FlaMtnBkr Posted March 2, 2016 Posted March 2, 2016 Yeah, some comps are a challenge to keep from flaming up which consumes and destroys the smoke. There are a few I've tried that only smolder and don't seem to want to flame up and I was thinking this might be one but sounds like I'm remembering wrong.
Exo Posted March 12, 2016 Posted March 12, 2016 (edited) The pariffin smoke formula works great in tin cans i have made them in baby food cans for small smoke flares and large dog food tins for bigger ones.The larger ones are better if you add a center cavity to aid the burn and smoke relese, i choke them with 5 or so turns of alfoil wraped around the tin and extending 4 inches above the tin and and lightly choked at the top, this stops the smoke flare from flamming. Edited March 12, 2016 by Exo
BlueComet24 Posted March 12, 2016 Author Posted March 12, 2016 Paraffin-based smoke comps are the only ones I trust to put in a metal container. I still use cardboard, but IPS and similar comps shouldn't be able to overpressure like rocket candy.
BlueComet24 Posted August 26, 2019 Author Posted August 26, 2019 (edited) It's been a while since I've provided any updates on this comp, but I wanted to share my findings on improving the characteristics of it:- Adding about 0.2% red iron oxide (Fe2O3) makes the comp ignite much easier and stay lit more consistently. Adding more seems fine, you could try 1%. It'll take fire from American visco.- Drying the KNO3 helps to make sure the comp ignites as stated in the original post, but I recommend drying it before blending so it doesn't clump up so much.- Don't use too thin of a tube, as this seems to increase the likelihood of the comp going out. I normally use 1x2.5" tubes (25x64mm) with a cardboard disk taped on top, and only a 1/8" (3mm) hole for the fuse, which is big enough for the smoke jet.- Using granulated sugar and blending it to a fine powder seems to be better than using confectioner's sugar when it comes to ensuring ignition and lowering cost (and reduction of powdery messes!) but may cause small sparks to jet out occasionally, so the sugar should be finely ground and then screened to remove any grains. Edited August 26, 2019 by BlueComet24
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