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carlwag Special user Huddersfield ,West yorkshire 747 Posts |
I'm wanting to produce a flame from a top hat , I could cut out the back if need to gain access to the device what is my best option
Carl |
john wills Special user 939 Posts |
It's important to know: do you need a "lasting" flame of a flash??
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carlwag Special user Huddersfield ,West yorkshire 747 Posts |
No a quick flash is fine
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john wills Special user 939 Posts |
Hi Carl,
It's difficult to put this instructions into words. Fix two copper saddle bands into the top hat, so you can put a small pipe upright into it. Make a bottom (solder or force) in a 1" (copper-) pipe - length 3" . In the side, near this bottom you drill a 1/8" hole, so you can push a squib into this "launcher". Fix (glue or screw) a battery-pack (9 V) into the hat and fix one thread of the squib (0) to this pack. Then you make a circuit break between the battery pack and the squib (thread +) with a (small) doorbell button, which you fix (glue or screw) to the outside of the hat. Put a (big) piece of flashpaper into the launcher and you're ready to "flame". If you want to make it more spectacular: put a ball of flash cotton underneath the flashpaper, this creates some pressure so it will push the flashpaper out of the launcher just before the flashpaper will ignite. The different parts of this unit you can buy (or order) in an electro(radio) shop for a few bucks. |
Tim Ayres New user 16 Posts |
It's important to understand exactly what effect you are going for in order to know how to answer. How large of a flame? Where does it need to come from? What do you do with the hat after the flame?
I'm a fan of using sparking flint wheels for hand held pyrotechnics, they are more reliable than electronics in my experience (and you don't have to worry about batteries). Here are some directions for a small flash or fire device. Start by disassembling and salvaging the wheel & flint striker mechanism from a cheap disposable lighter. For the "flash pot" try using an empty handgun cartridge (try around 9mm to start); go to a local shooting range and they'll probably give you a few empties for free to play with. Glue both the flint wheel and the cartridge to a backing such as a piece of sheet metal and you're good to go; just locate the flint wheel so that the sparks go into the open top of the cartridge when struck. Pack the cartridge with flash paper & cotton. john wills tip about packing some flash cotton in the bottom is a good one, I've gotten some decent fireballs out of very small setups this way. A little sparkle additive can give it some more "punch" too. Oh, and of course BE SAFE. Especially with using fire around something flammable like a cloth hat! Be sure that you have a great deal of experince in handheld pyrotechnics before attempting to construct your own devices. |
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