Colored Smoke Recipes

One way to make smoke is to craft a smoke bomb, but you can make a smoke powder, too. Here are some formulations for colored smokes. The parts or percents are by weight. Basically what you do is measure the ingredients, sift them together to mix them, and ignite the powder to produce smoke. Up to 2% sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) may be added to slow the combustion/cool the reaction, if necessary.

• Potassium nitrate - 4 parts
• Charcoal - 5 parts
• Sulfur - 10 parts
• Wood dust - 3 parts

• Potassium chlorate - 15%
• para-nitroaniline red - 65%
• Lactose - 20%

• Synthetic indigo - 26%
• Auramine (yellow) - 15%
• Potassium chlorate - 35%
• Lactose - 26%

Reference: The formulations for colored smoke bombs came from Wouter's Practical Pyrotechnics, who cited the recipes as originating from L.P. Edel, "Mengen en Roeren", 2nd edition (1936).

Wouter's website is very helpful. Though I didn't see recipes for other colors of smoke, he has an extensive list of formulas for colored fireworks, which you may be able to adapt to make colored smoke.

If you can order chemicals, here are some of the dyes used to produce more colors:

Red:

• Disperse Red 9 (older formulation)
• Solvent Red 1 with Disperse Red 11
• Solvent Red 27 (C.I. 26125)
• Solvent Red 24

Orange:

• Solvent Yellow 14 (C.I. 12055)

Yellow:

• Vat Yellow 4 with benzanthrone (older formulation)
• Solvent Yellow 33
• Solvent Yellow 16 (C.I. 12700)
• Solvent Yellow 56
• Oil Yellow R

Green:

• Vat Yellow 4 with benzanthrone and Solvent Green 3 (older formulation)
• Solvent Yellow 33 and Solvent Green 3
• Solvent Green 3
• Oil Green BG

Blue:

• Solvent Blue 35 (C.I. 26125)
• Solvent Blue 36
• Solvent Blue 5

Violet:

• Disperse Red 9 with 1,4-diamino-2,3-dihydroanthraquinone
• Solvent Violet 13

Use care if you try these additional dyes. If you know of a reliable reference for additional colored smoke formulations, please feel free to contact me.

Read and follow the safety information for all the chemicals that you use. Use colored smoke outdoors only, in a well-ventilated area.

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