Making my dragon eggs louder and less crackles

[OldMarine]

Lloyd, it only gets too thick to stir after I mix in the dry chems and stir it for a minute then it begins to thicken to the point I have to manhandle it.

[Mumbles]

I'm sure you've said it a million times, but what sort of NC are you using Patrick? Not all produce lacquers with the same viscosity even if they have the same concentration. This may be part of the difference. It may also be a difference in bismuth source, as some are denser than others.

 

My experience is similar to Lloyds where the mix is somewhat liquid when first mixed. Thin enough to stir and roll around the bowl, probably pour to some degree. The 10% NC lacquer was probably somewhere around the viscosity of motor oil. It's been a while, and that's my best recollection, but should be ball park. I've seen NC lacquers of the same concentration be closer to honey as well.

 

All that really matters is that your eggs work. If so, a little more liquid or solid when manufacturing doesn't really make a difference.

[OldMarine]

I'm using Green Dot double-base shotshell powder per Lloyd's formula.

[lloyd]

And Mumb is correct about viscosity "not mattering", except during the initial thorough mixing. If it gets too thick to assure a good mix, just toss in a little more acetone -- it'll evaporate quickly.

 

It SHOULD thicken up to a dough after "a few minutes' mixing". That's the goal. Then gloves, kneading, and scraping-off the gloves back into the still-damp mass. At the point where it's ready to granulate, it also no longer sticks badly to nitrile gloves, handling about like bread dough.

 

Lloyd

[OldMarine]

It's EZPZ so I'll stick with it.

[insutama]

So use nitrile gloves ? I just ordered some

[OldMarine]

Yes the nitrile gloves hold up well and can be re-used if need be. I got hold of a large stack if old wooden plaster lath that I cut into stirring sticks since I found tongue depressors to be too flimsy and wooden spatulas too expensive although I just got a great deal on bamboo spatulas this month. Disposable wok supplies!

[insutama]

Well im glad i just bought some nitrile gloves ill probally just use some .5" wood dowelling to stir i have lots

[OldMarine]

The stuff crumbles off well so you can re-use them. I get them free at work since I'm a plumber and get paid to play in poo and whatnot but still don't waste them.

[insutama]

Nice i get work leather gloves from my work but there not much good for pyro lol

[insutama]

UPDATE:

 

okay I tried a 100g batch today with the formula lloyd posted at the beginning of this post.

My first mistake i think was i mixed the NC with the acetone in a bowl way to big so it took forever for me to get it all disolved in 27 grams of acetone(. 3 grams double base green dot) i then poured the powder mix into the acetone/NC liquid. I mixed it with a wood dowel until it started sticking to the edges of my stainless steel bowl then i put on nitrile gloves and tried to gather it all up into a dough then i put it on a 10 mesh screen and pushed it threw. it must have been too runny because once it went threw the screen the majority of it turned back into a dough however there was about 20% that just stuck to the other side of the screen. I left the screen to dry with the DE stuck on the screen in little mouse turn size. With the rest of the dough that had come threw the screen then stuck back into a dough i decided to try cutting some eggs then let them dry.

 

I know if did a few things wrong while making this but i had such a hard time working the the NC mixed in with the powder i think this would be alot easier if i dissolve the Smokeless powder in a drinking glass size glass and then use a smaller mixing bowl for pouring the NC laqour into the powder.

 

RESULTS:

 

They dried for about 30 minutes and i tried lighting them unprimed with a torch.

The little DE that came from scraping the dry eggs off the screen were pretty good a nice pop say about the loudness of a cap gun.

The cut stars i made quite a bit bigger than the tiny ones from the screen but iwhen i lit these unprimed starts they made a much more quite crackling sound.

 

I like these results but i still would like to get it to were i can get a egg as loud as a blackcat firecracker.

 

I think my problem is egg size if i can figure out how to work the dough better and not have it all stick to my gloves, bowl and everything and make my eggs all the same size, small and dense, maybe i would get the results im looking for.

 

QUESTION:

with all the crumbs and scrapings from the gloves stir stick and bowl i put in a container to save. If i dampen these DE crumbs and powder with acetone would i be able to try and re make some more eggs with it?

