Homemade Smoke (half Beer Can)

Homemade Smoke Bomb (half Beer Can) - Click here for funny video clips
Use 3 parts Potassium Nitrate and 2 parts Sugar, mix on low flame in pan and wait until it melts down to peanut butter. Ratio 2:3

A smoke bomb is a firework designed to produce smoke upon ignition. While there are smoke-generating devices that are dropped from airplanes, the term "smoke bomb" is used to describe the three types of devices:

A smoke ball is a hollow, cherry-sized sphere of brightly colored clay filled with a smoke-generating composition that produces a forceful jet of colored smoke for 10 to 15 seconds.
A smoke candle (also called a smoke generator or smoke canister) is a cylindrical cardboard tube with a fuse, usually 1½ inches (37 mm) in diameter and several inches long and resembling a giant firecracker. Such a device creates a thick cloud of smoke for up to several minutes. Uses include providing smoke for smoke testing and creating a smoke-screen for paintball and airsoft games.
A smoke canister (or smoke grenade) is a metal can that releases smoke when a pin is pulled. Used for signalling by military personnel.
Colored smoke devices use a formula that consists of an oxidizer (typically potassium chlorate, KClO3), a fuel (generally sugar), a moderant (such as sodium bicarbonate) to keep the reaction from getting too hot, and a powdered organic dye. The burning of this mixture evaporates the dye and forces it out of the device, where it condenses in the atmosphere to form a "smoke" of finely dispersed particles.

A simple smoke powder can be made by gently mixing saltpeter (potassium nitrate, KNO3) and sugar in roughly a ratio of 60% saltpeter to 40% sugar; add more sugar for a slower burn and more KNO3 for a faster burn. The more finely ground the saltpeter and sucrose, the better the smoke bomb. The mixture can be used as a loose powder or consolidated by adding enough water to make a thick paste, making a small lump of about a tablespoon in size, and letting it dry overnight. This is much safer than heating such a mixture, which has resulted in too many cases of accidental ignition. "Smoke Bomb gone awry", New York Times.

This formula has a variant in which the ingredients are left in powder form and the granulated sugar is replaced with powdered sugar.

More success could potentially be enjoyed when one adds another flammable substance to the mixture without "cooking" it. The best choice for this is melted paraffin. [1]

Devices or cartridges containing only the dye are used with an external heat source in a smoke machine.

In the military, smoke bombs are a means for creating smoke-screens.

Smoke bombs are often sold as consumer fireworks, but smoke grenades (with pins rather than external fuses) are not considered fireworks and are usually not sold at fireworks shops. The military-style smoke grenades also cost much more than smoke bomb fireworks. Military-style smoke grenades often cost for around $40 USD, while smoke bombs often cost a few cents.

The smoke bomb you would purchase from a fireworks store usually is made from potassium chlorate (KClO3 - oxidizer), sugar (sucrose or dextrin - fuel), sodium bicarbonate (otherwise known as baking soda - to moderate the rate of the reaction and keep it from getting too hot), and a powdered organic dye (for colored smoke). When a commercial smoke bomb is burned, the reaction makes white smoke and the heat evaporates the organic dye. Commercial smoke bombs have small holes through which the smoke and dye are ejected, to create a jet of finely dispersed particles. Crafting this type of smoke bomb is beyond most of us, but you can make an effective smoke bomb quite easily. There are even colorants you can add if you want to make colored smoke. Let's start out with instructions for the easiest/safest type of smoke bomb you can make:
Smoke Bomb Materials

sugar (sucrose or table sugar)
potassium nitrate, KNO3, also known as saltpeter (you can find this at some garden supply stores in the fertilizer section, some pharmacies carry it too)
skillet or pan
aluminum foil
Once you've gathered your smoke bomb materials, it's easy to make the smoke bomb...

Recent Chemistry Features

Index: How to Make a Smoke Bomb
Smoke Bomb Materials
How to Make a Smoke Bomb
How to Use a Smoke Bomb
Additional Smoke Bomb Recipes
Make Colored Smoke Bombs
White Smoke Bomb with Colored Flames