Salute (pyrotechnics)
Encyclopedia
In pyrotechnics
a salute is a device primarily designed to make a loud report (bang), and may or may not have a visual effect. Most salutes will also have a very bright flash and are made from many different formulas depending on manufacturer and desired effect. They may have aluminum, antimony, titanium and other metals added for sparks or flash effects. The salute may be fired on the ground (ground salute) or launched from a mortar as a shell (aerial salute). Due to the nature of the effect, large salutes are some of the more hazardous fireworks. The "guns" (a.k.a. mortar tubes) used to launch the aerial salutes in a commercial fireworks display vary from 3 inch diameter up to 12 inch diameter.
Most of the "salutes" are made with flash powder
. Flash powder has a very fast burn rate when under pressure, unlike black powder which burns at roughly the same rate whether contained or not. As mentioned above, what constitutes flash powder varies from manufacturer to manufacturer.
The amount of flash powder contained in any salute can vary widely according to both physical size, number of individual charges as well as by manufacturer.
("1/4 stick" or "as powerful as a fourth of a stick of dynamite"), such comparisons are not grounded in reality. For reference, a typical stick of dynamite contains over 10 times more explosive material than an M-80 (35 grams of nitroglycerin versus 3 grams, typically of chlorate/sulfur powder). Nitroglycerin explodes with a shockwave faster than the speed of sound, whereas the powders used in various salutes deflagrate (burn) at a slower rate and below the speed of sound. This distinction is the difference between High Explosive and Low Explosive.
More to the point, dynamite undergoes detonation
whereas flash powder in any quantity undergoes deflagration
. Because flash salutes do not generate a detonation wave, they have a very low brisance
and they do not exhibit the Munroe effect. For this reason, salutes are unsatisfactory for initiating the detonation of blasting agents.
Also known as kraft salutes, these are made of paper cup sets, coated with several layers of sawdust and animal hide glue (or sodium silicate
), often finished with a reddish dye (Sudan Red). The process of coating kraft salute casings in order to make them round is called panning
. The glued casings are tumbled with sawdust while sodium silicate solution is slowly added to the pan. Historically, the core contained a Perchlorate, Sulfur, and Antimony Sulfide mixture. Some manufacturers added Aluminum and/or Manganese Dioxide to this mixture. Allegedly, some added one small star to the core. Modern versions are likely to contain a more stable 70/30 perchlorate flash and no star. They are substantially less powerful than most other popular salutes. Bootleg Cherry Bombs may also come in plastic casings; usually the same diameter and can be double in size carrying way over the standard limit.
Popular for a time, though neither as powerful nor as popular as the M-80. The Silver Salute was typically side-fused, like the M-80. Some silver salutes (bootleg) of the same size have been found to carry a whopping 5 grams of flash, with red wicks typically end-fused.
Commonly consists of a red tube and a green cannon fuse (known commercially today as Visco fuse
). M-80s were side-fused, unlike many other cylindrical salutes. When such salutes were legal in the United States, a common size contained 2.5 to 3.0 grams of chlorate based flash powder (perchlorates have largely replaced chlorates in modern versions). Current firecrackers legally sold under the name "M-80" are in fact much less powerful (50 mg or less by law). Bootleg M-80's sold in the United States are classified by ATF as destructive devices. In Mexico, these salutes are called "Barrenos". Some M-80 salutes have been found to carry a whopping 5 grams of flash.
or
As above, yield determined by plug thickness. The M-100 is particularly popular, most likely due to respectable power coupled with a small size.
Is referred to as M-1000 on the street
Goes by a variety of names:
(Note that legal firecrackers (50 mg or less) are also sold under all of these names.)
