->    Pyrodex is a smokeless powder formula and costs about the
->    same as black-powder.
 are you sure you're not thinking of gun-cotton or something, because
I've lit off over 40 pounds of the stuff in total over the last few
years and it seems to make one helluva lotta smoke.. it's very similar
to the stuff in model rocket engines (the way it looks, I don't know
it's chemical composition)
 the stuff I've used is the stuff you pick up at hunting stores..
--- PCBoard (R) v15.21/10
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** A related thread FOLLOWS this message.

FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 274 PYROTECHNICS  Ref: D3T01857 Date: 03/24/96
From: JAN HICKEY                                            Time: 12:30am
\/To: OWEN                                                (Read 12 times)
Subj: R: Re: Pyrodex

I don't know what pyrodex is composed of but I know that the black powder
shooters say that it doesnt make that satisfying "crack" that black powder
does and that it doesn't make good blank rounds. At Highpower rifle
matches where we fire a salute from a cannon when we run the flag up for
the national anthem I know they always use real black powder, And it DOES
make a very satisfying boom!
.
     One of the range ledgends (like an urban ledgend, but for rifle
ranges, everyone knows someone who was there but noone you can talk to was
there themselves...) was that one year the guy running a match was late
and asked someone to load the cannon. They did of course. Unfortunately so
did someone else. The result was an 8oz charge of black going off behind
an 8 oz projectile, ie: the second charge and wad. Made a HUMUNGOUS boom
when it went off and sent the cannon back about 30 feet on its cart. When
the second charge cleared the barrel it dispersed in the air and when the
flame front got around the wadding and caught up with the (now) cloud of
black powder all were treated to a second boom and a really impressive
pressure wave. Ledgend has it that it took half of the windows out of a
van parked nearby and left the guy lighting the fuse shellshocked for
about an hour. I guess all recovered and other than the glass, no damage
was done. That is likely only because this happened on a rifle range, we
all habitually wear safety type glasses and put our muffs on for colors.
                                   Dave Hickey
                                   
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FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 274 PYROTECHNICS  Ref: D3R00002 Date: 03/19/96
From: STEPHANE BOULIANE                                     Time: 03:26pm
\/To: HEINZ BRODESSER                                     (Read 13 times)
Subj: Re: Black Powder

 -=> Quoting Heinz Brodesser to Stephane Bouliane <=-
 HB> Pardon for sticking my nose in.
 HB> If you already have a permit for storage, a manufacturing
 HB> permit should be easy. How much are you planning on making
 HB> per batch?
 
Probably 5 to 10 pounds...
 SB> Frederic keep requesting me more spectacular/unusual pyro F/X... (most
 SB> of my work between show is to find a SAFE way to do dangerous pyro...
 HB> I'm sure Freddie appreciates that!
Yes he appreciates it!...
As an example, in his "brand new illusion", Frederic will be "handcuffed 
hands and legs appart (in X position), and a motocycle will jump through
his body. The pyro F/X for that illusion is a powerfull (looking powerfull)
explosion of sparkles, flame and smoke that will occure about 2 feet in 
front of Frederic, while the motocycle is passing through the explosion !!!
(At least it's what the audience will "see"...) But in fact, the way the
exposion will be directed, it leave a "safe space" in the middle for the
motocycle to pass without being dangerous for the gas-tank...
Same for Frederic, the explosion start close, but is directed away of him.
How to do it safe ? Simple... By using saveral SMALL pyro load at the 
"right position", instead of only one bigger load, you can create what
look like one big explosion while it's in fact a "line-up" of several
very small explosion...
TTYL !
                                           Stephane
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