Homemade Sparklers

Every year children delight in sparklers, those colorful sticks that emit fiery sparks when lit. Thousands are spent on Fourth of July fireworks by adults to witness the joy and wonder in their children's faces when they hold a lit sparkler for the first time. You can experience that pleasure all year by learning how to make your own sparklers.

Wire

Wire thickness is key to making your own sparklers. Using a 28-gauge wire ensures the sparkler is thick enough to keep from bending in a child's hand while it is burning. Cut your wire into a minimum of 12-inch lengths. Wire can be purchased at a home-improvement center or hardware store.

Chemicals

The chemicals that make sparklers sparkle include aluminum (which can be aluminum granules, flitter or fine powder), dextrin, charcoal, boric acid, strontium nitrate, aqueous ethanol and steel powder.

Required Amounts

The actual amounts of each chemical needed to make about 24 sparklers are 2 grams of charcoal, 32 grams of aluminum, 6 grams of boric acid, 200 grams of the strontium nitrate, 120 grams of steel powder, 40 grams of dextrin and 90 ml of aqueous ethanol. Though this mixture will make approximately two dozen sparklers, the actual number depends on how many coats you apply to the wires. Your final amount of sparklers may be more or less.

Mixing the Paste

A one-gallon metal bucket will be sufficient for your sparkler mixture. Put all dry chemicals except the dextrin in your bucket. In a separate container, mix the dextrin and about 25 ml of the ethanol. Stir the dextrin mixture into a paste. Add the dextrin paste to the dry mixture of chemicals. Mix the dextrin, the remaining ethanol, and all other chemicals together. Add the remaining ethanol slowly to avoid making your paste too thin. The paste must be thick enough to stay on your wires. If you do not have enough ethanol, slowly add more.

Making the Sparklers

Dip each wire approximately 8 inches into the mixture. You may need to tip the bucket to the side, or find a taller, narrower container to pour the mixture into. Use a piece of Styrofoam to stand the sparklers in an upright position and allow them to dry for 24 hours. Ideally the sparklers need to be dipped three times and allowed to dry before lighting them. Cover up your mixture to keep it workable for each coat. Add a small amount of ethanol if it becomes too dry.

Warnings

Sparklers get extremely hot and can cause severe burns. Never leave a child unattended with a lit sparkler. Make sure that you have a metal bucket nearby to dispose of the burnt sparklers. The wires are still hot after the chemicals have burned off.

References

• Making Sparklers