Some questions For Oglesby's Better Pearl Glitter

[MinamotoKobayashi]

Hello forum.

I wish to create easy but elegant stars with this formula:

 

Potassium nitrate - 47

Barium nitrate - 10

Sulfur - 18

Airfloat Charcoal - 10

Aluminum, atomized - 10

Dextrin - 5

Mr. Ogleby advise:

All parts by weight.

Make sure your potassium nitrate and barium nitrate are fluffy fine.

Coarse screen mix everything through a 20 mesh screen.

Do not overmix.

Glitters usually want to be left roughly mixed.

Dampen with water or water and alcohol.

You can make any kind of star with this formula.

We recommend after each component has been put through a 60 mesh screen separately they are added to a container mixed by shaking

then put though a 20 mesh screen to help with the blending. A "rough mix" is all that is required.

But something is not so clear for me:

1. "Do not overmix. - Glitters usually want to be left roughly mixed."

What means this? Potassium nitrate is fluffy, Barium nitrate is fluffy, Sulfur is fluffy, Airfloat is fluffy, Aluminum is fluffy and Dextrin is fluffy.

LOL, everything if fluffy, but the compound need to be "roughly mixed". It is impossible not to overmix is everything is fluffy!

Can someone explain me what is the significate of this procedure?

2. 60 mesh screen has larger matrix compared to the 20 mesh screen. What is the sense to go to the sieve so fluffy powders with a 60 mesh screen ???

3. I will use the stars with a 3" ball shell containing BP covered rice hulls 7:1: what is the ideal diameter of every ball that I will create with this compound?

Thanks for the help in advance!

Richard.

[NeighborJ]

A good system to use for glitters is the BP base method. The individual chemical system can end up burning some of the aluminum as fuel if it is mixed too well.

 

This formula would look like this:

62.6% screen granulated BP

10% BaNO3

8.6% sulfer

3.8% charcoal

10% atomized Al

5% dextrin

 

The chemicals can be mixed as much as you desire and then add the BP. This ensures that the stars burn fast and the rest of the chemicals are used as glitter and not fuel during the initial combustion.

 

These stars burn fast so they need to be a bit larger then normal, about 3/8" or 10mm should be good.

 

Jason

 

PS it is a good idea to wet this comp with boric acid saturated water to prevent unwanted reactions, a few % should be enough.

Edited July 30, 2017 by NeighborJ

[Mumbles]

I'm not going to answer these quite in order.

 

2. Mesh is different than a direct measure of opening size in a screen. 60 mesh is a finer screen and has smaller openings than a 20 mesh screen. Mesh is holes per linear inch. So the larger the mesh number, the smaller the opening. The 60 mesh is basically just to break up clumps and ensure everything is a fine, free flowing powder.

 

1. I agree and disagree at the same time with the Lloyd Oglesby. In my opinion you can certainly over mix a glitter, but that is more of a personal preference and opinion. However, I doubt you'll do that by screening. Mix the composition however you would normally do with screens and you'll be fine. To me milling a glitter, sans metals and other more friable things like antimony trisulfide, is the only way to really over mix. Milled glitters to me often come off as too clean and uniform. Again, this is just personal preference. The stars will still glitter, though the tail will be shorter. For this same reason, I tend to prefer glitter stars not based on meal powder.

 

3. 5/16" to 3/8" should be pretty good.

[stix]

I love glitters. If you can, post a video when you get this happening.

 

cheers.

[MinamotoKobayashi]

Thanks for the hints, really appreciated!

 

x Mumbles: sorry about the mesh question, I inverted the values, it was a typo