Edited July 9, 2017 by insutama

[insutama]

One other thing is maybe the mesh of my MgAl is to fine. I would like to try it with 100 mesh MgAl i cant find a supplier that sells 100 mesh MgAl, could someone link me to a supplier were i could purchase some thanks

[Mumbles]

Yes, you can rewet any material stuck to your tools, working surface, or that isn't the right size. Most people just add it into the next batch, but if you have enough rewetting with acetone will be fine to rework the material.

 

If you want to make them louder you may need to experiment a bit with MgAl size or blends. Making sure the whole granule is consumed at once is key to getting them as loud as possible. Denser granules tends to help as well. Once primed there can be some improvement as there is better ignition of the granules.

 

Here's a video of Mike Swisher making dragon eggs.

[OldMarine]

I think your problem is you aren't using the proper formula or following the procedures in making them. Those crackle stars I pictured are so damned loud you hear them for minutes after lighting. One granule taped to a piece of visco makes firecrackers go hide in the corner and a 1" ball shell full makes the neighboring street's dogs piss the floor. If I want to change those from a crackle to a brocade effect I simply add Titanium until I get the crackle sizzle or hiss with accompanying sparks I'm looking for. It is as close to foolproof as I think something can get but maybe they've come out with a new model since I last checked.

[OldMarine]

One other thing is maybe the mesh of my MgAl is to fine. I would like to try it with 100 mesh MgAl i cant find a supplier that sells 100 mesh MgAl, could someone link me to a supplier were i could purchase some thanks

Look at Chris Bruce's site www.fireworkscookbook.com he has MgAl which is the prime stuff along with every other pyro chem you could want (at this stage) at reasonable prices.

Try Lloyd's formula and follow it to the letter and I can tell you from experience you'll be tickled and deaf.

Edited July 9, 2017 by OldMarine

[lloyd]

The material can be re-processed almost endlessly, so long as you protect it from moisture. The size of the stars is very important to how loudly they crack. About 3mm ROUND is the largest I recommend to start.

 

And, they need to dry either in hot sun for at least two hours, or in the shade for seven or eight. And, they must be primed to properly ignite over their entire surface. That's important to getting a LOUD crack. AND, if you prime them, you must thoroughly dry them again.

 

I prime ALL of my DE, regardless of their future use.

 

Lloyd

Edited July 9, 2017 by lloyd

[insutama]

Okay good to know ill wait for them dry a bit more then prime them

[insutama]

What prime should i use for these ?

[lloyd]

I use an ordinary 'rough mix' prime (75-15-10), with dextrin (+6%) as the binder, and saturated potassium dichromate solution for the wetting-water.

 

Lloyd

[insutama]

i dont have potassium dichromate is there a substitute i could use ?

 

When priming the Eggs do you just put the eggs in a bowl sprits water on them then hand roll the prime on ?

[lloyd]

I use a star roller, but yes, that's the basic principle. Ned primes my formula with only water. Just be aware of their potential to heat up, and DISCARD THEM INSTANTLY if they do. He hasn't experienced that.

 

The reasons I use dichromate are two: It seems to improve their speed of ignition, and it pretty-much guarantees 'no reaction' with the water.

 

YMMV.

 

Lloyd

[insutama]

could i use red gum and alcohol instead of dextrin and water ?

 

 

How much potassium dichromate would i put into the water before spritzing onto the eggs ?

 

I found 1lb of potassium dichromate for 30$ CND with shipping, I debating if i should get it or not

[lloyd]

No, don't use a solvent that could soften the NC. The binder of the crackle is solvent-bound. The binder of the primer is water-bound.

 

Use a saturated solution of potassium dichromate. At 20C, it's about 13g of dichromate per 100ml of water.

 

Lloyd

[insutama]

okay will do and once mixed into a solution will it have a long shelf life ?

[lloyd]

Indefinite life, although it's hard on THIN polyethylene containers (like milk jugs) because it's so strong of an oxidizer. If you store it in PE, make sure it's nice and thick. It'll last OK.

 

If you make a saturated solution at (say) 20C, below that temperature some of it will crystallize out, but just don't pour that part out. Above that temp, it will no longer be 'saturated', but it'll still be fine.

 

Lloyd