Flash Replacement

[schroedinger]

Well i myself started with 30 mm shells. No good bp, it didn't work. A couple years later i got into this again and started with 2" canisters and a lot of reading. They started to work, my bp was still shit, but i got them up to 2 m height (the 30 mm didn't lift at all). Construction was still quite hard. After that i bought some 2.5 and 3" hemis and worked on the bp. The bp was ok to brake these shells, nothing special but lift was still a problem. What made me going over to try benzolift. Now we started talking (well as long as kt takes to discover the problems of benzolift, storing it not a good idea).

 

Then sometime i decided to try a 4", what a beauty to work with. Space to really work. Fill with 2FA and work in the lift. Benzolift isn't suited for that, so cut down the ammount of whistle? No try bp again. Still the same bp like with smaller sizes. First try, 40g of lift (4 FA riced). Well that gone to a nice height. Much easier to get to work.

Specially in the first days there is one thing every newcommer needs to experience, and that is succes. Bigger shells provide ease of construction and are easier to lift. 4" is a good size as the ammount of comp that is needed is still quite small and you don't need to much parts that needs to be prepared. If you have MCRH a 6" would even be better to construct.

 

Also i would not recommend using plastics for a beginner. Learn it from scratch to do it right, and spare the polution with plastic debris. (Or maybe just not a friend of plastic shells).

[MadMat]

I guess I started small with 2" shells. I didn't make the decision so much for safety as for economy. I figured I would have my failures until I got everything "dialed in" and a 2" shell is a lot cheaper of a failure than a 4". I'm now making 3" and 4". I feel going up in small steps gives a person a chance to adjust to the differences that arise from size differences. This minimizes the dreaded failure shells. I've also found out that, if coordinated properly, firing off different size shells at the same time can create some pretty interesting effects.

Edited May 26, 2016 by MadMat

[MeowMix]

I'll start with 3" shells, as it seems to be the middle ground of everyone's opinion. I'll also make sure to pick up a decent ball mill so I can make some higher quality BP. I'll stay away from flash as much as I can, I still want to try Maxim's "Slow Flash" recipe, as it seems safer than just 7:3 flash. If you guys have any more feedback, I'd love to hear it. Thanks

 

*Also, where should I buy my 3" mortar tubes? Along with the the hemis and most other tooling, like screens, fuse, gum tape etc.. Thanks again.

Edited May 26, 2016 by MeowMix

[mikeee]

Maybe consider the obvious, what size mortar do you have to shoot from?

You can learn the basic concepts of shell building with any size shell

No matter the size, you need to build up the shell to the proper outside dimension to fit the mortar inside dimension, also allowing for the fuse.

Depending on the mortar size and length will determine the ball or cylinder shells best used.

[Mike]

Meo, leave out the slow flash for now. Just because it is called slow, it doesn't mean it is any less sensitiv. 7:3 is less sensitiv then KNO3 flash

[Maxim]

Whaaaaaaaaat?

[schroedinger]

Maxim, that was allready discussed a couple times in recent threads. Perchlorate is the stronger oxidizer, but kno3 gives off the oxigen easier.

[lloyd]

Max, he's absolutely correct!

POWER does not equate to sensitivity. (necessarily).

 

Lloyd

[Maxim]

I remember that I could ignite 50% KNO3 with 50% brigh flake Al with a very strong hit of the hammer, but I could not do the same with sulfur-containing slow flash. It never went boom with any power of the strike. Can't say the same for KClO4 flashes and especially KClO3 ones, those are mad flashes.

Thanks for the information.

[LiamPyro]

If you're looking for cheap screens, check this out: http://www.amazon.com/SE-GP2-150-Patented-Stackable-Sifting/dp/B00BP3D50S/ref=pd_sim_469_13?ie=UTF8&dpID=41YNUCU93cL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=15S83D90VWG03BXVBBYT

I bought this exact one recently and it works great. In my opinion, making slow flash is not something to freak out about. Flash has a lot of stigma around it, but it is not a chemical incarnation of the devil like many people seem to think.

[FlaMtnBkr]

I guess I've always liked small rockets for a beginner. You can make the tubes and tooling yourself if so inclined and you can get them to work with even mediocre BP. They are fast to make and you can potentially fly your first rocket the same day you first lay hands on materials.

 

You can also potentially get away with much less commitment. Less materials, less tools, and less chemicals depending on what kind of shell you make. Though I'm sure it's easy to spend much more on good, professional tooling and high quality tubes. Just depends on what you do.

 

Once you get that first rocket up and hear that 'whooosh' for the first time, it's much easier to start spending money on supplies. You can also make a smaller shell as time allows and have a great rocket with header. By then you should have enough materials and experience to branch out in any direction you want.

 

Also, if worried about making flash, look into TPA flash or even blue aluminum, though it requires more flash to work correctly than a first timer should probably be making. And any time you can use the binary method and get your device sealed up without ever having to handle mixed flash, it is definitely the way to go regardless of what you are using.

 

Good luck and have fun! But read, read, read, stay away from YouTube for the most part, and always ask first if you are unsure of something. If you want some suggested reading, let us know.

[Wiley]

I understand the allure of flash, but honestly, it's not needed for many, many pyro items. As others have stated, even shells can be made with nothing but BP. I still make nominal 1.75" cylinder shells, some of them pretty long. These shells are the same diameter as class C stuff. They CAN be broken with plain BP, and they are easy to make. Honestly though, making a 3" shell is so much easier by comparison, simply because there is much more space to work with. A 4" shell is even better, but a 4" cylinder consumes a considerable amount of materials compared to the smaller ones.

 

On the topic of flash, even 3g of quality flash powder in a light bag on top of a small rocket is a surprisingly loud bang, at least as loud as a class C ball shell. 10-20g will be much louder than the loudest 60g canisters available from the fireworks stand. Point being, the stuff is loud, and can draw a lot of attention.

 

If you'd like to see some pictures and discussion on making the small cylinder shells, there's a thread here: http://www.amateurpyro.com/forums/topic/11504-back-at-it/ and also some old photos in my galleries. Granted, many of the shells in that thread are flash-broken, but that was a slow flash suitable for that purpose. A 2g flash bag in a 1.75" shell makes it about as loud as a consumer canister, maybe a little less.

Edited May 31, 2016 by Wiley

[braddsn]

Meowmix, I started with 4" shells and I am glad I did. 4's are forgiving, are there is plenty of room to work in them. I followed by building 3's, and they were much more of a challenge. The smaller the shell, the more challenging they become, and in my opinion the more important booster becomes. My first 100 or so 4" shells did not have booster. Just bp coated hulls for break. Get some experience under your belt before messing with flash. Then when you decide that you are ready, I suggest sticking with the simple 70/30, use the diaper mixing method, and make very small amounts at a time (a couple grams). Booster can be really handy when dialing in shell breaks. Good luck and stay safe!