What should I do.....

[dagabu]

Sounds like you are talking crackers?

[Mouse]

I prefer mine a little higher off the ground these days!!😜

[WindowLicka]

Tell us about your aluminum?

 

Well I went and got me a 20' roll of some cheap thin aluminum and fed it through my paper shredder. Then I packed 3/4 full cups into the magic bullet blender, to the mr coffee mill to get it as small as possible. Back and forth several times until it wasn't getting any smaller. Then I loaded 2/3 cans into the HF mill , 2 at a time, with 1" stainless nuts for media and tumbled/milled it for 24 hours.

Then seeing it had gotten what I thought was much finer I again threw it into the coffee mill and then to the M/bullet and I was left with what I thought was satisfactory powdered aluminum.

It worked wonders when mixed with chlorate/sulfer/aluminum in every composition amounts I made for salutes. The only thing is 20' doesn't make but 1/2 of one of the little marinated artichoke heart can full of powder. But like I said it must have been my mixing or my homemade aluminum that made every perchlorate salute I made simply spew the fiery comp out the fuse hole.

Because the KP and sulfur are quality chemicals.

And I know someone is gonna say something about mixing chlorate and sulfur is a no no!

In the amounts I was making The risk was minimal.

Edited June 11, 2016 by WindowLicka

[lloyd]

Have you attempted to do a particle size analysis (like, for instance, measuring the sizes under a microscope?)

 

It sounds like you don't have anything there much finer than about 80-mesh. (about 180 microns)

 

Dark pyro aluminum used for salutes is more on the order of 8 micron (-1200 mesh and down -- to about 2 microns).

 

Lloyd

[WindowLicka]

Sounds like you are talking crackers?

A lot of the flash comps call for KP, not just crackers. Since the size tube was 9/16 x 1 1/2" they would more likely be called m-80's.

Even though that name m-80 means absolutely natha, it does describe fairly well the size salute I was pulling an 'epic fail' on to the letter.

I believe the cracker comps call for antimony sulphide as well. Or some do.

The remaining perchlorate I have is going towards more meaningful comps. If I wanna make a pop I'll use a chlorate comp and use KP in star comps.

[lloyd]

Unless you're in a place where it's illegal, you should purchase dark pyro Al, rather than trying to make your own. There are some flake aluminums you can craft at home, but without the proper classification equipment, your results are likely to be inconsistent from batch to batch.

 

LLoyd

[WindowLicka]

Have you attempted to do a particle size analysis (like, for instance, measuring the sizes under a microscope?)

 

It sounds like you don't have anything there much finer than about 80-mesh. (about 180 microns)

 

Dark pyro aluminum used for salutes is more on the order of 8 micron (-1200 mesh and down -- to about 2 microns).

 

Lloyd

Alas, I don't own a microscope..... Can I loupe it? just kidding.

 

I do have some atomized 3 micron aluminum on its way along with some 200 mesh mg/al, spherical Ti, and the key to putting a long list of possible comps together... Red gum. I placed the order shortly after this thread was started and you told me I had nothing really to make color star and gerb comps with. You were right, I didn't have much of anything. But add red gum to my inventory and some metals and a whole bunch of possibilities comes alive.

[OctoberSky]

Basic fountain mix 70Kno3-20C-10S (it's what i use). Visit some local machine shops and ask for scrap metal turnings (iron, titanium, steel, magnalium, aluminum). Make yourself some beautiful fountains. Note: Be sure of the purity of the batch, some metals can spark with other metals present...Especially titanium. Also...clean your metals in alcohol and let dry and coat if nessary for long term storage. Hope this helps.

[TomasBrod]

Basic fountain mix 70Kno3-20C-10S (it's what i use). Visit some local machine shops and ask for scrap metal turnings (iron, titanium, steel, magnalium, aluminum). Make yourself some beautiful fountains. Note: Be sure of the purity of the batch, some metals can spark with other metals present...Especially titanium. Also...clean your metals in alcohol and let dry and coat if nessary for long term storage. Hope this helps.

Thank you for the formula. It's basically a under-oxidized black powder with metal. Now I just need to ask my friend for some iron turnings.

What size of turnings do you use? Do different metals give different effects?

[OldMarine]

Iron gives reddish orange sparks, titanium, aluminum and magnesium give very bright white sparks. You want no larger than 60 mesh metal or you'll get fewer sparks and more lawn fires. I've broken up turnings with a hammer on my anvil for small batches and it works pretty well.

Titanium and magnalium are my favorites but magnesium works well. I always treat magnesium with potassium dichromate to prevent unwanted reactions but not so much with magnalium if I'm not planning on storing the device for more than a few days.

One other thing: I spray my iron turnings with WD40 and let it dry before use to prevent the liquid I use in comps from turning it to rust, which will happen fast. DAMHIK!