The art of making fireworks, improved to the modern practice : from the minutest to the highest branches : containing plain and easy directions for mixing and preparing the ingredients, with instructions for making squibs, crackers, serpents, wheels, Roman candles, rockets, &c. as also for some highly curious aquatic fireworks.

Date:
[1840?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The art of making fireworks, improved to the modern practice : from the minutest to the highest branches : containing plain and easy directions for mixing and preparing the ingredients, with instructions for making squibs, crackers, serpents, wheels, Roman candles, rockets, &c. as also for some highly curious aquatic fireworks. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    ing decided on the height of your bore; say, for example, to have one bored of an inch high, which you can get bored by some turner: and to know of what length it must be, take for the said length, six diameters of the bore, which make six inches; and for the thickness, it must be half a diameter on each side, so that being turned round, it contains two inches in diameter. You must then provide a bottom, or foot, for the mould, which must be two diameters, or two inches in height, and one diameter and a quarter in breadth, whether the bottom be round or square. When you have made your mould, then you must fit your roller, which must be two third parts of the diameter of the bore of the said mould, and the length thereof to be six inches longer than your mould: this roller, which is for the rolling of your paper, must have a hole bored in the bottom to receive a wire, which wire must be fastened in another piece of wood somewhat shorter, which wire may be taken out at pleasure: this piece of wood may be as long as a person can hold con¬ veniently in his hand; and which will be more plainly described in treating of rolling cases in the next chapter. When you have fitted your rockets according to this di¬ rection, proceed to the making of your rammers, of which there must be always two, at the least, to each mould: which rammer must be somewhat less than the roller, because otherwise, in putting it in, it will put down the paper, which is very prejudicial to your rocket. The Method of rolling Cases for Rockets. Having explained the manner and form of the mould and its dependants, we come now to treat of their use. 1st. The use of the roller. The cases must be made of good strong cartridge paper: cut this paper so, that it be one inch longer than the mould. Take your roller, and one length of paper, and begin to roll; when you have rolled one sheet, you must, in order to make your case as hard as possible, place it on some smooth table or board, hold your roller in your left hand, and the board in your right; roll it very hard one way, proceed so with every sheet, till it is of bigness enough to fill the mould very strait: when you have so done, draw forth your roller one inch, and then take the other part of the roller, which is short, and put it in; and thus you have a place left for the choking of your rocket.