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PYROTECHNY.

PYROTECHNY , and tne arl of fire, or a science

which teaches the management and application of tire in severaloperations. See Fire, Furnace, Chemistry, Distillation,Metallurgy , &c. But the term is more particularly used tonote the doctrine of artificial fire-works and fire-arms, teaching thestructure and use, 1. Of those used, in war, the attacking of fortifi-cations, &e. for which see the articles Fusee, Gun, Gun-Pow-der, Mine, Musket , Ordnance, Projectiles, &c. ; and. 2.Of those made for amusement’s sake, as rockets, stars, serpents,&c. the preparation and construction of which fall to be explainedin the present article.

Of Ingredients and Compositions.

The principal ingredients in fire-works are, saltpetre, sulphur,charcoal, gunpowder, camphor, and gum.benjamin.

Spur-fire , so called from its sparks resembling the rowel of aspur, is the most beautiful and curious of any yet known; and■ was invented by the Chinese, but now is in greater perfection inEngland than in China . Care must bn taken that all the ingre-dients be of the best, that the lamp-black is not damp and clodded,that the saltpetre and brimstone are thoroughly refined. Thecomposition consists of saltpetre, 41b. 8oz. sulphur, 2 lb. and lamp-black, lib. 8oz. or, saltpetre, lib. sulphur, half alb. and lamp-black, 4 quarts. This composition is very difficult to mix. Thesaltpetre and brimstone must be first sifted together, and thenput into a marble-mortar, and the lamp-black with them, workeddown by degrees with a wooden pestle, till all the ingredients ap-pear of one colour, which will be something greyish, hut very nearblack ; then drive a little into a case for trial, and fire it in a darkplace; and if the sparks, which are called stars, or pinks, comeout in clusters, and afterwards spread well without any othersparks, it is a sign of its being good, otherwise not; for if anydrossy sparks appear, and the stars not full, it is then not mixedenough; but if the pinks are very small, and soon break, it is asign that you have rubbed it too much.

To prepare Cast Iron for Gerbes, SfC. —Cast iron being toohard to be cut, must be reduced into grains; get at an iron-foun-dery some thin pieces of iron, such as run over die mould in cast-ing; then have a square block made of cast iron, and an ironsquare hammer about 41b. weight; then, having covered the floorwith cloth to catch the beatings, lay the pieces of iron on the block,and beat them with the hammer till reduced into small grains ;which afterwards searce with a very fine sieve, to separate the finedust, which is used in small cases of brilliant fire, instead of steel-dust ; sift what remains with a sieve a little larger, and so on withsieves of different sizes, till the iron passes through about the big-ness of small bird-shot; the iron thus beat and sifted, put eachsort into wooden boxes or oiled paper, to keep it from rusting.When you use it, observe the difference of its size, in proportionto the cases for which the charge is intended.

Charges for Sky-Rockets, fc. —For rockets of 4 ounces, takemeal-powder, lib. 4oz. saltpetre, 4oz. and charcoal, 2 oz. Forrockets of 8 ounces, take meal-powder, lib. saltpetre , 4 oz.brimstone, 3 oz. and charcoal, l and a half oz. For rockets ofone pound, take meal-powder, 21b. saltpetre , 8 oz. brimstone,4oz. charcoal, 2oz. and steel-filings, I and a half oz. Sky-rocketsin general. Saltpetre, 41b. brimstone, 1 and a half lb. charcoal,lib. 12oz.and meal-powder, 2 oz.

For Rocket-Stars. — White. Meal-powder, 4 oz. saltpetre , 12oz. sulphur vivum, 6 oz. oil of spike, 2 oz. and camphor, 5oz.Blue. Meal-powder, 8oz. saltpetre, 4, sulphur, 2, spirit of wine, 2,and oil of spike, 2, Variegated. Meal-powder, 8 dr. rochpetre.4oz. sulphur vivum, 2, aud camphor, 2. Brilliant. Saltpetre , 3 anda half oz. sulphur, 1 and a half, and meal-powder, three-4ths,worked up with spirits of wine only. Common. Saltpetre, lib.brimstone, 4 oz. antimony, 4 and three-4ths, isinglass, one-half,camphor, one-half, and spirits of wine, three-4tlis. Tailed Stars.Meal-powder, 3 oz. brimstone, 2, saltpetre, 1, and charcoal,(coarsely ground,) three-4ths. Drove Stars. Saltpetre, 31b. sul-

1 plinr, lib. brass-dust, 12 oz. antimony 3. Fixed pointed. SaU»

| petre, 8 and a half oz. sulphur, 2, antimony, loz. lOdr. Stars of

■ a fine colour. Sulphur, loz. meal-powder, I, saltpetre, J,cam«

I pbor,. 4 dr. oil of turpentine, 4 dr.

| Rains. —Gold-rain for sky-rockets. Saltpetre, lib. meal-pow-der, 4oz. sulphur, 4, brass-dust, 1, saw-dust, 2 and oue-4lh, andglass-dust, 6dr. Silver-Rain. Saltpetre , 4oz. sulphur, meal-powder, and antimony, of each 2oz, sal prunella, one-half oz. dust,three-4th oz.

