How to make sparklers. How to make a Bengal fire at home: compositions and technology

A wedding is one of the most significant events in a person's life. There are many ways to make this holiday unforgettable. Emphasize romantic mo...

By Masterweb

A wedding is one of the most significant events in a person's life. Therefore, the newlyweds want this event to be bright and unforgettable both for them and for the guests. There are many ways to decorate this holiday. One of them is the use of large sparklers. What to do if the desire to surprise the guests and create an atmosphere is great, but the budget leaves much to be desired? You can make sparkling sticks with your own hands. This requires some preparation and patience.

fire candles

Bengal lights are a familiar decoration for many events, especially weddings and birthdays. They appeared quite a long time ago, in the 5th-6th centuries. n. e. They were first used in Bengal (India), this explains the origin of the name. Sparkling fire was invented by ancient pyrotechnics and was used during sacrifices.

Today, these hand tools consist of a piece of steel wire and a combustible mixture applied to it, sparkling with fire of white or another color. The fountain of bright stars at night evokes enthusiastic emotions of the guests. The advantage is that this small firework in the hands of a person is absolutely safe, which means that it can be used not only outdoors, but also indoors, which is a significant advantage compared to other pyrotechnics. The use of these fire sticks in large quantities makes it possible to emphasize the solemnity of the moment and create a romantic atmosphere. That is why large sparklers at the wedding are always the decoration of the festive evening.

Traditional composition of hand fireworks

The composition of fire candles has long been tested. As a rule, it includes:

1. Barium nitrate - 50%.
2. Blued steel sawdust - 30%.
3. Dextrin - 12-14%.
4. Powder aluminum - 6-8%.

Sometimes, instead of the third preparation, magnesium or aluminum-magnesium powder No. 4 and cast iron shavings (element No. 2) are used.

Due to the fact that sodium, potassium, and sulfur salts are absent in sparklers, they are safe for humans, so there are no special safety precautions when using them, they can be used even in children's companies (under the supervision of adults).

Homemade pyrotechnics

Often amateur experimenters cannot find the necessary components, so they use a slightly different composition of sparklers, which gives similar results. So, to make sparkling sticks at home, you need the following ingredients:

• 5 g of aluminum powder (gives a white fire);
• 2 g of dextrin (improves the adhesion of sawdust to wire, reduces the process of burning gunpowder);
• 5-6 g cast iron (steel, iron, titanium) sawdust (should be of medium grain size, otherwise there will be no beautiful sparks);
• steel bars.

Aluminum powder can be made at home by taking potassium nitrate, aluminum powder and sulfur (the ratio is 50:35:15). These powders must be ground in one container. But in this case, the presence of sulfur obliges the use of the product in open areas.

Dextrin can be obtained by frying starch. It must be evenly distributed on a baking sheet and baked in the oven for about an hour and a half. After the procedure, it should acquire a yellowish or brown color and at the same time remain crumbly.

Bengal lights manufacturing technology

The process of creating sparkling sticks takes place in stages:

1. First you need to cut blanks for lights of the required length from steel wire (one end of the stick should be bent).
2. Thoroughly mix aluminum powder and dextrin in a container, add sawdust to this mass. (White sparks give aluminum and titanium filings, and yellow - cast iron).
3. The next step requires a tall vessel, such as a flask. Pour the mixture into it, add a little water (alcohol can be used) and stir until the consistency of condensed milk.
4. Apply the mixture to the wire (this must be done 5 times).
5. Dry the sparklers (about 15 minutes after each coating and 30 minutes at the end of the process).

Safety precautions for use

Sparkling candles do not emit particularly harmful substances during combustion, but still their use requires compliance with certain rules:

1. Before using sparklers at a wedding, you need to inspect the sticks. If there are chips on them or the mixture breaks off from the rod, then it is better to put such specimens aside. Otherwise, fire particles may get on hands, clothes or shoes.
2. In the process of burning, a small smoke with a specific smell is released, therefore it is necessary to set fire to hand-held fireworks on the street, and if indoors, then it is necessary to provide for the possibility of airing it.
3. The fire stick should be held by the part on which the combustible mixture has not been applied, at an angle to the horizontal surface, thus diverting scattered sparks from your hand.
4. It is necessary to light a candle from the far end of the stick.

