Essay On The Compositions That Give The Most Beautiful Colors of Fireworks.

ESSAY
ON THE COMPOSITIONS
THAT GIVE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL COLORS
IN
FIREWORKS.
BY
F. -M. CHERTIER.
In Paris,
AT DELAUNAY’S, BOOKSELLER,
PALAIS-ROYAL, GALERIE VALOIS, Nos 182 and 183,
AND AT ALL BOOKSELLERS.
1836.
second draft August 2006 2
PREFACE.
In writing this Work, I did not intend to produce
a treatise on pyrotechny; my researches were
specifically on colored fires, this aspect seeming to
me to have been neglected. I had no other work to
assist me; science is silent on this subject: it is
only by repeated experiments and by trial and
error that I have obtained some results. I claim no
virtue other than that of perseverance.
I have tested nearly all the natural substances,
such as stones, marbles, chalk, shells, ores of
nearly all the metals, then the chemical products,
all the salts, the oxides, etc.
I did not restrict myself to testing them
separately, I mixed each of them with at least one,
and often with several, other substances; in this
way, I found that calomel, which produces nothing
on its own, is of an excellent effect when it is
combined with other substances. It is not used as
a divisant;
This translation copyright © Barry T. Sturman 2006

because instead of promoting combustion it slows

it down, but nevertheless it gives brilliance to
certain colors and increases their intensity.
I had planned to make a summary of all my
tests, and had prepared and gathered together
almost all the materials. That work would probably
have spared several firework makers some useless
research; but an accident made me lose my notes;
a fire broke out in my room and consumed all my
papers.
At first, disconcerted by this loss, I nearly gave
up writing this work; later, however, I decided to
begin my experiments again; but only on the
substances that I recalled having given the best
results. It is the summary of my last researches
that I present to the public. I have tried to be
concise, without ever neglecting the necessary
details, and without forgetting to indicate all the
essential precautions.
I have verified my different compositions several
times; they are not all equally beautiful, but there
are no bad ones. I offer them conscientiously, one
can make them with certainty of success.

SUBSTANCES
THAT ARE USED IN THE COMPOSITION
OF COLORED FIRES.
I shall spare myself the task of describing the

chemical properties of each substance, that being
useless for the goal that I have set myself; I shall
indicate only the signs by which one can recognize
their good or bad qualities, the ways of improving
them or purifying them, the precautions that one
must take when using them, and the ways of
preparing some of them for one’s self.
ARSENATE OF COPPER.
This is one of the principal ingredients in the
best blue compositions. It is difficult to procure
good material; I have tested it from nearly
all of the chemical products factories without
finding any that I could use. This substance
is obtained by several procedures. There are

(6)
at least six ways of going about it, but there is only

one that gives a quality suitable for making blue. I
advise that this material be prepared for one’s self.
The method is very simple: pulverize some sulfate
of copper, put it into a glazed terrine, or in a
porcelain dish; dissolve it in as little water as
possible by heating it over a gentle fire.
When the sulfate is completely dissolved, decant
the liquid into another vessel, taking care not to
pour the sediment.
Dissolve in the same way, and in almost the same
quantity, some arsenate of potash; gently pour this
last solution onto the sulfate, stirring it with a
spatula until it has the consistency of jelly. Drain
this jelly by pouring it onto a silk sieve. When it is
drained, put it into a terrine, stir it for some time
in a lot of water, drain it again on a sieve, then
wash it two or three times more in the same way,
to remove completely any potash that it might
contain. It is essential to do this washing carefully,
because when the precipitate contains a little
potash it gives a flame tending to violet instead of
being blue.
When the washing is finished, drain the
precipitate for the last time and dry it in the oven,
then pulverize it and pass it through a silk sieve.

(7)
ARSENATE OF POTASH.
It is used only for making arsenate of copper. It
can be obtained already prepared.
BI-CARBONATE OF SODA.
It is used in the composition of certain yellows; it is

not hygroscopic, and the mixtures in which it is
used can be kept for a long time.
BROMATE OF BARYTA.
This substance produces a very beautiful emerald

green, less deep, however, than that given by
chlorate of baryta; it is excessively costly; it has no
need of a véhicule nor of a divisant; it is mixed only
with a little less than a third part of flowers of
sulfur.
WHITE LEAD.
It is used in only one of my compositions, and
gives a dull white.
CALOMEL,
OR MILD MERCURY PREPARED FROM THE VAPOR.
It gives a bluish-white flame; mixed with the blue,

it renders the color deeper and more beautiful; it
forms part of several other compositions, which it
modifies and improves noticeably.

(8)
CHARCOAL.
It is used in my compositions as a divisant; only
the lightest must be used, and it must be well
pulverized.
CHALK.
It gives a crimson red, less beautiful than the red
obtained with nitrate of strontian; but it is not
hygroscopic and is stable for a long time,. I
recommend using it in color grains (1). There are
different qualities of it; it is almost impossible to
distinguish these without trying them.
Some produce a yellowish-red flame, others a
pale red, and finally some others a beautiful cherry
red.
It is necessary, before buying any, to test samples
from several vendors, and when one finds some of
good quality, to obtain a stock of it.
CARBONATE OF COPPER.
It is rare to find this of good quality, it nearly
always produces a blue-violet flame. If it is of good
quality, it must be a pure blue, although, however,
a little pale. It is used most often in violet and
(1) See below; I explain the use of these color grains, and
give the way of making them.

(9)
crimson. As it is easy to make, it is as well to

prepare it one’s self. Proceed in the following
fashion: pulverize some sulfate of copper, then
dissolve it in a very little boiling water heated over
the fire; also dissolve, separately, also in boiling
water, at least a triple quantity of white potash.
When the two ingredients are dissolved, it is as
well to filter them through unsized paper.
The solution of potash is then poured, little by
little, onto the solution of sulfate of copper, which
is stirred with a piece of wood or glass. Do not
stop pouring the potash solution until the bubbling
(effervescence) ceases.
Leave it to stand; the precipitate that deposits at
the bottom of the vessel is the carbonate. Carefully
pour away the water, which must be clear but,
however, colored blue; this water is of no further
use: do not pour all of it away, lest some of the
carbonate be lost; refill the vessel with fresh water,
stir and leave
to settle; then decant the second lot of water with
the same precautions as the first time; this
operation must be repeated three or four times,
until the water is no longer colored. The repeated
washing is essential, if the carbonate is to be used
for making blue; but if it is to be used for violet
and crimson, it is unnecessary to take so much
trouble; however, even for these two colors, it must

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be washed at least twice, for the potash not only

gives a violet shade, but also weakens the color.
Dry it in the oven; there is no need to pulverize it,
it is fine enough naturally.
CARBONATE OF SODA (dried),

OR SALT OF SODA.
It produces only a very pale yellow, it is used to

make oxalate of soda.
ENGLISH BLUE ASH.

This is a type of carbonate of copper; only a few
manufacturers produce it and they keep its
preparation secret; several qualities of it exist (1); it
is the basis of one of the best compositions for blue
flames.
CHLORATE OF POTASH.
It contains a lot of oxygen; it is the most powerful
combustion agent; it is the basis of almost all
colored fires; it must be used dry, well pulverized
and passed though a silk sieve.
(1) I have found very good material at M. Moulin’s, color

merchant, No 17, Vielle-Monnaie street, on the right on
entering by Lombards street. Ask for the first quality,
No 1.

( 11 )
CHLORATE OF SODA.
It gives a flame of a quite beautiful yellow, less
beautiful, however, than that produced by oxalate
of soda; as it is very costly, do not use it.
CHLORATE OF COPPER.
It is deliquescent, it can only be given a syrupy
consistency; mixed with sulfur, it burns suddenly,
without contact with fire; if a piece of paper be
impregnated with it and brought into the flame of a
candle or put on hot coals, it produces a beautiful
ragged blue flame, (not green, as certain chemists
erroneously state); it can be used mixed with
spirits of wine, for burning in little pots, it is the
only substance that, mixed with spirits of wine,
burns with a blue flame. All the other salts of
copper, dissolved in alcohol, give a green flame,
mixed, however, with a little blue: but it is the
green that dominates.
CHLORATE OF BARYTA.
It produces a very pronounced emerald green:
no other substance can replace it;
unfortunately it is very costly, less so,
however, than bromate of baryta, which is not as

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beautiful (1). It is essential to purify it several

times, because if it is not perfectly pure, it gives
only a yellowish-green, and moreover it has the
gravely inconvenient property of spontaneously
catching fire when mixed with sulfur.
To purify it, dissolve it in a very small quantity of
hot water in a porcelain dish; put it on a gentle fire
to keep it hot, but do not let it boil. Take it off the
fire, let it crystallize, then pour the water of
crystallization into another vessel and quickly
wash the crystals with cold water, mix the wash
water with the water of crystallization, and
evaporate this water; when it has reduced to a
convenient extent (a rather thick film must form on
the water), take it off the fire, leave it to cool again
and crystallize, wash the new crystals with cold
water as I have already described for the first
operation, evaporate and crystallize the water
several times until only uncrystallizable water
remains. This first operation is often insufficient,
and it is then necessary to collect all the crystals,
and purify them in the same way, at least two or
three times; I agree that this is a rather long and
(1) I have found it at three francs an ounce, at M.

Hédoin’s, manufacturer of chemical products, No 9 Saint-
Merry Street.

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boring task, but none the less it is the only way of

obtaining it completely pure.
ARTIFICIAL GILDING.
These are excessively thin leaves of copper, which
the slightest breath will blow away. It is used as a
divisant, it has, like calomel, the property of
modifying the red and of removing the yellowish
shade from green.
YELLOW AMBER
It is used in some yellow compositions, it deepens
the color and acts as a divisant in activating
combustion. It has to be procured as lumps and
then pulverized; because, if bought as a powder,
it is nearly always adulterated.
LITHARGE.
It is only used in the composition for turning
tubes. Use only coarse material. If it has fine
material mixed in, separate it by passing it
through a horsehair sieve. It produces beautiful
sparks; it keeps for a long time without oxidizing.
CARBONATED COPPER ORE IN BLUE

CRYSTALS.
It forms part of the composition of one of the most

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beautiful blues; it must be used only as a very

fine powder. It often happens that whitish stones
are mixed among the crystals. It is essential to
remove these foreign bodies by washing,
otherwise, they produce, instead of blue, only a
flame tending towards violet. This substance is
found only at the sellers of curiosities: they sell it
at a high price (1).
MALACHITE.
This is also a copper ore, it is bright green: it can
replace the blue crystals of carbonated copper
ore. It is used in the same way and in the same
proportions. I have found, however, that the blue
crystals are preferable to it.
NITRATE OF STRONTIAN.
This substance plays the principal role in colored
fires; it is the basis of purple-red, crimson, corn
poppy red, of violet and of pink. It produces a
brilliant flame that is difficult for the eye to
endure. No other substance can compare with it:
unfortunately it attracts moisture from the air,
and compositions in which it is used are difficult
(1) There is one, however, who has offered to supply me

with the quantity that I want at 5 francs a pound; he lives
at the beginning of Petits-Augustins Street, on the left on
entering by the quay.

