homemade fire crackers

[farmbif]

if this is wrong place for this I wasn't sure where to put it.
a friend/neighbor gave me a box with about 1/2 dozen homemade fire crackers he said a friend of his had made, made with black powder, cardboard tubes hot melt glue on the ends and cannon fuse sticking out. the largest one is about 4 inches long and 1" diameter. is there anyway to figure out just how powerful such things might be. he told me they would use them on fishing trips in Lake Michigan, throw them in the water then just scoop up the fish.
I'm not endorsing anything just stating the facts. I'm thinking I should just open em up and use the powder in the 1851 navy.

[AggieEE]

Dumping the powder wouldn't be a bad idea. If somebody hears too big of a boom and you might attract attention from the wrong people ( ATFE cough cough). I'm sure the 4" one they would call an destructive device. Get rid of them TODAY you never know who reads this site.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

No way i would use powder in one of my guns if you can try one out go for it or just take apart spread it in your yard

[Neverhome]

https://www.atf.gov/explosives/firew...y-and-security

[Drm50]

I’ve seen a lot of homemade fire crackers made with black powder. In cardboard tubes I dont believe you can make one that is very powerful. The cardboard tube is not strong enough. Most go with big flash. The M80 type firecracker uses an aluminum based oxide, flash powder. I wouldn’t worry to much about black powder in cardboard. I have seen some nasty ones made with PVC.

[Dapaki]

I very much doubt it's black powder, it may look like it but it can just be black flash or likely, BP made with Potassium Perchlorate instead of Potassium Nitrate. Flash has a LOT of brisiance and though not a high explosive in reality, we have to store it as such in the magazine (Type 1) rather than the BP magazine (Type 4).

Also, "slow flash" or H3, will burn like BP in a heap but will detonate when contained. DO NOT TRY IT IN YOUR GUN!

[farmbif]

having no way to determine exactly what kind of powder was in those things its now fertilizing the walnut trees out front. It sure didn't look like the old Dupont ffg that I have in the old metal cans, had more grey color to it. Maybe if I were 12 years old again it might have been fun to light one of the fuses.

[justashooter]

if it is a "mixed binary explosive (more effective than black powder for "fishing"), such as potassium perchlorate and powdered aluminum, storing or transporting in mixed state is a legal problem, while storing or transporting the separate components thereof is no problem.

[M-Tecs]

having no way to determine exactly what kind of powder was in those things its now fertilizing the walnut trees out front. It sure didn't look like the old Dupont ffg that I have in the old metal cans, had more grey color to it. Maybe if I were 12 years old again it might have been fun to light one of the fuses.

When unsure that is the best course of action.

[dirtball]

having no way to determine exactly what kind of powder was in those things its now fertilizing the walnut trees out front. It sure didn't look like the old Dupont ffg that I have in the old metal cans, had more grey color to it. Maybe if I were 12 years old again it might have been fun to light one of the fuses.

Good move!!

[john.k]

We used to save pennies and buy firecrackers that size ....called two penny bungers......Biggest bang of any firecracker kids could buy .They would demolish any ordinary mailbox ....consequently ,the second time we got one made at work out of 1/4" plate ,welded.Blastproof.....remember lighting a short fuze one ,saw the blast kinda closeup.....musta had good reflexes,eyelids got peppered,no more damage........Killjoys here have banned all kinds of exploding fireworks ,nothing but namby pamby sparkes and gold and green sprays.