Category Archives: Pyrotechnics

Smoke Ring Generator

Posted on August 21, 2021 by jimhannon

A quick project for the Forth of July. I saw a video of someone making smoke rings online. The device shot a burning ball of fuel into the air that turned into a vortex of black smoke. Searching the web … Continue reading →

Posted in DIY, Pyrotechnics | 1 Comment

Paper Tube Rolling Machine

Posted on October 19, 2020 by jimhannon

An important item to build black powder rocket motors is strong parallel rolled paper tubes. Paper tubes have an number of advantages for rocket motors. They are inexpensive especially if you make them yourself. They are biodegradable and if the … Continue reading →

Posted in Crafts, DIY, Machine Shop, Pyrotechnics, Uncategorized | 7 Comments

Making Magnalium

Posted on October 1, 2011 by jimhannon

One thing that I like to do is make things from scratch. Particularly things that not everyone makes or can make. Magnalium is a 50 50 alloy of aluminum and magnesium that is used primarily in pyrotechnics. It is quite … Continue reading →

Posted in Chemistry, Pyrotechnics | Leave a comment

KaBoom II

Posted on June 13, 2011 by jimhannon

This year at the Memorial day weekend pyro get together we had a class on making 5 inch spherical shells. In my KaBoom post last year I described making canister shells which are cylindrical rather than spherical. Each of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Pyrotechnics | Leave a comment

KaBoom

Posted on September 15, 2010 by jimhannon

One of the advantages of being a member of a pyrotechnic organization is that you get to legally make things that go boom. At a recent meeting I attended a class on making 4 inch canister shells. Each person in … Continue reading →

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Whoosh

Posted on August 25, 2010 by jimhannon

A while back I joined the local pyrotechnic organization. The meetings have been quite interesting. The speaker at one meeting operates a company that makes custom rocket motors, mostly for the military. His talk was on the design of composite … Continue reading →

Posted in Amateur Rocketry, Pyrotechnics | 1 Comment