Note that [East Coast] Block Busters are known for their unique visual effects: bright white splatter of sparks as opposed to just a normal white ball/flash of light. The effect is made simply by adding grains of titanium (flitters) to the flash powder. Many professional aerial salute shells contain such flitters. [West Coast] M-1000s are not to be confused with the larger bootleg (M-1000's). Most M-100's are sold with solid, nonfrangible end plugs for higher water resistance. Solid end plugs can be made from plastic, hotmelt glue, epoxy, tar, and even sheet rock
. Solid plugs have a tendency to remain intact and fly at high velocity, sometimes causing bodily harm, especially when the M-100 is placed on its side rather than standing upright. The chances for an accident to occur when placed vertically are diminished. Most M-100's are fused from the end with hot-melt poured into the cavity forming a solid firm plug and an irremovable wick for 100% ignition/deflagration reliability.
No true standard exists in tube size, explosive formulation, or explosive composition content. since these are the products of bootleg manufacturers.
or
Is also referred to as the M-1000 on the street
No true standard exists in tube size, explosive formulation, or explosive composition content. since these are the products of bootleg manufacturers.
or
Is also referred to as the M-1000 on the street
No true standard exists, nor a definite naming convention, since these are the products of bootleg manufacturers.
Is also referred to as the M-1000 on the street
No true standard exists, nor a definite naming convention, since these are the products of bootleg manufacturers.
The name "M-1000" can be put on any large salute. Generally dealers use names that will entice consumers. The specific name that they use varies by location. If a certain "M-(insert number)" item is highly desired in a certain area then whatever large salute the individual has will take that name.
The exact sizes and weights vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, with the most common sizes being 3" and 4" in diameter. A "five inch ultra salute" is one of the largest commercial aerial pyrotechnic reports and carries over a kilogram of aluminium-fueled flash powder.
Pyrotechnics
Pyrotechnics is the science of using materials capable of undergoing self-contained and self-sustained exothermic chemical reactions for the production of heat, light, gas, smoke and/or sound...
a salute is a device primarily designed to make a loud report (bang), and may or may not have a visual effect. Most salutes will also have a very bright flash and are made from many different formulas depending on manufacturer and desired effect. They may have aluminum, antimony, titanium and other metals added for sparks or flash effects. The salute may be fired on the ground (ground salute) or launched from a mortar as a shell (aerial salute). Due to the nature of the effect, large salutes are some of the more hazardous fireworks. The "guns" (a.k.a. mortar tubes) used to launch the aerial salutes in a commercial fireworks display vary from 3 inch diameter up to 12 inch diameter.
Most of the "salutes" are made with flash powder
Flash powder
Flash powder is a pyrotechnic composition, a mixture of oxidizer and metallic fuel, which burns quickly and if confined produces a loud report. It is widely used in theatrical pyrotechnics and fireworks and was once used for flashes in photography.Different varieties of flash powder are made from...
. Flash powder has a very fast burn rate when under pressure, unlike black powder which burns at roughly the same rate whether contained or not. As mentioned above, what constitutes flash powder varies from manufacturer to manufacturer.
The amount of flash powder contained in any salute can vary widely according to both physical size, number of individual charges as well as by manufacturer.
Comparison to Explosives
Though both news reporters and black-market dealers often make comparisons between the power of salutes and a particular quantity of dynamiteDynamite
Dynamite is an explosive material based on nitroglycerin, initially using diatomaceous earth , or another absorbent substance such as powdered shells, clay, sawdust, or wood pulp. Dynamites using organic materials such as sawdust are less stable and such use has been generally discontinued...
("1/4 stick" or "as powerful as a fourth of a stick of dynamite"), such comparisons are not grounded in reality. For reference, a typical stick of dynamite contains over 10 times more explosive material than an M-80 (35 grams of nitroglycerin versus 3 grams, typically of chlorate/sulfur powder). Nitroglycerin explodes with a shockwave faster than the speed of sound, whereas the powders used in various salutes deflagrate (burn) at a slower rate and below the speed of sound. This distinction is the difference between High Explosive and Low Explosive.
