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A salute is a firework that will give a loud bang, a bright flash, and little else.  They are sometimes called flashbangs, but that only started in common nomenclature after games like Counter Strike became popular.  Before that you would hear terms like M-80 or M-100.  You will need some flash powder, a cardboard tube, a fuse, some hot glue, some epoxy or elmers glue and a dowel rod.  They are not that difficult to make, although you will want to go slow and make sure that you do it right.  I use visco fuse, its slow burning, about 30 seconds every foot, which means each inch takes about 2.5 seconds.  It burns hot enough to ignite most charges, and is waterproof so it is multipurpose.  CannonFuse.com has good prices, and ships quickly, they also carry cardboard tubes.

Flash powder is a staple in many fireworks.  It provides for a loud bang, a bright flash, and can be ignited with ordinary fuses.  Long ago this was how photographers would create extra light to illuminate the shot.  There are several different recipies for how to make flash powder, each of which has slightly different properties, but the key is a balanced formula.

There are a few different types of fireworks, which I group into 3 different categories.  This does not include all fireworks that are available, but does cover the ones that most people will be familiar with and the ones that I will be covering in this blog.

Some devices may use multiple groups, such as an aerial.  Each type has its own properties which dictates the safety concerns that you must think about.

I have an interest in fireworks, not just watching them or lighting them but making them.  I think it is fun, however I have found a suprising lack of actual information about why they do what they do.  I am a volunteer fireman in the local area that I live, and a good understanding of how they work is essential since there may be chemicals that seem innocent on a vehicle that will mix and cause a fire with potentially disasterous results.

I started to clean the truck, it appears that it had not been cleaned in a long time.  As I pulled back the rubber matting on the floor, I noticed that it had rotted a bit, and the insulation underneath was even worse.  The insulation was stuck to the truck body in a few places requiring scrubbing to remove.  I have decided that I would apply Herculiner (DIY rhino liner type stuff) to the entire inside of the truck.  This will protect it from scratches, dirt, liquids as well as rust.

Well working further on the truck I have been patching some minor dents with bondo in the hopes that I can repaint it and have it look somewhat closer to new.  I bought a paint sprayer at kragen (already had a compressor so it was cheap) and some primer along with a tin of bondo.

horribly worn rotor

The truck that I bought had a problem of jerking hard to the right when you applied the brakes.  The common cause of this is unequal braking, where you have more brake grip on the side it pulls to.  Investigating further, I noticed that the rotor on the drivers side was worn.   I went tot kragen and bought new rotors, calipers and pads.  But it gets worse, trying to install I noticed that the brake hoses were not the same and they would not fit on the new calipers.  It  turns out that one is from an explorer and the other I dont know.  I also noticed that one of them was too short to be installed correctly, and mounted to the frame, probably as a result of the 8 inch lift that was installed, and the other had a nick in the steel braid that was surrounding the hose.  With this in mind I decided  to replace both of them.  After waiting for a few days I finally had the brake hoses, installed them and finished the caliper install and now I have doubled my braking power - to two working brakes.

the blazer

I bought a truck the other day from a “mechanic”. I knew that there would be work that needed to be done, I did not know that he was such a poor mechanic I cannot recommend anyone ever use him, and if they have I would have to suggest they take the vehicle elsewhere for an inspection. I wont name who it is.

The assault on freedom continues. HR 1966 would seek to incarcerate anyone who would “coerce, intimidate, harass, or cause substantial emotional distress to a person.”

The most dangerous thing in this whole affair is that it was proposed.  This indicates that legislators think they are above any limits imposed in the constitution (and if you read the bill of rights its pretty clear they are limits imposed on the government).  They think they can do anything, anytime, anywhere, and this is a dangerous thing.  If you care about freedom, you should write your representatives, and follow up with a vote!  If you do not follow up with a vote any other action is meaningless.

I have heard a lot of people crying out for the government to support their favorite amendment, the first gets a lot of press, and so does the 2nd occasionally. You will hear about 4th amendment arguments, it seems more lately than 20 years ago, and many have complained about the 8th amendment not being upheld when it comes to sentencing those convicted of crimes. Rarely you will hear anyone argue in support of my favorite amendment, the 10th, until recently that is.