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to keep; it cannot be used if it has not been well

dried. Proceed in the following way: put the
nitrate of strontian into a glazed earthenware
vessel, on a gentle fire. The heat releases moist
vapors that usually are enough to dissolve it, if
not, water must be added. Leave it on the fire,
stirring with a spatula until it turns to very dry
flour. Quickly pass it through a silk sieve;
because, if you wait a few hours, it will have re-
absorbed moisture and would pass through only
with great difficulty. It can also be dried by
putting it in flat vessels and leaving it three or
four days in an oven. As soon as it is dry, quickly
grind it and pass it through a silk sieve, for the
reason that I have already given. This operation,
however carefully done, does not stop the nitrate
of strontian from being hygroscopic.
Compositions made with it deteriorate if they are
kept for some time, and eventually sometimes
will not even burn. Some firework makers, to
avoid this problem, mix resinous substances
with the red star composition; but this alters
the color and does not always succeed. I
have for a long time sought to remedy this
defect of nitrate of strontian, I almost despaired
of succeeding, but finally I found a way that
achieved the goal and left nothing to desire. I do
not give myself credit for this discovery; for it is

( 16 )
so simple that it is sufficient just to think of it. It

consists only of purifying the nitrate of strontian,
while removing part of its water of crystallization.
It is dissolved over the fire, as if one wished to dry
it, and then taken off the fire, as soon as it is
melted, so that it cools again and can crystallize.
Stir it from time to time with a spatula, so that
the crystals are finely divided and as small as
possible. When the crystallization is almost
finished, pour the water that has not crystallized
into another vessel. Put some cold water on the
crystals but leave it for only a second to wash
them and take away the remaining water of
crystallization, then dry them as I have explained
above. Even though the nitrate of strontian has
been purified, that does not remove the need to
dry it, this last operation being essential.
The water of crystallization and the wash water
are not entirely wasted. When there is a sufficient
quantity, it is evaporated to recover the crystals
that it can yield, these are purified, washed and
dried, following the procedures already explained.
I forgot to warn that there are different grades of
nitrate of strontian, and that it is often
necessary to purify it several times, three times
is the maximum, even for the worst, that is, that
which contains the most water of crystallization.
A single time is usually sufficient when it is of

( 17 )
good quality (1): but if the compositions are to be

kept during winter, it would be prudent to purify
it at least twice. The operation must not be taken
too far, however, because, after three times, it
loses its nitrate characteristics, reverts to
carbonate, and gives nothing but a pale red
flame.
NITRATE OF BARYTA.
This is used to make green flames. I have done
many tests with this substance: I believe I have
found some sufficiently good combinations; I give
several of them, among which there are some
having an effect almost as beautiful as those
produced by chlorate of baryta. They have the
advantage of being much less costly and less
dangerous.
LAMPBLACK.
This is used as a divisant : it forms part of the
composition of corn-poppy red and of green. Use
only the lightest grade.
OXALATE OF COPPER.
This gives a rather pale blue flame. Without
being as good as arsenate of copper, it can,
however, replace it should the need arise.
(1) I have found it of very good quality at M. Quesneville’s,

manufacturer of chemical products, Colombier Street.
2

( 18 )
OXALATE OF SODA.
This is the substance that seems to me the best
for making yellow. It is far superior to other
preparations of soda, it is not hygroscopic: the
method of making being very simple, one can
easily carry it out one’s self. Dissolve over the fire,
in as little water as possible, about 14 to 15
ounces of white soda (dried carbonate of soda).
Dissolve also over the fire half a pound of oxalic
acid, always in the least water possible; because
it is essential that the two liquors be very
concentrated; without this, the precipitation will
be poor. The two solutions are passed separately
through a silk or linen sieve. Put the oxalic acid
solution into a very large vessel, so that the
agitation produced on mixing the two solutions
will not make the liquor come out of the vessel;
carefully pour the soda solution onto it, while
stirring with a piece of wood or a spatula, until
there is no more effervescence. To be sure that
the acid is completely neutralized, dip into the
mixture a piece of blue litmus paper. (This paper
can be found at makers of chemical products.) If
the paper reddens, add a little more soda
solution; add it until the paper no longer reddens,

( 19 )
or only very slightly. Filter through unsized

paper, and dry the substance collected on the
filter in the oven, it is the oxalate. The 14 ounces
of soda and the 8 ounces of oxalic acid make
almost half a pound of oxalate of soda.
ORPIMENT (Sulfate of arsenic.)

This is a natural substance of very variable
characteristics; it is used as a divisant: it is used
in the composition of several whites and a single
blue.
PLASTER.
It produces a flame tending a little towards lilac,
it is not hygroscopic, it must be preferred for use
in color grains; used plaster, plaster casts or,
even better, pieces of broken busts, are the best.
WHITE PRECIPITATE.
A preparation of mercury, it gives a deep pink or
light crimson flame.
PHOSPHATE OF COPPER.
It is extremely difficult to procure good material;
I have however found some of excellent quality
that rated even better than arsenate of copper,
but when it had been used up, it was impossible
for me to find anything similar; I have developed,

( 20 )
to replace this substance, a preparation that has

given me good results.
Here is the recipe for it:
Put on the fire, in a stoneware terrine, a pound
of sulfate of copper and dissolve it in a little
water; when it is completely dissolved, filter it
through unsized paper; put into a tub or barrel
half a bushel of lime and slake it by pouring on 4
to 5 buckets of water. When the lime is slaked,
filter (always through unsized paper) the water
that was used to slake the lime (1); then, put into
a rather large vessel, a small quantity of the
solution of sulfate of copper, and pour onto it,
while stirring with a piece of glass or wood, the
filtered limewater, until the liquor becomes
cloudy; a lot of limewater is needed to precipitate
the sulfate; this is why I recommended the use of
a large vessel, even though only a very small
quantity of sulfate is put in at a time. Pour
the cloudy water into a very large vessel, and
start again with another small portion of sulfate
(1) The water must be filtered quickly as soon as the lime

has been slaked and while it is still hot: the vessels into
which it is put must be well corked, because if it is kept in
vessels that are not carefully corked, it attracts carbonic
acid from the air and loses a greater part of its
characteristics.

( 21 )
and then continue the same merry-go-round until

all the sulfate solution has been precipitated;
then, all the cloudy waters having been
recombined, let it stand, and some hours later,
carefully decant the water, pour the sediment on
paper filters, and, when the water is drained off,
dry it in the oven.
PHOSPHATE OF AMMONIAC.
This is used only for making paper
incombustible.
REGULUS OF ANTIMONY.
This is used as a divisant, and forms part of the
composition of white, of pink and of some other
mixtures.
SULFUR.
This is used in all the compositions; this
substance is so well known that it would be
superfluous to describe it.
SULFATE OF COPPER.
Usually this is used only for making other
preparations of copper, by precipitating it
with potash or with lime; it is, however,
used in one of my compositions and gives a
passable blue; to be used for this purpose it
must be roasted; this operation is done as
follows: the sulfate is pulverized, and put on an

( 22 )
iron sheet, which is placed on a stove having a

sufficiently intense fire; it is stirred and turned
from time to time with the blade of a knife. It is
roasted to its maximum when it is of a yellowish
red-brown color, almost the color of a turtle-dove.
If it be kept for some days, it deteriorates and
must be roasted again; it cannot be kept for more
than 8 to 10 days without repeating the same
operation; when it is freshly roasted, it produces
a sufficiently good effect; it must not be
moistened nor made into a dough, as it could not
be used.
SALTPETER ( Nitrate of potash, or azotate.)
This is used in the compositions of almost all

fireworks; I use it only in white and in some
mediocre yellows.
TARTRATE OF COPPER.
It can, if need be, replace arsenate of copper but
it is not as beautiful.
VERDIGRIS.
It produces a pale blue, it is used in a
composition for a passable blue.
ZINC.
Before the discovery of chlorate of potash, this
was the substance that gave the most
pronounced colors; it has greatly lost its impor-

( 23 )
tance; it gives, however, a passable green, which

provides an adequate effect for garnitures for
shells or rockets. Zinc filings can be obtained for
10 centimes a pound at the premises of the
artisans who make accordions.
Before giving the recipes for the compositions, I

must discuss some general precautions that must
be taken in preparing the mixtures; firstly, only
good quality ingredients must be used; there is
only one way to ensure that, and that is to test
them, because appearance is very deceptive; I
have often been misled by the appearance and
color of several substances; I have had some
blue ash, some arsenate of copper, that
promised good effects, and which gave only bad
results; I have recently tested some nitrate of
baryta, which, instead of producing a green
flame, gave only a yellowish-white color.
Prudently, one must take samples from several
factories, and work only on a small scale, until
material of appropriate quality has been found;
because it is rare that chemical products are of
the same quality, it is as well to obtain stocks and
save the time involved in procuring similar
material; all the substances must be well
pulverized and passed through a silk sieve. This

( 24 )
is essential; some firework makers content

themselves with passing them through a linen
sieve, but that is wrong; the mixing process is
bad and cannot be complete, if the materials are
insufficiently pulverized. It is important to use
only very accurate and sensitive scales, especially
for small weights; for there are several substances
which only form a hundredth part of the
compositions, and, if the scales are not extremely
accurate, there is a risk of adding twice, or a
quantity less than required; consequently, it is
impossible to obtain a uniform and certain result;
I therefore insist that this very important
precaution not be neglected.
It is almost impossible to set rigorously the
proportions of certain compositions; there are
several causes that modify their effects: first of
all, the different qualities of the ingredients, then
atmospheric influences, dryness, humidity, heat,
cold (it is well known that more chlorate is
required in winter than in summer); it is for this
reason that I give several proportions for the
same composition; but this precaution is
sometimes insufficient, and the difference can go
beyond my provision; in that case, I suggest the
following remedy: when a red composition is too
slow, add, with caution and very little at a
time, some lampblack, until it is right. Should it

