How to Make a Simple Smoke Screen for Paintball Wars

Here’s a recipe me and my friends have been using for years to make smoke bombs. Only recently did I remember this recipe because my son was playing paintball with his friends and said you could by smoke grenades online but instead I decided to make him some. It turned out to be a little cheaper then online and mine smoked way better.

What You Need:

1. “Saltpeter” or “Potassium Nitrate” which is used in many things like fireworks and pickling meat for examples. Saltpeter can be found usually in little mom and pop’s drug stores. It usually runs about $5 for 100 or more grams. Some stump removers contain Saltpeter but I would NOT recommend it since I have never used it myself.

2. Sugar. It has to be white sugar as far as I know.

3. Old pot and spoon to mix with.

4. A heat source preferably outside but a stove will work.

5. Something to pour your hot mix into like a cylinder shape object or even a tinfoil plate will work.

6. Optional, but a wick of some type should be used to avoid getting burned while lighting the smoke bomb. Smallest sparklers you can find at any local dollar store will work perfectly.

7. For color smoke use a natural clothing dye in the mix (Red Works Best)

STEP 1:
For an average 30 second smoke bomb mix 6 parts of saltpeter with 4 parts sugar in the pot. Then place pot on the stove or whatever heat source on medium heat constantly stirring it until you noticed its starting to caramelize and smell sweet. If you want color add in 5 to 6 parts of natural colored dye.

STEP 2:
After it starts to caramelize you will notice its starting to turn to a paste like substance that almost looks like peanut butter to me. This is as far as it needs to be cooked. Just make sure your container for the mix is ready to go and everything is mixed thoroughly.

STEP 3:
Carefully pour the hot mix into your container or plate without burning yourself and let it set for a few minutes before adding your wick. Once the wick is in, place the mix somewhere cool for an hour or 2 until its complete dry and hard.

FINAL STEP:
Go out with your buddies and once pinned down in the paintball game, pull out this little beauty and light it and see the smoke cover you will get. I have smoked out an entire block with one of these.

Again this is a totally legal way to make the recipe here in Canada but before attempting check your countries local rules on pyrotechnics or whatever.