How to Make a Pit Fire Change Color

Add some color and a lot of fun to your next camp fire.

There's something very relaxing and fun about sitting outside with a warm camp fire burning in your fire pit. But if you're looking for a little more excitement, consider changing your fire different colors. You can create a different and beautiful ambiance in your fire pit, or even in your fireplace at home, with colored fire. With a few simple chemicals you can change your fire from yellow to blue, green and purple.

Things You'll Need

• 1 cup strontium carbonate
• 1 cup calcium chloride
• 1 cup barium chlorate
• 1 cup copper sulfate
• 1 cup potassium permanganate
• 1 cup copper (II) chloride

Instructions

1. Build your fire in your fire pit as you normally would. Allow the fire to burn for about 30 minutes to 1 hour until you notice bright, red embers below the logs.

2. Toss in 1 cup of strontium carbonate to turn the fire bright red. Frequently used in fireworks and flares, strontium carbonate can be found at firework shops, some art stores and online.

3. Throw 1 cup of calcium chloride into your fire to turn it bright orange. Calcium chloride is often used in bleach and as a food additive. You can find calcium chloride at home improvement store, cooking and baking supply shops and online.

4. Add 1 cup of copper sulfate to your fire to turn it a beautiful turquoise color. Copper sulfate is most commonly used as an algaecide to keep pools clean. You can find pure -- or a high concentration of -- copper sulfate at pool supply stores and online.

5. Toss into your fire 1 cup of potassium permanganate to get purple flames in your fire pit. Potassium permanganate is used as a disinfectant and an antiseptic, among other things. Potassium permanganate can be found at home improvement stores, hardware stores, pool supply stores and online.

6. Add 1 cup copper (II) chloride to your campfire to enjoy a light show that will include blue and green colors. Copper (II) chloride is used in fireworks, and very small traces of copper (II) chloride can be found in drinking water. You can find copper (II) chloride at firework and pyrotechnic stores and online.

Tips & Warnings

• Although these chemicals are safe, but they should still only be used by adults. As an added precaution, those handling the chemicals should wear safety gloves.

References

• Popular Science; How to Make Colored; FireTheodore Gray; November 14, 2007