( 25 )
be too fast, add (but always with caution) some

nitrate of strontian; never add chlorate, nor
sulfur; that would risk spoiling the composition
completely. For green, if it be too slow, add a little
lampblack; but this addition often gives the green
a rather yellowish tint, in which case add (with
even more caution) a very small quantity of
calomel; if it be too fast, add a little nitrate of
baryta; with regard to blue, if it be too slow, add a
little chlorate of potash, and some flowers of
sulfur, in the proportion of one third of the
chlorate added. If on the contrary it be too quick,
add some blue ash, or some copper ore; these
examples, I think, will suffice, and it can be
judged, by analogy, what will be appropriate to
add for the other colors.
There are compositions that are good for little
suns, for wheels in general, but worthless for
stars, for flames, or for lances: for example, there
are blues of which the flame is of a beautiful deep
color at the base, while the higher part is reddish;
this mixture of colors is a serious defect for stars
or for lances, and yet it produces a good effect for
pinwheels and particularly for little suns; it
forms several circles of different colors, which are
very pleasant to see. Some yellows have the defect
of forming rays; the flame not being homogenous,

( 26 )
these compositions are not suitable for stars and

are excellent for little suns.
The combination of compositions of different
shades does not always produce effects analogous
to that given by mixing colors in painting; for
example, yellow and blue do not give green; the
mixture of these two colors only gives a bad
grayish-white; blue and red give violet; but as red
usually contains some lampblack or some
charcoal, the effect of which is to impart a
reddish tint, the violet obtained by the
combination of these two colors is not very
beautiful, it is much better to make it specially.
COMPOSITIONS.
No 1. ― WHITE.
For stars. For flames.
Saltpeter . . . . . . . . . 30 parts. 30 parts.
Flowers of sulfur . . . . . . 10 12
Regulus of antimony (1) . . . 11 10
Nitrate of baryta . . . . . . “ 2
Simple, and of little cost, this composition is none
(1) Regulus of antimony is far preferable to the

sulfide of antimony; it produces a whiter flame and
makes less smoke. It would be as well to give up
completely the use of the sulfide.

( 27 )
the less very beautiful. When the stars are freshly

molded and still damp, put some meal powder, or
dust of war powder, onto a silk sieve and sprinkle
them with powder while turning them, so that they
are primed on all their surface. I recommend this
operation, which is indispensable. There is an
extraordinary difference between stars of this same
composition that have been primed in this way and
those that have not. The first light up perfectly,
producing a brilliant flame of a beautiful white; in
contrast, the second take fire badly, giving nothing
but a dim flame accompanied by smoke. It would
be difficult, without having had the experience, to
believe that these two sorts of stars are of the same
composition. Some firework makers mix some coal
dust in the white star dough. This effectively
facilitates the combustion, but at the cost of giving
them a yellow tinge. It will be useful to prime
flames lightly, when the composition has been
compressed.
No 2. ― WHITE. Good only for dahlia pinwheels.
fast. A little less

fast, a dull
white.
Chlorate of potash . . . . 36 parts. 36 parts.
Flowers of sulfur . . . . 18 12
Nitrate of baryta . . . . . 6 6
White lead . . . . . . . 6 9
Regulus of antimony (1) . . . 1 “

( 28 )
This composition cannot be used for stars, it

would be much too fast; it is even less suitable for
flames or lances. It cannot be slowed down
without depriving it of its brilliance, in which case
it is not more beautiful than white no 1, which is to
be preferred to it, being much less expensive.
But this composition produces a very good effect
in dahlia pinwheels (or little suns) (1), when
alternating white with colors. This greatly
enhances them, especially lilac, pink, light yellow,
all the weak colors that appear pale unless they be
contrasted with white. I give two of these
compositions; one of a brilliant white, the other of
a dull white.
No 3. ― PALE YELLOW.
For stars, for little
suns and for grains. For flames.
Oxalate of soda . . . . . 6 6
Lampblack . . . . . . . 1 “
(1) These little suns, which are my invention, and to which I

have given the name of dahlia, because when burning they
imitate that flower, produce pretty effects and are very
varied in color. They can be used as accessories in several
pieces of fireworks. (See more below).

( 29 )
No 4. ― MEDIUM YELLOW,
For stars, for little suns and for grains.

Oxalate of soda . . . . . 40 5
Lampblack . . . . . . . 1 “
No 5. ― DEEP YELLOW, or AURORA.

For stars and for little suns. For flames.
Chlorate of potash . 24 30 36 36 30
Flowers of sulfur. . . 12 12 12 12 24
Oxalate of soda . . . 12 12 12 12 24
Yellow amber. . . . 6 9 12 12 “
Nitrate of strontian . “ “ “ 12 72
Lampblack . . . . “ “ “ “ 6
The four compositions for stars have different

shades and are very beautiful.
No 6. ― MEDIUM YELLOW, For dahlia pinwheels.
Very fast. A little less fast.

Chlorate of potash . . . . 16 16
Flowers of sulfur . . . . . 6 6
Oxalate of soda . . . . . . 6 6
Nitrate of baryta . . . . . . “ 4
This composition is much too fast for stars; it also

has the disadvantage of forming rays; it is,
however, very good for little suns.

( 30 )
No 7. ― YELLOW. For stars.
Medium. Deep. More

deep.
Saltpeter . . . . . 24 24 24
Flowers of sulfur . . 9 9 9
Oxalate of soda . . . 6 6 6
Yellow amber . . . . “ 1 1| 2 3
It is very difficult to make beautiful colors

without using chlorate of potash; therefore, this
yellow is mediocre; it is, however, the best that I
have been able to obtain with saltpeter. It must be
used only for garnitures of shells and rockets. It is
very cheap.
No 8. ― GREEN FOR STARS.

For roman candles. For garnitures.
Chlorate of potash 72 72 72 72 72
Nitrate of baryta . . 120 144 156 160 168
Flowers of sulfur . . 36 36 36 36 36
Lampblack . . . . 1 1|2 2 2 1|2 3 3 1|2
Calomel . . . . . . 1 1 1|2 2 2 1|2 3 1|2
Stars made with these compositions are slow

and take fire with difficulty; but when coated with
the composition of which I give the recipe below,
they light up well and are of a beautiful green.
The first two are suitable for roman candles, and
the other three for garnitures.

( 31 )
No 9. ― COMPOSITION for priming green stars.
Chlorate of potash . . . . . . . . . 72 parts.

Nitrate of baryta. . . . . . . . . . 36
Flowers of sulfur . . . . . . . . . 36
Lampblack . . . . . . . . . . . 2
If need be, green stars could be primed with

meal powder, as I have indicated for white stars,
but I believe that it is better to use the above
composition; green is so delicate a color that the
smallest thing can alter it.
No 10. ― GREEN FOR FLAMES (1).

Chlorate of potash 80 90 90 90 90
Nitrate of baryta . . 120 144 156 160 168
Flowers of sulfur . 42 42 42 42 42
Lampblack . . . 2 2 1|2 3 3 1|2 4
Calomel . . . . 1 1|2 2 2 1|2 3 3 1|2
Flame compositions must be selected

according to the size of the vessels into which
(1) It might be surprising that the compositions that I give

for stars should be slower than those that I recommend for
flames; but these stars do not give a good effect unless they
are primed with a very fast composition that ignites them
all over their surface at the same time, something that gives
the fire a very powerful action, despite this composition
being perhaps a little too slow for flames.

( 32 )
they are to be put; the more rapid must be put into

small vessels, and the slower, into large. I know
that if need be, this principle can be neglected, it is
not, however, without its usefulness; because, if a
fast flame composition be put into a big vessel, the
composition, presenting a lot of surface to the fire,
does not last long enough; the opposite can
happen, if a slow composition be put in a small
vessel, the fire does not have enough force to ignite
it completely, the residue swells in the middle, and
the flame will be dim; I give five compositions of
five degrees of difference, the first is the quickest,
those that are further to the right are slower, etc.
I recommend the use of earthenware vessels,
instead of cardboard boxes, particularly for green,
which is a very delicate color; the combustion of
the cardboard dulls it noticeably. It is also
unnecessary that the vessels be deep; when there
is too great a thickness of composition, the flame is
beautiful only for a moment, then, when barely a
quarter of the composition has burned, the
accumulated residue prevents the flame from
rising; it is better to use rather flat vessels; and if
there be a need for the flame to last a long time, to
place by the side, a moment before the first be
entirely burned, another flame to which a light is
applied, so that there shall be no interruption; if
two are not sufficient, use a third, etc.

( 33 )
The composition requires only very light

compression; it must be primed with a little of
composition no 9.
No 11. ― GREEN for stars, for little suns and for

grains.
Slightly yellow green. Slightly blue green

Nitrate of baryta . . . . . . 96 96
Flowers of sulfur . . . . . . 36 36
Lampblack . . . . . . . . 1 1|4 1 1|4
Calomel . . . . . . . . . . “ “ 1|2
These two compositions are fast, they are of a

green a little less deep than no 8; but they have
perhaps more radiance. It is not necessary to
prime stars made with these compositions; they
are quick enough naturally.
No 12. ― EMERALD GREEN.

Chlorate of baryta. . . . . . . . . 24 26 28
Flowers of sulfur . . . . . . . . . 6 8 8
Brilliant, of a transparent green, this composition

is incomparably beautiful; it can be used for stars,
for little suns and for color grains; the principal
ingredient is unfortunately very costly, and it is
rare that it can be used without it first having been
purified two or three times. I have explained the
method of carrying out this operation (see page
12); I give three different proportions: the quality
3

( 34 )
of the chlorate of baryta not being always the

same, it would be difficult to indicate precisely the
amount of sulfur that must be specified for it. I
could not overemphasize the precautions that
must be taken against the dangers of this
composition; when the chlorate is not perfectly
pure, it inflames spontaneously; several accidents
have happened to me from that cause. To be sure
that the chlorate of baryta is sufficiently pure, mix
a small amount (for example from a wholesaler
who deals in small quantities) of chlorate of baryta,
with some sulfur, in the proportion that I indicate,
make it into dough and form it into a little star, dry
it by placing it on a piece of sheet iron or on a
brick near the fire, but not too near, however, but
in such a way that it can dry in an hour; if it
survives that test and does not ignite, it shows that
the chlorate is pure and fit for use; if on the
contrary it ignites before being completely dry, the
chlorate of baryta must be purified again and the
test repeated, until it be satisfactory. It is, however,
always necessary to take some precautions, that is
to say, have only a very small quantity of fireworks
that contain this composition, and keep them in a
place where if they do take fire, they cannot cause
any accidents, nor communicate fire to other
fireworks.

