Nearly party time!! Whoohooooo!!

[Red Beret]

With christmas and new years fast approaching, the question comes to mind; What are YOU doing? :confused:

For me, christmas is a time to reflect..... on pyro ideas that is!!:rolleyes: It's a good time to cut sick because the police are busy with the main party areas in the centre of town, and I have found that they don't have the resources to deal (or give a shit) with all the people sitting at home letting off pyro or making a bit of noise and such.

A few years back I let off heaps of stuff off my driveway on NYE and no adverse effects were noticed. Some other people in my street were doing some, and a group of about twenty gathered a few houses down and were cheering for more.


So whether it's pyro or HE that tickles your fancy, get in the spirit,take advantage of the busy law enforcement and party down!!!

Pyro style that is!!:D

[Cobalt.45]

Decided to cut loose last 4th of July.

I waited 'till everybody in the vicinity was doing their works, then did a 15g flash salute.

Dead silence, for about two minutes. With the exception of one dude (drunk, prob.) who could be heard to yell, "do it again, man".

The sound echoed down the hollow like thunder.

Got no visit from the local constabularies, though.

I'm planning something similar, but louder, for new years. I haven't decided how much louder...

[atlas#11]

lol, I used to live in a rural town in colorado where there was only one sherrif who responded to about a third of the already small number of calls she got. Needless to say, we had free reign on the town. About a month ago while on a weekend visit we set off about 5 pounds of black powder in a tang container wrapped in duct tape at about 2:30am in the center of town.

We still had to jump in my friend japperwagon and screech tires to get out of there as everyone would have recognized us if they saw us.

At my house, which is about a mile and a half outside of town up the mountian, there are only three neighbors, all of which are about a hundred yards or more from my house, and none of them care about explosives. I used to set off 60-100gram charges of etn or what ever and no one cared.

Now, however, I live in an appartment in a bigger town, Any craters here I would assume would count as property dammage so I have kept them around 5 grams. I did manage to make a three inch hole in the landscaping weed net and remove the little rock ground cover for about six inches away with just a small ammount of HMTD from a batch that I had no intention of keeping.

That one drew the stupid RA's out of their cozy appartments and had them scratching their heads. Luckily I covered the hole up before they got over to my place.

As for using the holiday drunks as your diversion, thats a great idea, but the fourth is probably the worst time for me to do anything at my house, as fireworks in the forest generaly is more at risk for forest fires so the cops watch for calls from up there alot more than usual. You really have to watch it, we've never had the cops up there and thats a trend I don't intend to change anytime soon.

[NoltaiR]

Wow, when you guys party, you know how to go out with a bang.. :)

As for me the holidays means two things.. a month off of school (grad school is killing me) and more drinking. Well I guess those are just the positive things.. it also means I have to work twice as much since I am involved in the retail industry. But Christmas bonuses are worth it!

[Cobalt.45]

Yea, the fire hazard involved is something to be extra careful of, no doubt.

Five pounds of BP, right in the middle of town. Now that's "gettin' 'er done"!!!:eek:

One thing I should consider is fire towers. With their telescopic view of the area, a big bang followed by a lazily floating cloud of smoke just wouldn't do.

Acetone peroxide is pretty good in that regard. Not any real flash, to boot. Might have to break out the 35%, when the time comes.

Best bet for me, is to do it up after dark.

[NoltaiR]

If you are looking to make a good new years show.. try stretching the mind a bit further than simple explosions (even if you spent hours making them materials).

Take some time and design something with a bit more aesthetic value. A nice rocket that emits sparks (Al is my favorite) or changes color.. strontium red, potassium purple, zinc green, etc.

Or for the really dedicated, order some empty mortar shells online and make your own fireworks display in the sky. Don't forget to take pictures :-)

[Chris The Great]

50kg ANFO equivalent is my basic plan. Might not be around civilization though, we'll see how it plays out. It'll be awesome^10 no matter what happens.

I agree with NoltaiR but I'm not so much of a pyrotechnician. I'll leave the pretty colours to the drugs after the booms are finished.

