pyrotechnics

How-To: Make high-voltage sparks using a spark-plug

How-To: Make high-voltage sparks using a spark-plug

We went to the hardware store and came home with lots of PVC bits that we assembled into a barrel and a chamber. Then we waffled for some time about how to hack together an electric ignition system. Our thoughts went immediately to using an automotive spark-plug, but none of us really understood enough about electricity to know how to separate the spark-plug from the car. We were pretty sure you couldn’t just take a spark-plug and wire it up to a car battery and expect results, but beyond that we were clueless. We ended up using a piezoelectric barbecue grill igniter, which gave satisfactory results but often required several “clicks” to actually fire the thing.

Continue Reading Sean Michael Ragan4
How-To: Make pyrophoric iron

How-To: Make pyrophoric iron

A former chemistry teacher of mine provided a great definition of “pyrophoric:” [It] means that if you playfully squirt some at your lab mates, they will burst into flame. In other (less amusing) words, a “pyrophoric” substance is one that ignites spontaneously on exposure to air. Pyrophoric iron, however, isn’t as dangerous as that makes […]

Continue Reading Sean Michael Ragan
A different kind of pyro art

A different kind of pyro art

Rosemarie Fiore makes a different kind of fire art. She uses controlled detonations of fireworks on paper to disperse bursts of saturated color. Rosemarie tells MAKE how she does it: I bomb blank sheets of paper with different fireworks including color smoke bombs, jumping jacks, monster balls, fountains, magic whips, spinning carnations, ground blooms, rings […]

Continue Reading Gareth Branwyn
HOW TO – Blow stuff up

HOW TO – Blow stuff up

Hack n Mod has a round-up of deadly Don’t Try This At Home projects, such as building a flame thrower, smoke bombs, fireballs, mini (Hollywood) mushroom explosions, and more. I don’t know anything about pyro, so I’m not endorsing any of this, just thought readers might find it interesting. Personally, seeing a teenage wielding a […]

Continue Reading Gareth Branwyn4

2Ï€r @ Maker Faire

Motion-controlled fire will be present at Bay Area Maker Faire – looks like a great way to live out those unfulfilled D&D fantasies. 2Ï€r is a blisteringly interactive large-scale fire toy. It is a central stage surrounded by a larger ring of inconspicuous flame effects – completely innocuous to onlookers – until a participant makes […]

Continue Reading Collin Cunningham