Ubehage Posted September 24, 2015 Posted September 24, 2015 I want to know if anyone has experience with, or sufficient knowledge of the chemicals involved, regarding slow flash with Blue Aluminum? Is it any safer than regular slow flash, or is it maybe even worse? I lack the required chemical knowledge to do my own experiments with such compositions, but would like to know if anyone have experience with it. 1
rogeryermaw Posted September 24, 2015 Posted September 24, 2015 i don't know about "slow" flash but blue aluminum is supposed to be safer than standard flake and dark aluminum comps. it is difficult to burn even mixed with perchlorate and is supposed to be impossible to ddt without confinement. i believe WSM has more knowledge concerning comps with blue Al. 1
ddewees Posted September 24, 2015 Posted September 24, 2015 I wouldn't recommend it, I suspect you won't be happy with the results. I've all but stopped using Blue aluminum, other than for glitters. 1
OblivionFall Posted September 25, 2015 Posted September 25, 2015 Yeah I really want to know if Blue Al will work with KNO3 and S. Never got around to buying any cause I wasn't sure it would work but if anyone can test it that would be great.
Ubehage Posted September 25, 2015 Author Posted September 25, 2015 I just found an article about Flash, by Steve Hubing. (Whoever he is )I made a post of it in this forum. I think it might answer the question for us, along with many other questions. I'm gonna give it a try one of these days.
wildcherryxoxo Posted September 25, 2015 Posted September 25, 2015 I doubt potassium nitrate/sulfur/blue aluminum will even burn, much less explode. You are going to have to accept that performance and reliability come with sensitivity. I suggest that you try the following composition, its proven to reliably ignite, and is relatively insensitive. The downside is that it requires a lot more containment to get a discernible boom; but it can be done! Potassium Nitrate 75Charcoal 15Sulfur 10 2
Bcorso85 Posted September 26, 2015 Posted September 26, 2015 I doubt potassium nitrate/sulfur/blue aluminum will even burn, much less explode. You are going to have to accept that performance and reliability come with sensitivity. I suggest that you try the following composition, its proven to reliably ignite, and is relatively insensitive. The downside is that it requires a lot more containment to get a discernible boom; but it can be done! Potassium Nitrate 75Charcoal 15Sulfur 10 Thanks. I think well all give this a try.
OblivionFall Posted September 27, 2015 Posted September 27, 2015 I doubt potassium nitrate/sulfur/blue aluminum will even burn, much less explode. You are going to have to accept that performance and reliability come with sensitivity. I suggest that you try the following composition, its proven to reliably ignite, and is relatively insensitive. The downside is that it requires a lot more containment to get a discernible boom; but it can be done! Potassium Nitrate 75Charcoal 15Sulfur 10Yeah I heard from a bunch of different people that that was the most powerful and safest flash formula! Tried it the other day and it went BOOM! Great stuff
wildcherryxoxo Posted September 27, 2015 Posted September 27, 2015 No, oblivion, you misunderstand me completely. I didn't say (nor is it) "the most powerful" composition, but relative to other report composition, it is safe. Also, it's not by most standards actually flash powder; flash powder generally contains a metal fuel. I should add that the above composition should be granulated prior to use
Ubehage Posted September 27, 2015 Author Posted September 27, 2015 (edited) No, oblivion, you misunderstand me completely. I didn't say (nor is it) "the most powerful" composition, but relative to other report composition, it is safe. Also, it's not by most standards actually flash powder; flash powder generally contains a metal fuel. I should add that the above composition should be granulated prior to useI took your post as humorous, and din't leave more thoughts into it.Because you are absolute right - no doubt about that. My question was not so much, as how to make flash safe/r. Just a question if anyone knew, if "Blue" Al would work as intended for slow Flash as well. I think I found my answer. I am currently drying some KNO3; making sure that is truly IS dry.And then I will perform some tests, and post a result in another part of this forum sometime soon. Edited September 27, 2015 by Ubehage
FloridaCracker Posted September 27, 2015 Posted September 27, 2015 I doubt it will work very well. The bulk of blue aluminum is atomized and if it does burn would probably be more like a slow sparkly gerb comp. I haven't tried blue aluminum but have tried slow flash with 325 mesh atomized and it didn't work. But blue aluminum might have enough dark/flake/fine aluminum to work differently but I would be surprised.I have basically made blue aluminum before it existed by replacing about half of the dark with cheap atomized and it worked in bigger shells like a bottom shot but I felt like I had to use a flash bag to get it going and be reliable or I added large granules of BP or pieces of black match. Enough extra work so I haven't felt like messing with the blue aluminum when I can get black aluminum for less money. Let us know what you find out. 1
OblivionFall Posted November 16, 2015 Posted November 16, 2015 No, oblivion, you misunderstand me completely. I didn't say (nor is it) "the most powerful" composition, but relative to other report composition, it is safe. Also, it's not by most standards actually flash powder; flash powder generally contains a metal fuel. I should add that the above composition should be granulated prior to useI'm going with the flow dude. I know it's BP.
OblivionFall Posted November 19, 2015 Posted November 19, 2015 I think it's hard to say how blue aluminum will work until it is confined. I'm sure someone on this forum has blue aluminum, KNO3 and sulfur handy. Just measure together a 5:3:2 mix and make a very-well built and sturdy salute. Then see if it works. Blue aluminum is supposed to be pretty close in power to normal aluminum with perchlorate so it might work if confined enough. But then again you could just binary mix. Or invest your time into TPA slow flash.
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