# Colored Smoke Bombs



## Ugly Joe (Jan 13, 2004)

Well, if you have the potassium nitrate, you can do a dry mix with powdered sugar to get a quick and easy smoke bomb - I guess you could mix in some form of powered dye to that mix to see if it gives a colored smoke.

Another method of making smoke bombs is to mix the ingredients in with a little water, for a wet mix.
Once it dries, you can burn it like any other smoke bomb. I don't wonder if using a wet dye, instead of water, would leave the dye residue in the mix when the moisture evaporates out, and make a colored smoke.

These are simply guesses - I have not messed around with making colored smoke bombs (making regular ones has been around for a long time).

Is there any chance you could generate the same effect for your haunt with plain white smoke, compared to colored smoke?


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## the dogman (Jul 8, 2007)

*well...lets see...*

i have no idea what my mom is looking for, she liked the color bombs we used last year so.... i'll have to ask if white smoke is ok...
and yes i am relaying info for mom (family haunt) because i am in charge of minor tasks for the haunt (as i will not be there Halloween night, i will masquerading as the Joker )


then there was a post i found suggesting these for color smoke (it's generally for color fire)
White - Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom salts) 
Carmine - Lithium Chloride 
Red - Strontium Chloride 
Orange - Calcium Chloride (a bleaching powder) 
Yellow - Sodium Chloride (table salt) or Sodium Carbonate 
Yellowish Green - Borax 
Green - Copper Sulfate 
Blue - Copper Chloride 
Violet - 3 parts Potassium Sulfate1 part Potassium Nitrate (saltpeter) 
Purple- Potassium Chloride

so... is the above list a good idea or avoid at all costs....


and with that i found this and i figured you guys would like it 
Pumpkin bombs!


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## Freaky Toaster (Sep 3, 2008)

I remember reading somewhere that you can use fabric dye like from Michaels


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## the dogman (Jul 8, 2007)

fabric dye is a toss up as to whether or not it works... for some it does for many it doesn't.

the haunt is supposed to be completely set up in two weeks and the effects need to be tested before halloween.

i really dont have the option of a lot of trial and error.

i have a spfx book i'm going to check but and help that you could offer would be great


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## Ugly Joe (Jan 13, 2004)

Yeah, dogman, those chemicals you've listed BURN with a particular color, but they need a pretty hot fire to do so - you're looking at using gunpowder as an accelerant in that case...I won't harp about how that stuff can explode if not prepared / used correctly.

Do you have a good supply of saltpeter?
I seriously recommend buying a little of the powdered fabric dye, mixing it in with some powdered sugar and saltpeter, and igniting it to see what color smoke you get.
(nice thing about this - you can do it quick, simple, and in small amounts, so you're not wasting excessive materials or time)


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

I've played with your list for colored fire, they all gave off white or black smoke.


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## the dogman (Jul 8, 2007)

i kinda figured the colored fire was for fire not smoke...

i'm gonna be getting some fabric dye for my gloves so i'll see what i can get to happen
has anyone actually done this sort of thing before?

can i light a dry mix with a candle wick? or something of the sort... i think i have some dud fireworks that i can rip the fuses out of... and would the little tin that tea lights come in be a good holder for the mix?

as for saltpeter, i know it can be found in a lot of places but where am i guaranteed to find it?

this is really helping guys thanks


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## the dogman (Jul 8, 2007)

*Erm....*

I found this... and i don't know what to think... is it a good idea?

Legendary Smokebomb • Pyrosummit

it seems like it would work but i am so not sure.....


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## Ugly Joe (Jan 13, 2004)

Here's another site for you to check out:
How to Make a Smoke Bomb

As for lighting the dry mix, you can very likely do so with a long fireplace match...light it, lay it across the top of the little pile, so it gives you a few seconds of back-up room, and it should start the pile burning (sugar burns pretty easily).

Found this site through Google for buying potassium nitrate:
1 LB. POTASSIUM NITRATE


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## the dogman (Jul 8, 2007)

*i keep finding things that confuse me....*

the first site you linked is where most of my info is from 

is there and easier/faster way to light dry mix? cause this is for halloween and things need to be paced right

there is this and this is neat....

YouTube - SMOKE GSY - red smoke test

..but he claims to use potassium chlorate, brewers lactose (??), and keystone smoke dye... 
i found a site for the dye and they apparently dont make the dye to standards therefore cannot sell it.

it looks very cool but again i have no idea about the stuff he uses, how its mixed other than a "30-40-30 mix", or how to get it.... 
so im back on square one.....

oh yeah theres this too - Smoke mix - PyroGuide


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## the dogman (Jul 8, 2007)

*found some info*

brewers lactose - milk sugar, sugar of milk, or just lactose. 
milk sugar - definition of milk sugar by the Online Dictionary from Datasegment.com

Potassium Chlorate - key ingredient in primer caps and used in some fire works 
Potassium chlorate - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

either of these a good idea or is the saltpeter/sugar mix still better?

still nothing on smoke dyes...

the colored fire stuff needs high temp to burn and create the color. 
if the ingredient was powdered and mixed in caramelized sugar/saltpeter smoke would it fuse and create a high enough temp to set off the color into the smoke?


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## rnrkid (Jun 3, 2008)

Her's a good step by step. The orange would be cool for the haunt!

How to Make a Colored Smoke Bomb - Associated Content

Here is a rather large resource guide I use for work. It will take some time to sort through.

http://wiretap.area.com/Gopher/Library/Untech/pyro.faq


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## the dogman (Jul 8, 2007)

*awesome rnr*

cool rnr thanks  i have bookmarked your resource guide, it might provide some neat and safe effects for future halloweens 

as for the guide you offer; that is the basic one i tend to find only this one has actual measurements  (best ever)
but the same problem arises and i quote it from the comments - "Receipe works just fine, but the organic dye part is faked."

the 'organic dye' is never named with annoys me...
i am going to ask the chemistry professor tomorrow and see what he says to use.


also i have seen guides that suggest if the sugar and saltpeter are powders to just use water to mold them together.
would that work too or should i just cook it?

the reason i need it in color is that when people see white/gray/black smoke, they instantly think fire... and in the age of cell phones someone is likely to call 911 before checking to see if it really is a fire... so colored smoke will keep my house from being surrounded by firetrucks and the awkward explanation of why they are there....
although i am dead sure a bunch of fire trucks showing up with lights and sirens full tilt would scare quite a few ToTers...

again and a thousand times: Thank You everyone for all your help


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## the dogman (Jul 8, 2007)

*Update*

ok so i didn't get to talk to the prof., but i did speak to his assistant and he tells me i had the right stuff with the colored fire.

. . . BUT. . .

it's not what i was thinking; the stuff on the list is a bit more complicated than the internet might lead me to think...

so he said he'd try to see if he could get info from the prof. for me and i'm gonna look into a couple things but so far things are looking up 

if/when i get a working smoke bomb set up and can replicate the results i'll see about making a tutorial (if its okay to do here )


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## Toetag (Jan 31, 2008)

Ok im not trying to be a butthead or anything but i cannot believe you guys are discussing pryo in a open forum like this. Most of the things that were listed for color and blackpowder your going to need a manufacturing license,storage magazine,and permits etc....Theres no company that will supply you manufacturing supplys and chemicals legally without a license from the atf much less have to worry about shipping and local laws.

ADVICE: DO NOT DO THIS


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