White Flare Composition

[PyroPT]

Hello,

I'm new on this forum and besides the fact that I'm an old-time pyrothechnics enthusiast, just in the last couple of months I started to try a few things.

I have successefully made some basic pyro effects with simple compositions, I've made yellow / orange flares, tiger tails, and gold fountains , always using the same chemicals in different ratios (Potassium Nitrate, Sulfur, Charcoal, Sodium bicarbornate, dextrin).

I love pyrothechnics, but I'm a cautious person. Before I started working with BP compositions, I studied a lot and made sure all possible security measures were in place to start using the chemicals together.

I want to make bright flares with other colors than yellow / orange, like bright white, for example, but I know that to achieve what I want, I need to add Aluminium or Magnesium to the comp,. I've readed a lot regarding Metallic fueled compositions, and a few pieces of informations are incongruent and not perfectly elucidative, so my question is very simple.

I know that the power and dangerous of a flash composition can be influenced by many factors like, the fineness of the chemicals, ratios, etc., but what can I do to make a white flare whithout ending up with a stick of "pure" unstable flash powder? I´m my workspace I have a plan to minimize the risks of self ignition caused by sparks, friction, static, my main concern is the comp itself, so in terms of that what can I do to make the flares with a less instable composition?

I was thinking inof something like this:

KNO3 72%

Al 18%

S 9%

Vaseline 1%

 

Regards,

 

 

 

 

Edited December 11, 2023 by PyroPT

[Zumber]

Flare consists of hollow cylindrical tube in which pyrotechnic charge of non- flashing, non -exploding type is densely filled.

Pure flash materials as mentioned by you might explodes.

There should be coarse metal particals to be added ( like magnelium, magnesium is highly reactive and unstable if it is uncoated).

 My suggession is use very lower percentage of fine powder just to burn compostion continiously followed by coarse metals 150 mesh or 100 mesh for minimizing exploding nature of composition.

[PyroPT]

Thanks for your reply Zumber.

One thing that I read a lot is that theoretically any composition that uses an oxidizer + metallic fuel is a flash powder regardless of other chemicals that you may add to the composition. So, in order to eliminate or minimize the explosive and unstable factors of typical flash powder your recomendation is that the metallic fuel be just a small part of the composition and should be coarse enough, is that correct?

You mention magnelium and magnesium, I only have access to aluminium, will it  increase composition sensivity if compared to the other two metals?

What i´m looking is only the visual effect of the white flare, and simultaneously minimize as much as possible the explosive nature of the flash powder.

Do you think the composition I shared in my first post will do the job and be considerable safe to work with?

Thanks for your help.

Edited December 11, 2023 by PyroPT

[ThrownBiscuit]

At one point I made an exceedingly bright white flare using magnalium and potassium perchlorate with dextrin as a binder.

Potassium Perchlorate: 59.5%

230 mesh magnalium: 30.2%

Dextrin: 10.3%

Misted with 75% water and 25% ethanol to a point where it was still free flowing but starting to try and clump.

Pressed into a 3/4" ID thick wall tube with tube supports with an arbor press in 1/2 teaspoon increments. (I didn't think ramming this comp was a good idea)

The configuration I used was similar to a 1 lb nozzle less end burner rocket. Allow to dry for a day.

It was extremely bright white, it lit up a good chunk of the area like daylight.

 

As to your composition, I would think that perhaps decreasing your oxidizer ratio might make it less likely to explode. I might also recommend using 1-2% boric acid to increases stability. As long as it is well consolidated and densely packed it should be less likely to explode.

[Zumber]

9 hours ago, PyroPT said:

Thanks for your reply Zumber.

One thing that I read a lot is that theoretically any composition that uses an oxidizer + metallic fuel is a flash powder regardless of other chemicals that you may add to the composition. So, in order to eliminate or minimize the explosive and unstable factors of typical flash powder your recomendation is that the metallic fuel be just a small part of the composition and should be coarse enough, is that correct?

You mention magnelium and magnesium, I only have access to aluminium, will it  increase composition sensivity if compared to the other two metals?

What i´m looking is only the visual effect of the white flare, and simultaneously minimize as much as possible the explosive nature of the flash powder.

Do you think the composition I shared in my first post will do the job and be considerable safe to work with?

Thanks for your help.

 

I am trying to say make little use of fine mesh powder and make more use of coarse metal.

For example

Potassium nitrate 60

Fine mesh Aluminium powder 05

100 mesh magnelium 15

150 or 200 mesh magnelium 15

Dextrin 08

Boric acid 02.

This is just for example .This formula is not standard formula and not tested. And it uses kno3 as oxidizer so Its shelf life is less too... Due to more percentage of coarse metal its burning speed is affected too.

Dextrin here is not as a binder just to affect burning of composition.

As you have not mentioned type of Aluminium and its mesh size its difficult to say if your formula burns with what nature.