( 35 )
No 13. ― ANOTHER EMERALD GREEN.

Bromate of baryta. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 parts.
Flowers of sulfur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
This composition is of a little lighter green than

that produced by the composition made with
chlorate of baryta. I give it only as an item of
curiosity; for it is excessively costly.
No 14. ― GREEN
for garnitures of shells and rockets.
Zinc in fine filings. . . 28 27 18 18

Saltpeter. . . . . . . 8 6 3 “
Flowers of sulfur . . . 3 12 “ “
Nitrate of baryta . . . “ “ “ 6
These compositions give only a mediocre, but

none the less passable, green; they can be used
only in garnitures of rockets and shells. They are
extremely cheap, they do not work out at more
that 40 centimes a pound. I give four different
mixtures. The first is fast, the second slower. The
two last, containing no sulfur, can be kept for
longer; for sulfur accelerates the oxidation of the
zinc.
These compositions must not be made into
dough. Some gum arabic can be added, but this

( 36 )
hinders the expansion of the flame and does not

make a good effect.
The stars are formed by putting the composition
into little short paper tubes, of which one end has
been closed by gluing the paper that has been
folded back onto the end of the former. The
composition must not be primed; the tube is only
half-filled, and a little piece of thick match, which
must project for some lignes, is placed in the
middle. A little glue is placed on the outside of the
empty portion of the tube and then the tube is
twisted in such a way that the folds of paper sick
to the match, closing the tube; the match must
project around two lignes, so that it can take fire
easily.
The zinc filings that can be obtained are usually
too coarse; only about a quarter of a size suitable
for use can be separated, but that which is too
coarse can be ground up in a cast iron mortar: it
is easily reduced to a sufficiently fine powder.
No 15. ― BLUE
Chlorate of potash . . 34 30 26
Flowers of sulfur . . . 14 14 13
English blue ash . . . 7 7 7
Arsenate of copper . . 3 3 3
Calomel . . . . . . . 2 2 2

( 37 )
No 15 continued. ― BLUE
Chlorate of potash . . . . . . 64 50 64 64
Flowers of sulfur . . . . . . . 30 22 30 30
English blue ash,
first quality no 1 . . . . . . . . 16 14 20 24
Arsenate of copper . . . . . . 4 8 8 8
Calomel . . . . . . . . . . . 4 4 4 4
No 16. ― BLUE
For stars and for grains.
Chlorate of potash . . . . . 36 36 36
Flowers of sulfur . . . . . . 18 18 18
Precipitate of sulfate of copper
with filtered lime water . . . . 6 6 6
English blue ash no 1 . . . . 12 15 18
Calomel . . . . . . . . . . 3 3 3
No 17. ― BLUE
Carbonated copper ore in blue
crystals . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 12 14
Calomel . . . . . . . . . . . 3 3 3

( 38 )
No 18. ― BLUE
Chlorate of potash . . . . . . 48 48 48
Flowers of sulfur . . . . . . . 24 24 25
Arsenate of copper . . . . . . 6 6 6
Carbonated copper ore . . . . 4 6 8
Calomel . . . . . . . . . . . 3 3 3
I give several proportions for each composition;

those which are in the middle, are those which
seem to me the best; but because the ingredients
used are not always identical, it is rare to find
them of precisely the same quality, so it is good to
have several proportions for them.
If, for example, the one in the middle were found
to be a little too slow, the one to the left would be
used; if, on the contrary, the one in the middle
were too fast, the one to the right would be used.
All the compositions are beautiful enough; they
are not, however, of as deep a blue as could
perhaps be desired: I have done much research
without having obtained better blue; but such as
they are, I believe them to be of as beautiful blue
as any that have been made until now. I give
below the recipes of compositions that make,
however, blue a little deeper, but also less brilliant,

( 39 )
giving but little reflection and not being a truly

homogenous flame.
I do not give any recipes for blue flames;
compositions of that color cannot be slowed down
without losing much of their brilliance: they have
but a feeble reflection. It is necessary to resign
one’s self to using for flames the same
compositions as for stars: they can be compressed
as little as possible, and if a single flame does not
last long enough, a second one can be lit
immediately before the first is entirely burned out.
I know that space is often lacking in theatres, and
that this substitution of one flame for another can
appear embarrassing. Usually, for firing flames,
one uses terrines having slightly raised sides;
would it not be possible to choose them of a
somewhat larger size, that would allow the second
and even the third to be placed in the middle in the
middle, while pushing those burned first to the
side of the terrine? It would be useless to prime
blue stars and even less so the flames, the
compositions being rather too fast than too slow.
No 19. ― SLOW BLUE

For little suns and for stars.
Carbonated copper ore . . . 18 20 18
Calomel . . . . . . . . . . 1 1 1

( 40 )
No 20. ― SLOW BLUE

For little suns and for stars.
Chlorate of potash . . . . . . 36 45
Flowers of sulfur . . . . . . . . 14 18
English blue ash no 1 . . . . 24 26
Arsenate of copper. . . . . . . “ 2
Calomel . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2
The two compositions above are good for little

suns; they are a little too slow for stars; they give,
however, a good effect if they are primed with the
following composition:
No 21. ― COMPOSITION
For priming blue stars.
Chlorate of potash . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Flowers of sulfur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Arsenate of copper . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Blue ash. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Artificial gilding. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
.
Even though I have said that the blue
compositions produce a bad effect for flames, one
can, however, try the formula of no 19, and the
second formula of no 20.
They give a deep blue, but as they have little
reflection, they can be used only in a small area.

( 41 )
No 22. ― LIGHT PINK

For stars and for little suns.
Nitrate of strontian . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Flowers of sulfur. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Regulus of antimony. . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
No 23. ― ANOTHER LIGHT PINK

Carbonate of copper. . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
No 24. ― MEDIUM PINK

Lampblack. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
No 25. ― DEEP PINK

Lampblack. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

( 42 )
No 26. ― PINK
For color grains.
Chlorate of potash . . . . . . . . . . . 72 72
Chalk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 16
Flowers of sulfur. . . . . . . . . . . . 30 30
Carbonate of copper . . . . . . . . . . “ 1
This composition does not produce as beautiful a

pink as the four preceding ones, but it is better for
color grains. Grains made with this composition
can be kept for a long time without losing their
hardness; in contrast, if they were made from the
first compositions, they would fall to powder in a
short time.
No 27. ― VIOLET
Nitrate of strontian . . . . . . . . . . . 18 24
Carbonate of copper . . . . . . . . . . 3 4
Calomel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 “
No 28. ― VIOLET
For color grains.
Fast. Faster.
Chalk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 24
Calomel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 10

( 43 )
Despite being made only with chalk, this

composition is very beautiful; it is particularly
suitable for little grains; it can also be used for
stars: it makes a very good effect; it is however of a
violet a little less deep than that of no 27.
No 29. ― CRIMSON
For stars, for little suns and for flames.

Nitrate of strontian . . . . . . . . . . . 42 48
Calomel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2
The stars must be primed with the composition

given below; the flame can also be primed when it
has been compressed a little.
For priming red stars of slow compositions.
Chlorate of potash . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Nitrate of strontian . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Flowers of sulfur. . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Lampblack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
No 31. ― CRIMSON
For little grains.
Chlorate of potash . . . . . . . . . 60
Chalk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Flowers of sulfur. . . . . . . . . . 24
Carbonate of copper . . . . . . . . “ 1|2

( 44 )
Much less beautiful than the crimson made with
nitrate of strontian, it is better for little grains, for
the reason that I have already given. It can also be
used for roman candle stars that have to be kept
all winter; they are stable for a long time.
No 32. ― RED
For little grains.
Corn poppy. Purple.

Chalk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 48
Lampblack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . “ 3
This composition is not as good as the preceding

one, it is of a different shade; it can also, if
necessary, be used for stars.
No 33. ― RED
Corn poppy Purple Purple tending

to crimson
Chlorate of potash . . . . 36 36 36
Nitrate of strontian . . . . 72 72 72
Flowers of sulfur . . . . . 30 30 30
Light charcoal . . . . . 3 “ “
Lampblack . . . . . . . “ 3 3
Carbonate of copper. . . . 6 “ 4

( 45 )
No 34. ― RED
Purple Purple
Chlorate of potash . . . . . . . 36 36
Nitrate of strontian . . . . . . . 108 108
Lampblack . . . . . . . . . . 4 “
Fine charcoal . . . . . . . . . “ 4
No 35. ― RED
Purple Corn poppy
Fine, very light charcoal . . . . . 5 5
Oxalate of soda . . . . . . . . “ “ 1|2
No 36. ― RED FOR STARS.

Very slow.
Chlorate of potash. . . . 12 48 48
Nitrate of strontian . . . 48 72 84
Flowers of sulfur . . . . 18 36 36
Lampblack . . . . . . 3 3 4
Calomel . . . . . . . “ 4 8
All these compositions are of a beautiful red, but

of different shades; the stars must be primed, as
the compositions are slow, particularly the last,
which can even be used for flames.

( 46 )
No 37. ― RED
Fine charcoal . . . . . 2 “ “
Lampblack . . . . . . . “ 2 11|2
Calomel . . . . . . . . “ “ 1
These compositions are of different shades, they

are very quick; the stars do not need to be primed.
No 38. ― RED FOR FLAMES

Corn poppy. Purple.
Chlorate of potash . . . . 6 6 6 6
Nitrate of strontian . . . . 54 54 60 54
Flowers of sulfur . . . . . 18 24 24 18
Lampblack . . . . . . . 2 2 2 2
Calomel . . . . . . . . “ “ “ 4
The first three formulae give a corn-poppy red,

and the fourth, a purple tending a little towards
crimson; they require only light compression, and
they are primed with composition no 30.
No 39. ― PURPLE RED FOR FLAMES.

Slow. Slower.
Lampblack . . . . . . . . . . 21|2 2
Calomel . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 4

( 47 )
These two formulae give a very beautiful red;

the composition does not need compressing at all,
it must be primed with composition no 30.
No 40. ― CORN POPPY RED FOR FLAMES.

