Silicon for BP prime

[Merlin]

Can ordinary silicon dioxide 325 mesh be used rather than the dark pyro grade? See photo

[Mumbles]

Unfortunately no. Silicon dioxide is not the same thing as the elemental silicon that we use. Silicon dioxide will not burn, and probably just act as a retardant or heat sink if anything.

[Merlin]

Thanks Mumbles. I suspected as much. I was just looking for a cheap source. Silicon itself is not expensive (except skylighter) but I was looking for 3 lbs which is $8 per pound but shipping from most suppliers is more than the cost of the silicon.

Just I will wait til I have a big order. Thanks

[Arthur]

The whole point of silicon in primes is that it burns and forms a liquid slag which transfers a LOT of heat energy to the surface of the star which greatly eases setting fire to star compounds. Clearly silica is the already oxidised form so it cannot make heat to light the star.

 

Silicon is particularly good because the silica produced is liquid at flame temperature so heat passes into the star. Many other metals make gaseous oxides which make hot smoke and carry heat away from the surface of the star. Silicon is usually about 3 - 5% in a prime so only about 1 - 2% of a star's mass try looking for 100g or half a pound.

[memo]

could you take a beer bottle and grind it up into powder and use in prime ? it melts and forms a glass slag used it when refing gold and it melted at a fairly low temp.

 

memo

[Merlin]

The whole point of silicon in primes is that it burns and forms a liquid slag which transfers a LOT of heat energy to the surface of the star which greatly eases setting fire to star compounds. Clearly silica is the already oxidised form so it cannot make heat to light the star.

 

Silicon is particularly good because the silica produced is liquid at flame temperature so heat passes into the star. Many other metals make gaseous oxides which make hot smoke and carry heat away from the surface of the star. Silicon is usually about 3 - 5% in a prime so only about 1 - 2% of a star's mass try looking for 100g or half a pound.

Thanks Arthur! I really should have known that just didn't think on it long enough. I plan to use BP- silicon prime quite a lot so I resigned myself to the shipping and got 3 lbs.

[WSM]

Unfortunately no. Silicon dioxide is not the same thing as the elemental silicon that we use. Silicon dioxide will not burn, and probably just act as a retardant or heat sink if anything.

 

Both silicon and boron in compositions tend to make hot burning mixtures with glassy slag which can be very helpful in primes and first fires.

 

WSM