of fire-works depends much on the compositions being well mixed; therefore, great care must be taken in this part of the work, particularly for the composition for sky-rockets. When you have four or five pounds of ingredients to mix, which is a sufficient quant.i.ty at a time, (for a large proportion will not do so well,) first put the different ingredients together, then work them about with your hands, till you think they are pretty well incorporated; after which, put them into a lawn sieve with a receiver and top to it; and if, after it is sifted, any remains that will not pa.s.s through the sieve, grind it again till it is fine enough; and if it be twice sifted it will not be amiss; but the compositions for wheels and common works are not so material, nor need be so fine. But in all fixed works, from which the fire is to play regular, the ingredients must be very fine, and great care taken in mixing them well together; and observe, that in all compositions wherein are iron filings, the hand must not touch them; nor will any works which have iron or steel in their charge keep long in damp weather.

_To drive or ram Rockets._--Rockets are filled hollow, otherwise they would not ascend, and there is not a part that requires greater attention than this stage of the process. One blow more or less with the mallet will spoil the ascent.

The charge of rockets must always be driven above the piercer, and on it must be rammed a thin head of clay; through the middle of which bore a small hole to the composition, that when the charge is burnt to the top, it may communicate its fire through the hole to the stars in the head. To a rocket of four ounces, give to each ladle-full of charge 16 strokes; to a rocket of 1 lb., 28; to a 2-pounder, 36; to a 4-pounder, 42; and to a 6-pounder, 56; but rockets of a larger sort cannot be driven well by hand, but must be rammed with a machine made in the same manner as those for driving piles.

The method of ramming wheel cases, or any other sort in which the charge is driven solid, is the same as sky-rockets.

When you load the heads of your rockets with stars, rains, serpents, crackers, scrolls, or any thing else, according to your fancy, remember always to put a ladle-full of meal-powder into each head, which will be enough to burst the head and disperse the stars, or whatever it contains.

_Decorations for Sky-rockets._--Sky-rockets may be decorated according to fancy. Some are headed with stars of different sorts, such as tailed, brilliant, white, blue, and yellow stars, &c. Some with gold and silver rains; others with serpents, crackers, fire-scrolls, and marrons; and some with small rockets and other devices, as the maker pleases.

LENGTH OF ROCKET-STICKS.

For rockets of 6 lb. 0 oz. the stick must be 14 ft. 10 in. long 4 0 12 10 2 0 9 4 1 0 8 2 0 8 6 6 0 4 5 3

Having your sticks ready, cut on one of the flat sides at the top a groove the length of the rocket, and as broad as the stick will allow; then on the opposite flat side cut two notches, for the cord which ties on the rocket to lie in; one of these notches must be near the top of the stick, and the other facing the neck of the rocket; the distance between these notches may be easily known, for the top of the stick should always touch the head of the rocket. When your rockets and sticks are ready, lay the rockets in the grooves in the sticks, and tie them on. We will now proceed to the charge for sky-rockets.

ROCKETS OF FOUR OUNCES.

lb. oz.

Meal-powder 1 4 Saltpetre 0 4 Charcoal 0 2

ROCKETS OF EIGHT OUNCES.

lb. oz.

Meal-powder 1 0 Saltpetre 0 4 Brimstone 0 3 Charcoal 0 1-1/2

ONE POUND.

lb. oz.

Meal-powder 2 0 Saltpetre 0 8 Brimstone 0 4 Charcoal 0 2 Steel-filings 0 1-1/2

SKY-ROCKETS IN GENERAL.

lb. oz.

Saltpetre 4 0 Brimstone 1-1/2 0 Charcoal 1 12 Meal-powder 0 2

LARGE SKY-ROCKETS.

lb. oz.

Saltpetre 4 0 Meal-powder 1 0 Brimstone 1 0

ROCKETS OF A MIDDLING SIZE.

lb. oz.

Meal-powder 1 0 Charcoal 1 0 Saltpetre 3 0 Sulphur 2 0

ROCKET STARS.

WHITE STARS.

lb. oz.

Meal-powder 0 4 Saltpetre 0 12 Sulphur vivum 0 6 Oil of spike 0 2 Camphor 0 5

BLUE STARS.

lb. oz.

Meal-powder 0 8 Saltpetre 0 4 Sulphur 0 2 Spirits of wine 0 2 Oil of Spike 0 2

VARIEGATED STARS.