I'm sure the more pyro inclined members will put on a show like you describe though , I know a few from here who have done some VERY impressive stuff. See also the "proper pyro" thread which has some real good stuff in it.

[Cobalt.45]

I need only repair to the roof on nights when fireworks are going off. I can see four different municipal shows, off in the (not too far) distance.

I do make and use KNSU/BP 2:1 ratio fueled rockets with various headers like cut stars, glitter and a strobe comp that I'm still working out.;)

But- I still like a ground pounding blast as much as anything!:D :cool:

That ANFO shot will be something else...:eek:

[Sausagemit]

50kg ANFO


I miss read that the first time and I thought you said "50g". Then I thought to myself "50g is a waste of a blasting cap and the booster, wait did just write 50kg, yes he did".

You better put that in/on/around something really cool like underneath/on top of a 700 gallon horse tank filled with water and ice or something and video tape it for all the forumites to behold the glory that is a 50kg ANFO explosion destroying something.

My brother is going to be on leave from the navy so it's def going to be party time for me. Whenever we get together something ends up getting destroyed either by explosion, fire, or gunfire and sometimes all three.

Last time we ended up destroying his old laptop by running it over multiple times with a car, throwing it off of a cliff onto a large rock, and a couple of well placed 5g KClO3/Al salutes. By the third salute the battery had ruptured and was melting the laptop.

It might be a good idea to pack a fire extingusher in my bag of tricks this year. :D

[Red Beret]

You all seem as excited as me!

Cobalt 45, what casing did you use for the 15g flash salute? I'm planning a 50g salute, in a 125g capacity plastic screw top food container, wrapped in shitloads of duct tape, about 10-15mm worth. It will be KMNO4 flash. It's hard plastic.

I used to make some pyrotechnic items, little multishot cakes, couple of 3inch shells, with silver or chrsantemum stars. Painstakingly made quality blackpowder for lift and burst charges. Whilst it was very enjoyable, it took up too much of my limited spare time, and couldn't get enough stuff ready.
So I have some class C pyro, and my stuff is ground salutes, a couple of "ground shells", HE, and LE too. I made this "old school" device, it's and empty, large CO2 bottle, full of 50:50 black powder and smokeless powder. I will bury it about two feet down.

My ground shell is basically a cannister shell with crysanthemum 6 streamers, and BP burst, without a lift charge, to go off on the ground. Something different anyway.

My HE will probably be PNNM with PETN booster, fired by small AP or LS cap. Have to test the PETN first though, make sure it's sensitive to a small cap. It should be but I've hit some with a hammer and it did'nt go off.

I was going to get these noise maker type shells for my shotty, but they are $85 for 25 shells!! Get outta here!! :D

As I've said, NYE and the like is a good time to do stuff with little risk of harrasment to authorities. Unless you doing something like 50kg of ANFO!

[Universal]

Well, guy fawkes was a week ago, and I did some stuff. I made an oxy-acetylene baloon, and it was so loud that it echoed a number of times off next door houses, my neighbours didn't seem to enjoy it as much as I did judging by there comments, I made a 5 gram salute and buried it under the ground about 3cm, that was funny as hell because the ground was really crumbly and dry so it went everywhere, and the crater was quite impressive. At least my friends thought so.
Red beret, looking fordwards to hearing about your 50 gram salute :D, be careful though, I wouldn't want hard plastic flung from a massive explosion at 200kph ;).

[tmp]

It's been about 6 months since I moved out of my apartment. The
assholes that ran that place put flyers on everybody's doors right before
the 4th of July every year. The place was run by an insane anti-fireworks
bitch who threatened to evict ANYONE who used even legal fireworks -
even fucking sparklers ! Where I'm at now, my neighbors are mostly
rednecks(like me :D ) who blaze up the the whole development with pyro
shit on the holidays. Back to the joys of making things that go BOOM ! :D

[Viper III]

I also want to make a firework this silvester..also when it is smaller than last year.
Last year I had around 6-7 kg firework (without HE) ...but it was too much work to do it again.

