This is something really rewarding to use if you like classic photography. Writing this page I have the feeling of contributing to rescue something that is about to vanish.

Before the electronic flash, before the flash cubes or flash bulbs photographers used the strong light produced by the combustion of magnesium to lit their subjects. The flash bulbs were just an evolution of the same principle by putting the magnesium inside a glass bubble yet covered by a plastic layer to make it safer and cleaner. In former times the magnesium were burned loose. Could be in the form of ribbons, thin sheets or powder (I imagine that powder was the first one). The devices were so simple that quite often the next generation (not knowing what was it for) simple threw them away and now they are hard to find. A metal sheet folded like an L to hold the powder and provide some protection to the photographer standing behind it and, at the same time, reflect the light forward, was the basic design.

The one in this page, the Agfa Flashlight-Lamp is already a sophisticated one. It has a sparking metal (the same used in lighters) and a spring system that one wind up and release with a trigger generating a spark that will ignite the magnesium.

The powder is also hard to find nowadays and it doesn't work when it is original from the old times (at least the ones I tried). So the solution is to prepare new one yourself. The source is the fireworks industry. I prepared the recipe I found in the www. They do not mention the use in photography but when I read: "The following are special purpose Flash Powder formulas that find use in some magic tricks (when lit as a loose powder),but most do not perform well in salutes (exploding fireworks)." I said: yeah that is it.

I will not go into details about that because I don't want to add to my site those boring statements about safety. So please go to "United Nuclear" and help yourself. Don't miss at the end of the basic instruction on mixing chemicals for fireworks, that starts, by the way, with "PAY ATTENTION... OR DIE" and they finished with "To Continue, click a button that applies to you" ... click them. I laughed a lot.
Well, coming back to the Agfa Blitzlampe (the original name in German) here are one illustration and the english part of the instructions manual:

Also interesting are the instructions for Agfa powder. Here is the French version as I don't have them in english. It says, for big groups, to use 4 to 8g ! But with a professional device also from Agfa, one can go up to 25g for one shot.

An advertising published in Photo Miniature in March 1910:

Zero

1/15 s

2/15 s

3/15 s

4/15 s

5/15 s

6/15 s

7/15 s

8/15 s

9/15 s

10/15 s

11/15 s

12/15 s

13/15 s

14/15 s

15/15 s

Well, if this only experiment is representative of what happens in average what we can say is that we have 4 x 1/15s of useful light for this amount of powder. That is 1/4 of a second approximately. From the first sparks till the light is really building up we had 8/15 s, that is enough for human reaction if we think the problem of synchronization with the shutter. But that is true only with this device + the fuse story that is already an adaptation.

Conclusion is that I will try to use the cable release in my left hand and the Agfa Blitzlampe on the right and do a human sinchronization with 1/8s speed on the shuttter. That leaves some room for mistakes. About the apperture I have no idea. It is a question of trial and error.Of course I count with the latitude of modern films to broaden my chances

In former times when the magnesium powder made his way into photography, people were used to linger still for seconds so the flash was not more than a simple lapse in time. Shutter work was done manually with the lens shade. Maybe also the Orthochromatic emulsions developed by inspection could also make up for variations during shooting.

And I have already two pictures to show! The first one on the right was done with 1g of powder, f22 on the lens. I opened it in B in total darkness. Lit the Blitzlampe. I closed the shutter well afterwards. So it caught all the possible light. Paula and Alvaro stayed like petrified all the time so we have no blurred images.

The second picture was done with 1/8s with manual sinchro. In that case I could count with light from a big window on the right and the flash added just some life and contrast.

The experience is exciting. Lots of smoke and smells like fireworks inside your living room. Quite impressive. Check the "cubic" cloud going up in the last frame 15/15. Right after it was spread all over the ceiling because it was carried by a mass of hot air produced with the combustion. One minute later it came down showing that the particles are actually heavier than air.
Now, what is next, is that I am planning to do some out-door night photography of a big building with lots of powder. I think it is a good use it because I see some advantages that can't be met by electronic flash :One can have an enormous amount of light without investing a fortune in equipment. I just need to take care in these crazy times to avoid being taken as a terrorist trying to explode the city. Of course I will show here the results as soon as I get something acceptable