[Mumbles]

I just want to highlight something in Zumber's formula, and that is the boric acid.  Potassium nitrate and aluminum can react with each other, which has the potential to lead to heating up and runaway reactions.  Best case scenario if it happens, if the composition turns to garbage and your shop smells like ammonia. 

Boric acid helps to counteract this.  The reaction is base driven and assisted by being wet.  As such, I've only encountered it primarily in glitters with an additive that happens to be basic (sodium oxalate specifically, but also sodium bicarbonate).  Boric acid is most helpful when dissolved in the water used to wet the composition.  It just gets a lot more integrated.  Adding it as a solid to the comp is good and can help, but generally requires more as it isn't quite as effective in this state.  It looks like you're using vaseline as perhaps a combination of a binder and a waxy agent or phlegmatizer.  In this case it'd have to be used as a solid.  

All nitrates and aluminum are capable of this, but I've only encountered a problem with potassium nitrate and aluminum in particular scenarios personally.  Sodium nitrate would likely be problematic too, but I rarely use it.  The finer or higher surface area of the aluminum (flake), the more likely it is to be a problem.  

[BengalFlair]

For Zumber's  formula I don't recommend boric acid because a large quantity of fine mesh magnalium are there and boric acid does react considerably with magnalium. Practically I have never faced any serious problem with such composition without boric acid because the flake aluminiums we usually use in India are coated with some fatty matters which are less prone to this type of reaction and just as a hobbists I play with a small quentity of composition.  I had some couple of years old slow flash (KNO3/ Flake Al/ S) which I used to boost my four inches shells this year and noticed no detoriation and not got any foul odour in that composition although I usually do not indulge to store any type of flash. In case of glitters, if uncoated atomized aluminium are used then it would be more prone to this reaction than the coated varity which is available right here in India.

[Mumbles]

That's a good call with the magnalium.  I didn't catch that when I was responding last night.  Boric acid and magnalium or magnesium don't play well together.

[cmjlab]

He only has access to Aluminum, so whichever formula he goes with the Boric Acid is still a good idea and won't affect anything.

[Zumber]

Magnelium here in India also comes with coated (coated with potassium dichromate) and uncoated variety.

Uncoated magnelium is prone to react more than coated If water is present in it. The formula is for lance and I mentioned" this is just an example and is not standard formula and not tested it". Lance compositions are not damped with water. Role of boric acid is only If reaction occours In humid weather by absorbing moisture.

[PyroPT]

Thanks for all your answers. I Think I will wait till I feel ready to begin working with metallic fuels. I Will try some other compositions first.

I`m thinking on a possible composition to make a red / pink flare.

PINK FLARE: strontium nitrate 61,5%, potassium nitrate 20,5%,sulfur 8%, charcoal 4%, dextrin 2%, red gum 2%.

 What do you thing about this?

 

[Zumber]

10 hours ago, PyroPT said:

Thanks for all your answers. I Think I will wait till I feel ready to begin working with metallic fuels. I Will try some other compositions first.

I`m thinking on a possible composition to make a red / pink flare.

PINK FLARE: strontium nitrate 61,5%, potassium nitrate 20,5%,sulfur 8%, charcoal 4%, dextrin 2%, red gum 2%.

 What do you thing about this?

 

Potassium nitrate will distroy colour.

In order to creat colour star or flare there are two types of composition exists

First is organic -it uses organic fuels like shellac,red gum alongwith potassium perchlorate ,Chlorate like oxidizer. And colour producing agents like strontium nitrate (oxidizer plus colour producing agent )barium nitrate(oxidizer plus colour producer) strontium carbonate ,barium carbonate etc and chlorine donors (pvc parlon saran etc.Perchlorate and chlorate have chlorine too) and binders (dextrin ,phenolic resin ,SGRS)

Second is Metallic-instead of organic fuel it uses metal as a fuel like aluminium ,magnesium ,magnelium.

Sometimes combination of both metallic plus organic.

In your formula there is very little organic fuel (red gum is too low)and it doesnt have perchlorate or chlorate type strong oxidizer. So it justs difficult for strontium nitrate to decompose( In absence of perchlorate and chlorate using only strontium nitrate as oxidizer you will need metallic fuel to decompose.)

I already posted chlorate and perchlorate free red and green lance compositions few days back here.

Edited December 14, 2023 by Zumber

[Mumbles]

I could see the potassium nitrate being intentional in that formula.  Without it, I suspect the flare formula he posted would burn more or less red.  Not great, but unmistakable.  Potassium nitrate can be added to red stars and flare compositions to intentionally moderate it.  I suspect it would burn as more of a bad, washed out red that appears pinkish.  There are other things to do to get something to burn a true, vibrant, pink but that formula will probably get you in the ballpark.  My pink stars for instance have potassium nitrate in them.