How Firecrackers Were Made
James Dyer Ball in his book Things Chinese has a detail description about the process and material used for making firecracker at the end of 19th century. At that time, firecrackers were made by women and children workers, using straw paper to make the body of firecracker, while the fuse was made by bamboo paper imported from Japan, then stiffen with buckwheat paste. The bamboo paper cut into strips of 14 inches long and one third of an inch wide,laid on table, a string of gun powder was placed at the center with a hol tube, then twist up to make a piece of fuse. The firecracker tubes were made from pieces of straw paper wrapped around iron rods of various diameters then tighten with special tool. 200 to 300 firecrackers were tied up in a bunch, then red clay was spread at the bottom of the bunch, and forced into each end of the firecracker with a punch, gun power was pour into it, then the other end was sealed with awl by turning the tube inward, and a fuse inserted.
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