Need Help!

[nick2354]

Sorry about so many questions, but i recently got my 1st Kilogram of KNO3, and i have experienced lots of troubles.

 

I made a smoke bomb, it worked really well. I then was making another one inside the house!, I had the heat on as low as possible and I keep on stirring it, but disaster struck! (It caught a light). The filter for the fan above the stove got badly burnt and the whole room was full of smoke.

 

I let the room vent for an hour or so and the smoke had gone away.

 

Note: I was using a gas stove (which i know i should of been using electric)

Note2: I was using a 15 : 9 ratio KNO3 to SUCROSE.

 

I am only 14 years old with very concerned parents about safety, and I need to impress them (show them I'm competent).

 

I have the following ingredients.

 

Sulfur 500g with purity 99.9.

Charcoal 5kg store bought.

Potassium Nitrate 1kg powdered.

Potassium Chlorate 5g (extracted from match heads).

 

I would like to make a Black Powder Fountain, but i do not have a Mortar & Pestle, Ball mill, Coffee grinder, Blender.

 

I went to my local shopping store and asked for a Mortar & Pestle, but they did not have them.

 

So my question is: Could I use a coffee grinder/blender or has anyone made an improvised Mortar & Pestle.

 

If i can not make a Fountain, I will make some more smoke bombs (outside of course). I will buy a trangeia (my spelling may be wrong).

 

Question: Has anyone bought a trangeia if so what where the prices and if your Australian what store did you buy it from, Or has anyone made an improvised gas heater ( i saw a post a few days ago where someone made a alcohol lamp, but i cant find it know)

 

I'm sorry for all the questions and if there is any spelling mistakes (Im very tired), i just want to have 100% knowledge before i try anything.

 

 

 

[oskarchem]

Well, to improvise a ball mill or a mortar and pestle; put your chems in a bag, seal it so there is as little air left as possible, and tap on it with a hammer.

[Mumbles]

That is in no way, shape or form an improvised ball mill. The components would be subjected to a completely different sort of mechanical action.

 

I am assuming that Tangeria (sp?) is a flame fuel. Why not just go purchase a hot plate, or a coffee grinder if you will go buy some fuel like that? Lacking these options, I would just grind or crush the chemicals as fine as possible. Perhaps with a rolling pin. Try a 2nd hand or goodwill store. You should be able to get a coffee grinder or a blender for a few dollars.

[asilentbob]

Electric hotplates are like $5 at Goodwill... and really you should have been making that smoke bomb OUTSIDE.

[ActiveA]

I've naver had a Kno3/Sucrose smoke bomb go off when heating and I've never used a hot plate, only a gas stove which i know is bad...

 

I'm not much older than you, if you really want to make some barely passable BP i suggest you go to the store; "The Warehouse" and buy a $25 blender, i use it for a heap of things, from making Al pieces for my comets, grinding up kitty litter for plugs to grinding Powdered Charcoal.

 

What kind of Charcoal are you using, if your using BBQ briquette then it may not be worth it, although I've heard its good for fountains, so it may just be the thing your looking for.

 

I know a few people who "blend" their BP for low grade bp. You could try Wet Mixing though, I'd say wet mixing would be perfect for you.

[WarezWally]

Go buy a cheap butane stove for $20 from BigW

 

Ditch the chlorate, god knows what else is in it.

[cplmac]

If it came off of match heads probably some type of phosphate. NOT something that should be used for anything other than lighting a smoke. You can mix your comp inside a large ziplock baggy, that's how I mix my whistle fuel. Wet mixing is best in a ball mill, unless you are using the CIA method, and I have no doubt whatsoever that is in a different pay grade in this case.

[nick2354]

Sorry about the late reply I wasnt able to get internet access.

 

Oskarchem: I tryed your method I first put the Sulfur and Charcoal in a bag and hit it with the hammer. This worked fairly well.

 

Mumbles: Yes, a trangia is a portable gas cooker. I was looking at my local catalogue and saw a portable gas stove for $15, I may just buy it, but I am a little short on money at the moment (Chirstmas is coming up though ).

 

Asilentbob: I dont know what "Goodwill" is because im not American, and yer I know I should of been making the smoke bomb outside. I will go to local stores and see if they sell gas stoves or electric hotplates, preferably electric hot plates.

 

ActiveA: I may just go and buy myslef a blender, If i buy one can I put all 3 black powder ingredients in it, or will this be REALLY dangerous, or do I just blend the Sulfur and Charcoal, then blend the KNO3 separelty.

 

Warezwally & Cplmac: My Chlorate is useless? it is a brown color from the die I guess. I mixed some coarse KCLO3 with Sugar, it burnt slowly.

 

[rev.redneck]

Well for stuff like smokers you could make one of these, ive used it camping http://www.csun.edu/~mjurey/penny.html

 

as for mortar and pestle anything hard you put your comp on and grind it together, with something hard, should work.

 

I also have filled my house with smoke from cooking smoke mix,

wont help you impress parents any though..lol

[mormanman]

Your KClO3 is better than this guys.

It looks like a black snake.

 

I would try green mix for the fountain. It should work if you at extra charcoal.

BTW, bamboo charcoal works good for TT it burns really slow.

[nick2354]

I made my own alcohol lamp, all it is is a beer bottle full of methylated spirits with a old rag. (Similar to a Molotov Cocktail) I have it inside a crucible and have my metal dish on top. I made a smoke bomb earlier today, and all I can say is: it works great!