I think I will make 5 x150mm shells,..10 zylinder 50mm shells, a few Starmines and a lot of Flash bangs with NaClo3/Al

[Cobalt.45]

Cobalt 45, what casing did you use for the 15g flash salute? I'm planning a 50g salute, in a 125g capacity plastic screw top food container, wrapped in shitloads of duct tape, about 10-15mm worth. It will be KMNO4 flash. It's hard plastic.

I rolled the casing from cereal box cardboard. 4.75"X .625IDX ~.125" wall. I used JB Weld to secure the end caps, also made from the same material.

This cardboard is easy to work with if you soak it in water for a minute, then roll it around your dowel. Then secure it with tape. Let it dry for a while, then slide the tube off the tool to finish drying. Metal rod or tubing is best. If wood, wrap a round of waxed paper first.

Not as easy as your method, though!

Helps to use white glue between the plies. It'll get all over the place, but dries hard.

Anyway, it was center fuzed with visco. Left an air space of .5" when vertical- plain ol' salute-tech stuff.

I recovered some of the case. It had split length wise, and seemed to show complete combustion of the flash (Shimizu #1).

A 50 gram salute will be up there, loudness wise!:eek:

I was going to get these noise maker type shells for my shotty, but they are $85 for 25 shells!! Get outta here!!
If you are able to recover some spent shot cups from your shotgun shells, you can re prime an old casing, charge with 5-6 g of black powder (12ga.), using the shot cup as an over wad. Re crimp the casing- it'll usually hold just fine- and have at it.

209 primers are cheap as hell. You could also cut your own over wads from card stock. Just be sure to "pack" the BP.;)

[DeathBlade]

What I do every year, something cheap. Usually just hydrogen balloons with a couple of feet of fuse. Some years if there is cash I use some czech 26.5 flares the white and green stars really get far out there, and sometimes hit the ground burning. :D

[NoltaiR]

Reply to Universal:
While it is about as simplistic as can be, oxy/acetylene balloons (or filled trashbags for the more daring) are always a ton of fun on celetration nights. They are easy to put together so even when you are wasted beyond recognition you can still produce them.. and they are pretty safe considering there is no shrapnel. If you ever get the chance when you are making these, try taking a quick video of one with a camera that has a very high frame rate. I would like to see one in slow-motion :)

Reply to Chris the Great:
50kg ANFO charges are incredible, but seem a bit mundane considering those that have detonated them never seem to go any further with their research than putting craters in the ground. An idea I had (assuming you can take proper safety precautions) would be to make an FAE out of your 50kg charge. Possibly put it in a barrel of gasoline (like the old "car bomb" video that was on here a long while back) or just a 5 gallon plastic jug of gas sitting on top of a hole filled with the ANFO.

I promise you will light up the sky~

[Red Beret]

Thanks Cobalt .45, I like the sound of your salute, sounds old school.

I have never tried Oxy/Acetylene baloons, it'll be next on the list I guess. Would they be the loudest thing one could make without using HE? How would a large baloon compare with, say, 500g ANNM? It's a different sound I know, but which is louder?

I used to capture everything on film but I don't have my camera anymore. I should be getting a DVD handicam soonish though. I'm also getting a NVG unit.

Back to the Pyro, I'm thinking of some other more "inventive" things to do. Maybe make a shitload of AP, wash it in alcohol, place it at the blast site, with waterproof fuse in place. Then come back when it's dry and fire. Massive AP blast without having to handle it "live".

I also have a 5L plastic container with a BP filled CO2 cartrige installed on the inside of the lid. I want to fill it with flammable liquid or gas.

I also have four butane gas cans, maybe I'll tape some CO2 devices to them. What else could I do with them? What can be done with liquid butane? Say I poured some onto KNO3 and fired with regular fuse? I'm not saying it would go HE or anything, but maybe it would burn rapidly or something interesting.Suggestions?

[Chris The Great]

Unfortunately NoltaiR, the 50kg (Actually more like 15kg+ of a VERY powerful mix I've worked out with a shitload of Al) will probably be fired underground. I'm still expecting a 30 foot crater. Think the spidermonkey ANFO charge but much more so.

There is a place near here with some old metal stuff I could blow into nothingness, but TONS metal shrapnel (sharp and pointy no less), so, well, rather not. There really isn't anything else to blow up around here.

