ThyssenKrupp Magazin

18 SPARKLERS
STICHWORT
Perhaps the poets can help us discover the secret of the sparkler
– or as Germans colorfully call it, the Wunderkerze, or “wonder
candle.” The gnomes in Goethe’s “Faust,” for example, who
called themselves “rock surgeons” and claimed to “fleece the high
mountains” every day for metal. These gnomes are supposed to have
ignited the spark in their laboratory, which enthused Faust so much
that he could only exclaim, “Sparks are flying nearby / like disseminated
golden sand."
Georg Alef is not a poet, but a cheerful man from Eitorf, on the Sieg
River in Germany’s Rhineland, who works with colleagues to research
and develop fireworks at the Weco pyrotechnics plant. As a specialist for
large fireworks, especially ones that can be synchronized with music, the
team has already won the world championship of fireworks title in Montreal
for their impressive combination of music and fireworks.
A VERY COMPLEX PRODUCT
There is little sign of these bursts of colors in the rather plain production
hall in Eitorf. Moving quickly, Alef leads a visitor to the “diver” – not a
gnome but an ordinary man who is an expert in safely and repeatedly dipping
steel wires with a thin cover of copper, aligned in straight rows of 400
on a board, into a somewhat thick gray liquid, pulling them out, briefly
dripping them down and then placing them on a metal shelf to dry.
Witchcraft? Far from it. The sparkler, which measures 17 centimeters,
or almost 7 inches, is probably the most simple type of magic.
Looked at prosaically, a few seconds of sparkling stars, a quiet crack-
Ground iron with the right granulation
ling and a soft fume pretty much make up the experience, and then the
sparkler is burnt out. Yet creating it is not that simple.
“For me, the sparkler is one of the most complicated systems that
I know,” says Alef, and when asked what all this has to do with the subject
of basic materials, he answers, “A lot.” For what sort of substance
do sparklers burn? Iron powder and so-called sander dust, finely
ground iron whose granulation can hardly be seen. This burns together
with barium nitrate (as an oxygen carrier) in a type of in-house blast
furnace process, with sparks flying, more or less.
A FASCINATING OBJECT
Alef is rather hesitant when addressing the question of whether he has
given a comprehensive list of the sparkler’s ingredients; he finally admits
that the gray liquid includes two types of aluminum, dextrin (a
residue of farina) and flour as adhesive agents, then refuses to say
more. The exact formula remains a carefully guarded business secret.
“The product is very sensitive,” explains Alef. Which is understandable
given the fact that the combination of oxidizing and metallic
substances (for example, aluminum) can entail hefty reactions. In the
worst case, the sparkler mash could boil and ignite itself: A fireworks
factory must put an absolute premium on safety.
Researching this inconspicuous object, which Weco calls “electric
sparklers,” makes for a eureka experience for the lay person. It refers
to a sparkling mind and it is based on an intelligently devised mixture.
Invented by whom?
Sparkler production is a
difficult process. The immersion
mass has to be just right,
containing the correct mixture
of iron powder and all the other
materials. Only then will the
sparkler really sparkle.
TK Magazine | 1 | 2004 |