More to the point, dynamite undergoes detonation
Detonation
Detonation involves a supersonic exothermic front accelerating through a medium that eventually drives a shock front propagating directly in front of it. Detonations are observed in both conventional solid and liquid explosives, as well as in reactive gases...
whereas flash powder in any quantity undergoes deflagration
Deflagration
Deflagration is a term describing subsonic combustion that usually propagates through thermal conductivity; hot burning material heats the next layer of cold material and ignites it. Most "fire" found in daily life, from flames to explosions, is deflagration...
. Because flash salutes do not generate a detonation wave, they have a very low brisance
Brisance
Brisance is the shattering capability of an explosive. It is a measure of the rapidity with which an explosive develops its maximum pressure. The term originates from the French verb "briser", which means to break or shatter...
and they do not exhibit the Munroe effect. For this reason, salutes are unsatisfactory for initiating the detonation of blasting agents.
Cherry bomb
- 3/4 inch Diameter
- 750 mg to 1 Gram of Perchlorate/Sulfur/Antimony Sulfide "Flash Powder"
- Color: Red
Also known as kraft salutes, these are made of paper cup sets, coated with several layers of sawdust and animal hide glue (or sodium silicate
Sodium silicate
Sodium silicate is the common name for a compound sodium metasilicate, Na2SiO3, also known as water glass or liquid glass. It is available in aqueous solution and in solid form and is used in cements, passive fire protection, refractories, textile and lumber processing, and automobiles...
), often finished with a reddish dye (Sudan Red). The process of coating kraft salute casings in order to make them round is called panning
Sugar panning
Sugar panning, or simply panning, is a method for adding a candy "shell" to candy or nuts. Popular candies that employ this process in their manufacture include dragées, M&M's, and jelly beans. Jelly beans use soft panning whilst the other two are examples of hard panning...
. The glued casings are tumbled with sawdust while sodium silicate solution is slowly added to the pan. Historically, the core contained a Perchlorate, Sulfur, and Antimony Sulfide mixture. Some manufacturers added Aluminum and/or Manganese Dioxide to this mixture. Allegedly, some added one small star to the core. Modern versions are likely to contain a more stable 70/30 perchlorate flash and no star. They are substantially less powerful than most other popular salutes. Bootleg Cherry Bombs may also come in plastic casings; usually the same diameter and can be double in size carrying way over the standard limit.
Silver Salute
- 1-1/2" Long (Earlier examples commonly 2" long)
- 5/8" I.D
- 3/4" O.D
- 2 Grams of Flash Powder
- Color: Silver
Popular for a time, though neither as powerful nor as popular as the M-80. The Silver Salute was typically side-fused, like the M-80. Some silver salutes (bootleg) of the same size have been found to carry a whopping 5 grams of flash, with red wicks typically end-fused.
M-80
- 1-1/2" Long
- 9/16" I.D or 5/8" I.D
- 11/16" O.D or 3/4" O.D
- 2.5 to 3 Grams of Flash Powder
- Color: Red, Yellow or Tan
Commonly consists of a red tube and a green cannon fuse (known commercially today as Visco fuse
Visco fuse
A visco fuse is a higher quality fuse used for consumer fireworks. It is most commonly colored green or red, and is found as a twisted, coated strand. It is also used to create delays in the firing of multiple firework displays.- Description :...
). M-80s were side-fused, unlike many other cylindrical salutes. When such salutes were legal in the United States, a common size contained 2.5 to 3.0 grams of chlorate based flash powder (perchlorates have largely replaced chlorates in modern versions). Current firecrackers legally sold under the name "M-80" are in fact much less powerful (50 mg or less by law). Bootleg M-80's sold in the United States are classified by ATF as destructive devices. In Mexico, these salutes are called "Barrenos". Some M-80 salutes have been found to carry a whopping 5 grams of flash.
