Pharaoh Snake

[mrhashmi]

Do anybody know the composition of Pharaoh Snake?

[vulture]

Usually it's made by stacking tablets upon eachother. The tablets are made of a flammable substance and a alkalicarbonate. When lit, the substance burns and the ashes are blown up by the gasses from the decomposing carbonate.

[Bert]

Do anybody know the composition of Pharaoh Snake?

These days in the US they're usualy made with a mixture of partialy nitrated pitch and ammonium perchlorate. They once were made with a mercury compound, but it was toxic and would now also be far too expensive. At one point after WWII when a large ammount of HE was available on the surplus market for low prices, the AP was substituted with granulated TETRYL by at least one US manufacturer... It's just there to keep the mix burning evenly. Vulture, I have no idea what they make 'em out of for the European market, but they're not made as you describe for the US market.

[T_Pyro]

I remember that the "pharaoh snakes" that I'd seen before contained mercury thiocyanate, and that they sure produced a hell of a lot of smoke. The mercury thiocyanate swells to about twenty times when lit, and produces a long trail of ash, which looks like a serpent uncoiling. It was later banned since its fumes were found to be harmful for both the spectators, as well as the environment. IIRC, the actual composition included some KNO3 too.

[mrhashmi]

These days in the US they're usualy made with a mixture of partialy nitrated pitch and ammonium perchlorate. They once were made with a mercury compound, but it was toxic and would now also be far too expensive. At one point after WWII when a large ammount of HE was available on the surplus market for low prices, the AP was substituted with granulated TETRYL by at least one US manufacturer... It's just there to keep the mix burning evenly. Vulture, I have no idea what they make 'em out of for the European market, but they're not made as you describe for the US market.
Bert,
What is partially Nitrated Pitch?

[Marvin]

There is an excellent section in Davis about this covering the naptha pitch method and alternatives. Additionally,

http://www.sas.org/E-Bulletin/2002-02-01/chem/body.html

Looks promising.

I think we will have to take vultures explanation with a pinch of carbonate.