Lampblack . . . . . . . 21|2 21|2 2
Oxalate of soda . . . . . “ 1|2 “ “
This last composition is that which, in my

opinion, gives the most beautiful flame. the first
formulae produces a red tending a little towards
the yellow, the last two are of the same shade, but
I give preference to the last; it produces a pure
flame, of great brilliance, it burns without making
any noise and gives almost no smoke; I particularly
recommend it. For it to work well, it is essential
that the nitrate of strontian be of good quality and
above all perfectly dried.
All the ingredients must be passed through a silk
sieve; the formulae having been determined with
this condition, it would not be wise to use less
pulverized materials.
The composition must be put into the vessels
lightly and without compression; they must be
primed with composition no 30.

( 48 )
It costs a third less than the red flame

compositions, that are ordinarily used, it is more
beautiful and lasts at least twice as long.
If the flames are found to be too slow, it would be
wrong to think that by adding a little chlorate, they
would be made more lively, the addition of three to
four parts of chlorate slows them down contrary to
expectations. This is a fact that I have observed,
but for which I have never been able to provide an
explanation; a remarkable thing is that if, instead
of three or four parts of chlorate one adds eight to
ten, the composition then becomes fast.
SUPPLEMENTARY COMPOSITIONS,
OR SECOND SERIES
I give the following compositions only as

supplements to the preceding ones; they are not as
beautiful, they include however some that are very
good and of different shades.
It might perhaps be thought that it would be
superfluous, after having given some good
compositions, to present some mediocre ones, but
it often happens that certain substances required
for the better mixtures cannot be obtained; one is
then happy to be able to resort to other
compositions that, without being as beautiful, are
still good.

( 49 )
No 41. ― WHITE.
Saltpeter. . . . . . . . 24 24 20
Nitrate of baryta . . . . . 8 12 8
Flowers of sulfur . . . . 9 9 6
Regulus of Antimony. . . 6 6 3
Orpiment . . . . . . 3 6 2
If orpiment of good quality could always be

obtained, these white compositions would be
perhaps more beautiful than the first; but as
orpiment is of very variable quality, and since
good material cannot always be obtained, I have
put this one only in the second rank. The stars are
primed with meal powder, as I have already
explained.
No 42. ― PALE YELLOW,

Bi-carbonate of soda . . . 4 4
Lampblack . . . . . . . “ 1|4 “
No 43. ― MEDIUM YELLOW,

For stars and for little suns
Bi-carbonate of soda . . . 10 8
Lampblack . . . . . . . “ 1|4 “ 1|2
4

( 50 )
No 44. ― DEEP YELLOW

Fast. Slow.
Bi-carbonate of soda . . . 12 10 12
Yellow amber . . . . . . 12 “ “
Lampblack . . . . . . . “ 21|2 2
The stars are primed with the composition below.
For priming yellow stars.
Chlorate of potash. . . . . . . . . 36
Nitrate of baryta . . . . . . . . . 12
Bi-carbonate of soda . . . . . . . 3
Flowers of sulfur. . . . . . . . . 18
Lampblack . . . . . . . . . . 2
No 46. ― YELLOW FOR FLAMES.

Fast. Slow.
Chlorate of potash . . . . . . . . 5 3
Nitrate of baryta . . . . . . . . . 25 27
Flowers of sulfur . . . . . . . . . 3 3
Bi-carbonate of soda . . . . . . . 6 6
Lampblack . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1|2 1

( 51 )
No 47. ― GREEN.
Lampblack . . . . . . . . . . . “ 1|4 “ 1|4
Artificial gilding . . . . . . . . . “ 5|16 “5|16
.
No 48. ― GREEN.
For stars For flames
Lampblack . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1
No 49. ― GREEN FOR STARS.

Lampblack . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1|2 2
Artificial gilding . . . . . . . . . “ 2
.
No 50. ― GREEN FOR FLAMES.

Lampblack . . . . . . . . . . . 4 2
Artificial gilding . . . . . . . . . “ 2
.

( 52 )
No 51. ― PISTACHIO GREEN

Nitrate of baryta . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Flowers of sulfur . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Lampblack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Oxalate of soda . . . . . . . . . . . . “ 1|4
No 52. ― BLUE
English blue ash . . . . 14 16 20
This composition is good enough, but it is less

brilliant than that of the first series.
No 53. ― BLUE FOR STARS.

Blue ash . . . . . . . 30 30 30
Orpiment . . . . . . . . 4 6 10
Calomel . . . . . . . . 6 6 6
No 54. ― BLUE
English blue ash. . . . 14 16 18
Calomel . . . . . . . . 2 2 2

( 53 )

Carbonated copper ore . . . 14 20 24

Carbonate of copper. . . . . 5 5 5
Verdigris. . . . . . . . . . 4 5 5
No 57. ― BLUE.
Roasted sulfate of copper . . . . . 30 12
Carbonated copper ore . . . . . . “ 12
These two compositions do not keep for long

without deteriorating; they are not bad when they
are freshly made: they cannot be made into dough,
they would not take fire. They can be used only for
lances or for turners; compositions containing
sulfate of copper must not be allowed to mix with
those containing nitrate of strontian. This mixture
is dangerous, being subject to igniting suddenly

( 54 )
without contact with fire; I have experienced this

myself: I had made some violet stars with sulfate of
copper and nitrate of strontian, I had put them to
dry in the sun, they ignited by themselves in about
a quarter of an hour; I tried putting some to dry in
the shade, they suffered the same fate; but they
did not ignite until the end of the second day.

Carbonate of copper . . . . . . . 9 12
Calomel . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2
This composition gives only a light blue; the

recipe would be useful if one lacked some other
ingredients; it is, for that matter, passable.

Chlorate of potash . . . . . . . . . 60 60
Flowers of sulfur . . . . . . . . . . 27 27
Arsenate of copper . . . . . . . . . 12 “
with filtered lime water . . . . . . . . “ 12
Carbonated copper ore . . . . . . . 12 12
These two compositions are good; the precipitate

of sulfate of copper with filtered lime water

( 55 )
generally goes better with carbonated copper ore,

and arsenate of copper makes a better effect with
blue ash.
That gives brilliance and augments the intensity of the color blue.
Calomel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
This composition, on being mixed with blues

that contain no calomel, makes them deeper,
without slowing them down: a quarter, or even
nearly a third, may be added; this composition can
also be mixed with violet, red and crimson, it
modifies the shades of them and produces a good
effect.
No 61. ― LILAC
For stars and for little grains.
Light. Deeper.
Chlorate of potash. . . . 16 16 16 16
Flowers of sulfur . . . . . 8 8 8 8
Plaster . . . . . . . . . 4 5 6 6
Carbonate of copper . . . 1 1 1 1 1|2

( 56 )
No 62. ― LILAC FOR STARS.

Calcined and pulverized 4 “ “
oyster shells . . . . . . . .
White precipitate . . . . . “ 4 5
Carbonate of copper. . . . “ “ 1
Arsenate of copper . . . . 1 1 “
No 63. ― PINK
For stars and for little grains.
Light Deep Deeper

Plaster . . . . . . . . . 3 “ “
White precipitate . . . . . “ 4 3
No 64. ― CRIMSON
For little suns.
Artificial gilding . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
No 65. ― RED FOR STARS.

Lampblack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1|2
Regulus of antimony . . . . . . . . . . 3

( 57 )
This red is not very deep, but it is very brilliant.
No 66. ― CORN POPPY RED..

Egg shells dried in the oven and pulverized . . 10
Fine charcoal . . . . . . . . . . . . . “ 1|4
This composition is not very beautiful; I have

given it only as an object of curiosity.
COLOR GRAINS.
METHOD FOR MAKING THEM.
These grains imitate to some extent the sparks

that are produced by filings of various metals, they
are brilliant and can be made of all the colors;
types of fountains are made with them which, in
several pieces of fireworks, form wreathes having a
very handsome effect; they are made in the
following way: take the star composition (I indicate
those that are suitable), make it into a clean dough
and grind it on a marble table with a grinder of the
same material; the dough must be well triturated;
the more prolonged this operation, the harder the
grains. This work is done more quickly and better
when performed on a very small quantity of

( 58 )
composition, that is to say, for example, if it is

intended to make a pound of grains, only half an
ounce of composition must be ground at a time. All
the small amounts of triturated dough are then
combined and granulated at the same time. If the
composition, although sufficiently triturated, were
a little too liquid, it would be necessary to dry it to
a suitable extent by prolonging the action of the
grinder on the dough; the degree of moistening is
rather difficult to specify: the dough, when
squeezed in the hands, must not wet them; take a
portion of the triturated composition (about a
quarter) and divide it into smaller parts so that it
can dry more rapidly, then reduce it to a very fine
powder. This powder is destined to correct a
problem that arises during the granulation
process; when the grains are made, if the dough be
a little too damp, they agglomerate to the extent
that they would form only a single mass, should
they continue to be stirred; they can be separated
by putting some of that pulverized composition (1)
into a small sieve, dusting them, and then they will
separate themselves easily.
To form the grains, use a sifter of hide or a
strainer made of tinplate, the holes of which
should be twice the intended size of the
(1) Composition that had not been ground, but merely

passed through a silk sieve, would not be sufficiently fine,
and the grains would not have the necessary hardness.

( 59 )
grains (1); pass the dough through the strainer by

pushing and rubbing it with the hand; the dough
falls, divided into small parts, into a long box of
cardboard or wood, to which at the same time
another person imparts a horizontal movement
sufficiently rapid for the grains to round
themselves and acquire the correct consistency.
As I have already indicated, if the grains
agglomerate, dust them with the same composition
pulverized and passed through a silk sieve, which
prevents this difficulty. If, on the contrary, the
dough be too dry, take it out of the box, dampen it
a little, and pass it though the screen again; the
grains having been made, put them to dry in the
shade on some sieves or on some sheets of paper;
when the grains are dry, if you want them to be of
a uniform size, take two screens, one having holes
of the desired dimension of the grains and the
other having somewhat smaller holes; the pass the
grains through the first screen, those that do not
pass are too big and are set aside, the grains that
are too small pass through the second screen;
those that remain on the second screen are good,
being of equal size. Recombine those that are too
coarse and too fine, make them into dough again
and repeat the operation.
(1) The size that seems to me to be the best is that of

hemp seeds.

( 60 )
FOUNTAINS MADE WITH GRAINS

Color grains are used to make little fountains that
can be applied to various firework pieces; one
alone does almost nothing, but if three or four be
combined and fired at the same time, they produce
a rain of stars of any desired color, and of a very
handsome effect.
The fountains are made in the following way: roll
some pieces of cartridge paper, about four or five
inches in length and three or four inches in width,
on a former four lignes in diameter; roll a piece of
paper to permit gluing, the ends of the cases are
then closed by folding back the paper and inserting
a little wad of paper; give some blows of the mallet
on the former and charge the cases with a mixture
of one half color grains and one half meal powder
(or of war powder that has been pulverized and
passed through a silk sieve), charge them with
care, so as not to crush the grains.
Cases of a greater diameter must not be used:
the fire, it is true, would be more abundant, but it
would not carry far enough, and furthermore it
would last for too short a time; choked cases
cannot be used either, as the grains would not
come out.

