13 Jun 2006
Making Fireworks and Smoke Bombs
As the saying goes, what better way to celebrate this land of freedom than blowing up a small piece of it? Be prepared for the 4th of July this year with your very own explosives. i-Hacked has posted a how to on making your own M-80-type fireworks with formulas for several types of flash powder.
I have never used the ingredients to make flash powder that are listed in the article, so if you are interested in my own recipe for flash powder and how to make smoke bombs, read on.
My Flash Powder Recipe.
Ingredients:
3 parts potassium nitrate (saltpeter)
1 part charcoal.
Saltpeter is commonly used in fertilizer and is probably easier to come across than Potassium Perchlorate. You can sometimes pick it up at home gardening centers and the like (at least you could when I was a kid - you might have to look harder now). It is also used in some therapeutic bath salts and such, so look around.
You can also make your own saltpeter if you’re willing to distill 300 gallons of urine and manure for 10 months. You’re probably better off buying it, though.
Each ingredient needs to be broken down separately. A small rock tumbler is suitable to break up the charcoal and saltpeter crystals (if you indeed have crystals which is usually not the case). Once you’ve got it ground up you can mix the two together. Making a line with the powder and lighting it with a lighter or match will produce a dazzling flash of light as the flame consumes the powder. Putting the mixture into a container as described in the link above can produce “explosive” results.
Smoke Bombs.
Ingredients:
4 parts sugar
6 parts potassium nitrate (saltpeter)
These smoke bombs work incredibly well (as a certain Colorado state forest ranger can attest to). The creation of a smoke bomb is quite simple. Put the ingredients in a dish which can be exposed to flames. I used to make a little dish out of tinfoil, but you can use a skillet or (for you heroin addicts) a spoon.
Put your ingredients into your dish and heat them over a low flame. You will see that the sugar will begin to melt (producing a sweet aroma) and mix with the saltpeter. When it’s all done mixing you can remove the flame. Go ahead and let it cool off.
When the substance is completely cool you will be left with a disk of solid material resembling melted toffee. To activate your smoke bomb, simply throw it in a fire or light any of the edges with a lighter or match. Be careful, as this substance will burn EXTREMELY HOT and will SHOOT FLAMES UP TO SEVERAL FEET! Light it and stand back.
A small amount of this substance goes a long way. A smoke bomb the size of a dinner plate will easily fill a whole neighborhood with smoke. Or, in my case, freak the forest rangers out by making them think their whole forest just went up in flames. Check with your local authorities before setting off such a smoke bomb to avoid getting arrested.
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Good recipe but I’ve found that if you use this recipe
youll have much better results
1/3 cup Potassium nitrate
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 oz pure sucrose (humming bird food)
Is more stable heating and carmalizing
with much better results
I like this smoke bomb Recipe. Me and my friends use it all the time for when we go paintballing in the woods.
[...] Sam Garfield runs the DIY:happy site–an extensive list of projects that pretty much anyone can do, be it electronics, explosives (really!), toys, paper crafts, rockets, mods, or knitting. Here’s a few of our favorites: [...]
Dude!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! cant wait to try it out
i have a question i’m trying to make smoke bombs but i’m having a hard time getting potassium nitrate. Could i possibly buy it from the store or could i use household products. If you could please tell me where i can obtain potassium nitrate i would greatly apprecitate thanks
JOHN
hey guys how illegal is it to set off smoke bombs and where can i get potassium nitrate
ok potassum nitrate u cant by any in the u.s its illegal but I found u can use. bannana chips and grid them up.
TCW:
Oi… No it is not illegal, you can buy it at just about any hardware store labled as stump remover. Grant’s Stump Remover is a common one.
just about any large/family owned pharmacy carries it as saltpeter
(saltpetre)
hey I have a little girl who wants some different colored smoce bomb and i was wondring if you knew how to do that
o cool this sound ok from what i hear i have been trying and trying to make a smoke bomb so if i use the grants stump remover is it strait up peter salt. and also would it be mixed the same as normal peter salt the ration so it would be one cup suger 3 cups stump remover.
Hey, ya i tryed the smoke bomb recipe. but not without a hitch or two from the bears. no not the cops in this case (actually my freind was carrying the white powder potassium nitrate on his bike when a cop pulled him over to ask what it was) but my buddies mom. me and him were at the garden center (small place, nothign special) and i got a pund bag of potassium nitrate for about 3 dollars. no questions asked. ofcourse i was excited and nervous so i made up a lie sayign i accedentilydumped my dads and i needed to replace it. thats when my buddies mom walked in and wanted to know what i was using it for. ofcourse we both lied to her. finaly we took off to the “safty” of my garage to test this shit out. well ofcourse jsut as i was gonna light some smoke bomb ingreadience that bitch parent showed up. all you teens out there like me, make sure your parents know your palyign with volitile and dangerous chemicals. once the fire gets goign its burning hot and doesnt liek to go out. be careful and remember your eyebrows are your friends and dont stand too close to the flame. the recepie worked great till i got the stuff confiscated by the mother of meany…totaly…notcoolness bitch.
