These are unchoked cases, charged like a tourbillion, but pierced only with holes of rotation, for the purpose of turning a coloured fire. Drive them in a mould, as directed before. A good size is, 5/8 internal, 7/8 external, 6 or 7 inches long. Let the tenon enter the case 3/8 of an inch: charge the composition firm till within 1/2 an inch of the top, which leave vacant. Remove it, and fill the 3/8 occupied by the tenon, with plaster of paris. Have a centre-piece, turned like fig. 55, with a tenon, 5/8 diameter at each end, 1/2 an inch long. Glue a case on each tenon. Let the centre-piece be 6 inches long, exclusive of the tenons; so, if the saxon cases are 7 inches long, each, the entire length, as fig. 56, will be 20 inches. Make a hole at a, and another at c, with a shielded bradawl, 3/16 of an inch diameter. Put a bit of naked match in the hole a, carry it round x and y, along to c and on to z. It must be pushed into c with a blunt wire. Cover it with two thicknesses of pasted paper, like the tourbillion. Leave the match exposed at x, y, and at z, and brush it over with meal paste. If the central piece of wood were now put on a horizontal spindle, and fire communicated to the match z, the holes a and c would cause it to rotate, and produce a white circle of fire. This, however, would be hardly worth making; but, by fixing at b, a little case of coloured fire, a splendid effect is produced. This case of colour is usually tied to a nail, driven in at b; but a little tenon of wood may be glued there instead, and the case of colour must be then charged, with a vacancy at the bottom, to fit on the tenon. The case of colour must be timed to burn as long as the saxon; rather more than an inch will be sufficient.
Saxons are sometimes made by charging a roman candle case with an inch of clay in the middle, and boring a hole through the clay, to receive a spindle. Only one half of the case burns at a time; a leader, placed at the bottom, near the central clay, conveys the fire to the other end; and continues the rotation. For distinction, they are called Chinese fliers.
