I learned the art of making firecrackers from my uncle. There were no restrictions then. The main ingredient that goes into them is black powder also known as gunpowder. It is packed in a tight paper along with a fuse to ignite the powder.
Black powder comprises charcoal, sulphur and potassium nitrate. Manoranjan says, he excelled in making Talaphotoka. First, dry palm leaves are cut into long straight pieces and then black powder is placed in the fold of the leaves along with the fuse, which is made of brown paper. The quality depends on the number of folds and the size of the palm leaves.
The more the number of folds and the tighter it is packed, the louder is the sound. Sanatana Bhoi, a firecracker maker from Bhingarpur, Bhubaneswar, quit the profession after being in the profession for 30 years. Sanatana excelled in making sparklers, although he regrets that China-made firecrackers are fast taking over the market. He says that sparklers are one quite unlike other firecrackers and is a hit with people from all age groups. There are two types of sparklers available in the market, one is paper made and the other is made with copper rods.
I used to make sparklers with paper, which was quite popular. A lot of components like black powder, oxidiser, iron or steel powder go into making sparklers. The crackling sound that comes out is because of the iron or steel used in it. Binders are used in sparklers that are made with copper rods. Else the mixture is put inside a tube made of paper and then attached to a wooden stick. Cuttack-based Madanmohan Rana was a star in his hey days.
He excelled in making aerial fireworks. These go up in the sky and explode. My handmade aerial firecrackers sold like hot cake during the marriage session and on Diwali. The crackers that I made had to be launched from a mortar. Mortar is a short pipe made of paper. It is then packed with black powder and has a lifting charge that explodes inside the pipe when ignited and launches the cracker.
The first stage of an aerial cracker is a tube containing gunpowder that is lit with a fuse. The only difference is that the gunpowder is used to propel the firework into the air instead of making it explode inside the tube.
There is a hole at the bottom of the firecracker, which helps the expanding nitrogen and carbon dioxide gases to launch the firework into the sky. A new variety, multi-break shell crackers have gained popularity within a short span of time. This cracker comprises multiple shells. These shells are placed inside a container, which burst in two or three phases. These crackers contain star-shaped sprinklers in different colours and compositions, which create a bright light.
The sections in the shell are ignited using different fuses. The bursting of one section ignites the next. The shells must be assembled in such a way that each section explodes in sequence to produce a distinct separate effect. One of the most common Diwali fireworks, rocket continues to appeal both the young and old despite the invasion of China-made crackers.
Padampur in Cuttack was once attracted huge footfall only for its rockets. Moreover, the price of raw materials is also increasing. I was known for making rockets. A rocket has four parts — head, tail, body and fuse. The top part is cone shaped and lighter than the body. However, it should be hard so that it can reduce the air friction during its journey in the air.
Effect is that part of the firework which makes the amazing display once the firework is safely high in the air. A rocket can have either a single effect or multiple effects, packed in separate compartments, firing off in sequence, ignited by a relatively slow-burning, time-delay fuse, which works its way upward once ignited by the main fuse.
The body of the rocket contains gunpowder that propels it into the sky. The stick plays dual role. First, it helps the firework go where you intend to instead to making it fly in random direction. The length of the stick is proportional to the weight and size of the body. The working of electronic firecrackers is quite simple. These devices consist of small pods connected to each other through wires.
LED lights are attached to these pods. When you plug in an electric firecracker, the high-voltage generator inside the pod sparks at random intervals. These sparks create a crackling sound similar to firecrackers. The sound along with the light provides an experience similar to an original firecracker.
When you change the setting on the remote, the interval at which the generator sparks changes accordingly. Although these devices are not as loud as the firecrackers, they can provide some Diwali feel.
For more detail, see our Archive and Deletion Policy. The bright wrapping of the Christmas cracker contains a cardboard tube. Attached to the side of the tube inside the cracker is a strip of paper. This paper has been treated with a tiny amount of gunpowder — an explosive mixture of potassium nitrate, charcoal and sulphur.
When both ends of the cracker are pulled, the force generates a friction between the paper and the tube, which causes enough heat to set the gunpowder off. The tube helps contain the explosion of such a small amount of gunpowder and magnifies the noise, making that nice loud bang that signals the start of a Christmas dinner. Take your interest in science further - explore the current science courses and qualifications available from The Open University.
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