One of my fondest childhood memories is of the various chemistry experiments my father and I used to do. This was back when chemistry sets actually had chemicals in them. Things like sulfur, and other things with funny looking names ending in ate, ite, and ide.

Recently I was going through my father’s storage room and came across a very old jar of powdered sulfur. I opened that jar up and gazed upon the golden powder. Still as fresh as the day it was purchased. Memories came rushing back, and I quickly started my search for the zinc dust needed to properly catalyze the mixture into a thick plume of stinky smoke and a brilliant blueish flame. At least I think it was blueish. It was so long ago.

I’m certain the neighbors HATED us. I used to build little army camps out of balsa wood, and then mix up some of the smoke bomb powder and plant it all over the camp. Then use something to carry the flame to all spots on the camp to blow up the powder. 15ft - 20ft mushroom clouds of the most rank smelling crap would billow up from the ground. It was beautiful…

The smoke was heavier than the ambient air, so it would quickly settle back down — usually into the neighbor’s yard making it look like a scene from a horror B-movie, and smelling like a field of rotten eggs.

Ahhh good times. So, anyway, Powdered Sulfur + Zinc Dust = Lot’s O’ Fun! More Zinc = more flame. More Sulphur = more smoke and stink.

One of my father’s favorite stories was when he used to get a bit of the mixture and pour it out on someone’s front porch by the front door. Then he’d attach a kitchen match to the bottom corner of the screen door in such a way that it would strike when the door was opened. Also, in such a way that the door would carry the flame into the powder. Thus igniting the stink bomb, while the front door was open. :)

Makes you think twice about going cheap on the candy for Halloween!

Oh, and if you have a good source for Zinc Dust, let me know!