A PYRO-
TECHNICAL
GUIDE TO
EXPLOSIVE
FUELSMETHANE
Best for indoor
ire efects, since
it burns clean and
doesn’t make fumes
or much smoke.PROPANE
Makes lots of
black smoke and
soot—good for
outdoor ires.PROPYLENE
Makes even
more black smoke
than propane,
and red lames.DYNAMITE
Creates high-veloc-
ity explosions, and
it’s not too smoky.
The problem is ship-
ping: In the U.S., you
basically have to
hire a special truck
to move one case
at a time.DETONATING
CORD
Similar uses as for
dynamite, and easy
to ship in the U.S.BLACK POWDER
Makes lots of
smoke, and lower
velocity than dyna-
mite. According to
Anthony Simonaitis,
pyrotechnics super-
visor for Jurassic
World: Fallen King-
dom, “You could
still be hurt by it,
but it won’t shoot
a pebble through
your head.”66 JULY/AUGUST _ 201 POPULARMECHANICS.COM