[WarezWally]

Warezwally & Cplmac: My Chlorate is useless? it is a brown color from the die I guess. I mixed some coarse KCLO3 with Sugar, it burnt slowly.

 

Doesn't look good, The only time I mixed mine with sugar was when I first made a batch via electrolysis and it burned like granulated KNSU. That was with table sugar which was rather large as well. Mine burned about as fast as yours.

 

That batch turned out to be utter shit compared to the stuff I churn out now.

[nick2354]

I may ditch my KCLO3, and make it by the boiling of calcium hypochlor and potassium chloride. When i get enough money to buy them.

 

http://www.wfvisser.dds.nl/EN/chlorate_EN.html#thermal

 

I will also buy myself a rock tumbler from a site that Mumbles mentioned in suppliers review.

 

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/disp...temnumber=46376

 

I would like to know if anyone has a flare composition (I don't care what color) with potassium nitrate. This is what my VERY limited pyrotechnic knowledge was thinking:

 

5: KNO3

3: SUGAR

less than 1: Iron or Aluminum powder.

 

Melting the KNO3 and Sugar, then while it is still hot inserting Iron or Aluminum powder.

 

I found one flare composition from using google, but it looks incredibly unreliable. Its from TOTSE.

 

http://www.linkbase.org/make-flare/

[WarezWally]

I may ditch my KCLO3, and make it by the boiling of calcium hypochlor and potassium chloride. When i get enough money to buy them.

Best of luck, that method is a bitch to say the least.

 

Wait a few weeks and I *may* be able to help you out

 

I did find out that using sugar is a bad way to test kclo3 purity

[hst45]

I would like to know if anyone has a flare composition (I don't care what color) with potassium nitrate.

What sort of device are you trying to make? Are you looking to make a fountain (compound in a tube), or an ariel device, like a flare parachute?

 

if you're thinking fountain, then you could simply use a strong cardboard tube, plug the bottom end, and pack the tube with a compound. I'd suggest a mix something like weak black powder meal, say 60/30/10, (potassium nitrate/charcoal/sulfur) and add plus 5% iron filings for sparks. Pack this GENTLY but firmly in the tube, and put the fuse in the top. If you're doing this by hand, it's a bad idea to pound on a mix containing metal. if this burns too fast for you just add 5% baking soda. if it's too fast still, add 5% more, up to about 15% max. This isn't a spectacular device, but it's serviceable and safe, safer than melting KNO3/Sugar IMHO.

 

For Christmas, have your folks get you Tom Perigrin's book "introduction to pyrotechnics," it's a great place to start, and it will show your folks that you're interested in display pryotechnics, not being an idiot.

[nick2354]

No, when I say flare, I mean a safety flare.

 

This is a video of what a store bought one looks like. (The guy holding it seems like a try hard)

 

I might buy that book but I'm a little short of cash at the moment. Is there any good books that can be downloaded off the internet for free.

[WarezWally]

http://come.to/pfp

[nick2354]

That website has no flare composition on it.

[WarezWally]

Most flares involve suff you cannot get anyway, just settle for a fountain mix

 

Unless you have perc good luck

[Mumbles]

Please only offer help when it actually helps. IE try the links first, know what you're talking about. Might want to consider losing the superiority complex thing as well. It wasn't too long ago you were in his situation.

 

Yes, many flares contain perc, but several will contain only Strontium nitrate. Needless to say the vast majority of these flares are red. The colored fires, bengal fires, lances, etc will all give something along the lines of a true flare. I'd suggest going for one that is metal fueled for the closest to the real thing.

 

Anyway, this link will be more helpful.

http://www.wfvisser.dds.nl/compoDB.html

[rocket]

I found this comp to be a nice white flare comp though that’s not what it was intended for, it’s for lighting thermite.

 

KNO3: 5

Al: 3

S: 2

 

I used 300mesh atomized Al, make sure all the chems are fine and mix together well and hand press into a thin walled tube with about 2mm walls so it burns away. You might want to add some boric acid if you intend to store it, 1% should do. Also don’t stair into the flare as it wont do your eyes any good.

 

It can be a bit hard to light, I use green falling leaf fuse to light it.

[WarezWally]

AHAHAHAHA

 

 

I was way off my face when I made that

[nick2354]

I tried to make a flare a few days ago using this method.

 

20: KNO3

12: SUGAR

1: Iron fillings.

 

Melting the KNO3 and Sugar, then while it is still hot inserting Iron fillings.

 

It started off looking like a fountain then made a nice bright purple flame.

 

http://youtube.com/watch?v=NVvDVdW_SeQ ( I edited this post and changed the link)

 

It didn't burn for as long as I wanted it to. I may try and add some baking soda to slow the burn rate down. Or if anyone has any ideas, please help.

 

Mumbles: Thank you, for the that website, that was exactly what I was looking for . I may try some torch compositions, using the Barium Nitrate i extracted from Sparklers.

 

Rocket: I might try that also once I get some Aluminum powder (all I have at the moment is alfoil that I powdered by using a drill press).

[oskarchem]

That link was to your smoke bomb, but I watched the flare, didn't burn very long and the color wasn't wary purple, but it is possible that you camera has bad flame color resolution. But it was nice for a first try

[nick2354]

Yea, I know it didnt last very long (barely even 5 seconds).

 

My camera does have bad flame color resolution.

 

Would baking Soda slow it down a bit or should i add more Iron fillings? Maybe to 4 grams instead of 1. I would like it to burn for 30 seconds.