Youthful Exuberance

    I was never a firebug, as such. I'm too much of a patriot to take any interest in burning down public buildings and the like. On the other hand, as early as kindergarden, my parents actively encouraged me to play with fire - with proper safety gear, of course. At any rate, my approach to the joys of pyrotechnics have traditionally been quite levelheaded. Sure, once I did see a propane fireball from the inside, but no harm was done. More to the point, I did not play with concussive devices until I reached adulthood. Some samples of my childhood work follow:

Sparks 1

Sparks 2

Sparks 3

     These effects were achieved with a mixture of magnesium powder and flowers of sulfur. That composition can generate a shockwave if the powder is loaded into a rigid casing, but it's relatively harmless inside a couple ply of aluminum foil. I like it because it makes great clouds of sparks, and a terrific flash!

     In college, I became interested in more potent compounds. Any yahoo can build hisself a fertilizer bomb or buy gunpowder from a reloading supply store, but that's just terribly terribly lame. A real explosives chemist ought to know actual chemical synthesis and be able to assemble fragile molecules from more stable stock materials. I devoted some time to the study of such matters, but in the end, I decided that high explosives chemistry is not a good hobby for someone who loves life (and freedom) as much as I do. Perhaps I will take it up again when I can afford the necessary Federal licensing fees (and better safety equipment).

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