And of course, we must not forget that it is necessary to protect these pyrotechnics from children and allow their use only in the presence of adults.

Application during the event

Hand fireworks allow you to emphasize the most romantic moments of the evening. Photos with sparklers will decorate any memorable album from the wedding ceremony. To create charming episodes of the celebration, you can use fire sticks during the first dance of the newlyweds, the symbolic farewell of mother and daughter. It will be advantageous to use them during the ceremony of removing the veil, and of course, during the farewell to the bride and groom in their long and happy life together at the end of the event. Look beautiful on a photo or video lined with a corridor of guests, a halo around the young during the dance. You can also invite guests to draw pictures in the air at night or write wishes to the newlyweds. Lighting long sparklers at a wedding is sure to be a spectacular and memorable moment for all guests.

In order to prevent the occurrence of unpleasant situations when using sparkling sticks, it is advisable to consider the following points:

• It is necessary to carefully consider the place for using sparklers (it must accommodate all the guests invited for the photo shoot, and be in an open area).
• Fire candles have a greater visual effect in the dark, so they should be used closer to the night.
• The props should be more in number than the participants, as some sparklers may turn out to be defective, and this will make it impossible for the guest to join the mass action.
• In order to save time on preparing a fire show during the event, you need to provide the required number of matches or lighters.
• Be sure to instruct the guests about what specific actions they should perform with sparkling sticks, and then the idea of ​​the newlyweds will be fully realized.

Bengal lights are the decoration of any wedding ceremony. A small amount of ingredients and simplicity in the technological process allow you to make them at home in any quantity. If you have patience, use your imagination and make an effort, then all the guests will definitely remember the most exciting and beautiful moment of the celebration and the success of the event will be guaranteed!

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Invented many centuries ago by the inhabitants of ancient India. One of the parts of the country is Bengal - a place on the coast of the bay of the same name, which is why such small fireworks are called Bengal. These are thin wire sticks, on which a mixture of chemical elements is applied, which, when burned, give out a kind of crackle and bright color flashes.

Nowadays, such safe and beautiful lights are widely used around the world at festivities, weddings, anniversaries, and sparklers are especially often bought before the New Year. It is safe to light them even at home, you can let children admire such beauty, they are extremely happy at such moments.

Of course, it is easiest to buy such fun in a store or on the market, but for lovers of chemical experiments, we will tell in the article how to make a sparkler at home.

Getting ready for the process

To start mixing the necessary chemical ingredients, you need to prepare them in advance. Many do not dare to create sparklers with their own hands, thinking that it is very difficult to pick up materials. We will now consider the easiest way to prepare the components.

First you need to cut the steel wire into identical pieces. It is desirable that the length of the handle be at least 15 cm so that the fireworks do not burn the fingers. The total length is taken 20-25 cm.

Then you need to prepare a vessel where the ingredients will be mixed. It should be narrow and long in shape so that you can put the sticks into the mixture without smearing the handle.

For the mixture itself, you will need to take 5 grams of aluminum powder and the same amount of aluminum sawdust. You also need dextrin - 2 grams.

We make dextrin

If, in order to make sparklers at home, you could not find the last necessary element, do not be discouraged, you can make it in your own kitchen, having starch and a frying pan.

Preheating the oven to a temperature of 200 degrees, put a frying pan in it, on which ordinary starch is distributed in a thin layer. Occasionally stir the contents with a wooden spoon.

The result is a dark yellow or brown powder after one hour of languishing in the oven. This will be the missing chemical element to make sparklers at home. Dextrin acts as a binding element so that the mixture adheres well to the steel wire and does not crumble before igniting.

Mixing process

After the resulting powder has cooled, the components begin to be mixed. First, aluminum powder and roasted starch are thoroughly mixed. Then sawdust is added and again everything is gently mixed. Next, for sparklers with your own hands, you need to place the resulting powder in a long vessel. You can use a high chemical flask or take a thin, glass bottle is better, but some masters even used plastic packaging from a marker.