M-100
- 2-1/8"
- 3/4" I.D
- 7/8" O.D
or
- 2-1/2"
- 3/4" I.D
- 1" O.D
- 10 Grams of Flash Powder
- Color: Tan, Red, R,W&B, Silver or Black
As above, yield determined by plug thickness. The M-100 is particularly popular, most likely due to respectable power coupled with a small size.
Is referred to as M-1000 on the street
Goes by a variety of names:
- "M-1000" (US West CoastWest Coast of the United StatesWest Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
) - "NYE Block Buster" (US East CoastEast Coast of the United StatesThe East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
) - "Super M-80" [EVERYWHERE]
(Note that legal firecrackers (50 mg or less) are also sold under all of these names.)
Note that [East Coast] Block Busters are known for their unique visual effects: bright white splatter of sparks as opposed to just a normal white ball/flash of light. The effect is made simply by adding grains of titanium (flitters) to the flash powder. Many professional aerial salute shells contain such flitters. [West Coast] M-1000s are not to be confused with the larger bootleg (M-1000's). Most M-100's are sold with solid, nonfrangible end plugs for higher water resistance. Solid end plugs can be made from plastic, hotmelt glue, epoxy, tar, and even sheet rock
Drywall
Drywall, also known as plasterboard, wallboard or gypsum board is a panel made of gypsum plaster pressed between two thick sheets of paper...
. Solid plugs have a tendency to remain intact and fly at high velocity, sometimes causing bodily harm, especially when the M-100 is placed on its side rather than standing upright. The chances for an accident to occur when placed vertically are diminished. Most M-100's are fused from the end with hot-melt poured into the cavity forming a solid firm plug and an irremovable wick for 100% ignition/deflagration reliability.
No true standard exists in tube size, explosive formulation, or explosive composition content. since these are the products of bootleg manufacturers.
Quarter Stick AKA M-1000
- 2-1/2" Long
- 1" I.D
- 1-1/4" O.D
or
- 3-1/2" Long
- 3/4" I.D
- 1" O.D
- 15–20 Grams of Flash Powder
- Color: R,W&B, Silver, Red or Tan
Is also referred to as the M-1000 on the street
No true standard exists in tube size, explosive formulation, or explosive composition content. since these are the products of bootleg manufacturers.
Half Stick AKA M-1000
- 4" Long
- 1" I.D
- 1-1/4" O.D
or
- 6" Long
- 3/4" I.D
- 1" O.D
- 50 Grams of Flash Powder
- Color: Tan, R,W&B, Silver or Red
Is also referred to as the M-1000 on the street
No true standard exists, nor a definite naming convention, since these are the products of bootleg manufacturers.
Full Stick AKA M-1000
- 4"Long
- 2"Inner Diameter
- 100 Grams of flash powder
- Color: Tan
Is also referred to as the M-1000 on the street
No true standard exists, nor a definite naming convention, since these are the products of bootleg manufacturers.
The "M-1000" Name
M100(~10 grams Flash powder), Quarter Sticks (~20 grams flash powder), and Half Sticks (~40 grams flash powder) are all referred to as "M-1000's" on the street, in different countries, states, and cities across the United states and the world. Even though they have very different flash powder amounts and highly divergent yields.The name "M-1000" can be put on any large salute. Generally dealers use names that will entice consumers. The specific name that they use varies by location. If a certain "M-(insert number)" item is highly desired in a certain area then whatever large salute the individual has will take that name.
Professional Salutes
- As opposed to the rest of this list, these items are legally available to licensed pyrotechnicians for use in fireworks displays.
- Available in many sizes and shapes.
- Most professional salutes are aerial devices which are fired from a mortar tube, but there are also hanging 'cannonade' salutes which are suspended from a framework before firing.
The exact sizes and weights vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, with the most common sizes being 3" and 4" in diameter. A "five inch ultra salute" is one of the largest commercial aerial pyrotechnic reports and carries over a kilogram of aluminium-fueled flash powder.