Flash powder mixtures as propelant?

[alex67]

I make these small single shot shells fireworks, and i dont have a relliable source of blackpowder for the propelant, but instead have lots of high quality flash powder.
Would a mixture and/or wet and dry process of flash powder charcoal or/and baking soda, be a good enough propelant for small scale sky shots?

[Zumber]

If you make small single shots then atleast you must have potassium nitrate ,sulphur and charcoal powder.

You can make black powder propelant on your own.

Flash powder has detonating property which could damage your morter as well as if shell strength is not sufficient it also explodes shell in morter itself.

Baking soda has nothing to do with propelant.

 

[alex67]

18 minutes ago, Zumber said:

If you make small single shots then atleast you must have potassium nitrate ,sulphur and charcoal powder.

You can make black powder propelant on your own.

Flash powder has detonating property which could damage your morter as well as if shell strength is not sufficient it also explodes shell in morter itself.

Baking soda has nothing to do with propelant.

Also here is a little one i made yesterday so you can see what scale i am talking about. 

 

Thank you for the fast reply but i aleady knew that info, let me explain a little more. 

Normally i use black powder extracted from some specific fireworks, and then granulated. The problem is those arent a relliable source, and also i can not get kno3 where i live, thats the hole point of this post. Gues i will have to try some ratios and see if its possible but any comments and opinions will help. 

And for the baking soda, it slows down the burn rate. 

[Zumber]

7 hours ago, alex67 said:

 

Would a mixture and/or wet and dry process of flash powder charcoal or/and baking soda, be a good enough propelant for small scale sky shots?

I exactly dont get what are you trying to say.

Are you going to wet and granulate flash powder by adding charcoal or baking soda in it???

Also what kind of flash(what chemicals used) powder do you have is not clearly mentioned.

[cmjlab]

1. Baking soda is a Base and can lead to an interaction with Aluminum, so if you plan to granulate flash consider using 1% Boric Acid in water to help mitigate this concern. (Though I wish you wouldn't touch flash until you are more familiar with ALL the dangers)

2. Please don't take this as admonishment or "flaming", this is simply an answer to your initial question.  Additionally it's because we don't want you, or anyone else who reads this to get hurt trying it.

Using flash as a lift powder is a REALLY bad idea for several reasons.  Flash burns exponentially faster when contained / confined, than it does un-confined, and putting it in a mortar with a shell above it is all the confinement it needs.  This concept is the same reason that KCL04 and KCL03 are not used for lift powder, as their burn rate increases with confinement, leading to too much rapid expansion without enough time to allow gas to escape (pushing a shell out the mortar), so it ruptures the container it's contained in (the mortar).

Bottom Line - it may work for you once, twice maybe even more, but it's a matter of time before it doesn't and you or someone else gets hurt.

3. How are you making flash, and where did you get that oxidizer?

4. If you can't get B.P. or KN03, then how do you plan to make pyrotechnic devices? If you are making stars, you will need to prime them.  If you are making firework shells, then you will need B.P. for time fuse and black match, etc. So I guess I'm curious how you plan to make things other than firecrackers.

Edited December 18, 2023 by cmjlab

[Arthur]

First really check all possible suppliers in your country, it's hard that KNO3 is unavailable. Look at youtube and try to find a process that makes nitrate. -There are many videos to make nitric acid. Ultimately if you cannot get nitrates then you will have to visit the dark side and make chlorates from table salt and then work a completely different formulary to get lift burst and colours from chlorates and H3.

[Zumber]

Without basic chemicals availability Its almost impossible to work even with small mini projects.

[Arthur]

There are numerous youtube videos of people making nitric acid from air by the Berkeland Eyde process. Some specifically produce sodium nitrate, if you could make sodium nitrate you have the option to make potassium nitrate. HOWEVER actually finding a source of garden potassium nitrate fertiliser will be cheaper and better.

[TXpyro]

On 12/18/2023 at 3:26 AM, alex67 said:

I make these small single shot shells fireworks, and i dont have a relliable source of blackpowder for the propelant, but instead have lots of high quality flash powder.
Would a mixture and/or wet and dry process of flash powder charcoal or/and baking soda, be a good enough propelant for small scale sky shots?

We need to start an organization that gives ball mills to people who try using FLASH POWDER AS A PROPELLANT. It's not a good idea to use flash powder in the wrong way especially if your a beginner. Flash powder is supposed to be used for salutes and to help shells break. Not for lift powder. 

[MicroGram]

I have a feeling he's getting his "supplies" by taking apart consumer fireworks...