II. Saltpetre one ounce, ditto melted half an ounce, and camphor two ounces. When you would make stars of either of these compositions, you must wet them with gum water, or spirit of wine, in which has been dissolved some gum-arabick, or gum-tragacanth, that the whole may have the consistence of a pretty thick liquid; having thus done, take one ounce of lint, and stir it about in the composition till it becomes dry enough to roll into stars.
For Stars of a yellowish Colour.
Take four ounces of gum-tragacanth or gum-arabick, pounded and sifted thro’ a fine sieve, camphor dissolved in brandy two ounces, saltpetre one pound, sulphur half a pound, coarse powder of glass four ounces, white amber one ounce and a half, and orpiment two ounces. All these ingredients being well incorporated, make them into stars after the common method.
Stars of another Sort.
Take a pound of camphor and melt it in a pint of spirit of wine over a slow fire; then add to it a pound of gum-arabick that has been dissolved; with this liquor, mix one pound of saltpetre, six ounces of sulphur, and five ounces of meal powder; and after you have stirred them well together, roll them into stars proportionable to the rockets for which you intend them.
Of the Colours produced by the different Compositions.
As variety of fires adds greatly to a collection of works, it is necessary that every artist should know the different effect of each ingredient; for which reason, I shall here explain the colours they produce of themselves; and likewise how to make them retain the same when mixed with other bodies: as for example, sulphur gives a blue, camphor a white or pale colour, saltpetre a clear white, yellow amber a colour inclining to yellow, sal-armoniac a green, antimony a reddish, rosin a copper colour, and greek-pitch a kind of bronze or between red and yellow. All these ingredients are such as shew themselves in a flame, viz.
For a white Flame.
Saltpetre, sulphur, meal powder, and camphor, the saltpetre must be the chief part.
For a blue Flame.