( 61 )
If there is a need for the fountains to produce a

more prolonged effect, twelve fountains can, for
example, be combined in a single cluster; these
fountains are given three different lengths: the first
four can be five inches four lignes in length, the
second four can be five inches two lignes; and the
last four only five inches. They are given different
lengths only to ensure that they do not all take fire
at the same time.
The four longest fountains are fired first, these,
after being completely burned, send the fire, by
quick match, to the four fountains of the second
size, which in their turn, send the fire to the last
four, etc.
So that the pipes that enclose the quick match
take up as little space as possible, I suggest cutting
some pieces of match to a suitable length, then
rolling on the lengths of match (that then serve as
formers), some narrow bands of glued paper; the
matches are thus placed in a type of tube in which
there will be no empty space; in order that this
work be done easily, it is essential that the strands
of match be very tough. The paper in which the
matches are contained can also be rendered
incombustible; here is the recipe: dissolve an
ounce of phosphate of ammoniac in the sixth part
of a liter of boiling water; soak the paper in

( 62 )
the solution, and dry it. Paper treated in this way

produces no flame, it just chars without showing
any fire; I believe it would be advantageous, in
many circumstances, to use paper prepared in this
fashion. It can be used to make cases for
theatrical fires.
LITTLE SUNS,
OR DAHLIA PINWHEELS.
These little suns, which I call Dahlia-Pinwheels,

because when burning they show some
resemblance to the flower of that name, change
color and form circles of different shades, of green,
red, blue, yellow, etc. They are perhaps, of all
pieces of fireworks, the ones that produce the most
enjoyable effect. They are so easy to imagine, that I
am astonished that nobody had thought of them
earlier.
They are made in nearly the same way as
ordinary pinwheels; except that rather stronger
paper must be used to make the tubes. These
tubes must have a diameter of about three lignes;
this is the size that I found to be the most
advantageous. I have tried many sorts of paper:
that which has seemed to me the best was a

( 63 )
gray-blue, well-sized paper, strong rather than

thin, without however being too thick, made with
good rags and tearing with difficulty. (1) Cut three
strips from the larger width of a sheet of paper,
that is to say, so that the crease of the sheet is in
the middle of the strip. That is the width that
seems to me best for the diameter that I have
specified for the tubes. Soap the rolling stick or
former, which must be a thick, well-straightened
iron wire. Roll and glue as ordinarily done for
pinwheel tubes, and charge them in the same way,
with the composition below:
COMPOSITION FOR TURNING TUBES

Of the little dahlia suns.
Meal powder . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 parts.

Saltpeter . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Pulverized roll sulfur . . . . . . . . . 2
Coarse litharge. . . . . . . . . . . “ 1|2
Two tubes joined together is the length that I

recommend. When the tubes are charged, they are
passed through the mechanical knurler. When
these tubes have been finished, only half the work
has been done; for the little suns are made of two
sorts of tubes.
(1) The selection of the paper is very difficult; it is very

important that it be of a suitable quality. If it is not well-
bound and made of good rags, the tubes will break on being
rolled.

( 64 )
I am going to describe the method of making

and of charging the tubes of color composition:
very thin paper, but sized and of good consistency,
must be used for these tubes: I have found the
writing paper called onion skin to be the most
suitable; it is a little costly, but it can be replaced
with a thin blue paper produced mechanically,
called poster paper. Brouillard paper is not
suitable; it is too spongy and burns too quickly.
From this thin paper, cut some strips nine to ten
lignes in width; fold the strips in three, coat the
underside of the last fold with a rather thick
solution of gum arabic, using a little feather
paintbrush, in such a way as to form a tube that
becomes cylindrical when one blows into it. As the
tube is glued flat, quickly, before it is dry, push a
little iron rod into it to separate the parts that
might adhere and that would prevent the
composition from descending when the tubes are
being charged. This way of making tubes takes
longer than rolling the paper onto a former, but in
this way they can be made much thinner, a very
important characteristic for the use for which they
are intended. I have proved by experience that if
these tubes are not exceptionally thin, the residue
from the combustion is partially retained by the
charred paper, the flame appears with difficulty
and its color is even, at least partially, destroyed: it

( 65 )
is essential that the charred paper should offer no

resistance and that the residue should escape
progressively and allow the flame to appear in all
its purity.
The reason for using stronger, and somewhat
thicker, paper for the turning tubes of these little
suns, than is used for the tubes of ordinary
pinwheels, is that the flame of the second tube, of
which the basis is chlorate of potash, is very
penetrating and were it to burn through the paper
of the tuning tube, the impulse would then act in
several opposing directions, and, in consequence,
the effect would be completely destroyed.
But let us return to the color tubes: give them, as
for the turning tubes, the length of two sheets of
paper. Connect and glue the two little strips of
paper before forming them into tubes; then, in
addition, to one end of the to connected tubes, glue
a little piece of wider paper, so that there will be an
opening large enough to permit the introduction of
a little cardboard funnel; bind the top of the tube
to the end of the funnel with a strand of heavy
wire, and, to ensure that the tube stays in place
and cannot slip off the end of the funnel, make the
end of the funnel a little larger at the tip, to
prevent the wire from slipping down. To charge the
tubes, it is necessary to use a different technique
from that used for other tubes. If they were to be
5

( 66 )
charged with an iron rod, they would inevitably be

ripped to pieces. I have invented a method that
succeeds perfectly and that is very fast. To a
wooden rod, about an inch in diameter and three
and a half feet to four feet in length, fit two plates
of six to eight inches in diameter, and perhaps six
or eight lignes thick. First, drill the one that is
intended to be the higher, with twelve holes, or
even more if you wish, of a diameter that allows
the easy introduction of the tubes; fix this first
plate solidly to the top end of the rod; then drill the
second plate correspondingly but with holes three
times larger, and place it about six or eight inches
from the base of the rod. The distance between the
two plates must be the length of the tubes, less
about two inches; fix it as solidly as possible, by
drilling a hole in the rod, below the plate, and
inserting into it a wooden dowel that acts as a key
and stops the plate from coming down. The holes
in the lower plate must be conical. The tubes are
introduced first into the upper holes; the ends of
these tubes must also go into the lower holes
corresponding to the upper holes, and must project
from the plate by about an inch. The tubes are
held by pulling the parts of the tubes that project
below the lower plate. The funnels that are
attached to the tubes, and which end up above the

( 67 )
higher plate, act as supports. They are kept in

place by forcing in the holes, in the top of the
second plate, big dowels cut to a conical shape: the
ends of these plugs must project, under the plate,
some seven or eight lignes and be pierced with long
narrow openings to receive the wedges that must
keep the plugs tight and, consequently, hold the
tubes in place. The tubes are charged by placing,
in each little funnel, a small quantity of
composition; the rod is held vertically, raised a
little above the ground and allowed to fall gently.
As the tubes are very thin, it takes very little to
break them: a weak shock is sufficient to cause the
composition to descend; in any case, the
composition requires only very slight compression.
This way of charging the tubes is very quick; it can
even be used for turning tubes: I have tried it, and
it succeeded completely for me, the tubes being as
hard as if they had been charged in the ordinary
way, and never becoming blocked; the only thing
is, the rod must be allowed to fall from a greater
height, so as to provide a stronger shock.
For the little suns to produce varied effects, the
second tubes have to be charged with different
compositions: for example, if the tubes were 36
inches in length, they could be charged with three
inches of yellow composition, three inches of white,
three inches of blue, three of white, three

( 68 )
of green, three of violet, three of white, three of

pink, three of blue, three of red, three of green and
three inches of violet composition. As you can see,
the manner can be very varied. There are
circumstances where they are made of but one
color: for example, if these little suns are to be
placed in the middle of the diamond shapes of
mosaics: it is also necessary at times to make the
tubes shorter, to match their duration to that of
the fireworks that they are to accompany.
The tubes of color composition must not be
passed though the mechanical knurler, they would
tear. They must be passed very lightly under a
hand knurler, with little teeth, or instead of a
knurler, a wooden roller, just to flatten them. I
forgot to say that the color tube should always be a
little narrower than the turning tube; it must also
be about three inches shorter; and here are the
reasons: firstly, for the width; if the color tube were
wider, or even of the same width, as the turning
tube, the flame would have too much volume, and
its action could burn the turning tube; instead,
being smaller and being placed tightly between to
turns of the turning tube, the flame has less
expansion and does not have the same
disadvantages. In general, the tubes of medium
size are better than the large, and use less
composition.
The reason for giving less length to the color

( 69 )
tubes than to the turning tubes is that if the color

tube were to finish last, it would remain immobile
for all the time it burned alone, which would
produce a bad effect; instead, if the color tube
finishes first, it is in motion until the end. With a
little paintbrush, coat a rather thick solution of
gum arabic, or of strong glue, onto the lower
surface of the turning tube, that is to say, the
surface of the tube marked by the teeth of the
knurler; place the color tube over it, keeping it as
straight as possible; press it with the hand so that
it is well glued; prime the two tubes by folding in
half a strand of match about two inches in length;
push one of the ends into the turning tube, and
the other end into the color tube in such a way
that the fire reaches both tubes at the same time;
fix the two ends of the strand of match with a little
priming paste (1). It is not necessary to secure the
match by gluing paper over it. I have found a
disadvantage of that method: the match, being
confined, makes a little explosion that often causes
a tear in the color tube; the impulse, being applied
at one time, often makes the tear propagate along
(1) This priming paste must be slower than that ordinarily

used. To 24 parts of powder, 8 parts of saltpeter must be
added: if it were as quick as that ordinarily used, it would
make the tube tear.

