Important: Safety Warning
This page contains instructions involving gunpowder or other explosive or pyrotechnic compositions. Preparing explosives as described has caused severe injuries and deaths, and is illegal in most places.
In addition, this page describes trade processes that use dangerously toxic materials such as cyanide solutions, mercury amalgams, or strong acids. These processes require training, equipment, and precautions far beyond what the text describes.
This information has been left in for historical purposes but should not be acted upon.
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Red Light
Nitrate of strontia, neously. The proper mode of extinguishing 12 parts; chlorate of potassa, 8 parts; sugar such a fire is to throw damp sand, ashes, sawof milk, 1 part; stearine, 2 parts. dust, lime, or any powder, wet sacking or 2124. Caution in the Use of Chlorate carpeting, in short, any material which will of Potassa. This substance should never exclude the air from the fire. No attempt be kept in admixture with any inflammable should be made to remove the covering for matter, especially sulphur or phosphorus, as some time after the flame has been extinthey explode with terrific violence by the guished. The place should afterward be thormost trivial causes, and not unfrequently spon- oughly washed by a powerful jet of water taneously. All pounding and rubbing must forced upon it. be avoided.
Explosives. This is a general term for all substances which explode 2125. Paper for Producing Flashes of Colored Light. Soak unsized paper for ten minutes in a mixture of 4 parts, by measure, oil of vitriol, and 5 parts strong fuming nitric acid; wash out thoroughly in warm dis- with violence. Some of these, as gunpowder, tilled water, and dry it thoroughly at a gentle gun-cotton, &c., explode by being brought heat. The paper thus prepared is similar in into contact with fire. Others, to which the its properties to gun cotton, and a small term of Fulminates is applied, explode with pellet of it, lighted at one point at a flame, violence by slight heat, friction, or concussion. EXPLOSIVES.