Cremora versus gas fireball/mine?

[tfb5701]

Does anyone have any recommendations between these two? I was thinking about doing some Creamora's to start off my show this year but I just found some videos of gas mine/fireballs that look like they do the same thing. Any recommendations between the two?

[displayfireworks1]

I have a few gasoline fireball mine videos, have you seen them? Seem like the trend is going towards gasoline

[PyroJoeNEPA]

There are Pros & Cons to both. Visually, not a lot of difference except the gas fireball "rolls" outward as it goes up and the cremora holds its shape.
GAS---
Pros: Gas is easy to get. Can be shot in 4",6" 8" 12" sizes.
Cons: Requires a black powder burst charge to ignite it--which has to be properly made and ematched, may leave a burn residue on the ground around it so is not good for "manicured shoot sites" like a golf course or ball field. Requires a heavy duty steel tube to shoot it out of.

CREMORA---
Pros: Easy to work with, can be shot in almost any size if proper container is used [coffee cans up to 5 gal HDPE buckets. Not too expensive if you have a good source for it.
Cons: not always easy to find, will clump up if exposed to moisture. Requires access to 2FA black powder and ematch to ignite.

You can do some nice effects with small cremoras--3 lb coffee cans or go to the local pizza shop & ask for some empty #10 pizza sauce cans. They work great & several small ones spread out can give you an impressive effect.
Bottom line, I would prefer to work with the cremora if possible.
Either one--gas or cremora must be fired if they dont go off during the show. Not something you can safely empty!!!!


If you look at this video from a recent PyroMusical we did at a CrackerJacks club shoot you will see several fireballs in the show. There were 5 gal cremoras, coffee can cremoras wired together in a ring, and 12" gas mines. Can you see the difference???

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLJp5LbhwTQ

[Csection]

There are Pros & Cons to both. Visually, not a lot of difference except the gas fireball "rolls" outward as it goes up and the cremora holds its shape.
GAS---
Pros: Gas is easy to get. Can be shot in 4",6" 8" 12" sizes.
Cons: Requires a black powder burst charge to ignite it--which has to be properly made and ematched, may leave a burn residue on the ground around it so is not good for "manicured shoot sites" like a golf course or ball field. Requires a heavy duty steel tube to shoot it out of.

CREMORA---
Pros: Easy to work with, can be shot in almost any size if proper container is used [coffee cans up to 5 gal HDPE buckets. Not too expensive if you have a good source for it.
Cons: not always easy to find, will clump up if exposed to moisture. Requires access to 2FA black powder and ematch to ignite.

You can do some nice effects with small cremoras--3 lb coffee cans or go to the local pizza shop & ask for some empty #10 pizza sauce cans. They work great & several small ones spread out can give you an impressive effect.
Bottom line, I would prefer to work with the cremora if possible.
Either one--gas or cremora must be fired if they dont go off during the show. Not something you can safely empty!!!!


If you look at this video from a recent PyroMusical we did at a CrackerJacks club shoot you will see several fireballs in the show. There were 5 gal cremoras, coffee can cremoras wired together in a ring, and 12" gas mines. Can you see the difference???

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLJp5LbhwTQ
Man those shots were spot on! Nice vid! Do you mind if I ask who sang that first song in the vid?
Sorry! Not trying to be off topic, but I really liked the music in this video.

[PyroJoeNEPA]

Man those shots were spot on! Nice vid! Do you mind if I ask who sang that first song in the vid?
Sorry! Not trying to be off topic, but I really liked the music in this video.

Thanks for the compliment! Fire & Ice by Pat Benatar. Second was "I'll Fly Away" by STYX.

[Csection]

Thanks for the compliment! Fire & Ice by Pat Benatar. Second was "I'll Fly Away" by STYX.
Well deserved!
That was one of the best I've seen because the timing was so good.
Thanks for the name of those songs. I looked them up.

[tfb5701]

I have a few gasoline fireball mine videos, have you seen them? Seem like the trend is going towards gasoline

Yes, I saw your videos of the gas fireballs. I originally learned about creamoras from a older pyro before he passed about but only recently learned about gas mines.

[Hydrazine]

Sorry to bring up an old thread but this thread goes to a question I have about fireball mines. The thread is about gas vs cremora but can german black aluminum be used in place of cremora?

Would it even work? If yes, what are the relative differences?

[PyroJoeNEPA]

I can't say with 100% certainty but my initial answer would be no since the "flash point" or ignition temperature of the aluminum would be much higher than creamora, coal dust, sawdust, etc. It might work--only one way to be certain--try a small amount and see what happens. The BIG down side would be the expense..German Dark Aluminum is not cheap compared to creamora. I couldn't imagine the cost to load a 5 gal bucket with Dark Aluminum---
another thing is the aluminum is "dense" or heavy---not fluffy like you need for the creamora---a table spoon of aluminum would weigh probably three times or more of what a table spoon of creamora would weigh....so the more I think about this question the more I am inclined to say it would not work.

[Hydrazine]

When you do the cremora or gas mines, do you feel it produces a thermobaric effect?

Have you experimented with gas burn rate catalysts such as n-propyl nitrate, dissolved acetylene or propylene oxide?

[PyroJoeNEPA]

When you do the cremora or gas mines, do you feel it produces a thermobaric effect?

That is an interesting question but outside the "scope of my pay grade". LOL. Any direct pressure wave caused by a fireball can be felt quite a distance away. I would mention the effect of napalm used in VietNam--a napalm drop burned all the oxygen out of the air quite a distance around [and below] it--fortunately I was never close to one to say first hand how far the wave traveled.

Have you experimented with gas burn rate catalysts such as n-propyl nitrate, dissolved acetylene or propylene oxide?
No-- I stick to Cremoras for the club shoots I do but the company I shoot for has transitioned to gas mines because of the reliability in adverse weaher conditions. Cremora will clump up if it gets damp. Never saw a need to try alternative fuels. When we started we used a diesel/gas mix but soon shifted to straight gasoline. Evaporation is always an issue with fuel mines.

[Westpapyro]

For fuel mines, has anyone used ethanol free or e85 in their fuel mines.

[Fire Art]

Just a side note on both types...be aware that a lot of insurance companies consider these special effects and as such they may not be covered under the insurance for a fireworks show.