( 70 )
the whole length of the tube. As I have said, the

color tube must be about three inches shorter than
the turning tube: I have stated the reason for this.
When the two tubes are glued and dried, use the
paintbrush to coat the lower surface of the color
tube, and the three inches of turning tube, with
strong glue. Roll it onto a little wooden disc, with a
very small hole drilled in the center, and about the
same size and thickness as a playing-piece used in
the game of drafts; to roll the little suns more
easily, drive a little headless nail vertically into a
table, so that it is firmly fixed. Rub the area of the
table around the nail with soap, so there will be
less friction; let the nail go into the hole in the disc,
and then roll the double tubes as round and as
tight as possible, which finishes the little sun.
To prevent them from unrolling themselves,
secure them with some wire, until they are
completely dry.
Pinwheels in general, and particularly the little
dahlia suns, are heavy and do not always turn as
soon as they are fired; it is often necessary to give
them the initial impulse, by giving them a little
movement with the hand; but this is a serious
defect if they are to be used as decorations in other
firework pieces. I have invented a very simple way
to solve that problem: the little suns are placed
perpendicularly on a pivot, for example on a pin; if

( 71 )
the end to which the fire must be applied should

be at the bottom, it will be difficult to overcome the
inertial resistance and the wheel will not turn.
Therefore, stick a little piece of tube, an inch in
length, on the top of the little sun; that is to say,
when the little sun is on its pivot (1) and in
equilibrium, the little piece of tube will be precisely
placed at the top, in such a way as to provide the
little sun with the impulse to make it turn. Put
into this accessory tube a piece of quick match
contained in a very small pipe (I have explained, p.
54) the way to prepare quick match so that it takes
up little space) that must correspond to the ends of
the main tubes, which are below or on the side.
The upper tube and the two other tubes must be in
the same direction and take fire at the same time.
For the little suns to produce their best effect,
they must be placed five or six feet high and well
separated. They can be fixed on a rod of white
wood, rounded at the end, placed horizontally and
jutting out six or eight inches, whether from a wall,
from a gate or from a post, for if they be placed
near an object having a large surface, there can be
(1) The pivots that I use for little suns, and which really
seem to me to be preferable, are large drapers’ pins.

( 72 )
repercussion, sending fire back to the little sun,

and it will be consumed in a second without having
produced its effect. These precautions are
doubtless very meticulous, but they are none the
less essential if these little pieces are to perform
well.
DAHLIA PINWHEELS,
WITH WREATHS OF COLOR GRAINS.
These little suns greatly resemble the simple

dahlia pinwheels. They produce a greater effect,
but they do not last as long, are more complicated
and consequently take longer, and are more
difficult, to make. Cut a disk of cardboard four
inches in diameter, which must be pierced with a
little hole at the center; draw in the middle with a
pencil, a line that divides the disk into two equal
parts; glue, with strong glue, on one of the two
halves of the disk, and parallel to the center line,
four little fountains of color grains (I have given ,
page 53, the method for making these little
fountains); each fountain must be charged with
grains of a different color, for example, the first,
blue; the second, violet; the third, green; and the
fourth, red, etc. These fountains are of unequal
lengths, so that on being stuck onto the cardboard
they do not change the shape of the disk. On the
other half of the disk glue the same number of
fountains always placed parallel to the center line.

( 73 )
But the ends that are to be lit must be opposed to

the first ones, that is to say that if the closed ends
of the fountains on the first half of the disk are to
the left, the closed ends of those on the second half
of the disk must be to the right. The first fountain
on the first half of the disk must take fire at the
same time as the last fountain on the second half;
one sprays to the right, the other to the left. These
two fountains must be the same color; the second
and the seventh must take fire at the same time
and be of the same color, the third and the sixth,
the fourth and the fifth must likewise take fire at
the same time and also be of the same color. As
can be seen, there are always two fountains of the
same color that take fire at the same time, one on
the top to the left, the other at the bottom to the
right. On the side of each fountain, at the end,
make a little hole to take a match that, when the
fountain has finished its effect, sends the fire to
the following fountain, etc. For covering the match,
use the little tubes that I have described on page
54; to prevent the fire from igniting several
fountains at once, glue over each end of the
fountains, when they have been matched, some
brouillard paper that has been soaked in a solution
of phosphate of ammoniac; on the first and the
last fountain, glue a little tube-end charged with
color composition; these little tubes must take fire
at the same time as the first and the

( 74 )
last fountain, and must last for the whole time that
the pinwheel is burning; they must be charged
with four different colors, but both the same, that
is, so that when the top one gives a blue flame, the
lower one also give a flame of that same color, etc.
A space of three lignes must be left in the middle
of the disc; two little button-shaped pieces of wood
are glued above and below the disk at the centre,
to form a sort of hub to receive the pivot; the little
suns, if they are to produce all their effect, must be
placed five or six feet high.
The same number of fountains that were glued
to the front of the cardboard could be glued behind
it; the pinwheels would then last twice as long, but
could be perhaps a little too heavy.
METHOD OF RAIN PROOFING

THE FIREWORK PIECES.
When a firework display of some considerable size

is being prepared, a large number of the pieces
must be put in position in advance, at the risk of
their being wet in the event of bad weather, and so
being damaged to the extent that they could no
longer be used, unless the fireworks could survive
such immersions without being spoiled.

( 75 )
I suggest the following procedure:
Coat some thin sheets of paper with a thin layer

of a solution of rubber. As this type of varnish
dries with difficulty, do not bother about drying it;
simply place on each coated sheet another sheet of
paper; they will stick together and the varnish will
be between the two sheets. Make covers for all the
cartridges with this double paper. The match tubes
are also to be made of this same paper. Firework
pieces covered in this way will be able to face the
heaviest rain with impunity.
To dissolve rubber, first put it into a terrine full

of water and cut it up, with a pair of scissors, into
the smallest pieces possible; cut it under water so
that it does not stick to the scissors. Cut it up as
small as you can, re-cutting the pieces that fall to
the bottom of the terrine several times with the
scissors. The more finely the rubber has been cut,
the more readily will it dissolve; retrieve the little
pieces from the water and dry them. Dissolve
them in a mixture of three quarters essential oil of
coal, and one quarter essential oil of rubber
(caoutchouc). Put the mixture into a drying oven;

( 76 )
stir it from time to time. After a few days, the

rubber will be completely dissolved.
STARS WITHOUT BEING DAMPENED

Stars can be made without making the
composition into a dough; this method is useful,
when one is in a hurry and there is not time to
wait for the stars to dry. (Never dry stars
containing chlorate in the drying oven; there is a
risk that they will catch fire. This accident has
happened to me several times.) Roll, on a former a
little larger than the desired size of the stars, a
little strip of thin, smooth brouillard paper; when
rolling this paper do not make it overlap more than
five or six lignes, so as to form a tube having as
little thickness as possible. When it is glued, make
a third of the tube project beyond the end of the
former , put a little glue on the outside of the paper
projecting from the end of the former; fold it over
the end of the former; press the end of the former
over which the paper has been folded on the inside
of the hand, thus sticking and completely closing
the end of the paper tube; remove it from the
former, fill it two-thirds with composition; put in
the centre a little strand of match, sinking it to the
depth of the tube, fold the paper onto the
composition, compressing it a little; the match,

( 77 )
after this first operation, must project about two

or three lignes. Take a piece of hardwood (box or
mountain ash are the best woods for this purpose),
round or square, of about three inches in diameter,
and of a thickness at least double the height that
is desired for the stars. Drill a hole in the middle,
this hole must be imperceptibly conical so that the
stars can come out easily. Take a former, also of
wood, four to five inches in length, of cylindrical
shape and of a size to fit easily into the hole. This
former must have a little hole drilled up the centre,
like the rammers for charging rockets; but not,
however, so large and of an inch to an inch and a
half in depth. This hole is intended to protect the
match of the stars. Place the flat piece of wood with
the hole in the middle on a plain stone or a thick
piece of marble; put the little tube of composition
into the hole. Then take the former, and put it into
the hole, taking care that the match projecting
from the tube goes into the little hole in the former,
and give several blows with a mallet to compress
the star well. When it is compressed, make it come
out by placing the flat piece of wood on a similar
piece of wood, but of which the hole is a third or
twice as large. Strike with the former, and the star
will fall out. It must be well formed and nicely
smooth, the match must also be

( 78 )
in good condition. It is possible, by using this

same method, to make stars without paper tubes,
but the composition must then be very slightly
dampened, but only to the extent that on applying
a flame to a small quantity of the composition, it
takes fire easily. Fill the hole in the flat piece of
wood with dampened composition, put a little
strand of match in the middle, take the rammer,
always taking care that the match goes into the
little hole in the middle. Strike a blow with the
mallet, then make the star come out in the same
way as that contained in the brouillard paper.
If the composition requires it, these stars can be
primed as I have indicated previously. These stars,
being slightly damp, are soon dry and, in my
opinion, are preferable to those that are made from
dough. In general, the compositions should be
dampened as little as possible. The water dissolves
the more soluble salts: this solution moves to the
surface of the stars; consequently, the mixture is
imperfect and the stars must be mediocre.
METHOD
OF PULVERIZING SUBSTANCES QUICKLY.
Materials (apart from the chlorate) can be

pulverized in a ball mill similar to those with

( 79 )
which firework makers make their powder; that

takes less time and avoids the trouble that is often
experienced when attempting to pass slightly damp
substances though a silk sieve. By this procedure,
the materials can be so well triturated that there is
no need to put them through the silk sieve. Only
the chlorate, that is to be mixed with the other
ingredients, must be ground separately and put
through the silk sieve.
To mix compositions intimately, proceed as
follows: the substances having been well pulverized
or passed through a silk sieve, weigh them
separately and with care, unless the compositions
must contain lampblack. As this material is greasy,
and as it is broken up with difficulty, put it
separately into a mortar with about double its
volume of other substances (excepting, however,
the chlorate, which must never be ground when it
is mixed with other ingredients), crush it well with
the pestle and turn it with a card; when this partial
mixture has been made, put it, along with all the
other ingredients of the composition, onto a very
big sheet of cardboard: to mix the composition
well, use a wooden knurler four or five inches in
diameter, which, instead of having a flat surface,
has the shape of a lens of weak curvature, and of
which the angles or edges are rounded so as not to
tear the cardboard; crush all the substances and

( 80 )
mix them well, by walking this knurler over the

surface of the cardboard, which will be placed on a
table; from time to time return the composition to
the middle, by lifting the corners of the cardboard
and striking it with the fingers to make the portion
that is attached to it fall down; to complete the
mixing, pass the composition once or twice
through a linen sieve.
SOME NEW WAYS

OF USING COLORED FIRES.
Before the discovery of chlorate of potash, the

art of fireworks was very limited, particularly
ground fireworks; there had been efforts to imitate
various meteors, and even to represent great
convulsions of nature, such as volcanic eruptions,
etc., but only in a very imperfect way. Despite the
possession at the present time of some beautiful
colors, little progress has been made; it can be
presumed that pyrotechny will never be an
imitative art; there is furthermore an invincible
obstacle, namely smoke: it almost always
predominates, and hides from the spectator, if not
completely, at least in part, the effects of the most
artistically executed pieces; all the pyrotechnist’s
knowledge is almost lost, the most ingeniously