GREAT RECIPIES!
cool i liked to try but where could i find saltpeter?
garden store (canada) i just went down to a small garden supply store. not canadian tire or anythign fancy. and asked “you guys have and potassium nitrate? the pure stuff? i spilled my dads” and they brought me a 3 pound bag and charged me 4 bucks
ive heard so much about these smoke bombs and i also heard that if u get potassium nitrate from a stomp remover that it isnt pure…..dose this effect it in any way?
I used Grant’s stump remover and it works great. I bought a one pound contanier for about 5 bucks. You really don’t need to do anything to it but just crush it up into a powder.
Hey y’all,,potssium nitrate an oxidizer i’m learning is not all that great for your human health.. BUT when it is burnt and in smoke form is this harmful to inhale??
Planing an indoor theater and want to know that this is not a health hazert.
Crazy but not that crazy
I would worry more about burning the audience than killing them with the gases let off by most flamable powders. Get some good ventilation and you’ll be alright.
I recently learned that if u take the flint stone out of a lighter and put in to the end of a spring out of a pen it has a realy cool effect when you hold it and heat up the flint with a lighter until it starts to turn red then imediatly throw it at a nearby wall (it shoots about a hundred sparks in a 3 foot radius so throw it from about 5 feet away just to be safe)
I think your bombs are great and they work very well so thank you for the info.
a good idea is to take tin from a popcan, make a cylinder and ductape it closed. fill it up with smokebomb stuff and light it. it burns super hot but looks like a birthdaycandel…. made of dinomight
i cant buy that junk off Ebay or make it with cow sh*t how can i make a smoke bomb with the stump remover try to be exact (my name is very true when it comes to directions)
p.s. i have potassium chloride if that will help
Just make sure when you buy stump remover that the only active ingredient is potassium nitrate, otherwise it could be dangerous… try to get the purest you can find… i bought my saltpeter online
For a more vigorous flash powder, mix via “diapering” 3 parts saltpeter with 2 parts powdered magnesium. WARNING!! This is a very reactive compound and should only be made in very small amounts. I recommend no more than a gram at a time in any one device. It is deceptively powerful.
AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Head over to pyroguide.com for some kick-ass recipes. Oh, and tried the “I spilt my dads potassium nitrate… etc”. Didn’t work. They said “Tell your dad what happened, I’m sure he will forgive you”. Bitch. So I went to another nursery. “Oh, were out of that at the moment, tell you’re dad to come back with his car in a week, because we only sell it in bulk”. Bitch. Anyway, found out that my dad actually had some in the shed. Son-Of-A-Bitch.
I went to the hardware store in my town tried the “I spilled my dad’s trick” and the fucking bitch threatened to call the pigs. How the hell am I supposed to buy that stuff? I think evryone in my gay town knows.
thanks alot for the help with the smoke bombs i have been serfin the net for a long time
xDxDxDxD my “spilt my dads powder” trick didnt work. well i love these smokebombs. you dont really even have to measure. just half and half aprox i have found. im back here because i cant make the flash powder worth shit. i powder charcoal my buddy got for me and the pottasium nitrate and it wont really ignite or burn very vigerously. what gives.
Just go to a good store with a helper and ask for saltpeter its used for making corned beef, gives it that oh so red color!
Is This Illeagal email me at retardedhockeykid@hotmail.com
Does anyone have success with this flash powder? i tryed a few times but it wouldnt work. does everything have to be completly powdered. i get the charcoal fairly fine by smashing it with a big dowl in a peice of pvc pipe. this recipe is the only flash poweder that i saw that uses charcoal.
For a moldable smokebomb (or flashpowder?)without the dangers of heat try adding petroleum jelly to the mix. jsut untill the powder can hold itself together. If anyone have differnt variations of these pyro projects drop me a message ipk1992@gmail.com thanks
I have a bunch of lead shots from a shotgun shell. can lead react somehow? if anyone have projects with household metals email me. ipk1992@gmail.com (NOT En, im his friend without email)
im gay so this is gay
Use Spectracide brand Stump Remover it is 97% pure granulated pottasium nitrate..works great..about $5 a pound container…
Also it can be bought at the Walmart Garden shop..
