epsom salt flash powder

[Chemguy]

I bought epsom salts for $2.50 at the supermarket, and got 800g. It's not that expensive.

[artificier]

oh ok ! i pick up some money from my mother and i going to Wal-mart or a cheap supermarket to buy some chem ! but i have a question,the epsom salt really need to go in the oven ? other alternative exist ?

[Chemguy]

Epsom salt is around 70% water, that will not do well in flash. Maybe a hotplate or a hot flame will get rid of most of the water. But the ideal thing would be to leave it in the oven for 2 hours. Maybe n a metal container in a fireplace .

[artificier]

but the epsom salt smell when baked ?

[Mumbles]

No, there is no smell when baking it. Yes, you need to cook it. Store it in an air tight container after you cook it as well, or you will just be back where you started.

[artificier]

No smell ? MgSO4 contain sulphur molecule ?

[shadopyro]

You'll only get a smell of sulphur or sulphur dioxide if the MgSO4 were to decompose via heat (in other words melting). The temperature inside your oven won't be hot enough to melt it, therefore the MgSO4 molecule will stay in its molecular form without releasing the sulphur.

This is assuming that there are no sulphur impurities in the epsom salt.

There'll only be a slight tinge of the sulphurous smell when you set off the flash powder.

[artificier]

oh your info are great , i will post next week a detailled info,picture and video of the epsom flash powder ! its possible to mix a other comp like MgSO4/C ? its the future BP ? and its possible to use other sulfate like AlSO4 or CuSO4 ?? i will found in the imcompatibility chemical the CuSO4 and it still make an explosive reaction with aluminium or magnesium.some people are some pic or vid of sulphate explosive ??

[artificier]

damn i going at the supermarket and a batch of MgSO4 cost 6.95$

i found some info in my old pyro book and i found lot of info about sulphate !

the magnesium sulphate melt at 1124 degrees.he contain per weight 0.37 % of oxygen and the heat produced (cal/g) of magnesium sulphate and aluminium mixture is 1.610 cal/g the best sulphate its the copper sulphate.the CuSO4 slightly decompose at 200 degrees.

he contain 0.40% of oxygen by weight and its produce 1.400/1.560 cal/g with aluminium.

[FrankRizzo]

.5g of 55:45 MgSO4 + magnalium (-325) flash

 

The MgSO4 is common Epsom salts which I cooked in a Pyrex dish in the microwave for ~5 mins on high. There's a distinct color change to pure white from the hydrated crystals which are translucent to start. This MgSO4 was then powdered in a coffee grinder.

 

As you can see, this reaction requires a lot of heat to get started. If one were to try using this material for bottom shots, a fair amount of slow flash booster would have to be used to get it going.

 

Edit: I didn't realize the first file was so large. Here's a compressed version:

 

http://www.pyrobin.com/files/mgso4%20flash_divx.avi

[Polumna]

hi

 

at FrankRizzzo:

 

would it be possible to light the Mgso4/MgAl flash powder with Blackpowder???

 

 

 

Polumna

[itwasntme]

hi

 

at FrankRizzzo:

 

would it be possible to light the Mgso4/MgAl flash powder with Blackpowder???

 

 

 

Polumna

Not GOOD black powder. Good black powder burns so quickly, it would just scatter the powders. Just make some green meal, and add 5-10% magnesium/aluminum powders.

[FrankRizzo]

hi

 

at FrankRizzzo:

 

would it be possible to light the Mgso4/MgAl flash powder with Blackpowder???

 

 

 

Polumna

A slow-flash booster, something akin to the formula below would be ideal. The idea is to get as much heat in as small of an area as possible without generating a bunch of gaseous products (BP wouldn't work well because of this).

 

 

Potassium Nitrate - 5

Flake Aluminum (#809 or similar) - 3

Sulfur - 2

[Polumna]

hi

 

i have not got any pyro alu, that woud work with fillings , too???

 

i just tried out this compo:

 

Caso4 1,3g

 

Magnesiumpowder 1,0g

 

works fine, but u need a first fire mix, too.

 

this sttuff is powerful.

 

 

Polumna

[artificier]

Yeah i try the mixture of :

40% CaSO4

60% Coarse and fine MG

 

result with a lighter ignition source: A blinding white light with a Popping sound

 

result spaying powder over an red oven: LOT of little explosion and crackling sound

 

I juste make test pile with this stuff but i'm not sure to put the powder in a device.. still not powerfull....

[FrankRizzo]

Remember to dry your sulfates before using them to make comps, especially CaSO4 and MgSO4.

[artificier]

Damn i remember to dry the CaSO4, I know now why my comp turn to a bullshit of coarse CaSO4!

[Newbergpyro]

So let me get this straight, all you have to do is..

 

10 grams of epsom salt dried in oven

 

and

 

10 grams of plaster of paris?

 

then you have flash powder?

[Mumbles]

Not quite. The plaster and epsom salts are oxidisers. Mixing two oxidisers won't do much. You mix one of the two, or both if you like, with a metal to create the flash. Aluminum, Magnesium, and Magnalium are the prefered metals.

[Newbergpyro]

do you know what the ratio is if I used aluminum, plaster of paris and epsom salts?

[artificier]

Possible to use Sulphate oxidizer and Charcoal or iron powder to make a delay powder or propellant ? or just not work

[styropyro]

It would probably take way too hot of an ignition temperature to make any useful delay powder. I'm assuming that it wouldn't even light if charcoal was used.

[rocket]

There would be no hope in hell of lighting the CaSO4/charcoal, remember that CaSO4 and MgSO4 are high temp oxidizers.

[Newbergpyro]

I just think its easier to make 50/50 kno3/mg flash. How fine do the magnesium filings have to be for the flash to "flash" ?

[rocket]

To get good KNO3/Mg flash the Mg has to be fairly fine mine is around 150–200 mesh.

 

More info on it here http://www.apcforum.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=528&st=0