( 81 )
composed designs, the most happily harmonized

colors, all this is enveloped by a veil, and forms
nothing but a dull mass.
It is only the aerial fires that can really produce
a good effect; it is by contrasts, and by seeking to
vary, to augment the impact of the colors, that one
can aspire to some further improvements. I have
thought that little fountains charged with grains
could be attached to rockets: each rocket would
mark its passage through the air by leaving a trail
of sparks of different colors. Three fountains could
be glued and tied to the rocket case: the fountains
and the rocket would take fire at the same time;
this would not prevent the use of garnitures; these
colored fountains would somewhat increase the
weight of the rocket, but this disadvantage would
be neutralized or at least lessened by the property
possessed by these fountains of augmenting the
ascending force of the rocket.
Little color fountains could also be glued to each
end of a table rocket, which would form a
whirlwind of different color for each rocket; in
addition, a garniture of little stars could be placed
at the center of the case: these two things would
break up the uniformity of this piece, of which the
effect, without these additions, is not very varied.
That defect of ground fireworks, smoke, the
disadvantages of which I have stated, really only
6

( 82 )
arises in big firework displays, particularly those

for public celebrations; when only pieces of smaller
size are used, they can be made portable and
positioned in such a way that the wind comes from
the spectators’ side and that the smoke is blown
behind the pieces.
I think that the effects of turning suns, glories
and mosaics could be modified: with the turning
suns, three or four fountains of grains of the same
length as the case could be glued to each case;
these small fountains do not last as long as the
fountain of the case; it could be arranged that only
some of the fountains were fired at first, and when
they were finished, they would send the fire, by
quickmatch, to the other fountains. Finally, for the
whole duration of the principal fountain, the little
fountains glued on the first case would be of one
color, those glued on the second case would have
another color, and so on.
These little fountains would form a wreath of a
very handsome effect; this would not prevent the
placing on the front part of the wheel a short piece
of colored lance that would form a circle and that
would change color at the end of each case; in
addition, there could be placed at the middle, on
the pivot (by putting there a little wooden dowel
closed at the end, to permit the sinking of a pin) of
the wheel of the big sun, a dahlia pinwheel

( 83 )
(little sun), which could be made to turn in the

opposite direction, or in the same direction as the
big sun, if preferred; this would complete the big
sun and produce a very handsome effect.
Fixed suns could be made with little color
fountains, with a little dahlia sun also placed in
the middle. Similarly, color fountains could be
used, by combining several together, to form the
diamond shapes of mosaics. A little dahlia sun,
which would not be of the same color, could be
placed in the middle of each diamond. For
example, if a diamond were to be formed by
fountains of green grains, the little sun that would
be placed in the middle would be red; another
diamond could be violet, and the little sun yellow,
etc.
In order that decorative pieces, that are
intended to be viewed by a great number of
spectators, could be seen from a sufficient
distance, flames (flat vessels filled with slow
compositions) could be used instead of lances, to
form any desired patterns; if it were found that the
flames did not last long enough, a little hole could
be bored in the bottom of the vessel, and a piece of
quickmatch would take the fire to another flame
that could be placed at the side or a little to the
back. If it were found that the match carried the
fire to the second flame too quickly, it could easily
be slowed down; not only could the decorative
effect be made to last long enough,

( 84 )
but in the same way the color could be made to

change several times. Decorations in which the
patterns are formed with flames, are much more
expensive than those made with lances, but they
project, and to a sufficiently great distance, a lively
light of a very great effect.

TABLE.
Substances that are used in the composition of colored fires . 5

Arsenate of copper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Arsenate of potash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Bi-carbonate of soda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Bromate of baryta. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
White lead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Calomel, or mild mercury prepared from the vapor . . . . . . do.
Charcoal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Chalk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Carbonate of copper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Carbonate of soda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
English blue ash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Chlorate of potash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Chlorate of soda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Chlorate of copper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Chlorate of baryta. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Artificial gilding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Yellow amber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Litharge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Carbonated copper ore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Malachite. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Nitrate of strontian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Method of purifying (nitrate of strontian) . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Nitrate of baryta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Lampblack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Oxalate of copper. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Oxalate of soda. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Orpiment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Plaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
White precipitate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Phosphate of copper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.

( 86 )
Precipitate of copper sulfate solution with filtered lime water . 20

Phosphate of ammoniac. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Regulus of antimony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Sulfur. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Sulfate of copper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Saltpeter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Tartrate of copper. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Verdigris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Zinc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
General considerations concerning the compositions . . . . . 23
Compositions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
White n.1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
White n. 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Light yellow for stars n.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Medium yellow for stars n. 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Deep yellow for stars and for flames n.5. . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Medium yellow for dahlia pinwheels n. 6 . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Yellow with saltpeter for stars n. 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30.
Green for stars n. 8. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Composition n. 9, for priming green stars. . . . . . . . . . . 34
Green for flames n. 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Green for stars and for little suns n. 11. . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Emerald green n. 12 (with chlorate of baryta) . . . . . . . . . do.
Emerald green n. 13 (with bromate of baryta). . . . . . . . . 35
Green with zinc for garnitures, n. 14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Blue n. 15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Blue n. 15 continued . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Blue n. 16 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Blue n. 17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Blue n. 18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38.
Slow blue n. 19. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Slow blue n. 20. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Composition n. 21, for priming blue stars. . . . . . . . . . . do.
Light pink n. 22. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Another light pink n. 23 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Medium pink n. 24. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.

( 87 )
Deep pink n. 25. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Pink for grains n. 26 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42.
Violet n. 27 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Violet for grains n. 28. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Crimson n. 29 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Composition n. 30, for priming red stars . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Crimson for little grains n. 31. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Red for little grains n. 32 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Red for stars n. 33 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Red for stars n. 34 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Red for stars n. 35 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Red for stars n. 36 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Red for stars n. 37 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Red for flames n. 38 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Red for flames n. 39 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Corn poppy red for flames n. 40. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Supplementary compositions (or second series). . . . . . . . 48
White n. 41. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Light yellow for stars n. 42 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Medium yellow for stars n. 43. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Deep yellow for stars n. 44 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Composition n. 45, for priming yellow stars. . . . . . . . . . do.
Yellow for flames, n. 46. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Green for stars, n. 47. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Green for stars, n. 48. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Green for stars, n. 49. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Green for flames, n. 50 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Pistachio green for stars, n. 51 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Blue for stars, n. 52. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Blue for stars, n. 55. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Blue n. 57 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Blue for stars, n. 58. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Composition that gives brilliance and makes the color blue

( 88 )
deeper, n. 60 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Lilac for stars n. 61. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Lilac for stars n. 62. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Pink for stars and for little grains n. 63. . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Crimson for little suns n. 64 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Red for stars n. 65 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Corn poppy red n. 66 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Color grains, how to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Fountains made with the grains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Match pipes, taking up less space than those ordinarily used. 61
Method of making paper incombustible. . . . . . . . . . . . do.
Little suns, or dahlia pinwheels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Composition for the turning tubes of little suns. . . . . . . . 63
Color tubes, method for gluing them and charging them . . . 64
Dahlia pinwheels with rings of color grains . . . . . . . 72
Method of rain proofing fireworks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Stars without being dampened . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Method of pulverizing substances quickly. . . . . . . . . . . 78
Some new ways of using colored fires. . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Decorations made with flames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
THE END
MÉVREL’S Printery, 54 Cairo Way.

Essay On The Compositions That Give The Most Beautiful Colors of Fireworks.

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ESSAY

AND AT ALL BOOKSELLERS.

This translation copyright © Barry T. Sturman 2006

because instead of promoting combustion it slows

This translation copyright © Barry T. Sturman 2006

I shall spare myself the task of describing the

This translation copyright © Barry T. Sturman 2006

at least six ways of going about it, but there is only

This translation copyright © Barry T. Sturman 2006

It is used in the composition of certain yellows; it is

This substance produces a very beautiful emerald

It gives a bluish-white flame; mixed with the blue,

This translation copyright © Barry T. Sturman 2006

This translation copyright © Barry T. Sturman 2006

crimson. As it is easy to make, it is as well to

This translation copyright © Barry T. Sturman 2006

be washed at least twice, for the potash not only

CARBONATE OF SODA (dried),

It produces only a very pale yellow, it is used to

ENGLISH BLUE ASH.

(1) I have found very good material at M. Moulin’s, color

This translation copyright © Barry T. Sturman 2006

This translation copyright © Barry T. Sturman 2006

beautiful (1). It is essential to purify it several

(1) I have found it at three francs an ounce, at M.

This translation copyright © Barry T. Sturman 2006

boring task, but none the less it is the only way of

CARBONATED COPPER ORE IN BLUE

This translation copyright © Barry T. Sturman 2006

beautiful blues; it must be used only as a very

(1) There is one, however, who has offered to supply me

This translation copyright © Barry T. Sturman 2006

to keep; it cannot be used if it has not been well

This translation copyright © Barry T. Sturman 2006

so simple that it is sufficient just to think of it. It

This translation copyright © Barry T. Sturman 2006

good quality (1): but if the compositions are to be

(1) I have found it of very good quality at M. Quesneville’s,

This translation copyright © Barry T. Sturman 2006

This translation copyright © Barry T. Sturman 2006

or only very slightly. Filter through unsized

ORPIMENT (Sulfate of arsenic.)

This translation copyright © Barry T. Sturman 2006

to replace this substance, a preparation that has

(1) The water must be filtered quickly as soon as the lime

This translation copyright © Barry T. Sturman 2006

and then continue the same merry-go-round until

This translation copyright © Barry T. Sturman 2006

iron sheet, which is placed on a stove having a

SALTPETER ( Nitrate of potash, or azotate.)

This is used in the compositions of almost all

This translation copyright © Barry T. Sturman 2006

tance; it gives, however, a passable green, which

Before giving the recipes for the compositions, I

This translation copyright © Barry T. Sturman 2006

is essential; some firework makers content

This translation copyright © Barry T. Sturman 2006

be too fast, add (but always with caution) some

This translation copyright © Barry T. Sturman 2006

these compositions are not suitable for stars and

Simple, and of little cost, this composition is none

(1) Regulus of antimony is far preferable to the

This translation copyright © Barry T. Sturman 2006