However, if I have the time, I'm going to try some FAE burst/igniter charges I've been thinking of, in which case I'll fire a massive REAL FAE, with a detonating fuel cloud and massive overpressure blast and all that. Whether I'll have then working by then, not sure.

Whatever happens it will be FUN.

[NoltaiR]

Two things.. first does anyone have a copy of that old video I was referring to? I believe it was called "car bomb". Pretty much looked like a very small nuclear warhead had detonated around it.

Secondly, getting a little intoxicated and shooting roman candles at bags of oxy/acetylene is crazy fun

[Sausagemit]

I also have a 5L plastic container with a BP filled CO2 cartrige installed on the inside of the lid. I want to fill it with flammable liquid or gas.

If you plan on ignition of the flammible liquid start a small fire about 3-5 feet away from the device as I have never got ignition from the BP alone in a device like you are describing. It will be worth it though as it will create a gynormous flame.

[Bert]

Generally speaking, getting intoxicated and then using pyrotechnics and other expolsives is a Darwin award competition.

I have not had a beer or anything else for that matter on 4th of July or New Year's eve for around 20 years. But I've had a great deal of fun regardless-

[Cobalt.45]

Secondly, getting a little intoxicated and shooting roman candles at bags of oxy/acetylene is crazy fun
What kind of bags are you using- garbage or?

And, how do you suspend them?

[ap_gruffud]

Me and my bro filled some ballons with oxy-accetaline gas once - tied about 30 feat of string to em - let em float and lit the line, makes a nice little fireball.....

[GibbsFreeEnergy]

I always found it fun to pressurize the acetylene/oxygen mixture into a large balloon or weather balloon. Then I'd take a piece of masking tape, the wide width kind, and measure out about 3-4 feet of it so I could light it and let it burn horizontally. I'd hang it from a tree, then light it and run- and those damn things were quite loud. I could feel the shock wave in my chest. Masking tape makes a fantastic fuse too- if you do it right you should easily have 30 seconds to get away.

[Chris The Great]

True that, Bert. I'm going to do that sort of thing AFTER all the explosives are done and gone. Certainly no point adding a bit of red to the thousand foot pillar of debris as it flies into the air... ;)

[Red Beret]

Sausagemit; Yeah, I was planning on having a sparkler burning nearby, to ensure ignition. I may fill it with butane, and toss it underwater.

I'll have to try the masking tape + balloon of gas. Speaking of which, I have tried hydrogen balloons many times and could'nt get them to ignite. I bubbled the gas through water as well.

BTW, having a bundle (1000+) of sparklers is a crowd pleaser! Especially if you put some cans of flammable gas in...;)

[NoltaiR]

Gibbs is definetly correct in saying that you can feel the shockwave. Those charges are very brisant.

I was talking about using trashbags.. the 13 gallon house variety. The trick is to make sure that you fill whatever bag you are using as much as possible so there is at least some pressurization (hence the reason balloons work so well).

One time I put a trashbag in a aluminum trashbarrel and filled the bag with the gas. Sealed the top of the bag and led a fuse outwards. Then securely attached the top of the barrel.

Made for a good time.. we had a blast~

[no_fear]

I love you guys. I just had to say that real quick. I'm kinda new to the whole pyro thing, and haven't made much at all but I am very interested in some of this stuff.

You guys have some great ideas and I'm thinking about trying some stuff out. Nothing like 50 KG charges or anything, but it should be fun for my friends, since I doubt anyone has felt the ground shake too hard before. ;)

[NoltaiR]

All I can say is, welcome aboard :)

[no_fear]

Alright thanks. I have been looking at different things so I think I got a few ideas.

[Chris The Great]

If anyone is wondering why my big blast never happened, the extra high power mixture I planned on using required a couple liters of nitroglyerin- which needs a fair deal of nitric acid. As any of you who have spoken with me know, I've been bitching about the glassware company not getting my condenser replaced quickly (turns out it was Christmas holidays for them, sucks to be me). No nitric, no nitro, no point in doing something like that half-assed. Though I did join the broad group of guys promising bigass AN blasts and not delivering.:p