Then you need to add a little water or alcohol. We mix the liquid, adding in small portions to get the consistency of condensed milk or thick sour cream.

How to make sparklers: the final step

Before dipping the steel wire into the mixed mixture, experienced craftsmen advise to pre-bend the edge of the wire. On the resulting hook, it is more convenient to hang sparklers to dry.

Now you know how to make a sparkler at home. It remains to understand how to apply the mixture on a stick. This process is not fast. It is necessary to observe safety precautions when working with such a mixture, try to protect hands, mucous membranes of the eyes and mouth from getting the solution.

The sticks must be inserted into the flask five times. After each dive, the mixture is allowed to "drop" from the wire, carefully transferred and hung on rope hooks. Place unnecessary dishes underneath, just in case the solution suddenly drips onto the table.

You need to dip the wire only 5-10 cm, no more, leaving a large length for the handle. Compulsory the condition, before making a sparkler yourself, is the preparation of steel wire. If the metal is different, for example, copper or aluminum, then when ignited, the wire will melt from high temperature and burn the fingers. It is not safe! So it’s better not to experiment, but to listen to experienced masters and not risk your health.

For a wedding, young people can make a surprise. Knowing how to make sparklers with your own hands, you can twist the wire in the shape of a heart and arrange it beautifully by placing it on the table for the newlyweds in a metal bucket, as in the photo above.

What can replace the ingredients?

It is possible to use aluminum powder instead of powder in the composition for the manufacture of a combustible mixture. It is taken in the same proportion, but gunpowder will give the fire a bright white color. The only thing that is bad for a sparkler from gunpowder is the presence of sulfur powder in its composition. If, nevertheless, you used this loose mixture, then do not light a fire in the room. Sulfur will produce smoke.

You can also use cast iron filings instead of aluminum. They sparkle even more, and the sparkler turns out to be more beautiful.

Afterword

From the article, you already understood how to make a Bengal fire with your own hands. It's easy and can be done if desired. You can diversify sticks of sparklers, make not only hearts for lovers for a holiday or wedding, but also all sorts of figurines of your child’s favorite characters for a birthday or numbers for a cake showing how old the birthday person is.

He will be extremely happy. If you also involve him in creating a masterpiece, then you will interest your baby in scientific experiments. And such curiosity will help him when studying at school.

The main difference between sparklers and other pyrotechnic products is the possibility of using them indoors. They are used to create a festive atmosphere at birthdays and other celebrations.

Today, sparklers can be of different sizes, have different shapes, create not only light, but also sound effects. A large selection of pyrotechnics is presented on the website http://www.bah-bah.ru/rzd-9.html.

What is bengal fire

This pyrotechnic product was invented in ancient India on the shores of the Bay of Bengal, which is why these flying sparks are called "Bengal fire".

Today, in factory conditions, several varieties of sparklers are produced, for each of which a special recipe has been developed. The basis of the Bengal candle is a steel wire coated with a mixture, which, when burned, produces a white fire with sparks flying in different directions.

During combustion, there is no formation of smoke and other harmful substances. This is due to the absence of sulfur and sodium and potassium salts in the composition of the mixture. Thanks to this feature, we can light Bengal candles indoors, decorate cakes with them.

What is Bengal fire made of?

There are several recipes for beautiful fire sparks. The simplest of these is the following:

• powder aluminum. It will need 5 grams. This substance emits acrid smoke when burned, so such candles can only be used outdoors;
• dextrin is introduced into the composition as an adhesive, which ensures the bonding of the combustible mixture with the wire;
• iron filings should be medium in size, do not use fine powder. The presence of metal filings in the composition of the mixture ensures the appearance of sparks;
• thick wire. Steel wire must be used as other metals and alloys may melt when burned.

To make candles, we also need a flask or other high capacity.

