Winokur 20

[MadMat]

I am going to be making some Winokur 20 stars very soon and would like to ask anyone making it in the past how much water/alcohol to use. I figured no more than 10%, does sound about right? I will be pumping them with my newly made 1/2 star pump. If everything goes right, I will be posting about my less than $5.00 home made star pump.

[Mumbles]

Like everything in pyro, the answer is always "it depends". The pressure is going to depend on how you're pressing the stars. The more pressure the less water you need. Personally, I'd rather start low and move up. With a hydraulic/pneumatic press you could probably start around 4-6%. If I'm hand ramming or using an arbor press I normally start around 8%. I think the ability to use sustained pressure with a real press, even if the actual pressure on the comp is lower, helps in this regard as you can combat the relaxation and achieve a better compaction. You can always add a few more sprays of solvent. It's a pain to try to dry it out unless you have reserved comp.

 

Also, I'd also highly suggest adding the water or water/alcohol, mixing it in and allowing the comp to rest for at least 30-60 min. It really helps. I've never had a problem with win20, but do keep an eye on it if it starts to heat up or smell like ammonia.

[MadMat]

I did pretty much everything you just said! For a 200 gram batch, I added approx 15 ml of water. I added the water in increments and let it rest for a while before checking it. My little home made 1/2" pump worked just fine, but it took a while to pump out all 200 grams by hand and I had to spritz the compound with a little water when I was about 3/4 of the way through. I never noticed any ammonia smell or any heating, so I think all is going to be fine. the stars are in the dryer right now. This was the first time I pumped stars and now, thinking back I probably could have gotten by with a little less water. It's amazing how pressing a damp compound can work with very little water. One more question about priming this comp, does it take fire easily? (I assume it should)

Edited November 10, 2020 by MadMat

[a_bab]

No priming needed for Winokur #20.

And be prepared to be amazed by the liquid gold in the skies; please film it.

[MadMat]

I just realized I love pumping stars, not the work mind you, but, they come out uniform in size and shape and dry extremely fast! After less than 1-1/2 hours in the dryer, they were dry enough to test fire in a star gun. It was so beautiful, I just had to fire a second one. When making the comp I mixed in everything but the charcoal ( I used pine BTW) and the Mg/Al and ball milled it for one hour. I then added in the charcoal and ball milled it for another 1/2 hour. I then screened in the Mg/Al.

Edited November 10, 2020 by MadMat

[Carbon796]

To save your self a step and time. Just throw the charcoal in from the beginning.

[MadMat]

Life has been rather hectic and this is the first pyro work I've done in a little over a year. I almost feel like a newb again!

[MinamotoKobayashi]

A question about the MgAl: actually I have only MgAl 325 mesh and MgAl 70 mesh. The Winokur 20 original formula suggest 200 mesh.

I can order 150 mesh or 250 mesh from Pyrogarage, but the end of the year is near and I prefer to prepare the mix as soon as possible.

Can I use 325 or 70 instead 200 without ruin the effect?

[MadMat]

I made a 100 gram batch with 325 MgAl to see what, if any, effect it would have. The flash/burn rate was faster but it still looked good

[MinamotoKobayashi]

Thanks mate I will give it a try!