Water-Rockets . —I.Meal-powder, Gib. saltpetre, 4, brimstone, 3,charcoal, 5. II. Meal-powder, lib. saltpetre, 3, brimstone, 1, sea-coal, loz. charcoal, 8 and half, saw-dust, three-4ths, steel-dust,one-half, and coarse charcoal, one-4th oz. Sinking charge forWater-Ilockcts. Meal-powder, Soz. charcoal, three-4ths oz.

Wheels. —Wheel-cases from two ounces to four pounds. T.Meal-powder, 21b. saltpetre, 4oz. iron-filings, 7. II. Meal-pow-der, 21b. saltpetu, 12oz. sulphur, 4, steel-dust, 3. 111. Meal-pow-der, 8oz. saltpetre, 4, saw-dust, 1 and a half, sea-coal,, thn:c-4lhs.IV. Saltpetre , 2lb. brimstone, 1, meal-powder, 4, and glass-dust,4oz. V. Meal-powder, 21b. steel-dust, 2 and a half with 2 aiul ahalf of the fine dust of beat-iron. Slow fire for wheels. Saltpetre ,

■ 4oz. brimstone, 1, and antimony, loz. (loir. Dcadfirc for wheels.Saltpetre, 1 and one-4th oz. brimstone, one-4th, lapis calaminavis,

! o»e-4lh, and antimony, 2 dr. -

j Standing or fixed Cases. —I. Meal-powder, 411>. saltpetre, 2,

I brimstone and charcoal, 1. II. Meal-powder, 2lb. saltpetre, l,andsteel-dust, 8oz.

Sun-Cases. —I. Meal-powder, 8 and a half lb. saltpetre, lib.2 oz. steel-dust, 2lb. lOoz. brimstone, 4. II. Meal-powder, 31b,saltpetre, 6oz. and steel dust, 7 and a half.

A brilliant Fire. —Meal-powder, 111b. saltpetre, 1, brimstone,4oz. steel-dust, 1 and a half 11).

Gerbes. —Meal-powder, 61b. and beat iron, 21b. 1 and a half oz.

Chinese Fire. —Saltpetre , 12oz. meal-powder, 21b. brimstone,lib. 2oz. and beat iron, 12oz.

lourbillons. —I. Meal-powder, 21b. 4oz. and charcoal,. 4 anil aj halfoz. 11. Meal-powder, 21b. and charcoal, 4 and three-4th oz.i III. Meal-powder, 2ib. saltpetre, 1, brimstone, Soz. and beat iron,8. Tourbilluns may be made very large, and of different colouredfires; only the larger they me, the weaker must be the charge;,and the smaller, the stronger.

Water-Balloons. —Saltpetre, 41b. brimstone, 2, meal-powder, 2,,antimony, 4oz. saw-dust, 4, and glass-dust, 1 and one-4th.

Water-Squibs. -Meal-powder, lib. and charcoal, lib. or 9oz.

Mine-Ports or Serpents. —Meal-powder, lib. and charcoal,loz.

Port-Fires. —For firing rockets, &c. I. Saltpetre , 8 or 12oz.brimstone, 4oz. and meal-powder, 2oz. II. Saltpetre, lib.2oz. meal-powder, 1 and a half lb. and brimstone, lOoz. Thiscomposition must be moistened with one gill of linseed-oil.For illuminations. Saltpetre, lib. brimstone, Soz. and meal-pow-der, 6oz.

Cones or Spiral Wheels.— Saltpetre, 1 and a half lb. brimstone,6oz. meal-powder, l4oz. and glass-dust, l4oz.

Crowns or Globes. —Saltpetre , Ooz. brimstone, 2ib. antimony,4oz. and camphor, 2oz.

Air-Balloon-Fuz.cs. —Saltpetre, lib. lOoz. brimstone, Soz. andmeal-powder, lib. fioz.

Serpentsfor Pots lies Brins. —Meal-powder, lib. Soz. saltpetre,12oz.-and charcoal, 2oz.

Fire-Pumps. —Saltpetre , Sib. brimstone,, lib. meal-powder, 1and a half lb. and glass-dust, lib.

A sloiu White Flame. —Saltpetre, 3 and a half lb. sulphur, 2 anda half lb. meal-powder, lib. antimony, one-half lb. glass-dust, 4oz.brass-dust, loz.—This composition, driveu 1 and one-4th inch in aloz. case, will burn one minute, which is longer than an equall quantity of any composition yet known will last.

I Amber Lights .— Meal-powder, 9oz. amber, 3ozs This chaige

may be drove in small cases, for illuminations.

Lights