Manufacturing process

First, all the ingredients are mixed in a suitable container. After the metal filings have been added to the gunpowder and dextrin glue, a small amount of water must be added to the mixture. The result should be the consistency of thick sour cream or condensed milk.

The finished mixture is moved into a narrow flask, and blanks of the same length are cut from steel wire. At the end of each wire stick, a small hook should be made, for which candles will be hung to dry.

Each metal stick is lowered into the solution and sent to dry. This action should be repeated several times so that the layer of the combustible mixture is of sufficient thickness.

Master class on making sparklers - in this video:

Not a single New Year or Christmas passes without the ignition of beautiful and bright sparklers, scattering around them, as if by magic, shining sparks. But few people think about how such "asterisks" are produced and where they came from. But Bengal candles can even be made independently!

A little about the history of sparklers

The history of the first sparklers goes far back into the depths of centuries and is lost in the wilds of ancient India. It is generally accepted by scholars that the first chemical experiments involving flashing bright fires were carried out for religious purposes on the altars of Bengal as early as the 5th century CE. e. It is known that in order to achieve the magical effect of "bengal fire", the clergy threw pre-mixed mixtures containing, among other things, sulfur or rosin into the altar. When it hit the flame, such a mixture began to burn brightly and sparkle, scattering into stars. Then, as history says, sparklers arose in the Far East, from there they moved to Valencia and Spain, and then spread throughout Europe.

What and how are sparklers made of?

To begin with, it should be noted that there are two types of sparklers:

• fiery;
• sparkling.

The Russian scientist and pyrotechnician Professor Petrov was engaged in the manufacture of now rare fiery Bengal candles. The main difference between fiery lights, from the well-known sparkling ones, is that the chemical composition was placed in a paper sleeve, and not applied to a stick. In addition, clay plugs were made in the sleeve, and the candle burned out completely, so it was impossible to hold it in your hands. But at the same time, it gave a bright, strong and even flame, so that if you put it on a holder, you get a convenient lantern or torch.

In modern pyrotechnics, only sparkling Bengal candles are used. The advantages of such products are obvious:

• due to the cold combustion temperature, you can light fires not only on the street, but also in the apartment, and you can hold them in your hands;
• when sparks fall on furnishings, they do not cause harm and do not cause fire;
• Bengal candles do not emit ammonia and do not smoke;
• when burning, a candle scatters beautiful and shining sparks with a golden or silver tint.

So what are Bengal candles made of? First, a metal rod is prepared, on which the pyrotechnic composition will then be applied. Basically, ordinary iron wire is used, which is cut into pieces of a standard length for lights. The recipe for sparklers will be impossible to repeat without knowing how to mix the igniter. Each ingredient is carefully measured and poured in a specific order. For example, if you do not throw enough iron into the mixture according to the recipe, then the candle will burn without beautiful crumbling sparks.

The simplest pyrotechnic mixture for sparklers consists of the following components:

• iron shavings;
• aluminum powder;
• magnesium powder;
• potassium chlorate;
• salt.

When these substances are combined, a white fire is formed. If it is necessary to give it a shade, then starch with water, boiled into a paste, is additionally added. Barium nitrate is added to get a green tint, strontium nitrate is needed for red, and sodium oxalate is needed for yellow. For multi-colored burning of sparklers, you will have to mix cations of strontium, sodium, barium, boron, iron, aluminum and magnesium. The formula for the reaction of such sparklers can be written as follows:

After the mixture is ready for use, it is applied to the rod in a certain proportion. Excess is cut off, irregularities are smoothed out. Next, the blanks are sent for drying. Bengal candles will be ready only after a day of being in a dry and warm room. If the temperature in the room is below 25°C, then the drying of the pyrotechnic substance will take up to a week. If you light candles with a wet composition, they will not burn and the product will simply be damaged. In addition, for ignition, it is required to apply a flammable substance to completely dry candles so that the sparklers flare up immediately upon contact with fire. After that, the products are again sent for drying. After a period of time, from 1 to 3 days, depending on the temperature conditions in the room, the lights can be packaged and packed for further storage.

How to make sparklers at home?