The spectracide stump remover can be found in the garden shop at Walmart
hey iv been doing this for about 3 years now you can use tons of stuff the best iv found is potassium nitrate, sugar, (3:2) with a little potassium permagranate careful heating it though. the permagranate will make it an awsome perpule great for shits and giggles (and if im the one that catches u using it ill kill you)also use some magnisium/oxide
hey iv been doing this for about 3 years now you can use tons of stuff the best iv found is potassium nitrate, sugar, (3:2) with a little potassium permagranate careful heating it though. the permagranate will make it an awesome purpule great for shits and giggles (and if im the one that catches u using it ill kill you)also use some magnesium/oxide
hey, thanks for the instructions… this really helps.
I’ve been making fireworks from the stuff I get at the firework stand… I take the powder out, and put it in layers in clay cases.
you can get some REALLY cool effects that way. (be careful if you do it that way, though… some of them will explode when you open them up.)
Hi guys, but how does the grinded up banana chips work??
what about plastic explosives.
i want to kill some folks.
thanks
OK kids. I for one know that if I were working at a gardening store and some jackass came up to me and asked for Pottasium Nitrate because he “spilled his Dad’s”, I would probably tell you to get lost too.
If you would just be honest and say, I’m experimenting with smoke for ———, I would probably sell it to you. Or maybe you could try, NOT SAYING ANYTHING AT ALL, Tards.
Just ask for Salt Peter, don’t forget it’s a fertilizer, and an oxidizer for use as a stump remover. Pour in, wait a few days, light on fire (it helps the stump burn deep down).
Basically you tards need to come up with better excuses than, “I spilled my Dad’s” (to any human being with half a brain that translates to “I’m going to use it for something nefarious”)
[...] [...]
!!!!DO NOT SET OFF ALL 100 GRAMS AT ONCE!!!!
PLEASE NOTE: POTASSIUM PERCHLORATE IS A DANGEROUS CHEMICAL AND CAN SEEP INTO THE BLOOD STREAM THROUGH THE SKIN, AND AFFECT THE BLOOD CELLS. IT CAUSES IRRITATION TO THE EYES, AND CAN CAUSE RESPIRATORY(BREATHING)PROBLEMS IF INHALED. WEAR LONG SLEEVES, GLOVES, EYE PROTECTION, AND A PAINTERS MASK DESIGNED FOR AIRBORNE DUST AND PARTICLES FOR YOUR PROTECTION. GOOGLE THE MSDS FOR THIS CHEMICAL FOR OTHER SAFETY INFORMATION.
FLASH POWDER IS SENSITIVE TO STATIC AND MOVEMENT.(DROPPING HITTING BANGING ETC)
DO NOT STORE FLASH POWDER AT ALL, MAKE WHAT YOU PLAN TO USE.
DO NOT MIX IN PLASTIC BOWL OR BAG. DONT MIX ON METAL SURFACE WITH METAL TOOLS OR ANYTHING THAT CAN CAUSE SPARKS.
DO NOT BALL MILL FLASH POWDER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.
DO NOT VACUUM UP ANY FLASH POWDER, IT WILL DESTROY THE VACUUM AND CAN CAUSE DEADLY SHRAPNEL TO INJURE THE OPERATOR.
THAT BEING SAID, THIS PARTICULAR MIXTURE IS ONE OF THE SAFEST AND MOST STABLE MIXTURES.
Ok you kids have a lot to learn.
if you want a working flash powder thats easy to make use this recipe:
70% potassium perchlorate fine powder (KClO4)
30% german aluminum fine powder (Al)
you can use any aluminum powder, german(dark) is just the best.
for the thick headed out there it translates to 70 grams KClO4 30 grams Al. that will give you 100 grams of flash powder. Or 7 grams KClO4 3 grams Al for a total of 10 grams flash powder. I would recommend making 10 grams to start with. thats almost half an ounce, which is quite a bit.
1 and a half ounces is about a quarter stick of dynamite.
The finer (more powdery) the materials the better the reaction will be. if you light it in a pile on the ground it will usually just give a whoosh sound and a bright white flash accompanied by a cloud of white smoke. to maximize the fun pack the flash powder tightly into a container of some kind. something soft that will not create shrapnel. small cardboard tubes are perfect. and i glue cut out playing cards as the end pieces. Dont use pvc or other hard plastics or metal.
German aluminum powder is the best to use. also called dark aluminum.
you can get both KClO4 and the proper Al powder on ebay and various other sites. google it.
If you want to make your chemicals finer look up ball mills.
It will make just about any substance thats already granular into a fine powder, depending how long you let it run.
a great place to buy one ready made is unitednuclear.
or build one your self, its not hard.