rogeryermaw Posted September 11, 2015 Posted September 11, 2015 So I have these crackling stars down pretty tight and, of course I want to use them all sorts of ways, one of which is as cores to roll colors on. Being bound with n.c., one may find that wetting with n.c. or plain acetone is unsuitable for many reasons. It can re-soften the d.e. or leach components of the comp into the cores and can weaken or ruin the effect altogether. So water or alcohol are the choices as n.c. is unaffected by them. I liked how simple it was to prime these d.e. using dextrin liquor in a spray bottle. I was going to try it on another comp today and, out of curiosity, opened the bottle (just had a hunch) and noticed it had a faint odor of...I don't know...like spoiled milk maybe? Does it spoil? Should it be refrigerated? Anyone have experience with this can possibly give me some ideas if this is ok or toss it and make new?
Carbon796 Posted September 11, 2015 Posted September 11, 2015 (edited) Yes it spoils, and will mold if kept too long. I generally keep my spray bottle in the fridge if I have extra. If it smells sour, I would just toss it and make a new batch. You can also add some potassium or sodium benzoate, to prolong the shelf life some. Edited September 11, 2015 by Carbon796 1
Mumbles Posted September 11, 2015 Posted September 11, 2015 I've never worked with dextrin liquor, but potassium benzoate makes gum arabic solution last basically indefinitely. Hopefully the cores work well. Priming them can tighten up the timing if that ever becomes a problem for you. It also allows you to roll nitrate based comps over the top without any worry of issues stemming from nitrate leaching into the core.
rogeryermaw Posted September 11, 2015 Author Posted September 11, 2015 (edited) Thanks for that carbon! I mean I guess it's silly to ask about something that cheap to make but I haven't run into this until now. Out it goes. Thanks! Mumbles I hear about the nitrate issues with crackle comps but haven't faced it personally. Does it just ruin the effect or are there any safety issues? A bit off topic but a concern no less. Edited September 11, 2015 by rogeryermaw
schroedinger Posted September 11, 2015 Posted September 11, 2015 Rogef yes it can spoil and get sour. In Hardt's Pyrofechnucs it is described to do so and an old reason why sometimes accidents with chlorate/sulfur compoditions happened even when the sulfur was acid free. Nitrate just ruins the effect, turning them into weak glowinv stars.
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