title: A Professional's GuideTo Pyrotechnics: Understanding And Making Exploding Fireworks
author:  John Donner 
description: John Donner, who has been honing his skills as a pyrotechnist for more than 30 years, preserves for all time the now all-but-outlawed techniques that makers of traditional fireworks have used and Americans have enjoyed for generations.
zlib_text: ** FIRECRACKERS ** A simple firecracker can be made from cardboard tubing and
  epoxy. The instructions are below: 1) Cut a small piece of cardboard tubing
  from the tube you are using. "Small" means anything less than 4 times the
  diameter of the tube. 2) Set the section of tubing down on a piece of wax
  paper, and fill it with epoxy and the drying agent to a height of 3/4 the
  diameter of the tubing. Allow the epoxy to dry to maximum hardness, as
  specified on the package. 3) When it is dry, put a small hole in the middle of
  the tube, and insert a desired length of fuse. 4) Fill the tube with any type
  of flame-sensitive explosive. Flash powder, pyrodex, black powder, potassium
  picrate, lead azide, nitrocellulose, or any of the fast burning fuel-oxodizer
  mixtures will do nicely. Fill the tube almost to the top. 5) Pack the
  explosive tightly in the tube with a wad of tissue paper and a pencil or other
  suitable ramrod. Be sure to leave enough space for more epoxy. 6) Fill the
  remainder of the 