If you have free time and a desire to make a Bengal fire with your own hands, it’s not so difficult. It is only necessary to allocate a place in the house where you can freely mix the pyrotechnic composition so that children or pets do not get to it. In addition, with the wrong proportions, the mixture may ignite, so it is advisable to make sparklers at home, still in outbuildings.

How to make sparklers? First you need to get aluminum powder, dextrin and cast iron (or titanium, steel, aluminum, iron) sawdust of medium grain size. To mix the composition of sparklers, you will need an open square or rectangular container and a glass flask. You also need to remember to prepare metal wire rods up to 15 cm long. Since Bengal candles are made at home, it will be easiest to dry them in a suspended state. This means that on the rods on one side it is necessary to bend the hook.

5 grams of gunpowder, 2 grams of dextrin and 5 grams of chips are poured into the container. After mixing, the mixture is poured into a flask and alcohol is added, the consistency should be quite thick. Now you can dip the rod into the flask. After that, the rod is hung by the hook for drying on a pre-stretched rope. It takes 15-20 minutes for the mixture to dry and you can dip the workpiece into the flask again. Thus, 5 layers are made, after which the future sparkler is hung for final drying, which, depending on the temperature regime, can last from 1 to 7 days.

Burning bengal fire

All sparklers are composed of fuel, an oxidizing agent, metal powder (for sparks), combustible glue and a rod for the entire mass. Most often, the composition of sparklers is as follows:

• aluminum or magnesium powder is used as fuel,
• barium nitrate (barium nitrate) is used as an oxidizing agent,
• as a binder, dextrin or starch is used,
• oxidized iron and steel filings are used to generate sparks,
• metal wire is used as the basis for the combustible mixture.

Why are sparklers so called?

I am sure many of you have wondered why sparklers are called so. Why Bengali? The name comes from the province of Bengal, which is located in India.

In this province, for the first time, a similar composition was used as an alarm. After that, the name Bengal fire went, i.e. fire from Bengal.

How to make sparklers at home

In the book of G.A. Platov "Pyrotechnician. The art of making fireworks ”describes several compositions for the independent manufacture of sparklers. As you can see below, the main components do not change, only the fuel changes:

1. 50% - barium nitrate
2. 30% - steel or iron blued sawdust
3. 13% - dextrin
4. 7% - aluminum powder or magnesium powder or aluminum-magnesium powder (PAM) No. 4.

Barium nitrate can most often be purchased only in specialized chemical stores, so below is the option of making your own sparklers without using barium nitrate.

Attention! The composition for self-made sparklers, which is proposed below, contains sulfur, so their use indoors is prohibited!

To make 15 sparklers you will need:

• 10 g cast iron or steel filings (the color of the sparks depends on the metal)
• 10 g of aluminum powder (50% potassium nitrate, 35% aluminum powder and 15% sulfur must be mixed together and rubbed thoroughly)
• 4 grams of dextrin (dextrin is obtained from starch by baking it at 200 degrees for 90 minutes, for example in the oven)
• Steel wire with a diameter of 1 mm.

Stages of home production:

1. At the beginning of the manufacture of home sparklers, it is necessary to cut the steel wire into pieces of the desired length. On one side of the wire, you need to make a hook (it is needed to hang sparklers for drying).
   

   The use of copper and aluminum wire is prohibited, because the combustion temperature exceeds 1000 degrees and the wire will melt.

2. We mix all the components by adding a little water or alcohol to bring the consistency of the mixture to a more or less thick state (like condensed milk).
3. Dip pieces of steel wire into the resulting mixture and dry for about 15-20 minutes, repeat the procedure 5-6 times.
   

   For these purposes, a test tube is well suited, but if you do not have one, then you can apply the composition to the wire with a brush.

As you can see, making sparklers at home is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance, but it is important to remember the safety rules when using fire indoors and outdoors.

How to light sparklers

Some manufacturers apply a special flammable head (almost like a match head) to the end of a Bengal candle to make it easier to light it.

You should not try to light Bengal candles from a cigarette in your mouth - this can lead to bad consequences.